The morning was chilly, but the sunlight provided a welcome warmth. He tried to close the broken door behind him with a frustrated sigh. Samuel West had damaged it when he’d kicked it in. It would have to be one of the first things they repaired.
He walked down the porch and toward the tree line. Halfway between the woods and the hotel, he looked back over his shoulder toward the window of his and Kathleen’s room. The window looked dark and the room somewhat unwelcoming. He didn’t see Kathleen’s figure standing there any longer. He gave the window a wave, just in case she was there, and turned back around to walk closer to the tree line.
He didn’t see anything unusual. The pines swayed in the breeze. The tall grasses rustled back and forth. Moss grew on some of the bigger boulders. Pursing his lips, he bent closer to the ground to scan for footprints or tracks. The hard earth hadn’t been disturbed. Nothing looked out of place.
Maybe she had seen a wild animal. He looked up to study the branches and grasses for a sign of animal hide or hair that might have gotten snagged. Nothing. The place felt idyllic. If this were any other day, he might make himself a cup of coffee and come out here to reflect. With a shrug of resignation, he turned back around and walked toward the house. He couldn’t let these worries eat at him. Hopefully, the rest of the family was awake and they could make a plan for the day.
When he finally got back inside the hotel and into the dining room, he saw that Ruth had laid out a sparse breakfast on the big table. Dry cereal had been set out beside a bunch of bananas that looked more brown than yellow.
“Good morning,” she said to him with a smile, and nestled a cup of warm coffee into his hands. He breathed a sigh of relief when he smelled the steam rising from the mug. Taking a quick sip, his pleasure soured. The coffee was bitter, and he could see grounds swirling in it. They must have tried to make it without a coffee maker, he thought, but gave his mother a smile anyway. “It’s delicious. Thank you,” he said.
She scoffed. “I’m not sure about that, but it’s the thought that counts. Sit down. The kids are up. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.
Matthew pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sank into it. He took another sip of coffee with a grimace. Maybe it would get better the more he drank.
Allison stumbled into the room with dark circles under eyes and slumped in a chair next to him. As if still asleep, she reached for the Lucky Charms and poured some into a bowl. Not long after, Patton followed, looking much more chipper than his sister. He spoke amiably to Jade, who’d followed him into the room. Matthew couldn’t focus on the conversation, and so he finished his cup of coffee as Patton sat down next to Allison.
Jade glanced at him nervously before being pulled back into Patton’s rambling conversation. Matthew watched her reach for a banana and begin to peel it slowly. Allison looked at Matthew, gestured toward Patton with her thumb, and rolled her eyes.
“He’s always been a morning person,” Matthew said in response to her wordless irritation.
“An enthusiastic morning person,” Allison grumbled.
Ruth and David finally emerged and sat across from their grandchildren. For a moment, Matthew gazed at his family as love rose in his chest. It was the perfect family gathering, except that Kathleen was missing. He hoped she’d gone back to bed. Maybe, if she got some rest, she would feel better and would talk to him.
Ruth peeled a banana and looked around, noticing Kathleen’s absence as well. “Where’s Kathleen?” she asked, looking at Matthew.
Matthew poured some cereal into a bowl for himself and avoided her eyes. “She’s having a rough morning,” he said and hoped his mother would leave it at that. “She wasn’t able to sleep last night, not after everything that had happened. I wanted to let her rest a while longer. She’ll be down later, I promise.”
Jade looked ashamed. Ruth nodded in agreement and bit off a small chunk of the banana. Matthew felt grateful that she dropped the subject and began to eat his cereal. It tasted bland without milk. As everyone finished their meal, he cleared his throat and said, “I wanted to talk with you all about how we should approach the day. There are a lot of tasks for us to do. I think if we divvy up the work, it might not feel so overwhelming. If we split up, we can get the most done in the least amount of time.”
Ruth and David nodded in agreement. Jade said softly, “That’s a good idea.”
Irritation filled Matthew. He couldn’t help but think Jade was agreeing with him just to stay on his good side. He decided it would be best to ignore her. For some reason, he was beginning to feel as though she were to blame for Kathleen’s behavior. If she wasn’t here, Kathleen might act more normal. His wife might have felt safer. He brushed off the thought before it began to poison him.
“Mom, I think it would be a great idea if you could inventory our food supplies,” he said, turning to look at Ruth. “Since you’ve been here from the beginning of this whole debacle, I’m assuming you probably have a good idea of where everything is and what we do and don’t have.”
“I’d love to,” Ruth agreed and nibbled on some cereal.
“Could you make a list of everything we have in the kitchen and pantry? Then we’ll know how long the food we do have
