Hannah wakes to the smell of frying bacon. Gus sniffs and sits bolt upright in bed. “Bacon!” He scrambles out of bed and returns to her side of the bed seconds later. “Come on, Mommy. Ethan is making bacon and pancakes for breakfast.”
She places her hand on his forehead. “No fever.”
Gus tugs on Hannah’s arm. “Hurry, Mommy.”
“I’ll be there in a minute, Gus. Let me get dressed.”
Changing from her pajamas into shorts and a T-shirt, she goes across the hall to the bathroom. She washes her face, brushes her teeth, and smooths her hair into a ponytail before joining Gus and Ethan in the kitchen.
“I’m impressed with your culinary skills,” she says, watching him flip pancakes.
Ethan flashes her a naughty grin. “That’s me. Your friend with benefits.”
She cuts her eyes at him. “As long as those benefits don’t include sexual favors.” Before he can crack another wise comment, she says, “Seriously, Ethan. Who taught you to cook?”
“My parents. They love to cook. I’ve picked up a few skills from hanging out in the kitchen with them.”
“Have you always been close with your parents?”
“Yep. I’m an only child. My parents have always treated me like a peer instead of their kid.”
“I’m an only child as well.” She snickers. “My parents treated me like their kid, especially when I misbehaved.”
He stacks pancakes onto three plates and adds two slices of bacon each. Hannah transfers the plates to the island, which he has set with utensils, napkins, and glasses of orange juice.
Once they are seated, Ethan asks, “So what’s on your agenda for today? Can you hang out for a while? We can go out in the . . .” Stopping himself, he spells out the letters for boat.
Hannah hesitates. The though of spending the day on the water with Ethan appeals to him. Seeing him in his board shorts again appeals to her even more. “We really should get home. I have to come back to Charleston tomorrow to look for a place to live.”
“How about a quick walk on the sea wall?”
Gus comes off his barstool. “Yes. Please, Mommy. Let’s walk on the sea.”
Hannah smiles at her son. “It’s a seawall, sweetheart. Like the boardwalk down by the marina except it’s built of concrete instead of wood.”
He scrunches up his face as he thinks about this. “Okay. But can we do that?”
“Alright. I guess a short walk won’t hurt. It’ll burn off some of your energy.”
After cleaning up from breakfast, the threesome set out. The sky is hazy and the air heavy with humidity. Despite being early on a Sunday morning, local folks with dogs on leashes crowd the sidewalks. Gus asks the owners if he can pet their dogs. Some are nicer about it than others.
“I envision a puppy in your future,” Ethan says, watching Gus drag his tiny fingers through a golden retriever’s thick coat.
She glares at him from under furrowed eye brows. “No way! A puppy is the last thing I need.”
“I can’t wait until you’re living in Charleston. When are you hoping to move?”
Hannah kicks at a pebble on the ground. “As soon as possible. I have to find something by July. Gus starts preschool on the sixth.”
“You’re welcome to stay in the carriage house until you find permanent housing,” Ethan says.
“I may take you up on that offer. But only if I get in a jam. I’m worried the transition will be difficult for Gus. I’d hate for him to have to move twice.”
Gus stops suddenly, sticking his head between the railings as he watches a large powerboat speed across the water.
“He seems like a tough kid. I’m sure he’ll adjust fine,” Ethan says, placing a hand on her shoulder.
The warmth of his touch is reassuring. It would be so easy to lean on him. She can’t afford to let him get too close. Not until he’s proven himself. She starts walking again, forcing Ethan to drop his hand.
“I could kick myself,” she says. “I passed on the perfect apartment, because I thought the rent being too high. Gus hit it off with the little girl who lives in the apartment below.”
“That’s a bummer. But something else will come along. I’ll take a spin around downtown this afternoon. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything.”
“That’d be great.”
“I’d like to help you move when the time comes,” Ethan offers.
She’d planned on hiring professional movers, an expense she’d rather not incur. “Does your Porsche have a trailer hitch?” she asks in a teasing tone.
“No, but my dad has a pickup truck for times like these.”
She laughs. “Of course. Then I accept your offer. You’re turning out to be a friend with many benefits.”
He beats his chest. “Me Tarzan. Me like Jane.”
She sends an elbow to his ribs. “You’re incorrigible.”
He’s also funny and resourceful and so damn adorable. Hannah wonders how long she’ll have the fortitude to fend off his advances.
Gus, who’s been walking a short distance ahead of them, suddenly turns and runs back to them. “Ethan, can I ride on your shoulders?”
Ethan looks over at Hannah. “If your mommy says it’s okay.”
Hannah thinks back to how freaked out she was when Ryan carried Gus on his shoulders. She realizes with a jolt that she already trusts Ethan. Way more than she ever trusted Ryan.
She nods at Ethan. “If you promise to hold on tight.”
Gus jabbers on about Ethan for the entire drive to Palmetto Island. But he doesn’t mention one word about Ryan. Hannah almost feels sorry for Ryan. Almost.
Despite eating a huge breakfast, Gus is asking for lunch by the time they arrive at eleven thirty. Hannah is anxious to tell her mother about her weekend. But Birdie and Sadie are busy behind the counter. The cafe is slammed with customers. Are they short-staffed? Where are Amanda and xxx? She wishes she could help them. If only she had someone to watch Gus.
Hannah heats frozen chicken nuggets in the microwave and carries them upstairs to the table in their apartment. She’d forgotten her father had moved out on Friday, and she’s relieved to have the living room to herself again.
She unpacks while Gus eats, and when he’s finished, she tucks him into bed with a some of the books from their last visit to the library while she showers. When she emerges wrapped in a towel from the bathroom, Gus is sound asleep and her mother is calling her from downstairs.
She goes to the top of the stairs. “What’s up, Mom?”
A harried-looking Birdie says, “Is there anyway you can help work the counter? Amanda and xxxx both called in sick, and the customers keep coming out of the woodwork. Tie Gus up in a corner if you have to.”
Hannah laughs. “He’s napping, anyway. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Back in her bedroom, she drops her towel and dresses in shorts and her Birdie’s Nest polo. Grabbing the baby monitor, she secures the baby gate at the top of the stairs and hurries down to help to the cafe.
The line of customers waiting for service extends out the front door. Hannah loses track of time as she waits on one after another. Business finally slows a few minutes before closing at two o’clock.
“I need to check on Gus,” she tells Birdie and darts up the stairs.
Her heart stops when she discovers her son’s bed empty and the sheets cool to the touch. “Please, no. Not again.”
Her heart beating in her throat, she drops to her knees and crawls around on the floor, searching under the beds. She checks the bathroom and closets, anywhere a small person could hide, before flying back down to the kitchen. Sadie and Birdie are both at the sink with their backs to her.
“Gus is gone, Mom! He’s gone!” Hannah’s green eyes bounce wildly around the room. “I can’t believe this is happening again.”
Birdie turns to her. “Calm down, sweetheart. He’s here somewhere. Just like last time. Did you do a thorough search of the apartment?”
“Yes.” Hannah goes to the back door. “The door is unlocked. I’m certain I locked it when I got home.”
The color drains from Sadie’s face. “I took the trash out earlier. I may have forgotten to lock it when I came back in.”
Hannah marches across the room to her. “When was that?” Sadie hesitates, and Hannah snaps. “Think, Sadie. This is important. Was it after I started working the counter?”
Sadie’s chin quivers as she nods. “The trashcan was over flowing. I had to take it out.”
Birdie rests a hand on Sadie’s back. “It’s okay. It was an accident.”
An accident that could cost Gus his life, Hannah wants to scream but bites her tongue at the sight of Sadie’s tormented face.
“Call Max, Mom! See if Gus is over there.”
Hannah squeezes her eyes shut while Birdie places the call. Please, God, let him be there. Please, oh, please. But she can tell by the disappointment in her mother’s voice that Gus is not with Max.
Birdie ends the call. “Max hasn’t seen him. But she’s on her way over to help us look.”
“The inlet.” Hannah’s hand flies to her mouth. “If he falls in, he’ll drown.”