Beautiful Joy

3

I searched everywhere in the car, but it's definitely not in there. "Do you remember the last place you had it?" Max asks, concern etched on his face.

"I'm not sure... maybe the office supply store? I had the list of school supplies for the girls pulled up," I reply, feeling a mix of frustration and anxiety.

Suddenly, I feel foolish for letting my emotions spill over, but the tears start streaming down my cheeks.

"Joy, it's okay," Max says softly. "We're going to find it."

I wipe my face and look up at the ceiling, as if that will somehow keep the tears at bay. "I know it's just a phone, but there are so many videos and pictures of my mom on there..." I take a deep breath, closing my eyes to calm myself. Talking when I'm upset only makes it worse.

Then, I feel two strong arms wrap around me, and I snuggle into Max's solid chest. He rests his chin on top of my head and holds me tight, letting the moment stretch in comforting silence.

I pull back and look up at him, still sniffling. "I'm sorry for crying; I..."

"Don't apologize," Max interrupts gently. "I'd be upset too. I'm going to call the office supply store and the mall to see if anyone turned it in." He kisses the top of my head before pulling out his phone.

After a fruitless call to the office store, Max's phone rings, and he glances at the screen. "It's your dad," he says, answering quickly. "Hey, Jacob... yeah, she's right here... awesome!"

He pulls the phone away from his mouth, eyes wide with relief. "Someone found your phone! They called your emergency contact—your dad!"

A wave of relief washes over me; I finally feel like I can breathe again.

I overhear Max talking to Dad. "Sure, no problem, I can stay. Here..." He hands me the phone. "Hey, Dad."

"Hi, sweetie. I have some bad news and some good news." He pauses, but it's not long before he continues. "I'm going to be later than I thought tonight—probably closer to 11."

I feel a twinge of sadness, but I understand why he has to work late. "I get it. Are you okay? You sound tired."

"I'm fine; it's just been a long day. The good news is, I'll be taking tomorrow off so we can spend the day together—some early birthday fun!" I can't help it; the biggest smile spreads across my face.

"Yay!!!!" I squeal, feeling like a five-year-old again instead of almost fifteen.

Dad laughs through the phone. "Thanks for understanding and taking care of your sisters. Did you get everything you needed for school today?"

"Yep, we got it all! It was fun but exhausting. We even got ice cream afterward."

"That's great, sweetie. The man who found your phone said he'd be close by later and will bring it to the house. Since I'm not sure what time he'll arrive, Max and Kate are going to stay tonight, just to be safe. I already talked to Max about it, and Jake said it was fine since he'll be working late too."

We chat for a few more minutes about our day, and Dad suggests we order pizza for dinner. After hanging up, I walk into the living room to find everyone huddled around the coffee table, playing Uno.

"Good news times three!" I announce, grabbing their attention.

"Someone found my phone and is returning it tonight... we're ordering pizza for dinner... and... SLEEPOVER!!!"

That gets everyone hyped. They start talking over each other, "Let's do nails... movie night... more games... let's stay up late... cheese pizza, please!!!"

As I lay back on the couch, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders. The excitement buzzes around me, and I can't help but smile as they plan everything.

"That's not fair! How do you have so many draw fours?" I hear Faith accuse Kate, trying hard not to laugh. Faith is super competitive and a terrible loser; playing games with her usually ends in an argument.

Too tired to fight it anymore, I let sleep take over on the couch, the sound of their playful bickering lulling me into a peaceful slumber.