Heavenly Honeymoon (Zoe Donovan Mysteries Book 15) by Kathi Daley Page B
Authors: Kathi Daley
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out.”
Chapter 5
Thursday, July 30
By the time I got out of bed the next morning Zak had returned from the airport with Ellie. I hugged her like I hadn’t seen her for months, even though it had actually only been five days. I’d really hoped that once we got through the wedding things would calm down and level out a bit, but so far that wasn’t the way things were turning out for either of us.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” I squeezed her extra hard. I couldn’t imagine the mental turmoil she must be going through.
“Me too. Thanks for encouraging me to come. I feel better already.”
“Let’s get you settled in and you can catch me up with everything that’s going on,” I suggested.
“Honestly, I’d much rather focus on your investigation. I’m exhausted from trying to imagine what Levi’s new job is going to do to our lives. I could really use a mental vacation from the whole thing.”
“Okay, then let’s get you settled in and I can catch you up on the investigation.”
“Where are the kids?”
“Scooter is hiking with Kids Club and Alex is in her room, working on her book. It seems her parents are going through a rough patch, and while she won’t admit it, I can tell it’s really affecting her. I think she just needed some alone time.”
“I might have something that will cheer her up.” Ellie smiled.
I followed Ellie to Alex’s room, where she handed the girl a bag. “Phyllis sent these for you.”
Alex looked inside and her face lit up like she’d just been given a sackful of puppies.
“What is it?” I asked, assuming correctly that it wasn’t puppies.
“Books.”
“But I thought you had your Kindle. Isn’t it full of books?”
“Yes, but these are special books. When I was FaceTiming with Phyllis the first day we arrived here I mentioned I really wanted to learn more about the history of the island, and she said she’d try to track down some material about this area.”
“You FaceTimed with Phyllis?”
“I FaceTime with Phyllis all the time. I’ve learned so much from her. More than I’ll ever learn at the school I’ve been attending. Not that it was a bad school; it’s just that the curriculum is focused on providing a general education for the average student.”
Alex’s statement sounded like something one of her parents might say. They were trying to get her accepted into a high school for gifted students even though she was only ten. I was worried about her ability to adjust socially if she had to attend classes with students so much older than she was.
“That’s great,” I said, rather than voicing my concerns. “What did she send?”
Alex showed me each book and explained what she hoped to learn from it. She really did know what information she wanted and seemed to have a good understanding of how to find it.
“Oh, look. This one has information about the church,” she gushed.
“The church?” I asked.
“It’s the oldest building on the island. It sits atop a bluff you have to hike up to. I really hope we can go see it while we’re here.”
“It sounds like a fun trip.”
“Did you know the entire population of the island was wiped out during a hurricane almost two hundred years ago?” Alex asked.
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“I think this volume will have more information about it.” Alex opened an old book with yellowed pages and began reading. I could see by the look on her face that she was going to be occupied for the rest of the day, so I led Ellie out to the patio, where Zak was sitting at a table working on his computer.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” Ellie gasped.
It really was a gorgeous place to sit and while away the afternoon. Not only were the aqua sea and white sand just beyond the patio wall but there were tropical flowers of a variety of colors growing in pots that decorated the outdoor space.
“So fill me in,” Ellie encouraged.
“Let’s take a walk while we talk,” I suggested.
Chapter 5
Thursday, July 30
By the time I got out of bed the next morning Zak had returned from the airport with Ellie. I hugged her like I hadn’t seen her for months, even though it had actually only been five days. I’d really hoped that once we got through the wedding things would calm down and level out a bit, but so far that wasn’t the way things were turning out for either of us.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” I squeezed her extra hard. I couldn’t imagine the mental turmoil she must be going through.
“Me too. Thanks for encouraging me to come. I feel better already.”
“Let’s get you settled in and you can catch me up with everything that’s going on,” I suggested.
“Honestly, I’d much rather focus on your investigation. I’m exhausted from trying to imagine what Levi’s new job is going to do to our lives. I could really use a mental vacation from the whole thing.”
“Okay, then let’s get you settled in and I can catch you up on the investigation.”
“Where are the kids?”
“Scooter is hiking with Kids Club and Alex is in her room, working on her book. It seems her parents are going through a rough patch, and while she won’t admit it, I can tell it’s really affecting her. I think she just needed some alone time.”
“I might have something that will cheer her up.” Ellie smiled.
I followed Ellie to Alex’s room, where she handed the girl a bag. “Phyllis sent these for you.”
Alex looked inside and her face lit up like she’d just been given a sackful of puppies.
“What is it?” I asked, assuming correctly that it wasn’t puppies.
“Books.”
“But I thought you had your Kindle. Isn’t it full of books?”
“Yes, but these are special books. When I was FaceTiming with Phyllis the first day we arrived here I mentioned I really wanted to learn more about the history of the island, and she said she’d try to track down some material about this area.”
“You FaceTimed with Phyllis?”
“I FaceTime with Phyllis all the time. I’ve learned so much from her. More than I’ll ever learn at the school I’ve been attending. Not that it was a bad school; it’s just that the curriculum is focused on providing a general education for the average student.”
Alex’s statement sounded like something one of her parents might say. They were trying to get her accepted into a high school for gifted students even though she was only ten. I was worried about her ability to adjust socially if she had to attend classes with students so much older than she was.
“That’s great,” I said, rather than voicing my concerns. “What did she send?”
Alex showed me each book and explained what she hoped to learn from it. She really did know what information she wanted and seemed to have a good understanding of how to find it.
“Oh, look. This one has information about the church,” she gushed.
“The church?” I asked.
“It’s the oldest building on the island. It sits atop a bluff you have to hike up to. I really hope we can go see it while we’re here.”
“It sounds like a fun trip.”
“Did you know the entire population of the island was wiped out during a hurricane almost two hundred years ago?” Alex asked.
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“I think this volume will have more information about it.” Alex opened an old book with yellowed pages and began reading. I could see by the look on her face that she was going to be occupied for the rest of the day, so I led Ellie out to the patio, where Zak was sitting at a table working on his computer.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” Ellie gasped.
It really was a gorgeous place to sit and while away the afternoon. Not only were the aqua sea and white sand just beyond the patio wall but there were tropical flowers of a variety of colors growing in pots that decorated the outdoor space.
“So fill me in,” Ellie encouraged.
“Let’s take a walk while we talk,” I suggested.
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