So when the house phone rang, shattering her calm, Emily lunged for it, certain something had happened with one of the kids. Just then, Tony leaned back to soak in the sun, and so was oblivious to the “I told you so” stare she aimed at him, irritating Emily even more. She’d deal with him after she sorted out whatever was going on back home in Ohio.

“Hello, who’s this? Is that you, Mom?” Emily asked.

“Hel-lo, Emily? It’s not your mom. It’s Nick. I need to talk to Tony, about business. Is he there?”

“Yes, he is Nick, but we’re really trying to get away from things. Can’t this wait till we get back?” She tried to sound annoyed for Tony’s benefit, but she was relieved it was just some work issue.

“I’m really sorry, Emily, but it can’t wait! Can you put him on, please?”

“Okay, Nick, calm down,” Emily said. “Tony, it’s Nick. He says he has to talk to you right away. You better talk to him before he has a stroke or something,” she said, handing him the phone.

“Tony, it’s Nick. Hey, man, I’m really glad I got you. I tried to call your cell. Didn’t you get my message?”

Tony hated when people asked him if he’d gotten their voice mail, when they were speaking on the phone and it obviously didn’t matter any longer. Tony’s first inclination was to unload on Nick, but the beautiful vista had started to work its magic, so he hesitated.

Tony had busted his butt over the years and now had a small chain of fifteen sports-supply stores, called Steve’s Sporting Goods, throughout northern Ohio. It didn’t take a genius to be successful at it, but it took some guts, lots of hard work, and the ability to make common sense decisions all day long. Nick was a childhood friend who had been his right-hand man for years now. True, Nick didn’t practice quantum physics in his spare time, but he was honest and could be counted on to show up, work late, and usually make the right call. By now, Tony expected him to be able to deal with personnel issues, late shipments, markdowns, and any of the usual problems they encountered.

“I turned the stupid thing off last night so I might actually enjoy my vacation. This better be important, buddy. You know I promised Emily I’d forget about work for a week.”

“It is, it is, man, I swear, Tony. There’s somethin’ really weird going on with the Little Brother, really weird. Ya gotta listen to me; it could be really serious. Danny’s done something freaky and we can’t find him.”