The night has a thousand eyes, and the day but one.
—Francis William Bourdillon
Theo hadn’t realized he had spent the night on the love seat until the rays of the rising sun inched their way across the room, settling on his cheek. He had done something he had not done in years— drink while he was writing.
The possibility that his brothers could have been arrested was a wake-up call that he had to get his priorities in order. Becoming legal guardian to his siblings wasn’t something that had been dumped on him. During a rare meeting with Mary, she had informed him that she and James were drawing up wills, and she’d asked if he would take care of her children if anything ever happened to her. He hadn’t hesitated when he’d given his consent. After all, Mary was only sixteen years older than he was, and chances were she would live to see all of her children reach their majority.
But fate was tricky and fickle. Mary was fifty-six when she died, leaving a mountain of debts and sole custody of her children to a son she had denied within weeks of his birth.
Peering at a clock on the fireplace mantel, Theo noted the time. It wasn’t quite six o’clock. Groaning at the effects of last night’s drinking, he made his way toward the staircase to the second level. He met Helen as she came down the stairs carrying a wicker basket filled with dirty bath towels. She cut her eyes at him, then moved closer to the banister when she caught a whiff of the stale alcohol on his breath.
“Good morning, Theo,” she said cheerfully. “It looks as if it’s going to be a beautiful morning.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She flashed a Cheshire cat grin. “What’s the matter, Boss? Did you drink something last night that didn’t agree with you?”
Theo mumbled a curse under his breath as he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other until he made it to the top of the curving staircase without falling. He walked past the bedrooms belonging to the three children, and climbed another half dozen steps until he stood outside the door to his own bedroom. The alcove off the sitting room had become his office and his sanctuary. The glass walls brought the outside in, and the natural beauty of the panoramic landscape had become his muse.
Stripping off his T-shirt, shorts and underwear, he walked into the freestanding shower stall and turned on the cold water. He welcomed the biting sting of the water as it beat down on his head. He adjusted the water temperature and washed his hair and body.
Twenty minutes later, Theo sat at his desk, dialing the number of his agent, Jeff Helfrick. The call was answered on the third ring.
“Whoever the hell is calling me at this hour better be talking a multimillion-dollar deal, or your ass is mine.”
“Jeff, Theo.”
“Theo?” Jeff’s voice lost its gravelly tone. “What’s up?”
“I’m not going to be able to do the pilot for you.”
“What!”
He quickly related what had happened the night before. “Look, man, it’s too stressful for me to try and play daddy to kids who are still bleeding emotionally.”
“I thought you had them in counseling.”
“I did. They went for a few sessions, then they opted out. And forcing them to go isn’t the answer.”
“Look, Theo, I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but you know you’re the best writer for this project. Didn’t you tell me that you’ve been waiting all your life to write a television drama featuring black actors who weren’t portraying entertainers, cops, inmates or pimps?”
Jeff was right, but that did not make Theo’s decision any easier. He had written more than a dozen movie scripts, two of which had received Oscar nominations. The nominations had made him a more sought-after writer, but his dream since graduating film school was to write a television drama for a predominantly black cast. And now that he was being offered the opportunity, he had to turn it down because he had promised a dead woman he would take care of her children.
“I can’t write the scripts while trying to reconcile with my family.” Suddenly it hit him. This was the first time he had thought of Noelle, Brandon and Christian as his family. “My little sister cries and sulks more than she talks, while Christian is hell-bent on turning nerdy Brandon into a thug. They have less than a week of school left, and I’m thinking of taking them away for an extended vacation.”
“Where?”
“I haven’t decided where.”
“Look, Theo, maybe I can help you so we both can get what we want.”
“What’s that?”
“I built a little place off the South Carolina coast for myself whenever I need to disappear from my ex-wives. It’s on McKinnon Island. It’s small and laid-back. The tourists have yet to discover it, or it would be overrun like some of the other islands in the region. The house has four bedrooms and four full baths. It’s only a few hundred feet from the ocean, is centrally heated and cooled, and equipped with modern appliances. The kids can hang out, go fishing and crabbing, while you can write your ass off.”
Theo smiled. “You make it sound very tempting.”
“I’ll hold off telling the network that you won’t be able to do the project until next week. If you change your mind, then call me. I’ll arrange for a private jet to fly you and your family into Savannah. I’ll also arrange for a vehicle for you to use during your stay on the island.”
“I won’t promise you anything, but I will think about it.”
Theo ended the call. Before he made any decision, he would discuss it with his family.
Three days later Theo sat at the dinner table with Noelle, Brandon and Christian. They ate without talking. It had been that way since Christian and Brandon’s Saturday night fiasco.
Placing his fork next to his salad plate, Theo cleared his throat. “I’d like for all of us to go away for the summer.”
“Where?” Noelle asked.
Theo gave his sister a gentle smile. She was the most vulnerable of the three. Her parents were killed the day before her thirteenth birthday. Tall and willowy, she reminded him of a startled doe, with her large eyes and delicate features. She wore her relaxed shoulder-length hair in a profusion of tiny braids.
“McKinnon Island, South Carolina.”
Brandon glanced up and stared at Theo. “What would we do there?”
“The house where we would stay is close to the ocean, so that means swimming, boating and fishing.”
“Will there be kids our age, or old farts sittin’ around talking about their grandkids?” Theo glared at Christian, who dropped his gaze. “Sorry. We can’t swim.”
Theo stared at each of them. “None of you know how to swim?” They shook their heads. He smiled. “Would you like to learn?”
“Yes,” chorused three voices.
“Then that settles it. We’ll leave for McKinnon Island Sunday. And tomorrow we’ll go to the mall after school and shop.”
Noelle sat up straighter. “What are we shopping for?”
“Bathing suits, sandals, tank tops, three disc players, several dozen CDs…” His words trailed off as his sister and brothers exchanged high fives.
“Is Miss Helen coming?” Brandon asked.
A powerful sense of relief swept over Theo. He had gotten them to agree to summer on McKinnon Island with him.
“Yes, Brandon, Miss Helen is coming. She lives with us, and because she does, we have to think of her as family.”
Family. He was getting used to saying the word. His grand mother had been his only family for many years, but now he had his brothers and sister.
As a realist, Theo knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but at least spending the next two months on an island off the Carolina coast was a beginning—for all of them.