Spark Into a Flame

Pippa

After straining the spaghetti in the colander, I called to Alex and Jack that dinner was almost ready and to go wash their hands. I heard giggling from down the hallway. For once, they'd been playing nicely in Jack's room. They hadn't had one argument all day long. No tantrums from Alex lately. Things seemed to be looking up for our little family.

The drama with Joey was hard right now, but I knew it would pass. Though Lin was trying to get the story pulled, the damage had been done, but after the press had chewed on it for a week or so it would soon be forgotten. I knew it was bothering Joey, but maybe she'd gotten a good hard lesson out of it. The reality was that her father was famous and if she did stupid things it might come back to bite her in the butt in ways that other kids didn't have to worry about. Maybe that was harsh of me, but that's the way I saw it.

Lin finished up another phone call as he set out the silverware for our meal. He'd been on the phone all day with lawyers and his agent trying to get the stories taken down. One of the things that attracted me to him most initially was his strong commitment to his family. He and his parents were incredibly close and he had a massive extended family that he kept in touch with. Joey had been his whole world and he'd do anything for her. Now that the kids and I were in the picture, it seemed like his love only grew. He loved Elliott, Alex and Jack like they were his own kids and treated me like a queen. I knew how lucky I was.

He sighed and checked his watch as he tucked his phone in his back pocket. "Joey's still not back," he observed. "She's been gone almost an hour and a half."

I began pushing the penne noodles onto the plates evenly as I nodded. "She's been pretty upset," I observed. "I think she just needs some more time to herself."

"I told her dinner was at six when she left," he said, crossing his arms as he walked towards me in the kitchen. "She's always been good at being back on time for dinner."

"When she's had a good appetite," I pointed out. I glanced at him and I could tell he was trying to figure out whether to worry or not. "Well, why don't you text her? Or call her?"

"She doesn't have her phone," he reminded me. I winced a little as I poured on the marinara sauce. After adding some peas as a side, Lin took the kids' plates to the table as they scurried over happily. They climbed into their seats and Alex instantly reached for the parmesan cheese.

"Not too much," I reminded her. She had a tendency to completely bury any pasta with cheese. I got to deal with the digestive issues afterwards. I followed with Lin's plate and my own, setting them down on the placemats. We both sat down and began to eat quietly as the kids babbled. By the set of Lin's brow I could tell he was really starting to worry about Joey. We decided we'd wait until 6:30, then Lin was going to go to the park to look for her.

After dinner was finished, I told Lin I'd finish up the dishes because he was getting more and more worried. He found his shoes and headed out the door a little after 6:30 to look for Joey. His obvious concern was causing me to get nervous as well. Joey was a responsible kid for the most part, so this was definitely out of character for her to be over half an hour late.

I let the kids play a bit longer then corralled them into the tub for bath time. As I was drying them off afterwards, my phone rang with a call from Lin. I sent the kids to their rooms to finish drying and get in their pajamas as I walked to the balcony.

She wasn't there. He'd searched everywhere and had asked around local businesses if they'd seen her. Nothing. My heart started to pound, realizing we had a real problem on our hands. I felt cold and heartless for not worrying earlier. I started to pace, rubbing at my temple.