Karen Rose - Have You Seen Her?

Smug . Thatcher had called him smug. "It's Thatcher that.'s smug," he muttered. "Arrogant bastard." Prancing around like he actually had a clue. Like he actually had any of this under his control.

He opened his closet door where dozens of faces surrounded by long, dark hair smiled at him:

He focused in on her picture with a scowl. He'd thought she was different. More worthy than the others. Showed even a smart man could be fooled by a competent enough actress. He slipped his hand in his jacket pocket and fingered the sil-ver Jaguar he'd carried since Tuesday night. Since he'd sat in the parking lot in front of her apartment and watched through her window as she kissed Thatcher like the slut he now knew her to be. He'd been so angry… One minute the hood ornament was on her car and the next, it was in his hand.

He twisted the warm metal in his fingers, wondering how it would feel when it was her warm skin between his fingers. When he held her hair in his hands. And he wondered just how smug Thatcher would be when he himself got the final prize.

Saturday, October 8, 12:55 P.M.

"Nicky, come away from the window," Helen said. "She'll be here when she gets here."

Nicky looked back with his little boy frown. "She's late."

Matt ruffled Nicky's red hair. "She is not late. She said she'd be here at one. It's five till."

Nicky looked at Helen plaintively. "But she'll be here, right, Aunt Helen?"

She'd better be , Helen thought grimly. "She'll be here, honey. Go get Cindy Lou ready."

"Okay." Nicky raced to get Cindy Lou and Helen walked over to the window to take his place.

"She'll be here, Aunt Helen," Matt said, digging into a bag of chips. He pointed to the street. "See, here she is. Punctual to the minute."

Helen felt the slightest bit guilty for not believing Jenna's promise. It's just that Nicky hadn't shown such excitement in… Since last spring.

Jenna lifted her hand to knock on the door, blinking in surprise when it opened under her knuckles. Helen stood there, a happy smile on her face. "Jenna, Jenna, come in."

Jenna almost stumbled as she was ushered into Steven's foyer.

"Told you she'd come," Matt muttered as he walked by, giving Helen a meaningful look. Helen glared back at Matt and Jenna knew they'd thought she wouldn't come.

"Nicky's had his nose pressed against the glass for the last two hours."

Jenna looked at her watch. "I'm sorry it took me so long. I spent the night at the hospital with a friend and I had to run home and shower." She looked longingly at Matt's bag of chips. "I've eaten hospital cafeteria food for the last day." she said, then grinned when Matt shoved the bag in her hands without a word. "Thanks."

"We were sorry to hear about Miss Ryan," Helen said.

"Yeah, will she be all right?" Matt asked.

Jenna nodded. "Yes, thank God. The doctors say she's out of the woods." The declaration had come this morning. "She'll be okay."

"Well, that's good news." Helen brought out a Nicky-sized jacket. "Nicky! Jenna's here."

With a yell, Nicky came racing through the kitchen, dragging poor Cindy Lou on a leash, stopping just short of Jenna's feet. For a moment he'd looked as if he'd planned to hug her, but pulled back at the last minute. "You came." His eyes were bright. "You really came."

Jenna tapped the end of his freckled nose. "I said I would, didn't I? Do you think Cindy Lou's ready for her first obedience lesson?"

Nicky shrugged. Then he grinned. "I guess we'll find out." Jenna laughed. "I guess we will. Come on, sweetie. Let's go."

Saturday, October 8, 6:15 P.M.

Steven came home on time for the first time in days, expecting a noisy house and a smiling welcome. Instead, it was dark and quiet met his ears as he shut his front door.

He flipped on the foyer lights overhead. "Anybody home?"

A beat of silence followed, then he heard Brad's voice from his office. "Just me, Dad. In here."

Steven stopped in the doorway to his office. Brad sat in the dark, watching a home video on the television in the corner. It was their family, on vacation at the beach. Brad and Matt were fishing from the shore. Melissa was lying on a blanket next to Nicky who was napping in the shade of the beach umbrella, wearing a diaper and nothing else. Nicky had been about a year old. He, himself, must have been the one filming because Melissa was giving him an evil glare and telling him not to take her picture. He remembered that day. Vividly. She'd almost refused to leave the hotel room, standing in front of the mirror and cursing her "baby fat." He remembered wondering if she cursed the baby, too, for ruining her figure. She'd started pushing him away then. Claiming headaches or that she simply wasn't in the mood. He wondered, now, as he watched the video, if she'd been cheating then, even though she wouldn't leave him for another two years.

Although it didn't really matter anymore. What mattered was the young man sitting in the chair, his eyes riveted to the scene. "Where is everyone?" Steven asked.

"Helen's with her canasta club. Nicky and Matt went to the park with Dr. Marshall,"' Brad answered, not looking away from the video. "The bluefish were running that day," he said softly.

Steven sat next to Brad. "I remember. Matt got so mad because you caught the biggest fish."

"And I got mad because he caught three more than I did."

Steven huffed a quiet chuckle. "You boys always were so competitive."

"Guess we must have got it from you," Brad said, not unkindly.

Steven searched in the darkness, the flickering light from the video providing the only illumination. Brad had shaved. Washed his hair. Was wearing clean clothes. Something was different. He remembered the look in Mike's eye Thursday evening when he told him to go home to his son, that Brad needed him. Something had happened when his best friend had driven his oldest son home from the search scene Wednesday night.

Steven cleared his throat. "It's hard for a parent to apologize," he said.

Brad turned his head and the two shared a sober glance. "For what?" Brad asked.

"I'm not sure, to be truthful. I don't know what I did to start all of this, Brad, and 1 don't know if I should even apologize, but I did hurt you Wednesday night. I'm sorry for that, son. I was wrong."

He watched Brad's throat work as his son fought to swallow. He knew how Brad felt. He was practically choking on the lump in his own throat. "So was I, Dad. I… didn't understand."

Steven frowned. "Didn't understand what, son?"

Brad shrugged. "Everything, I guess."

Steven had opened his mouth to press further, when the front door flew open. Barking filled the house accompanied by Nicky's shrill scolding. "No, Cindy Lou. Down, Cindy Lou!"

Then came the voice he'd been waiting to hear all day. "Nicky, I think Cindy Lou's had enough obedience training for one day," Jenna said soothingly. "Why don't you let her out in the backyard to run? I think she could use a break."

Steven found Jenna kneeling on the foyer floor, unzipping Nicky's jacket. Nicky was looking at her with nothing short of adoration. His youngest son was a very smart young man.

"Jim, too?" Nicky asked eagerly and Jenna smiled. And Steven felt his heart melt.

"Sure." She stood up when Nicky raced off and called after him, "Wash your hands for supper!"

"What's for supper?" Steven asked and his melting heart quickened at her brilliant smile.

"Fried chicken," she answered, licking her lips.

Steven's body quickened along with his heart and he could only hope his sons didn't notice. He wasn't in the mood to talk about the birds and the bees tonight. Unless it was with Jenna. And unless the talk included a little extracurricular tutoring. "Are you cooking?" Steven asked and had to grin when Jenna's smile went from brilliant to very naughty.