He nodded, noting her wording, then ruffled Simon’s hair and turned to walk away. Both Joanna and Simon watched him until he was out of sight. Only then did Joanna say, “Okay, sweetie, let’s go up to the suite. We could both use a little quiet time, I think.”
She set the boy up on the couch with her tablet, a bowl of grapes and a bottle of water, then carried a cup of tea for herself out onto the balcony, leaving the slider ajar. She rested both elbows on the table as she sipped and stared blankly at the ocean in the distance, trying not to think about anything in particular. She was tired of thinking.
Her phone beeped with a text from Maddie.
Everything ok?
Simon’s resting. I’m having tea.
It wasn’t exactly an answer, but she figured it would suffice.
See you in an hour for dinner. You know how to reach me if you need me.
Joanna set the phone aside and picked up her teacup again. She wasn’t particularly looking forward to dinner. The three adults in the group were all going to be tiptoeing on eggshells, and someone was sure to make a precarious mistake.
Maybe they were trying too hard to shelter Simon from the truth. Maybe they should simply tell the child everything and hope he understood this awkward situation. He was so smart, so positive and resilient. In the long run, it would probably be in his best interests to be open with him.
She was beginning to wonder who she and Adam had been trying so hard to protect. Simon—or themselves.
After a few minutes lost in her thoughts, she sighed, drained her tea, and stood to carry the cup back inside. Maybe she’d stretch out on the couch beside Simon and watch the kids’ oceanography video with him until it was time to prepare for dinner.
The couch was empty except for the tablet with the video paused on the screen and the barely-touched bowl of grapes.
Surprised that he’d moved so quietly during the few minutes she’d had her back to the door, Joanna told herself he must be in the bathroom. She carried the teacup into the kitchen and rinsed it out, set it beside the sink and then dried her hands.
Turning back to the couch, she shook her head slightly when she saw it was still unoccupied. Had Simon gone to bed and fallen asleep? She couldn’t let him nap long, or he’d be groggy and cranky during dinner. She suspected that Adam might be surprised to see just how crabby the usually sweet-natured Simon could become. He’d seen Simon only on his best behavior so far, attributable in part to the fact that everyone had gone out of their way to cater to his vacation whims. She’d have to be careful about that when they got back to reality; she didn’t want her sweet son to turn into a brat.
She moved to h
is open bedroom doorway, only to find the bed neatly made, its only occupant the stuffed dragon on the pillow. Frowning now, she looked at the door to the small bathroom attached to this bedroom. That door, too, was open, the room tidy and empty.
“Simon?”
She turned quickly to check the other bedroom and bath. There was no sign of him. Nor had he slipped out to the balcony while she’d been in the kitchen. She rushed to the suite door. The deadbolt was unlocked. She knew she’d fastened it when they’d come in earlier.
Grabbing her phone, she threw open the door and looked in the hallway, seeing no one but a maid with a load of fresh towels. The concerned maid denied seeing Simon and asked if Joanna wanted the staff to be alerted that he was missing.
“No,” she said after a moment’s thought, “I’ll call for help if I can’t find him in a few minutes. I’m sure he hasn’t wandered far.”
At least, she hoped he hadn’t as she hurried toward the stairs. What on earth was he thinking, slipping out again like this? Didn’t he know how much trouble he’d be in, especially after that first morning? He’d promised he wouldn’t do it again. Open defiance had never been in Simon’s nature—at least, not so far. She’d taken her eyes off him for only a few minutes! She’d never had to worry about doing so before.
He wasn’t in the courtyard and when asked, the other guests she encountered there hadn’t seen him. Her only guess was that he might have headed back to the beach in search of the Scotch bonnet shell he was desperate to find. She was already dialing her sister’s number for help as she hurried up the path.
* * *
ADAM WAS SITTING at the computer in his office, hammering out a to-do list for the coming week, when he sensed someone watching him. He hadn’t bothered to close his door, but the corporate offices were pretty much empty at this hour on a Saturday, so he hadn’t expected to be interrupted. Still, it wasn’t a surprise. It seemed as though there was always something needing his attention.
But it wasn’t a coworker he found in the open doorway.
“Simon?” Adam pushed himself to his feet, looking over the boy’s head to the empty hallway behind him. “What’s up? Where’s your mom?”
“She’s drinking tea on our balcony. I think I’m going to be in trouble.”
Rounding his desk, Adam asked, “Why?”
“I kind of didn’t tell her I was leaving,” Simon admitted, then bit his lip in a gesture that reminded Adam forcibly of Joanna.
“You mean she doesn’t know where you are?”