nothing made Ben happier than to restore an old building to its former glory. That was why he’d taken on the challenging job at Toyland. It had required a ton of research and painstaking work, but every time he walked in there, he felt proud to be part of bringing the neglected old storefront back to life.
But right now, Thomas and Sons needed him more than Davy did. Eric might be home next week, or he might never come back. Ben had no way of knowing, but he couldn’t bring himself to abandon his father. Even if it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Sighing, he saved the message and plugged his phone in to charge. All he had to do was close his eyes and he was sound asleep.
It didn’t last. When his phone lit up and started ringing, he groaned in protest, then rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head. Whoever it was could get a life and leave him a message. If he didn’t get some sleep, he wouldn’t make it through tomorrow, much less the rest of the week. The phone went silent, but not for long. When it started up again, he realized it must be important and flopped onto his back to check the caller ID.
Eric. His big brother was a night owl, but he knew good and well Ben wasn’t. Something was wrong, and he thumbed the answer function. “Yeah?”
“Tell me Dad’s with you.”
The blood in Ben’s veins froze in place, and he cautioned himself not to overreact. Taking a deep breath, he said, “He’s not. Why?”
“We were supposed to meet here in Rockland for dinner, but he never showed. I called his cell, but it went right to voice mail. Same with the house phone.”
“He and Mavis had lunch today,” Ben suggested. “Maybe he’s still out at the lighthouse.”
“That’s the first place I called.”
Rubbing his gritty eyes with one hand, he asked, “Did you try the bars in Oakbridge?”
“Yeah, but nobody remembers seeing him. I’m getting worried.”
That was an understatement, Ben knew. Having served ten years as an Army Ranger, not much rattled his big brother. If Eric admitted to being concerned about something, the average person would be downright hysterical. “It’s not like him to disappear like this. Where could he be?”
“You don’t think—”
He stopped abruptly, and a feeling of dread crept up Ben’s spine. “Think what?”
“That he did something, y’know, desperate?”
Ben’s heart thudded to a stop. It wasn’t unheard of for people to go up to Schooner Point and fling themselves from the high rocky cliff into the ocean. He should have gone by the lighthouse that afternoon as he’d planned, to check on Dad as much as the job. But he’d gotten so preoccupied with Lauren and the baffling effect she had on him, it had completely slipped his mind. After their heart-to-heart that morning, Dad might have interpreted Ben’s inadvertent absence the wrong way. Ben had to find him and make sure he was safe.
“Thanks for letting me know,” Ben said while he retied his boots. “I’ll call you when I find him.”
“You mean if,” Eric retorted gloomily.
“I mean when,” he insisted, refusing to even consider any other possibility. His family might be in pieces, but everyone was safe and sound. Ben was determined to do everything in his power to keep it that way.
“I hope you’re right. I’ll be up late, so call anytime.”
On that slightly more optimistic note, he hung up. Sighing, Ben tilted his head back and sent up a heartfelt prayer. “I know You’ve got a lot to do, but I could really use Your help down here.”
Figuring that sentiment pretty much covered it, he grabbed a spare jacket and jumped into his truck. The fuel gauge hovered just above E, and he bit back an exasperated scream while he backtracked to the garage for the gas can he used on job sites. It was half-empty, but he drained it into his tank while he mentally added “stop at gas station” to his list for tomorrow morning.
“Long stinkin’ list,” he growled as he finally pulled out. “I need an assistant or something.”
While it did nothing to solve the problem, complaining to himself vented some of his frustration, so he kept going with it as he made a circuit of all the places in town his father might go. It didn’t take long to discover the other Thomas and Sons truck was nowhere to be found. That left him with Schooner Point, which had always been one of Dad’s favorite spots. It was where he’d proposed to Ben’s mother so many years ago, and that he’d head up there now made a twisted kind of sense to Ben.
The sky was clear as a bell, but the sliver of a moon suspended in the darkness didn’t provide much in the way of help. As he approached the isolated ridge north of town, he squinted into the distance, searching for something that would tell him someone was up here.
There. A faint dot of light, out near the edge of the cliff. Ignoring the rough-cut road that wound along the tree line, he headed straight for that pinpoint of light, following it like a beacon on the water. When he finally located it, he was relieved to find it was connected to his father’s truck.
Glancing up into the star-filled sky, he smiled. “Thank you.”
Was it his imagination, or did a star up there shine a little brighter for just a second? Figuring it was his exhausted brain playing tricks on him, Ben shook off the ridiculous idea and climbed out of his seat. Heading toward the ridge, he put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans to give the appearance of a guy out for a casual nighttime stroll.
When he reached the truck, he saw his dad inside, staring out at miles of starlit ocean. He’d often mentioned bringing Ben’s mother here when they were dating, and how they’d stay for hours, admiring the view and talking about their dreams for the future. Tonight, he looked like he was lost in memories of what used to be.
To avoid startling him, Ben tapped lightly on the driver’s window. After another tap, his father blinked and looked out at him in surprise. When he rolled down the window, the strains of “Fly Me to the Moon” floated from the cab, and Ben swallowed hard. It was his mother’s favorite song.
Keeping things light, he forced a grin. “Hey, there.”
Apparently, he was a terrible actor, because he got a frown for his trouble. “Is something wrong?”
“Eric’s been waiting in Rockland half the night for you.” Leaning his arms on the window frame, he added, “You were supposed to have dinner with him.”
Dad leaned his head back against the seat with a groan. “I forgot.”
“Mind if I join you?”
He motioned Ben inside, and once he was settled, Ben called his brother. “I found him up at the point. He’s fine.”
“Good. Give him a good shake for me, wouldya?”
Ben didn’t think that would help much, so he suggested, “Why don’t you come up this weekend? You can do it yourself.”
Despite his gruff demeanor, Ben knew Eric would never lay a hand on anyone in anger. After a moment, his brother chuckled. “I’m already over it. Tell him good-night for me.”
Ben hung up then took a breath before facing his dad. “We were worried sick about you. What were you thinking, disappearing like that?”
“I was home, getting cleaned up after work, and when I got out of the shower, I stood there for a minute.” Meeting Ben’s gaze, his face contorted with pain. “Do you know how quiet an empty house is?”
Lately, Ben hadn’t been home enough to experience it for himself, but it didn’t take much to imagine how it felt to be alone all the time. “Maybe you should leave the radio or TV on, so there’s some noise.”
“Noise isn’t the same as someone being there,” Dad explained sadly. “I lived with my parents