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Chapter Four

Molly called Sharon on the way back to work, feeling more confident after her conversation with Jess. She’d have a lawyer on board by the end of the day. And with Chicago being an hour behind, maybe that worked in her favor.

“Jess is going to talk to her bosses,” Molly explained. “She told me not to worry about any of it. I’m supposed to just keep on being myself.”

“Because you’re awesome,” Sharon interjected.

“Thanks.” She appreciated that Sharon gave her those boosts, as she had from the first day home from labor and delivery. “We should still be alert for someone from child services or the courts coming around.” Someone might already be here. “Maybe an investigator from the legal team representing the Graingers.”

“Sweetheart, there is absolutely nothing for them to uncover. No reason to be afraid. You’re an amazing, conscientious mother.”

And yet, another shiver rolled through her. The thought of losing her son shook her to her core. “Right.” It was all she could manage without her voice cracking .

“We’ll get through this,” Sharon continued. “I’ll keep an eye out, of course. But Jess is right. Keep being yourself. Don’t let this change anything. You love that little boy more than anyone else possibly could. And you’re giving him an incredible life. He has everything he needs, from healthy food to good schools to love. Loads and loads of love.

“Molly, are you listening?”

She had just pulled into a parking space behind the florist shop. “Yes.” Her throat was dry, clogged with emotion. “I’m at work.”

“There is no way anyone takes that little boy from you. Put it out of your mind. I mean it.” Her voice was firm. “Everything will work out.”

“Thanks, Aunt Sharon.” Molly had to get her head on straight and focus on a good outcome. “Why don’t we go to Parker’s and have a Lowcountry boil tonight? All three of us.”

“That sounds almost celebratory,” Sharon said. “I like it.”

“Well, I need to focus on being happy. And you’re right, worrying isn’t going to do a thing. So let’s celebrate that I’m trusting Jess and the Guardian Agency lawyer.” The one she hoped to hear from soon.

“Excellent!” Sharon gushed. “I’ll make sure we’re all set to go when you get home.”

“You’re the best.”

“Right back at ya.”

Molly appreciated that her aunt did so much to help her out and ensure she could give Bryce the stable life every kid deserved.

With evening plans set, she walked back into the shop braced to explain it all again to Nina.

Her boss reacted with as much support as Sharon and as much fury over the injustice of it as Miles.

Molly considered it more proof she’d made the right decision when she moved to Brookwell .

“Just so you know, I’m warning everyone who’s close to me,” Molly said later as they prepared for closing. “People might show up at any point asking questions.”

“People?” Nina’s dark eyebrows lifted.

“Child services, social workers, or possibly investigators for the Graingers.”

Nina huffed. “Let ‘em come. You’ve got nothing to hide.”

“No, I don’t. So if it happens, don’t be surprised.” She swallowed. “I don’t expect you to talk me up as an employee or as a mom.” She turned her attention to rinsing out the bucket, effectively halting the conversation.

Nina simply reached over and turned off the water. “You mean perfect? I don’t mind telling anybody the truth about your work ethic, your value as an employee, or how I consider you a shining example of motherhood.”

“That’s exactly my point.” Molly turned the water back on. “I’m okay no matter what you tell an investigator. Jess assured me that I should just be myself. You don’t need to feel obligated to brag on me or puff me up.”

“It wouldn’t be bragging to sing your praises, Molly.” Nina handed her the next bucket, pitching her voice over the running water. “This entire thing is suspicious. I don’t have to manufacture good things to say about you as an employee or a mom or a person. You’re an inspiration.”

The cleaning done, Molly cut the water and stared at her boss. “Pardon?” Why was everyone throwing compliments at her today? It was like an unexpected silver lining in what could become a serious life storm.

Nina rubbed cream into her hands. “I should’ve told you,” she said. “You were an inspiration to me when I got pregnant,” Nina said. “I wasn’t sure things would work with Boone mainly because I couldn’t get out of my own way. You made me believe I could manage as a single mom if necessary.”

“Of course you could. You’re a rockstar. ”

Nina snorted.

“Take the compliment,” Molly said. “Being alone when that positive sign shows up is shocking.” She remembered it well. “Those memories are top of mind for me today.”

“I bet.”

As they finished up the end of day checklist, Molly’s thoughts drifted further from the bleak day she’d found out she was pregnant. And straight back to Miles. She found herself wishing she could talk to Nina about that. She wanted to talk to someone about the things he’d said. The way he made her feel.

She quickly jerked her thoughts out of such dangerous territory. She didn’t need a lawyer to tell her this was the wrong time for changing the relationships in her life.

She couldn’t get his comments out of her head. Why had he been so adamant about protecting her? It was a custody battle, and she’d go to war to keep Bryce, but the court case wasn’t an actual physical threat against her.

Except… How had she and Bryce been found? Why would the Graingers file a lawsuit without even trying to talk with her?

At this point, she had to let Jess and her lawyer figure out those details.

Other than Sharon, Molly couldn’t remember anyone standing up for her. Sharon had sacrificed her relationship with her brother for Molly. She’d never backed down or shown a single day of regret.

Her priceless gifts of time and patience and love changed Molly’s life.

Those memories needed her focus right now. They were a welcome anchor. Because something in the way Miles had reacted made her feel similarly cared for and valued. Miles said kind things and his offers to help stemmed from friendship, not love. Obviously .

She’d have to be dead not to appreciate his physical appearance, but she held him firmly in the friend zone. He was a good man who was patient with her son.

At some point in Jess’s office, he’d jumped the boundary into her close circle. The one she guarded to protect herself and Bryce. Nina was her closest friend outside of Sharon. And she’d gotten to know Jess better as they had worked together leading up to her wedding to Nash.

For the past few years, Molly believed she only needed Sharon, Nina, and Jess. It wasn’t as if she deliberately rejected men, she just preferred to keep them at a distance. Growing up, she’d craved her dad’s support and attention. No matter how hard she tried, he’d found her lacking.

Later, during her first romantic relationship, she’d played with fire and been scorched. Granted, Bryce was her pride and joy, but Tommy… Tommy was a cautionary tale. She couldn’t afford to be swept up in a romance, to let her feelings distract her or worse, lead her astray.

She couldn’t keep driving her heart into a brick wall of rejection. She definitely couldn’t afford to be gullible again.

Miles, heedless of her internal fences, was right there in the mix now. Part of her inner circle too with his talk of protection and support. It was strange. And wonderful.

It felt good to have backup and scary to be vulnerable.

It hadn’t escaped her notice that he seemed to know more about the Guardian Agency than the average person. Granted, Jess’s involvement with the security firm wasn’t a secret. It made sense that more security-minded people with similar ties would be coming and going for various meetings with her.

But how was Miles connected to the firm?

It seemed strange for a local kid who’d gone away to college, had a meteoric rise through his first career, and come back to the Lowcountry to start a sailing school.

For the first time in years, she wished she’d listened more closely to the island grapevine. She generally didn’t put a lot of stock into rumors and gossip, but when a sexy man moved into a small community, the stories always flew fast and far. Maybe Sharon would have better, fact-based insights. She promised herself she’d ask after Bryce was tucked in bed tonight.

At Halloween, the way he had walked with her and Bryce through the fall festival at the marina had felt almost like a date. She wished it could’ve been. Wanted it to be.

In real life, not just the sweet, impossible dreams she had at least once a week. Dreams where Miles took her out, made her laugh, and continued bringing light and joy into her life with Bryce.

Her last date with Tommy was a memory she couldn’t quite escape. It stuck with her like tar, oozing around her and impossible to shed. The dinner had been basic, but during the mini-golf that followed, he’d lost his temper. She’d played too slowly for his liking, making him late for what she now assumed must’ve been one of his scams.

She’d been so naive around Tommy. It was a miracle she’d survived with only a few minor emotional scars.

That night had shone a spotlight on all the ugliness in him and their toxic relationship. And still she’d held out hope that becoming a family would help them find their way to something better.

Bullet dodged, really.

She wasn’t the first gullible young woman and while it had been a misery in the moment, she’d found her joy in Bryce and the goodness that had come in the years since.

Sharon had been pressing Molly lately to pursue interests outside of motherhood. Maybe her deepening curiosity about Miles was evidence of that encouragement finally kicking in. Or maybe it was the occasional outing to Charleston with Nina for girl weekends that drove home the point that more independence would make her a better mom.

Driving home, she was grateful for her simple and straightforward life. There were no boyfriends or questionable relationships the Graingers could use against her in court. Jess, Nina, and Sharon were right: she only needed to be herself to survive this custody challenge.

When she pulled up to the house, Bryce was waiting for her on the porch. He sat with Sharon, a juice box at his side and a fire truck near his feet. Fire trucks were a close second to sailboats and there were times when Bryce was set in his ways about where he played with various toys.

There was a small net in the corner of the bathtub where most of the boats resided. The sailboat that resembled Miles’s new project maintained a place of honor on the side of the tub.

Molly smiled as she walked up the path. Seeing her, Bryce shot to his feet, racing in for a big hug. She treasured every single one, knowing these exuberant greetings wouldn’t last forever.

“We’re ready for dinner. Auntie said we’re having fancy dinner at Parker’s.” He cocked his head. “I thought we had to dress up for fancy.”

“Well, it’s Parker’s and we usually get a little messy when we eat there, remember?” Between the sauces and the drawn butter, dinner at Parker’s Fish Camp was often followed by an extra load of laundry.

“Uh-huh.” He slid his hand into hers as they walked back up to the house.

She tried not to hold on too tightly. He was her child and all her decisions had been made with his welfare in mind. She couldn’t imagine a court taking him away from the stable, healthy home he knew. Especially not to put him with strangers. Surely the worst case scenario would be an order for her to allow visits with Tommy’s parents.

And it was way too soon to get morose or worried about that outcome. She gave Sharon a big smile. “I’m told the two of you are ready to go.”

“We are.” Her aunt studied her a little too closely. “Looks like your day ended on a good note.”

“Mostly, yes. Thanks to you and our friends. Everything was good here? I didn’t even ask about school.”

“I got all smiles,” Bryce declared.

“He did,” Sharon confirmed. “We’ll let you freshen up, won’t we Bryce?”

“Yes.” He rolled his fire truck across the porch. “But hurry. Please. I’m hungry.” He pressed his hands to his tummy and rolled his head back. “I’m too young to starve.”

Molly made a big deal of running for the door and racing to the bedroom to change out of her work clothes. As she did, she looked around the room she shared with Bryce, wondering if child services would find the situation satisfactory or problematic.

Sharon’s generosity was boundless but the cottage was only two bedrooms and one bath, with her art studio taking up half of the three-season porch out back. It wouldn’t be long before Bryce needed more privacy than the two twin beds in here allowed. She couldn’t expect him to be content sharing this room with her until he went off to college.

That way lay insanity. For both of them.

She could just imagine how mortified he would be by middle school if his friends learned about this arrangement. He deserved a life as normal as she could provide. Soon he’d need a place to have friends over to hang out and be silly without worrying about messing up his mom’s half of the room.

And did she really want to stay alone the rest of her life? Just because she didn’t have someone in her life now, didn’t mean she wouldn’t meet someone.

She hoped that someone would be as kind as Miles.

And on that thought, she suddenly felt guilty for how her presence must be cramping her aunt’s social life.

Sharon regularly took time for personal vacations or art shows. Over the past five years Molly hadn’t noticed any particular relationship or potential significant other for Sharon here in Brookwell. Maybe because Molly and Bryce were underfoot.

They really should revisit this arrangement sooner rather than later so Molly could save up for a different place. Her own place.

She added it to the list of things they’d talk about after dinner, once Bryce was asleep.

“I’m ready,” she announced, locking the door behind her.

Bryce raced for the car and they loaded up. In the backseat, he bounced around in his booster seat, too excited to sit still. Thank goodness for a five-point harness , she thought, smiling at him through the reflection in the rearview mirror.

Turning out of the neighborhood street and on to one of the main roads, Molly’s heart was filled with hope and light. She had friends who were helping her through a tough situation. It didn’t have to be a crisis. She didn’t have to get sucked into a doom and gloom mindset.

She was a good mom and any changes she needed to make for Bryce she would handle.

Those changes did not include giving up custody to grandparents he didn’t know.

“I was thinking about my will,” she said quietly to Sharon once she was convinced Bryce was distracted with his fire truck.

“You aren’t second-guessing your decision about me being his guardian? ”

“No. No, of course not. I only wanted to confirm that you’re still comfortable with that plan.”

“First of all, the worst isn’t going to happen, but I’m glad we’re prepared. Secondly, I was hoping to talk with you about a plan for a bigger house.”

Molly was too shocked to respond.

“Bryce won’t be this young forever and?—”

Whatever Sharon was saying was cut short by a roaring engine and the crunch of metal as a vehicle slammed into Molly’s door. She lost her breath—maybe she screamed—as the impact sent her compact sedan skidding down the road.

The steering wheel jerked out of her hands as the car spun, tossing Molly against the console. It was a blur, too much input for her mind to focus on any particular details until the car slid off the road, landing trunk first against an old oak tree.

Molly’s ears were ringing and though it hurt to move, she twisted around to check on Bryce. His car seat was out of position, hanging loosely instead of being pressed securely into the backseat. The harness held him in, but he had been tossed against the front seats.

She could see him crying, tears streaming down his face. Eventually, the sound cut through the shock reverberating in her own ears.

“Baby! Bryce! Honey, are you okay?” He kept sobbing. “Sharon?” Her aunt was there, face white, hands pressed to the dash.

“I’m good,” she said.

“Bryce,” Molly stretched, trying to reach her son. “Take a breath, honey. Tell me where it hurts.”

He cried harder.

“I’m calling 911.” Sharon had her phone in shaking hands.

Molly glanced around but she couldn’t see her purse or phone. “Are you hurt?”

“Rattled about some. I’m fine.”

Molly hoped it was true.

“Where’s the other car?” She looked around for the vehicle that struck them. “Did you see anything? Where’s the other driver?”

“All I saw was a blur of blue. Dark blue,” Sharon said. Then she was giving information to the emergency operator. “Maybe a truck,” she said. “I don’t see it now.”

Her car would’ve been no match for a pickup at speed. “I’ve got to get Bryce.”

Sharon stopped her. “Be still. You’re bleeding.”

She hadn’t noticed. “But Bryce.” Her son needed her. He was close enough she should be able to reach him. Twisting again, she gasped at the sudden pain radiating along her side.

Sharon continued relaying information to the 911 operator.

Molly thought she heard sirens in the distance. She struggled to release her seat belt so she could check on her son.

“Molly, hold still,” Sharon snapped. “Help will be here shortly.”

Bryce continued to cry and she couldn’t bear it. She had to get to him. Make sure he was all right. She managed to twist her arm around so she could lay a hand on his head. His hair felt soft and silky under her palm, and she couldn’t feel any injuries. “Sweetie, momma’s here. Auntie Sharon too. Take a breath, baby. We’re okay.”

His crying eased, the volume dropping. “I want out.” He sniffled. “Want out of here, Mommy.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know.” Were the sirens getting closer? “We’ll get out in just a minute. Do you hear the sirens?” Another sniff. “Helpers are coming. We’re going to let the experts get you out. We’ve gotta be safe. Just breathe,” she said again as he whimpered. “Does anything hurt?”

He sniffled again. “I dunno. I dropped my truck.” More tears flowed. “I can’t see it. It was my favorite.”

“We’ll find it.” Well versed in how often his favorites changed, Molly was far more worried for her son than the truck. Physically injured or not, this experience could leave him with serious fears.

“I want out, Mommy.” She felt him shifting, heard him scrabbling at the buckle as he tried to free himself from the booster seat.

“Not so fast,” Sharon said.

“You’ve gotta wait,” Molly added. “It’s like a life jacket,” she said, suddenly inspired. “If we had an accident on a boat, you wouldn’t undo your life jacket until the helpers arrived, right?”

Time and again, Miles had drilled the importance of water safety into her son.

She felt Bryce go still. “Right. This is like a life jacket?”

“Pretty close.” Another wave of pain rolled through her and she winced.

“That’s right,” Sharon took over. “We’re having a small emergency. And that booster seat is like your life jacket in the car.”

This wasn’t the first time they’d had this discussion. It was a comparison Bryce himself had made several weeks ago on the way home from the marina.

“You taught me that, remember?” Sharon queried.

“Cuz Miles taught me,” Bryce said.

“That’s right,” Molly agreed.

“I want Miles,” Bryce whimpered. “Boats don’t do this.”

If only that were true. Instead, Molly jumped at the opportunity to make a bargain. “If you stay buckled up until the helpers get here, we’ll go see Miles as soon as possible.”

“Tonight,” Bryce demanded.

“That depends on what the helpers say.” Molly wasn’t sure about her own injuries. It was hard to breathe and her left arm was nothing but a giant throbbing pain from her shoulder to her pinky. An expert opinion would be welcome. “As soon as possible.” She swallowed tears of her own. “I promise.”

“Okay.” There was another sniffle followed by, “I’m hungry.”

“I’m sure you are.” She stroked his hair as best she could. It was the most reassuring thing he could’ve said. If he had an appetite, he probably wasn’t injured. “We’ll get food as soon as we can.”

“Here they come, Bryce.” Sharon pointed through the spiderweb of cracks that used to be a clear windshield. “We’ll be out of this in just a jiffy, sweetheart.”

Molly wasn’t sure who the endearment was aimed at, but she welcomed the solace. And the touch as Sharon gently brushed Molly’s hair back from her face. “Hang in there.”

After that, it was another blur as police, firefighters, and paramedics descended on the scene. Molly knew the island was fully staffed, though the departments were small. Still, it was bizarre to be surrounded by so many familiar faces helping her and her family.

Unlike Bryce, her appetite was completely gone. And not just because of the twisted hunk of metal that had once been her car.

Lieutenant Will Frasier, the second in command of the Brookwell Police department, had answered the call. As Molly watched, he spoke with Sharon while the fire department safely removed Bryce, then it was her turn.

The paramedics had her on a stretcher at the back of the ambulance. As they treated her, she asked about Bryce and Sharon. “They’re fine. You took the brunt of it,” one paramedic told her. “They’ll meet you at the clinic.”

Will jogged up before they could load her into the ambulance. “Did you see the driver? Get any description of the vehicle?” he asked.

“No. I’m sorry. It happened so fast.” She looked around the area at the intersection. “The truck just came out of nowhere.”

“A pickup?”

“That’s right. Headlights on,” she remembered. “Sharon thinks it was dark blue. All I saw was a blur. More shadow than color. Maybe Bryce saw something.”

Of the three of them, her son was showing remarkable resilience. She was grateful that his tears had dried up and that the snack crackers from Sharon’s purse took the edge off his hunger. “He’s been working on colors in school,” she explained. “And everywhere else.”

“I’ll make sure we talk with him again,” Will promised. “There’s one more thing. If she’s stable?”

The paramedic, taking her pulse again, gave a nod.

Molly didn’t care for the scowl on his face.

“Do you and Sharon move that car seat between vehicles?”

Molly shook her head. “No. We invested in two seats. One for each car. Why?”

Will frowned. “I realize this accident wasn’t your fault, but I’m required to give you a ticket. The booster seat was not installed properly. If this accident had been worse, it could have resulted in a real tragedy.”

“No.” This couldn’t be happening. “It was in there correctly.” But something had come loose. She’d noticed it. “Please, Will. You can’t cite me.” Panic gripped her throat and made it hard to think or talk. “Will. Lieutenant, please. Are you sure the accident didn’t knock it loose? You taught me how to install it.”

He looked back at the crumpled heap of metal that used to be her car. “I remember.”

“You know how careful I am. We don’t take chances with Bryce.”

He nodded. His brow furrowed. “I do know that, Molly. This isn’t something I take lightly. ”

Of course he didn’t. He had raised three healthy boys with his first wife. And probably done everything perfect as a dad to make sure his kids not only made it to adulthood, but turned into fully functional, independent men.

She was suddenly swamped with guilt and doubt. There’s no way she had moved that seat recently. The last time was when she gave the car a deep cleaning. That had been a month ago. And when she put the seat back, she’d done it just the way he taught her. If there was a problem with the seat, she would have noticed it long before now.

She didn’t take chances with Bryce. Hell, she didn’t take chances at all . “This… This isn’t right,” she stammered. Cold all over, her voice shook.

“We really need to go,” one of the medics said to Will.

“Wait!” Molly reached for him. She needed him to understand. “I don’t see how it possibly could’ve been in there wrong. Is there anything you can do? Any investigating?”

Now Will’s salt-and-pepper brows arched. “You think someone tampered with it?”

Her heart fluttered in her chest. “It’s the only answer I have. I’m careful. I follow your instructions to the letter. I check it regularly, just like you told me to do.”

She bit her lip remembering the way the seat bounced around during Bryce’s antics earlier. Maybe she had made a mistake.

“A warning isn’t a big deal,” Will said. “At worst, it’s a fine and I can discuss that with Caldwell if money is tight.”

But it would be an official record of an error. Something the Graingers could use against her. “I swear I had that seat in properly.”

“Relax.” Will patted her hand. “You take care of yourself and let me deal with this mess. I’ll look into it. All of it. We’ll do everything we can to find the driver of this hit and run. With substantial damage like this, we’ll examine every detail. ”

Should she tell him about the custody issue? Would someone accuse her of slander or whatever if she suggested the Graingers were behind the car seat problem? Even in her head it sounded far-fetched. Who would take that kind of risk?

“We really need to get her to the clinic,” the paramedic interjected. “You can pick this up over there.”

“Of course.” Will watched them load her up. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, Molly.”

She had to believe him. Had to trust that he really would investigate. Because this was the worst time to be blamed for a mistake she hadn’t made.