The Fountain of Infinite Wishes (Dare River Book 5) by Ava Miles

Author:Ava Miles [Miles, Ava]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ava Miles, Inc.
Published: 2016-10-02T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Shelby didn’t take it as a good sign when Charlie texted her and Sadie asking if the entire McGuiness clan could meet with her and Vander at five o’clock that day at one of their houses.

It had been two days since Vander had left for Haines. On day two after no word, she’d broken down and texted him. His response: I’m on it.

She’d stewed and told everyone there was no word. That had apparently changed. Shelby volunteered Susannah and Jake’s house after conferring with everyone.

Somehow it made her worry that Vander hadn’t called her personally. Was the news so bad he didn’t want to share it alone with her on the phone? Had he changed his mind about them?

When she arrived ten minutes before five o’clock, cars lined the driveway. Everyone was eager to hear the news. Susannah answered the door and hugged her.

“I’m so nervous, I can barely sit down,” she said.

“I feel the exact same way,” Shelby replied, giving Sadie a smile when her younger sister barged into the entryway.

“I feel like I’m poised to leap off a cliff,” Sadie said, squeezing both of them tight.

“Best put on a helmet so you won’t get hurt,” J.P. said in that matter-of-fact way of his, but Shelby couldn’t help but notice that his mouth was tight around the edges.

She hugged her brother and then Jake. A car door slammed outside.

“They’re here!” Sadie said, throwing the door open dramatically.

The whole lot of them clustered around her to watch. Vander and Charlie walked forward, looking like characters from Men in Black. Both had on dark suits with white shirts, although Vander was sporting a red tie. Neither was smiling beneath their reflective shades.

They had bad news. Shelby knew it. Her stomach gripped, and Sadie squeezed her hand like it was a stress ball.

“You didn’t find him,” her younger sister said to Vander when he arrived on the threshold.

He took his sunglasses off and tucked them into his pocket. Charlie did the same.

“Let me tell you everything from start to finish,” Vander said simply. “It will be easier that way.”

The McGuinesses comforted one another with looks, arm pats, and squeezes as they made their way into the house. Once they were all settled in the den, Charlie stood off to the side as Vander took the center of the room.

“I’ll tell you the news you all want to know first,” Vander said, unbuttoning his jacket and shoving his hand in his pocket. “Your father was in Haines when I arrived. When I spoke to him, he said he couldn’t meet with any of you. He asked that you not try to contact him again, and then disappeared from town shortly thereafter, leaving everything behind.”

Shelby felt like a car had crashed into her middle. Distantly, she heard Sadie make a whimpering sound, and noticed Susannah turning to Jake, and J.P. pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I arrived in town under cover as Shelby’s fiancé. Charlie thought that storyline would be more effective than if I went in as a mere boyfriend.

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