LITTLE GIRL LOST by SARAH BETH LEE (best books to read for knowledge TXT) 📕

with a wife, kids maybe even grandkids? She wondered what his story was; what had brought him into her life so unexpectedly at a time that she had needed him more than the air she breathed? She drew in a shaky breath and scattered the papers on the table top. She sifted through magazine articles newspaper clippings, photos and that was when she saw it. A 5x 7 photo of a family of five she could see a blonde-haired beauty with stunning blue eyes laughing into the camera and Hannah could all but feel the love flowing from the picture to her, she had her hand on two little girls around the age of six or so they had the same bubbling smile and laughing blue eyes they were identical in every way behind them was also a man tall, dark and handsome with sandy brown hair and blue eyes that looked almost exactly like she remembered Nick except this man had a scar above his lip. She wondered why she had never remembered a scar on his beautiful face and then her eyes fell on the lanky kid sitting on the ground in front of his sisters. Hannah raised her hand to her trembling lips and gasped it was Nick only he wasn’t old he was only a boy a cocky, laughing little boy with his family. He looked so happy and so alive and she could see so much mischief just oozing out of his eyes and she felt a single tear sliding down her cheek. She could see that the woman, his mother was very much pregnant in the photo. Hannah began to read the article attached to the glossy photo.

Hannah slowly read the information in the file. Nick was the same age as her? How was that even possible? She had so many questions and she desperately needed the answers before her brain shut down. She looked up to see Maddie at the bar with Martin and she swiped at her tear stained face. She needed answers but she didn’t want to put Maddie in an awkward position. She watched as she crossed the room with Martin and some guy she had never seen before. She tried to smile as they sat down with her.

“Hannah isn’t it funny that Martin just happened to show up here?”

Hannah nodded at Martin, “Fancy that, so how are you Martin?”

Martin smiled at Hannah,” I’m quite well thanks.” Martin realized Hannah was looking at him expectantly, “Oh where are my manners? Ladies I would like to introduce you to my little brother, Carter. Carter this is Hannah and Madeline.”

Maddie offered her hand, “its Maddie nice to meet you Carter.”

Carter shook Maddie’s hand and smiled before looking at Hannah. His heart ached for the pain he saw flashing in her troubled eyes, “Nice to meet you both, Hannah is It?”

Hannah slid across the seat and made room for Carter to sit, “Yes Hannah Roberts, nice to meet the man who makes my muffins every day.”

Carter grinned, “Thanks glad you appreciate the art of good pastries and muffins.”

Hannah smiled she liked Carter and if she had met him on any other night she would have been riveted to his dancing black eyes and smooth as silk voice but tonight her mind was on overload. She gathered up the papers that had fallen on the table and placed them back in the file. She looked at Maddie’s watchful eye and tried to offer her a shaky smile.

“Maddie do you mind if I take this file home to finish up that amazing article?”

Maddie nodded her head, “Of course if you need help with your little project I can stay over tonight?”

Hannah nodded awkwardly at Maddie. It never ceased to amaze Hannah how well she and Maddie could read one another. Even after all these years apart they knew just when to push and offer that shoulder to cry on and when to shut the hell up and let it go. She needed Maddie now more than ever and she was so grateful for her shoulder to cry on.

“That would be perfect. We can paint each other’s toenails and call cute guys and hang up when they answer.”

Maddie laughed at Hannah’s attempt to sound like she was just another girl out for a night with friends instead of a woman who had just been given the key to a murky past.

Martin looked at them as if they were completely mad, “and what is the point of calling a guy and hanging up?’

Maddie looked at him as if he had no social skills what so ever, “Well it’s a girl thing so I don’t expect you to understand. But when you’re fourteen, in love and the guy doesn’t exactly know you exist that’s all you’ve got.”

Martin raised his eyebrows and shook his head, “Still not getting the relevance of calling and hanging up.”

Martin looked across the table at his brother who was trying not to laugh, “Don’t look at me bro, I never claimed to understand the inner workings of teen girls or beautiful women for that matter.”

Hannah looked at the brothers and realized how much alike they were. They both had the same olive skin complexion, dark brooding black eyes and amazing jet black hair. They even had the same mannerisms each sitting exactly the same way with their arms lying haphazardly across the table.

Hannah’s soft voice floated around the table. “You’d be surprised at what you can learn from the silence.”

Carter cocked his head and waited for her to continue, “Please Ms. Roberts enlighten us on what the silence has to offer.”

Hannah looked at Maddie and she could see that she was content to sit by Marin and had grown oblivious to the conversation. Hannah looked at Carter and smiled, “Well you have to listen to the back ground noise. You listen for what music is playing in the back ground or what television show is on; then you know a little about what he likes. You also listen for other voices like a girl’s voice. If you hear a girl then you know he’s interested in someone else; however the presence of another girl only makes the game that much more fun.”

Carter looked at Hannah as if she had suddenly grown a second head, “Are you serious? You can learn all that from a phone call where you don’t even speak?”

Hannah shrugged, “You’d be surprised if you stop talking long enough what you can hear.”

Carter nodded his head, “Tussah, for the record you might be surprised what you can find out if you ask the right questions.”

Hannah felt a smile tugging at her lips and she released the pent up air she had been holding in. She actually liked Carter and she wished she had met him before her world had gotten so crazy.

“Point for you, but in my defense we were fourteen we didn’t know any better.”

Carter laughed, “I find it hard to believe that you’ve ever had a problem with being noticed.”

Hannah stiffened at his teasing and she wondered did he know who she was? Did he know she was the richest little girl in the world as well as the loneliest? She looked at him from the corner of her eye and she saw his easy smile and his friendly black eyes creased with laughter. She breathed slowly in and out and tried to relax. She wondered why Carter was here, had Martin thought that she needed a date? The last thing she wanted was to lead him to believe there was any chance of this whatever this was ever evolving into anything.

“So Carter I though Martin said you had clean up duty tonight?”

Carter laughed in his brother’s general direction. “Well I had already scheduled extra help so I could get out early. One of my buddy’s is having a little party here tonight, he just got engaged.”

Hannah laughed, “It must be in the water there seems to be a lot of that going around; this guy I know got engaged recently.”

Carter laughed, “Remind me not to drink the water.” Carter looked at the bar, “Now a beer on the other hand sounds great right now.” He looked at Hannah’s untouched club soda. “Would you like a real drink?”

Hannah looked at her glass and she wondered if the repercussions would be worth the feeling of complete ignorance the alcohol would bring. She could just drink herself into oblivion and forget all about Nick and the heartbreak the truth might bring. Yes she would pay for it tomorrow but right now she wanted to laugh and act stupid and be free of this feeling of foreboding that had settled somewhere in the vicinity of where her heart had once been.

“Thanks that would be great.”

Carter slipped out of the booth and looked at Hannah, “Ok so what’s it going to be? A Shirley temple?”

Hannah shook her head, “No how about sex on the beach?”

Carter laughed, “Is that an offer or your drink request?”

Hannah could feel her cheeks flaming under his laughing eyes, “Let’s start with the drink and see where we end up.”

Carter walked toward the crowded bar still smiling. Hannah could feel Maddie’s eyes staring into her and she knew what was coming, “Hannah I need to go to the ladies room do you mind going with me?”

“Sure.”

Hannah followed Maddie to the back room filled with pool tables and dart boards. She inched along behind Maddie to the ladies room. Hannah pushed the heavy wooden door open and walked into the smoke filled room. She leaned against the counter while Maddie touched up her lipstick.

“So Hannah what’s up? You never drink so what gives?”

Hannah shrugged her shoulders and refused to look at Maddie’s searching eyes. She knew Maddie was worried about her but honestly she was old enough to have a drink if she wanted one.

“I just need to get lost for a while. I don’t want to think about Nick and where he might be or what he might be doing or doing it with.”

Maddie could hear the hurt in her child like voice, “Hannah come on don’t do this to yourself. I shouldn’t have given you the file. I thought you needed to know the truth and I wanted to tell you I’m sorry for not believing you.”

Hannah nodded her head and turned to face Maddie, “Thanks Maddie. I am glad to know that I am not crazy but I still have this fear that if he knew the me that I turned out to be he’d be disappointed. I know how crazy that sounds; I don’t know how to explain it really.”

Maddie put a reassuring hand on Hannah’s shoulder, “Hannah there’s nothing wrong with who you are. Stop beating yourself up over some guy you haven’t seen in seventeen years and we’ll figure this out.”

Hannah shrugged and turned to follow Maddie back to their table. “Listen Maddie I am about to get completely and