Ali froze at the knock on the door. When the knocking continued, she tossed the shirt she was holding onto the bed and went to the foyer. Then she stopped. The hammering of her heart made it impossible for her to breathe.
“Ali?” Kendra’s voice was muffled through the closed door, but it was full of concern.
She tried to breathe enough air into her already straining lungs, but something was crushing her chest. Reaching for the knob, she swung the door open.
“Hey, I was getting…” Kendra dropped the packages on the floor and put her arm around Ali’s shoulders. “Are you all right?” She led her to the nearest chair and helped her to sit.
Ali nodded, but she had no idea if she was or not. She lowered her head to her hands and tried to concentrate on breathing in and out, while Kendra rubbed her back.
“Calm down.” The weight of Kendra’s hand eased.
Footsteps in the building’s hallway receded. Panic gripped her throat. Ali shot up out of the chair, swung the door closed and locked it. When she turned and leaned back against the door, Kendra stood in the doorway with a glass of water, staring at her.
“I’m sorry.” Ali shook her head.
Kendra handed her the glass. “Come on, sit down.” She led Ali to the couch and sat down on the coffee table to face her. “Take deep breaths. Did something happen?”
“No…I don’t know… I guess I had a panic attack.” The cool water soothed her dry throat and made talking easier, though she was still short of breath.
“You have to get a grip.”
She wiped the tears from her face and nodded. “I know. I need to get away from all of this for a while.”
“Maybe you should go away for a few days.”
“Yeah.” She looked over to be sure the door was still locked and went to pick up the packages Kendra had dropped. “I was actually packing when you knocked.”
“I’m sorry. I should have called first.” She followed Ali to the kitchen.
“No.” Ali shook her head and opened the drawer. Taking out two spoons, she put the ice cream on the table and sat down. “It’s not your fault. You’re welcome anytime. My nerves are just pretty much shot.”
“Do the police have any new information?” Kendra sat, helping herself to the other spoon. She dug into the ice cream container along with Ali.
“No, not that I know of.”
“So, where are you going?”
Ali told her about Anonymous and Joe. “I need to get away for a few days, and I’m sure it’ll be safe.”
Kendra didn’t say anything. She simply stared at her friend, spoon suspended halfway between the ice cream container and her open mouth.
Ali squirmed under the intense scrutiny. “Well?” She couldn’t wait any longer. “What do you think?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“What?”
“Have you talked to Mark about this crazy idea?”
“It’s none of Mark’s business.” Her lips firmed into a taut line, and she dropped her spoon onto the table. Leaning back, she folded her arms and waited for Kendra’s argument.
“All right, all right. Eat your ice cream. We’ll work this out. You’re right. You don’t need Mark’s permission to do anything. What about Ron?”
Ali scowled. “What about him?”
“I don’t mean ask for permission, but it couldn’t hurt to ask his opinion. If he thinks it’s safe, I’ll help you pack.” She raised an eyebrow.
“Fine.” Ali grabbed the phone and dialed Ron’s number.
He answered on the first ring. “Is everything okay?”
Her attitude softened at the concerned tone. “Everything’s fine. I just want to run something by you.” She ran through the conversation she’d just had with Kendra, ending with the fact she was going to meet a stranger on a cruise for the weekend.
“So, you’re saying you’ve been talking to some strange man on the Internet for a few days and now want to meet him on a cruise?”
“Yes?” She kicked herself for the question mark that had crept into her answer. But perhaps Kendra and Ron were right; this might not be such a great idea after all. Disappointment surged through her.
Ron’s laughter filled the silence. It started as a slight chuckle then escalated into a full-blown, deep belly laugh that had Ali joining him.
When his laughter finally subsided, Ali was the first to speak. “Sorry. I guess it was a pretty stupid idea. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“On the contrary, I think it’s a great idea.”
Ali pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it. Was he serious? She glanced at Kendra, who was staring openly back at her, and put the receiver back to her ear. “You do?”
“Yup. Go away and enjoy yourself. We’ll take care of everything here, and maybe things will be resolved by the time you get back.”
“Okay. Thanks.” The unmistakable sound of laughter drifted through the line as she hung up.
“What was all that about?” The confusion in Kendra’s expression mirrored Ali’s feelings.
“He said it’s a great idea. I should go and have a good time.”
“You’re kidding?” Clearly skeptical, Kendra pinned her with the “you’d better not be lying to me” gaze she usually reserved for her children.
“No, I’m not.” She shrugged and dug back into her ice cream. “Oh well, let’s finish this up and go pack.” Relief flooded her as excitement replaced some of her earlier dread.
* * *
The phone rang, and Joe abandoned his last efforts at catching up with his paperwork.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
He sat back and propped his feet on the desk. “Hi, Kelly. How’s Dad?”
“He’s fine. Don’t worry, it’s only a few days. I promise to call if there’s a problem.”
They’d had this conversation a hundred times already, but Joe was still uncomfortable. He spent another couple of minutes second guessing his decision to go away. Kelly waited patiently while he wrestled with his conscience. “Make sure—”
“I know. Please. Stop worrying. Go. Have a good time.”
“Thanks, Kelly.” He sighed. “I’ll talk to you when I get back, unless you need me.”
“Have fun.”
He hung up the phone, collected the paperwork he’d been trying to finish and put it away. There was no sense in keeping it out. He couldn’t concentrate on it anyway. Thoughts of Jane surfaced. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. What if he didn’t like her? She seemed nice enough online. He’d enjoyed talking to her and couldn’t remember the last time he’d talked to someone for that length of time, but what would she be like in person?
He took a deep breath, glanced over at the clock and got up to leave. His bag was already packed and sitting by the door. Calmly, he grabbed his wallet and keys from the table and headed out the door. Placing the bag on the floor beside him, he turned to lock the door.
“Oh, man, I almost forgot.” How could he forget something so important? That just went to show the chaotic state his mind was in. He ran back in, grabbed the gray envelope from his desk and tucked it under his arm. He would just drop it off on his way to the dock.