Chapter 27

The next morning, Laura sat at the table in Frances's kitchen in Tarzania. She had her hands wrapped nervously around the coffee mug her sister had offered her. "Well, Laura, what did I do to deserve another visit from my little sister two weeks in a row?" Frances questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Laura couldn't help notice the family resemblance between Frances and their father. "I just had to talk to you about something, and I didn't think it was a conversation we should have over the phone," she stated softly.

Frances studied her sister before she slipped into the chair beside her. She reached out and touched her arm. "Are you and Remington having problems already, Laura?"

"What? No!" Laura retorted immediately.

"Well, you don't look as happy as you did last week when I saw you. If there's something going on between the two of you, I'm sure I can offer a little sisterly advice to spice things up," Frances patted Laura's arm gently.

Laura toyed with the lip of the coffee mug while a crooked grin highlighted her dimples, "That's not a problem at all, Frances, take my word on that."

"But if that's all he has to offer, that can be a problem, too," Francine stated firmly. "Oh, no, Laura, you didn't try to cook for him, again, did you?" Frances's dark eyes widened with the possibility.

Laura shook her head, "No, cooking is his department. And I'm not here because of anything going on between Mr. Steele and me."

Frances sat up straighter in her chair, smoothed her skirt, and asked, "Well, then, why are you here, Laura? Is this about Mother moving back to California? Is she having second thoughts?"

Laura rolled her eyes, "How would I know if Mother was having second thoughts?"

Frances shrugged her right shoulder, "Well, you seem to be Mother's favorite lately. After all, she called to tell you she was moving back to California. I mean, she does call once a week to talk to the children, but that's about it."

"Mother calls to talk to the children?" Laura's head tilted in amazement.

"Yes, every Sunday evening since we've returned from Ireland. And she found a little ranch not too far away for Danny to take riding lessons. She even paid for the equipment he needs. I didn't realize it was so much. But the riding coach did say he was a natural and might even be able to start competing by the end of the summer," Frances straightened her back once more.

Laura gave her sister a genuine smile, "That's wonderful news! Danny must be so excited."

Frances returned her smile and reached out to touch her again, "He is. He says he finally found his sport, whatever that means. I thought soccer was his sport… I didn't even realize you could call horseback riding a sport, but there it is." She sighed happily before she asked again, "So why are you here, Laura? If it's not about Mother and it's not about you and Remington having problems… I know you didn't come just for a morning visit."

Laura exhaled sharply and stated, "It's about Dad."

"Dad?" Frances repeated. "What about him? He's gone, Laura, and you should finally accept the fact he will never be coming back."

"He's back, Frances, well, sort of," Laura informed her sister in a serious tone.

Frances laughed, "He's not back, Laura. Now, look who's seeing things!"

Laura reached out and took Frances's hand in hers, "It's true. He's been in Witness Protection this whole time. I saw him yesterday…"

"No… that's not possible," Frances chastised her. "I'm sure you're just making that up."

"Frances, I'm not making this up!" Laura insisted. "He found out he was working for the mob and went to the FBI."

Frances rolled her eyes in a grand gesture, "The FBI? Really, Laura? Now, look who's telling stories. You couldn't come up with a better explanation as to why he left?"

Laura stood and began to pace as she tried to convince her sister, "Frances, I'm telling you the truth. He's been on Almas Perdidas Isle, living in the lighthouse for the last twelve years."

"A lighthouse? How far fetched can you get, Laura?" Frances groaned.

Laura threw her hand up and stated, "Do you remember that blanket I had?"

"The white one Grandmother made for you?" Frances asked.

"Well, Dad took it with him. I found it in a chest with photo albums and a bunch of other things we gave him when we were little," Laura insisted.

Frances stood, "And where was this chest? Hidden away on the island? Like a treasure chest?"

Laura pulled the small keyring out of her pocket, "No, it's in a storage facility downtown. Along with his records, their wedding photos, his books… it's all there, Frances. And I can show it to you if you really don't believe me."

Frances stared at the keys dangling from Laura's fingers, "If it is true… and I'm not saying I believe you… but if what you're saying is the truth, what does he want?"

Laura shook her head, "He wants to be part of the family again. He said he still loves us… all of us."

Frances sat down and exhaled, "I'm not sure I want that. I mean, it's been fourteen years, Laura, I have a life of my own, a family I didn't have back then."

Laura sat beside her sister and held her hand, "I know, Frances."

"And if we do let him in, what's to say he isn't going to just take off a second time? I don't know if I can go through that again," Frances lamented.

"I know," Laura agreed.

Frances looked into Laura's eyes and added, "And what about Mother? She's moving back to California… does he expect to just walk right back into her life, too? You saw what she was like when he left."

Laura grabbed Frances's other hand and gripped the two of them tightly as she assured her, "I'm not going to do anything that's going to hurt our family. And I'm going to make sure he understands that he can't just walk back in. It's going to take time… and he's going to have to be patient with us."

"Right," Frances nodded. She sighed once more and asked, "That was quite the bombshell you dropped this morning. Is there anything else I should know about?"

Laura gave her a relaxed smile, "Rem and I started rebuilding my house… our house… on the old foundation."

"What? You didn't tell me that," Frances exclaimed.

"Yes, we stopped by yesterday. Most of the framing for the first floor is in place, and they were just starting on the second floor," Laura explained.

Frances tipped her head slightly, "Second floor? That house didn't have a second floor."

"I know! Rem had the brilliant idea of adding up, so we would have more space to spread out. He added a home office, two extra bedrooms, and even a master bath," Laura informed her. Her brown eyes flashed with excitement over each description.

"Extra bedrooms? Are you two planning on expanding anytime soon?" Frances winked.

Color flooded Laura's cheeks as she blushed profusely, "No… I don't think so… not soon anyway. We've only been married a few months… we're not talking about that yet." She fingered the collar of her blouse nervously.

"But you have talked about it, haven't you, Laura?" Frances pushed.

"Maybe a little," Laura admitted. "Holding baby Emma in Ireland definitely opened up my eyes to the possibilities of having a child, but I don't know how something like that would fit into our lives right now."

Frances gave her a knowing look as she stated, "You know what they say, Laura, new home, new baby! Just don't forget to christen every room when you first move in."

"Christen every room? Frances, what are you talking about?" Laura asked, confused.

Frances gave her a little nudge and whispered, "You know… you and Remington have to… in every room."

"Oh, Frances," Laura groaned with a broad smile and a shake of her head.