Page 10 of Island Protector (Brookwell Island #5)

Chapter Ten

The next morning, Molly wanted nothing more than to get back to work, if only to tell Nina about her upcoming date. She hadn’t mentioned it to Sharon yet. Strange, because they talked about everything.

Everything except dates apparently.

She didn’t even know the name of the man Sharon was meeting for a romantic weekend. It suddenly loomed like a big problem in her mind. Her aunt’s love life wasn’t her business, but Miles’s reaction had her rethinking things.

Returning home from taking Bryce to school, she wandered back to Sharon’s studio. “Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all. Come on in.” Sharon was cleaning and organizing her sunny space. “I was thinking about going for a walk. Want to join?”

“Sure.”

The cottage was a few streets back from the beach. Molly hoped the fresh air would make this potentially awkward conversation easier. They frequently ventured down to the water. Pretty much every week of Bryce’s life, they made time to play in the sand or wade through the frothy rollers that zipped up onto the beach.

If she lost this custody battle, would the Graingers keep up with his love of the ocean?

That was irrelevant. Mr. Devaney had told her to stay positive, that he and his team were sorting things out. She couldn’t let herself contemplate any outcome other than maintaining full custody.

“You’re thinking awfully hard for a woman recovering from a concussion.”

“My thoughts were shouting?”

Sharon chuckled and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “With good reason. Everything you’ve told me about Mr. Devaney gives me hope.”

Molly knew that tone. Sharon had done some digging into Molly’s lawyer. “What are you hearing?” she asked.

“Only good things. Devaney is a partner in one of the top family law firms in the country. Keep the faith, honey. You’re the best mom for that little boy. Whatever started this nonsense will fade when the facts come out. I don’t know what the Graingers are thinking, but no amount of money can compete with you.”

Tears stung the back of Molly’s throat. “With us,” she said. “I would love Bryce just as much, but living here with you makes the biggest difference for both of us.”

“For all of us,” Sharon agreed. “Our family might be built a little different, sweetheart, but that makes it even more precious. Sharing my home, being part of your lives, is a gift to me. I wouldn’t trade these years for anything. In fact, this ridiculous custody issue made me realize just how lucky I was when you moved in.”

Molly dropped her head to Sharon’s shoulder for just a few steps, soaking up the wonderful maternal vibes. “I need you now more than ever and somehow that makes me feel weaker in the face of all of this.”

“No, no honey. We’re stronger together. Always. You know that. Hang on to that.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sharon released her as they walked single file over the boardwalk that spanned the sand dunes.

On the beach side, Molly slipped out of her shoes, waiting for Sharon to do the same.

Molly’s bare feet sunk into the soft sand, comfortably warm this time of year. She laughed to herself, thinking about the way Bryce danced a jig on high summer days when the sand was hot on his little feet.

There was no way she’d give up any of those moments to the Graingers.

She and Sharon walked along the cool, packed sand at the tide line, staying just out of reach of the ebbing tide. The water was a bit too cold to feel good on her feet.

“What did you want to talk about?” Sharon prompted.

“Miles put me through the third degree about your Valentine’s plans. It made me realize I should be asking more questions.”

“You think so?”

Molly recognized the teasing and took comfort in it. “Are you ready to introduce me to someone important?”

Sharon cackled. “If I were ready, I wouldn’t be going away to meet him now, would I?”

Molly rolled her eyes. “I guess Miles has concerns?—”

“Because he’s protective of you.”

“Not just me.” Molly had seen his face. Miles cared deeply about Sharon. “It seems weird to ask if you’re being safe. You’ve been an adult for so much longer than I have.”

“So much.” Sharon hip bumped her, laughing away any insult. “I understand what you’re saying and I appreciate any concern you or Miles have.”

“You’ve dated before.”

Sharon sighed. “I thought it was best if I applied extra discretion.”

“Because the Graingers are suing for custody.”

“Yes.”

Molly swore under her breath.

“But Bryce is getting older,” Sharon continued. “And he makes friends so easily. I don’t want him to get attached to someone who might be passing through.”

“Some days I worry that he’s never met a stranger,” Molly admitted.

“It’s a good quality you don’t want to quash entirely.” Sharon stopped to watch a pelican dive. “It’ll serve him well in the future. The world needs more people with Bryce’s open heart.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Molly agreed.

Sharon smiled gently. “I simply don’t want to confuse him with any of my romantic interests. Not that there are legions.”

Sharon was worth legions. “But this man is special?”

“Maybe. I’m not in the mood to rush into anything.”

The breeze caught Molly’s hair and she drew it back. “As long as you’re being safe. Do we need to have the talk?” Molly joked. “Things have changed since you were a kid.”

Sharon’s laughter carried on the wind. “You’re incorrigible. You might have a child, but I daresay I have the experience.”

“No argument there.” Her aunt would’ve been a wonderful mother. In truth, she was. She’d mothered Molly with unparalleled warmth, patience, and compassion through the years.

“What about you and Miles? Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way he looks at you. ”

“He kissed me the other night,” Molly confessed in a rush. “And he asked us out on a Valentine’s date.”

“Us?” Sharon bobbed her eyebrows. “Tell me more.”

“When he realized you wouldn’t be home to babysit—he was all kinds of supportive of that, aside from not knowing who you’re meeting. Anyway, he changed the date plans to include Bryce.”

Sharon’s eyebrows shot up. “That man is a keeper, Molly. You heard it here first.”

Molly thought she might have heard it in her heart first and just been too much of a coward to listen. “I think you’re right.”

Before she could say more, her phone chimed and she pulled it from her pocket. An incoming alert showed on her screen, but she didn’t recognize the number. Tapping the icon, a series of pictures came through and her heart stuttered.

Her feet rooted into the sand as she stared at the images. All of them were focused on Bryce: at the dock near the water or in the workshop near the boat Miles was refurbishing. Only one of the shots showed Sharon nearby. The others had been cropped to make it look as if Bryce was alone. A little boy ready to tumble into the sea, no one the wiser.

She was trying to figure out how the images had been manipulated when the text followed:

Do what’s best for the boy. Surrender custody or your negligence will be exposed. You have forty-eight hours before these go to the judge.

Gutted, Molly dropped to her knees in the sand. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe through the fear gripping her heart.

Sharon came down beside her. “Molly. Honey, talk to me. What’s going on?”

Molly could only shake her head. She shoved her phone into Sharon’s hands. “It’s lies. It’s a setup I can’t win. He’s mine, but I?—”

“He’s yours.” Sharon looked at the phone and swore a blue streak, using words Molly had never heard come out of her mouth. “You look at me, Molly. Look at me. You are going to send these to your attorney right now.” She pressed the phone into Molly’s hands.

Shaking, she forwarded the pictures and text message to Mr. Devaney. “Done.”

“No, not yet.” Sharon’s voice vibrated with fury. “Now you forward those messages to Jess.”

Molly blinked away a sheen of tears. This was almost as bad as having the stranger broadcast her failings to the judge. Except she hadn’t failed. Bryce had never been in danger at any time he’d been down near the marina. She had nothing to be ashamed of.

“You can do this,” Sharon squeezed her shoulder.

Nodding, she sent everything to Jess. Sitting in the damp sand, she let herself cry. “How did they make this look so bad? We are always safe. Always safe.”

“That’s right, we are. This is a stunt. Smoke and mirrors,” Sharon said. “Your son could teach water safety. He’s always echoing Miles’s rules about boats and docks and life jackets. Never forget that. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

She dried Molly’s cheeks. “Now, let’s take a beat. I’m sure the lawyer will want you to send that on to the local police. That’s evidence of stalking.”

She’d been too scared to think of it that way, but Sharon was right. At last, anger started burning through the fear and she got to her feet. “I need to see Bryce.”

“He’s in school, honey. He’s safe.”

“Yeah, well, he’s safe in these pictures too, but somebody made it look otherwise.”

“All right. Fair point. ”

They double-timed it back across the beach and up to the house. Breathing hard, they were on the porch when her phone rang.

“Jess or the lawyer?” Sharon asked, unlocking the front door.

“Lawyer.” She answered the call. “Hello, Mr. Devaney.” With Sharon holding her hand she filled in the details for him. “Can I put you on speaker? My aunt would like to hear what you’re saying.” Getting the go ahead, she tapped the icon.

After a brief greeting, he got back to business. “Neither of you have seen anyone close enough to take these pictures?”

“No,” Sharon said. “I’m looking through the photos again right now. I think I can give you the dates they were taken.”

“Pardon me?” Wilt sounded shocked.

“I’m an artist and I tend to remember things in colors and patterns. I can give you dates for when Bryce wore these clothes.”

“Good Lord, you’re serious.”

“I am.”

“Well then, yes, get me the likely dates. I’m going to submit these images and the messages to the researchers at the Guardian Agency for analysis. These images were obviously manipulated and they’ll be able to make that clear to the court.”

“Okay.”

“You just keep breathing, and relax, Molly. Take care of your little boy.”

“I will. Do we have to avoid the water or the marina?”

“It would be smart, but from what you’ve told me about your son, I understand that would be a challenge.” Wilt paused. “Let me see what else I can work out. In the meantime, you can be confident we’re sending someone else to the area as a protective measure.”

“Is there a court date yet? ”

“No.”

Molly knew immediately that he was holding back. “Why not?”

“The case number isn’t lining up with the court schedule. My team is running that down.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Not ever in my experience.”

“Oh.” Was that good or bad? Molly would have to wait and see. Not her favorite game.

“But that’s my problem, not yours.”

“I just need to relax and raise my son.”

“Exactly,” Wilt said. “I’ll be in touch.”

Sharon bustled off to the kitchen, Molly in her wake. “What now?”

“You heard your lawyer. Take a breath.” She pushed a glass of water across the counter. “Drink up.”

Molly was doing her best and failing to overcome the panic. She tapped her chest over her heart. “In a minute.”

“Molly, this must be some kind of scam. Those photos, that horrible message is proof enough for me.”

She might be right, but scam or not, she dreaded the idea of anything unfavorable making it back to the judge. Maybe she should cancel her date with Miles. Insist they stay in. Or put off anything that might be misconstrued until her legal team settled this.

“Sharon—”

Her aunt shook her head sharply. “Let me make tea.” A moment later she pushed a glass of water and a handwritten note in front of Molly.

Assume the house is bugged.

A week ago Molly might have rolled her eyes, but after those messages and pictures, she willingly embraced the paranoia. She rested her head on her hands. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Sharon declared, clear and firm. It was obvious she was trying to get her own message across. “You’re a good mother and this will work out. We need to pull ourselves together before we pick up Bryce.”

Molly nodded, in full agreement. She didn’t want any of this stress touching her son. Which meant she had to get herself under control. He was an observant little boy.

Her hands had finally stopped shaking when someone knocked loudly on the door, giving her a start. Sharon waved her back into her seat.

A moment later she heard voices at the door, coming inside. Recognizing Jess and Miles, she wondered how they made it here so fast.

They said hello and then signaled her to hush. Jess walked through the house with some kind of device. When she returned to the kitchen she spoke freely. “The agency instructed me to come check for any listening devices or surveillance equipment. Nothing in the house is sending out any signals. You’re clear.”

“Hurrah for good news,” Sharon said.

“Absolutely.” Jess watched Molly with concern in her eyes. “We’re bringing in a couple of people to help us spot whoever took those pictures,” she said.

“I’ve been thinking about the angles.” Sharon drummed her fingertips on the counter.

“I’ll pass along any insights you have to our researchers,” Jess promised. “You’ve got my number.”

“What does this mean?” Molly asked. She searched the faces of Jess and Miles. Both were too stoic for her liking.

“My guess is it’s an amateur,” Jess said. “Someone with a telephoto lens, able to stay far enough away to go unnoticed.”

Beside her, Miles nodded along. What did he know about this stuff?

“Feels like a shake down,” he added .

“What?”

Sharon scooted out of the kitchen. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to cancel my plans.”

“You will not.” Molly surged to her feet. “You go and you have fun. You said it yourself. This whole mess is a scam.” She would not allow her troubles to derail Sharon’s life.

“That doesn’t mean you should be alone,” Sharon argued gently.

“She won’t be,” Jess said. “She and Bryce will be under protection twenty-four-seven until her lawyer says otherwise.”

Molly cringed at the idea of having someone underfoot. Someone new to explain to Bryce. “Is that absolutely necessary?”

“Yes.” Miles said. His voice was as hard as steel. “You don’t need to worry about anything. I’ll be here.”

“Miles,” Jess began.

He cut her off. “You won’t talk me out of it. Only Molly gets a vote.” He turned to her, his gaze pleading. “Come on. I’m a friend of the family. Everyone in town thinks we’re dating and Bryce knows me.” He took her hands. “Let Jess post whoever she wants as surveillance. I’m the immediate close contact you need.”

“Miles, that’s?—”

“Perfect!” Sharon finished for her. “I’ll feel much better knowing Molly and Bryce have you around.”

“Not just around. Close,” he clarified. “Go and enjoy your date, Sharon.” He glanced at Molly. “Unless she’s going out with a jerk?”

Molly shook her head. “Doesn’t sound that way. She put me in my place. Politely of course.”

Behind Miles, Jess smothered a laugh. “I think it’s safe to assume Sharon’s judgment is solid, regarding her personal life and anything else.”

“Thank you,” Sharon said, regal as a queen.

“We’re settled? ”

She nodded and Miles released her slowly, trading her hands for the back of a chair. Once again, she found herself thoroughly distracted by the way his forearms flexed. She had no idea why that appealed so much, but right now she welcomed the warm sizzle that chased away the earlier panic.

She handed her phone to Jess. “Can you get this stuff off my phone? I never want to see it again.”

“Fair enough.” Jess studied the device. “I don’t want to block the sender, just in case whoever it is does something more to incriminate themselves.”

Suppressing a shiver, Molly agreed.

“This can’t be the Graingers,” Sharon said. “From the start it hasn’t felt right. And this ugly intimidation effort feels like a scam. A low-rent kind of tactic.”

“Our team will get to the bottom of it,” Jess assured them.

An alarm sounded on her phone as Jess cleared away the offensive messages. “Time to get Bryce?”

“Yes,” Molly replied.

“I’ll drive,” Miles said. “It’ll give us a chance to talk to him together. Explain how we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

“Please, without going into all the gory details of why.”

His brow flexed. “Of course not.”

“Take the car seat,” Sharon reminded them. “None of this is your fault, Molly,” she added. “I’ll keep reminding you as many times as it takes.”

Jess smiled. “Count me in for that too.”

Molly stifled a groan. She felt like a burden to every one of them, but voicing that thought would only extend the lecture. In truth, she needed all three of them. She appreciated how they rallied around her, not just in recent days, but all the time. Jess was new to Molly’s personal circle, but she recognized the potential for a closer friendship.

“Thank you. All of you.” Molly waved as Miles whisked her out of the house. “Bryce will love seeing you in the pick-up line,” she warned. “You’d better brace for impact.”

“No worries there.” He installed the booster seat in record time and then held open the front passenger door for her. “Your son is one of my favorite people.”

The statement hit her square in the heart, leaving her a little breathless and floaty. And at a loss for words. Before she could squeak out an appropriate reply, he’d closed her door and headed around the car to the driver’s side.

Then it just seemed too late to say anything. She didn’t want to make a mushy emotional mountain out of a small kindness.

Her son seemed to be an excellent judge of character, choosing Miles as his current hero and idol. And she wasn’t too proud to admit she found it easier to pretend things would work out and get back to normal again when Miles was close.