Free Personal Adventures by Sidney Bristol Page B

refrigerator open and grabbed a bottle of water. He’d been to all of their favorite spots and he still couldn’t find Elise. Glancing at the clock, he decided to try Allen one more time.
    Fishing his cell phone out of his pocket, he speed dialed his former boss and listened to the phone ring. Allen was avoiding him, and he didn’t know why.
    “Yeah?” the old man sighed into the phone.
    “Allen. Hey.” Usually he liked chatting with the old hippie, but he was raw and not in the mood.
    “Hey, Carey. I imagine you’re calling about Elly?”
    His grip on the water tightened.
    Allen sighed heavily into the phone again. “She quit. Called yesterday, chewed my ass out and said don’t ever speak to her again. I’m sorry, Carey, I didn’t know she’d react that way.”
    Slamming the bottle down on the counter, he was thankful this conversation was happening over the phone. In person, he’d want to punch the old man. “What way? I still don’t know what she’s so fucking upset about.” He clamped his mouth shut. Yelling at the guy wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
    “I know, I know. A few years ago, before you were in the picture and when things were going well, Elly and I talked about her buying Adventures. We never talked about it again, and I knew she didn’t have what it took to buy it. I didn’t think she would react how she did.”
    Elise wanted Adventures?
    It all snapped into place.
    Carey turned and paced the length of the cabin. He needed to get out there and find her. It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t known they wanted the same thing, but he was paying for it. “Do you know where she would go? She’s not at home and she’s not answering her phone.”
    Allen laughed bitterly. “If she doesn’t want to be found, you won’t find her. Elly used to be a wild little thing. Her daddy taught her how to survive out there before he fell off the wagon. Who knows where she’s gone?”
    Carey’s phone beeped. Glancing at the display, he groaned. “Hey, I have another call I have to take. Do you have time to drive me to some spots she might have gone to? I have to find her, and her roommates don’t know where she’s gone.”
    “Sure. It’s the least I can do. I’m sorry, Carey.”
    “Yeah, so am I. Later.” He clicked to the incoming call. “Hey, Mom.”
    “Carey. Hi, honey. How are you?”
    He smiled a little as he pushed the door to the back porch open and went to sit on the wicker couch. “I’m okay. How are you, Mom?”
    “Busy, as usual. We’re going to be in Denver for a few weeks. You should come up and see us. I know your father would love to have you around.”
    “I’ll see what I can do. I’d like to come see you guys, but I need to get things squared away here.” As he leaned back into the couch, his gaze fell on the hot tub.
    She dropped the cheery tone. “Are you still buying that place? Carey, that doesn’t sound smart.”
    “I already bought it. I told you I was, and it’s a good investment. Did you look at the stuff I put together about it?” He’d brushed off his old marketing skills to put together a fancy presentation and sent it to his parents as a test market.
    “Well, yes. It looked nice. I just want what’s best for you. Are you sure you don’t want to go back to work for your father? It’s been such a long time since all that nasty business happened.”
    “Mom, I love working at Adventures, and I’m going to turn it into something even better. It makes me happy. Working for Dad never did.”
    There was a long pause. He could imagine his mother sitting out in the sun room at the back of the house. She was probably wearing one of those skirt suits in some pastel shade with pearls. She always looked classy and perfect.
    “I just want you to be happy.”
    “I am, Mom.” Or he would be, as soon as he found Elise and tied her to his hip.
    “Okay, that’s the last I’ll say of it then. Do you have any of these tours people as old as your father and I can