The Cinderella Plan

Anne coughed and swallowed several times to coat her dry throat. “I’m sure that Caleb will find Dylan.”

Jeremy finally looked at her as though he hadn’t realized she’d even been in the room, which was usually how Anne liked it. But his expression only heightened all the years that she had felt invisible, unimportant.

The teenager lifted his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess so. I should’ve known something was up. The last few days he didn’t dog my every step around here like he usually does.”

“Oh” was all Anne could think to say. She’d never had very good success talking with the opposite sex and even though she was almost twice Jeremy’s age, she wasn’t doing a good job at the moment.

Luckily Gina burst into the room, followed by Nikki, Tiffany and Ruth Fraser, the minister’s daughter, all of them talking at the same time. Gina took one look at Jeremy and slowed her pace, her words dying in her throat as she quickly peered away from the young man.

When Gina saw Anne, the fifteen-year-old said, “I’m glad you could make it.” Then, as though she realized something was wrong, she cocked her head and asked, “What happened?”

“Dylan ran away,” Jeremy answered before Anne could even open her mouth.

Gina glanced at Jeremy, her usual bravado subdued. “He did? When?”

“Last night, I guess.”

The girls behind Gina began to whisper among themselves. Anne stepped forward. “If you all know anything, please tell me. Caleb is out looking for Dylan right now. Do you know where he would go when he’s upset?”

Tiffany and Nikki shook their heads. Ruth stared at a spot on the far wall with a blank expression, none of her usual exuberance evident.

Anne walked to her. “Do you know something, Ruth?”

The girl’s shoulders drooped, her bright red hair falling forward, almost concealing her face.

“Please tell me.”

Ruth looked Anne in the eye. “Dylan wasn’t happy with his foster family. He’s been talking about leaving, but I didn’t think he would do it.”

“Do you know where he would go?”

Ruth bit her lower lip, shaking her head slowly. “He went to school and here. Those are the only places he went to.”

An idea popped into Anne’s mind. They hadn’t searched the center. “Is this all the committee?”

“No, there are a few more. Billy is always late and Tyler is always with him,” Gina answered.

“Why don’t you get everyone started, Gina. I’ll be right back.”

Anne quickly left the committee working on the flyers and began searching each room, hoping her hunch paid off. When she entered the TV room, she spotted Dylan curled up on the old chocolate brown couch, hugging a plaid pillow. His black hair was tousled, his clothes twisting about him as though he had wrestled all night. She scanned the area, wondering how he’d gotten into the center. An opened window answered her question, and a breeze blew the white curtains, bringing the scent of the outdoors inside along with the early morning chill.

Anne walked to the window and closed it, then locked it. There wasn’t a lot of crime in Chestnut Grove, but leaving a window unlocked probably wasn’t a wise decision. She would say something to Caleb when he returned.

Dylan stirred on the couch, rolling onto his back. One arm flopped over the edge, dangling almost to the wooden floor. Even in sleep his face tensed into a frown, deep lines marring his forehead.

Anne gently shook Dylan awake. The boy’s blue eyes flew open. He scrambled to a sitting position.

“You’ve got some people worried about you.” Anne sat down on the worn coffee table in front of the couch.

Dylan stuck out his lower lip and clutched the pillow even tighter to his chest, his brows drawn together.

“Are you okay?”

His pout strengthened into a scowl. “Yeah.”

“I need to call Caleb and let him know you’re here. He’s out looking for you.”

“He is?”

Anne nodded, wishing she could wrap her arms around the boy and comfort him. His eyes reflected his doubt and pain. At a young age she sensed Dylan had seen the rough side of life and was having a hard time coping with it.

She stood. “Everyone’s in the arts-and-crafts room working on the flyers. Why don’t you join them? They’ll be glad to know you’re okay.”

For a long moment Dylan remained on the couch, staring straight ahead, grasping the pillow against him, as though it were his shield against the world, making a mockery of his declaration that he was all right. When Anne started forward, he tossed the pillow aside, unfolded himself and rose in one quick motion. He fled out the door.

Anne hurried after him, afraid that he was leaving. When he disappeared into the arts-and-crafts room, she came to a halt in the hallway and listened for a moment to the others greeting Dylan. Taking a quivering breath, Anne used the phone near the front entrance to call Caleb.

Hearing Caleb’s deep baritone voice made her momentarily forget why she wanted to talk to him. Silence ruled for a few seconds as she pictured him in her mind—over six feet tall, a large, muscular chest and narrow waist as though he used the exercise equipment at the center regularly, straight black hair that brushed his collar and light blue eyes that sparkled with humor.

“Anne? Did you find him?”

“How did you know it was me?” she asked, surprised and embarrassed at the same time.

“Caller ID. Did you find Dylan?”

“Yes. He’s at the youth center. I think he’s been here all night, in the TV room.”

“I’ll be right there. Don’t let him leave.”

“Do you want me to call the Givens’ and the police?”

“No, I’ll take care of it. Thanks, Anne. I didn’t think to look around the center before leaving. You saved us all a lot of time.”

The warmth in his words colored her cheeks, making her realize it didn’t take much to please her when it came to Caleb. She was a pushover where that man was concerned. Thankfully he didn’t know the power he had over her. She would hate to see pity in his eyes.

When Anne reentered the arts-and-crafts room, everyone was busy making flyers under Gina’s directions. The girl motioned for her to come closer. She and Gina had always been on friendly terms while the teenager volunteered at Tiny Blessings, but Anne was still surprised by the invitation to help, especially when it seemed Gina had everything under control. She sat beside the young girl who slid a piece of white paper toward her.

Gina showed Anne another slip of paper. “This is what we want on each of the flyers. Other than that, you can get as creative as you want to draw people’s eyes to the flyer.”

“Poster” was a more accurate word for what she was going to make, Anne thought as she looked at the large blank paper before her. Creative? She didn’t have a creative bone in her body, even though she loved to paint in her free time, just for herself. When she painted, she let her emotions fill the blank canvas. Knowing no one would see her work made it easy to do whatever she felt at the moment. A poster to be put up all around town was different.

Anne sighed heavily and plunged into the work before her. There was nothing wrong with plain and simple, she decided as she began to print the necessary information on the poster. She wasn’t so engrossed in her work that she didn’t know the second that Caleb entered the room. The hairs on the nape of her neck tingled and a shiver went down her spine. He came immediately over to where she was. Her hand shook as she wrote the last letter and thankfully put the marker down before her reaction became obvious to anyone.

“May I have a word with you in private?” Caleb whispered into her ear.

His breath fanned her neck, heightening the chills she already had from his entrance. She nodded, afraid to say anything for fear her voice would betray her.

He stepped back while she scooted her chair away from the long table and rose. She followed him out into the hall.