Picking up the case from the exact same spot where Joe had put it down the night before, Frank’s relaxed demeanor suddenly changed. The startled look on his face was replaced with a frown, which quickly turned to outright anger. As soon as he picked up the case, Frank knew something was wrong; it didn’t "feel" quite right. Unzipping the case, he pulled out the laptop and stared at it, livid.

"Hey, Frank, is something wrong?" Joe asked noting the rapid changes in Frank’s attitude. Getting up from the table, he came over to see what Frank was looking at so intently.

"Yes, something’s wrong," Frank said heatedly. "This isn’t my computer!"

"What do you mean it’s not yours? That’s your case," Joe replied, confused.

"No, it’s not my case. It may look like mine, Sherlock," Frank said, the nickname taking on a decidedly nasty tone, "but it belongs to someone else."

Joe grabbed the case and started to look it over himself as Vanessa and Callie joined them, exchanging a worried look. "I don’t understand…I never let it out of my sight…it has to be yours."

"Well it’s not!" Frank yelled furiously, yanking the bag out of Joe’s hand. Shocked at Frank’s outburst, Joe flinched back a few steps.

The two girls looked at each other, with Callie moving closer to Frank and Vanessa doing the same with Joe. The room was now overwhelmed with raw tension that felt as if it were on the verge of exploding into violence. Vanessa and Callie had seen the two brothers get into a physical fight only once, and never wanted to witness anything like it again. Unfortunately, things seemed to be going downhill fast and they feared today might be the day history repeated itself.

"Damn it, Joe, I can’t believe you!" Frank fumed, shoving the laptop back into the case as Joe, Callie and Vanessa watched, warily. "All you had to do was keep an eye on it. A five-year old could do that, so even you should’ve been able to handle it!"

"I did!" Joe replied, shocked and upset at Frank’s reaction.

"Obviously you didn’t!" Frank jabbed a finger at him. "And thanks to your carelessness, it was stolen!"

"If someone wanted to steal it, why would they leave another one in its place," Joe pointed out angrily.

"Fine, if it wasn’t stolen, then where is it?" Frank growled at him.

"I-I don’t know," Joe admitted, nervously wracking his brain trying to figure out what could have happened.

"Well, maybe if you’d paid more attention to the computer like I asked you to, instead of the brunette who threw herself on you, you would know!" Frank lashed out.

A heavy silence descended on them as Frank’s accusation hung in the air. Vanessa moved even closer to Joe’s side, seeing he was dangerously close to exploding. She put a tentative hand on his arm and then realized he had no intention of physically lashing out at his brother. His eyes were filled with pain – the kind that can only be inflicted by someone you love. Frank’s words had cut him deeply.

"Well, maybe if you hadn’t been so insistent on trying to teach me a lesson in responsibility, this wouldn’t have happened at all," Joe replied his voice betraying the hurt he tried to keep inside.

Turning away, he stalked to the closet and grabbed his jacket. Snatching Frank’s keys off the counter, he picked up the computer and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Frank demanded.

"To get your precious computer back. It’s obviously a hell of a lot more important to you than I am," Joe replied without turning around. He opened the door and left, slamming it behind him.

As Joe’s pain-filled word’s registered, Frank rushed out the door to catch his brother. Seconds too late, he stood helplessly as Joe drove away. Going back inside he saw Vanessa with a look on her face he couldn’t quite decipher.

"Van…that woman…Joe was just…" Frank began, falling over the words.

"Just flirting. I know," Vanessa replied. "I trust him implicitly, Frank. He flirts – he doesn’t cheat," she said with absolute certainty. "There’s a difference. And he would never knowingly let anything happen to your computer. The lobby was crowded. It was an accident. Even you didn’t notice it wasn’t yours until a few minutes ago." Vanessa looked at him intently. "You owe him an apology, Frank. Yes, he made a mistake but he didn’t deserve that." Abruptly, she turned and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Frank looked at his wife and sighed heavily, dropping into one of the chairs. "Well, I really screwed that up, didn’t I?" Frank stared at the fire dejectedly.

"You were just a little hard on him," Callie sat on the arm of the chair and ran her fingers through his hair.

"The fact that the computer was stolen…or mixed up…or whatever, isn’t even really why I was so upset," Frank continued, looking up at her. "It was the fact that you gave it to me. I know how much trouble you went to, to make sure it was exactly what I wanted." Frank smiled at the surprised look on Callie’s face. "Phil said you called him for advice so many times he was about to change his number," he chuckled.

"I wanted to make sure it was perfect," Callie reddened slightly. She didn’t know computers anywhere near as well as Frank did. Wanting to get him the perfect gift, she had spent months researching computers, calling their computer wizard friend Phil Cohen at least two or three times a day and dragging Vanessa to every computer store within fifty miles of Bayport to help her find something Frank would treasure.

"And it was," Frank pulled her down for a quick kiss. "But that’s why I was so upset. You went to so much trouble and put so much time and effort into it… that in itself was more precious than any material thing you could give me."

Callie was touched that Frank would get so upset at her efforts seemingly having gone to waste. She also found it a little easier to understand his out-of-character reaction – and knew Joe would too, once Frank explained it to him.

"What a way to start a vacation, huh?" Frank said sarcastically. Standing up, he went to the closet and pulled out his jacket and gloves. "I’m gonna take a walk…and think about how I’m going to apologize to Joe when he gets back."

*****

Joe drove to the lodge, trying to focus on anything other than Frank’s accusations, still amazed at how much they had hurt. Thankfully, the drive was short and Joe was speaking with a desk clerk within minutes.

"Hi, is the manager in?" Joe asked the freckle-faced young man with curly red hair and hazel eyes, obscured by wire-rimmed glasses.

"He’s with a guest right now, but it should only take a few minutes if you’d like to wait," the clerk replied, indicating a cozy-looking seating area.

"Thanks, I will," Joe said as he started to turn away.

"Can I tell Mr. Graves what it’s in reference to?"

"Yesterday when we checked in, there were a lot of people here in the lobby. One of them accidentally picked up my brother’s computer instead of her own," Joe held the black case aloft. "I don’t know her name but I’m hoping the manager might be able to track her down so we can get it back," Joe explained.

The clerk smiled and beckoned Joe back towards the desk. "Follow me," he said with a knowing smile.

Joe followed the young man to a closed door off to the side of the lobby. After knocking and getting an affirmative response, he opened the door.

"Mr. Graves, I think you’ll want to speak with this guest," he said, pulling the door open so the manager could see Joe.

As Joe peered into the office, he saw not only the manager, but also the stunning young woman who’d fallen into him the previous afternoon.

"You must be Frank Hardy," she said to Joe, flashing a dazzling smile.

"Actually I’m his brother, Joe," Joe replied stepping into the office and shaking hands with the attractive woman.

"Apparently I picked up the wrong case by mistake after our little collision." She stood, moving close to Joe, and gazed up at him through lowered lashes. "I’m so sorry."

"No problem," he replied with a smile of his own. He offered her the case he’d been carrying and gladly retrieved Frank’s computer. "My brother will be very happy to get this back. Thanks."

"Can I buy you a drink to make up for all the trouble I’ve caused you?" she asked coyly.

"I’m sure my fiancée and I will see you around the resort this week," Joe answered, skillfully letting her know he was not available.

"I’ll keep an eye out for you," she replied with a wink. Slinging the case over her shoulder, she squeezed Joe’s arm and disappeared out the door.

"If only all my problems were solved this easily," the manager grinned, having simply sat back and watched the entire exchange. "I’m sorry about the mix-up, Mr. Hardy." Reaching into his desk, he pulled out an envelope. Taking out a small booklet, he ripped a sheet off and scribbled something on it. "How many are in your group?" he asked, looking up at Joe with a smile.

"Four," Joe replied. "My brother and his wife, my fiancée and myself."

Signing the sheet of paper with a flourish, Mr. Graves handed it to Joe. "Please, have dinner at our restaurant on me. To make up for all your trouble."