CHAPTER 14
Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
-Our Lady Peace, "Life"
Bright and early the next morning, Rafe found himself on the front doorstep of his cousin Lucy Coe's home.
It was a strange place, a renovated lighthouse, complete with what appeared to be a manmade duck pond and its very own duck!
Shaking his head, Rafe thought to himself, 'Well, I come from a line of vampire slayers. I never should have thought these new relatives would be any more normal than my old ones.'
Readjusting his grasp on the unwieldy cardboard box in his arms, Rafe took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell, hoping for the best...
***
That morning the Collins/Coe and now Thornhart/Barrington residence was a chaotic mess as Lucy and Ian struggled to wake, dress, and feed their young children before their visitor arrived. Alison, however, was nowhere to be seen.
'Ding!' chimed the doorbell.
"Ian!" Lucy yelled down from upstairs. "I'm helping Christina get dressed. Can you get the door?"
Ian glanced over at his young son, Daniel, who sat in his highchair, happily munching on a pile of Cheerios.
"I miss having our own place, don't you, Danny?"
The child giggled, banging his tiny fists against his seat.
'Ding!'
"Ian!" Lucy's voice bellowed through the lighthouse.
"I'm getting it!" Ian called back, rising from his seat at the kitchen table.
"Come on, Danny," he murmured in his thick Irish brogue, scooping his son out the seat and into his arms. "Let's go see who's come to visit us."
The two exited the kitchen, traveling through the family room before ending up at the front door...
***
Outside, Rafe was getting frustrated. He'd rung the doorbell two times and still, no answer.
Did he have the right address?
Was Livvie right? Was Alison just playing him?
Questions flooded his mind, his confidence slowly diminishing.
"No, Rafe, you just have to believe," he told himself, trying to hold onto his courage. "You have to give these people a chance."
He waited a few seconds more, drumming his fingers against the box of muffins he'd purchased for Lucy and her family.
"Well, they say the third time's the charm," Rafe murmured, raising his hand to push the doorbell one last time.
Suddenly, the door flew open, revealing a scruffy, dark-haired man and a baby boy.
"Hi, uh, I'm looking for Lucy Coe," Rafe stammered nervously.
Who were these people?
"Yeah, you're at the right place," Ian informed him, stepping away from the doorway and back into the house. "Come on in, Rafe. Lucy's been expecting you."
Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
-Our Lady Peace, "Life"
Bright and early the next morning, Rafe found himself on the front doorstep of his cousin Lucy Coe's home.
It was a strange place, a renovated lighthouse, complete with what appeared to be a manmade duck pond and its very own duck!
Shaking his head, Rafe thought to himself, 'Well, I come from a line of vampire slayers. I never should have thought these new relatives would be any more normal than my old ones.'
Readjusting his grasp on the unwieldy cardboard box in his arms, Rafe took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell, hoping for the best...
***
That morning the Collins/Coe and now Thornhart/Barrington residence was a chaotic mess as Lucy and Ian struggled to wake, dress, and feed their young children before their visitor arrived. Alison, however, was nowhere to be seen.
'Ding!' chimed the doorbell.
"Ian!" Lucy yelled down from upstairs. "I'm helping Christina get dressed. Can you get the door?"
Ian glanced over at his young son, Daniel, who sat in his highchair, happily munching on a pile of Cheerios.
"I miss having our own place, don't you, Danny?"
The child giggled, banging his tiny fists against his seat.
'Ding!'
"Ian!" Lucy's voice bellowed through the lighthouse.
"I'm getting it!" Ian called back, rising from his seat at the kitchen table.
"Come on, Danny," he murmured in his thick Irish brogue, scooping his son out the seat and into his arms. "Let's go see who's come to visit us."
The two exited the kitchen, traveling through the family room before ending up at the front door...
***
Outside, Rafe was getting frustrated. He'd rung the doorbell two times and still, no answer.
Did he have the right address?
Was Livvie right? Was Alison just playing him?
Questions flooded his mind, his confidence slowly diminishing.
"No, Rafe, you just have to believe," he told himself, trying to hold onto his courage. "You have to give these people a chance."
He waited a few seconds more, drumming his fingers against the box of muffins he'd purchased for Lucy and her family.
"Well, they say the third time's the charm," Rafe murmured, raising his hand to push the doorbell one last time.
Suddenly, the door flew open, revealing a scruffy, dark-haired man and a baby boy.
"Hi, uh, I'm looking for Lucy Coe," Rafe stammered nervously.
Who were these people?
"Yeah, you're at the right place," Ian informed him, stepping away from the doorway and back into the house. "Come on in, Rafe. Lucy's been expecting you."