Page 6

Chapter Six

Molly was already awake as the clinic started to gear up for a new day. She hadn’t spent much time in hospitals and sleep had been elusive. Aside from coming here to deliver Bryce with the midwife, Nurse Practitioner Abbott attending, she’d only visited for her annual physicals and the occasional illness.

Of course, she brought Bryce here for all his checkups, vaccines, and the typical incidents and illnesses that came along with raising an active little boy. Although she was supposed to be resting her body and her mind, she tossed and turned through the night, wondering if the Graingers would insist on seeing his medical records. She didn’t have anything to hide, but she worried they might twist something to their advantage.

It would probably be worse if she made a stink about maintaining his privacy, but she added it to the growing list of questions to ask the attorney. Jess had sent over his name and number, but the car accident had delayed their first meeting. She hoped he had time to talk with her today.

She picked up her phone, only to remember the time difference. Attorneys probably didn’t take calls before office hours. And it was only six o’clock in Chicago.

“That doesn’t look like resting to me.”

Molly glanced up as Nina pushed the door all the way open, her arms full of flowers. “Hey. You’re making deliveries early.”

“Only the special delivery.” Nina set the flowers on the counter and came to give Molly a hug. “Sharon called last night and filled me in. How are you feeling?”

Her aunt had insisted on handling the details. “Rough,” Molly admitted. “This is temporary.” She lifted the brace and her arm twinged, so she relaxed again right away. “I guess my arm just got pinched awkwardly when… When it happened.” Thinking about the collision made her neck tight and her head hurt.

“That’s the least of my concern.” Nina sat down in the chair Miles had used last night. “The shop will be waiting whenever you’re healed up.”

“Valentine’s Day is nearly here.” She and Nina had been taking orders for a couple of weeks, in addition to some extra arrangements requested by their business accounts. “And the Inn has two events before that.”

The twelfth was a Senior Social for the older residents and the thirteenth was Galentine’s Day. The Pelican Pub and Parker’s also had romantic-themed events planned and Island Bloomers was providing florals for everything.

“Relax.” Nina patted her good hand. “Dr. Nyland already gave me your work limitations once your concussion symptoms are gone. My mom’s agreed to help until Hailey gets here.”

“Oh, good.” Hailey Whitman was a close friend of Nina’s and an accomplished floral designer who’d made a name for herself on the competition circuit. “I should be back at it within a day or two.” She ignored the brace, not ready to speculate on how much it would interfere with her work.

“That’s great.” Nina smiled. “In the meantime, your room will smell and look lovely.”

“You really shouldn’t have. They’re about to spring me,” she said. At least she hoped so. When she wasn’t tossing and turning last night, she’d been answering rudimentary questions at regular intervals according to the concussion protocol. While she was sore and tired and her eyes were sensitive to bright light, she just wanted to go home.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s my pleasure,” Nina said. “Besides, you and Sharon will enjoy the flowers at home too.”

That was true.

“Tell me what else I can do to help.” Her gaze coasted over Molly’s forehead and she winced. “I’m so glad it wasn’t worse,” she murmured.

“Me too. Really there’s nothing to do but wait.” Miles had taken care of everything. “I look a whole lot worse than I feel.” It was mostly the truth. It wasn’t as if she needed heavy painkillers to manage the symptoms. She only needed some time for the swelling to subside and the bruises to fade.

“How are you getting home?”

“Sharon,” Molly said. “She’s coming by with fresh clothes after she gets Bryce to school. The doctor says I’m good to go as long as I don’t overdo it.”

“You’re a mom.” Nina’s grin flashed. “Can you truly slow down?”

Molly chuckled. “Fair enough. But you don’t have to worry about it. Sharon and I have it covered.”

The next few days, possibly weeks, would be a matter of juggling schedules with only one car, but they’d done it before. Although Molly needed answers, she wasn’t looking forward to the insurance company’s decision on the fate of her vehicle .

Nina wrapped her in a gentle side hug. “Remember you have friends who will help out anyway we can.”

“Thanks.”

Thinking of friends brought Miles to the front of her mind. She hadn’t decided how to interpret their conversation from last night. Part of her still felt as if it might’ve been a dream.

Did he really want something more than a casual friendship with her?

Would he feel the same way in a few days or weeks? She was going to need all the time Miles could give to Bryce while she was in limbo with vehicles and lawyers and court.

“How’s Bryce doing?” Nina asked.

“Sharon said he didn’t miss a beat. After they had dinner with Miles he went to bed like a champ and got up raring to go this morning. He’s probably already told everybody at school all about the accident.”

“Miles?”

Molly ignored the speculation in Nina’s voice. Thinking of the collision made her shiver. Not just the impact itself. She wasn’t sure she’d ever forget the sound of metal crunching around her body. Worse was being out of control, the lurch when the car finally stopped. The tears from Bryce.

And the ticket Will had been required to issue. It seemed like every five minutes she was fighting to avoid falling into a spiral of negativity knowing that mistake could be used against her.

This time the nurse walked in, interrupting their talk and Molly’s dark thoughts. When she was done explaining that Molly would be discharged by mid-morning, Nina was smiling once more.

“I’m heading into the shop, but I know a great brunch place. ”

“Oh, I don’t know, Nina.” She looked too rough to go out.

“You deserve to be pampered right now. Let me handle everything.”

Nina was as unstoppable as Miles and Molly didn’t bother arguing. “Great.”

“Yes, it will be,” Nina promised.

Then she was gone and Molly was alone. Well, not entirely. She had the sweet scent of flowers reminding her that people cared about her. She dozed a bit, checked in with Dr. Sanders, the older physician who was on duty today, and watched her phone for any messages from the lawyer.

At last one came through, a text message from the Devaney Law Firm in Chicago, complete with a link to a confidentiality form and a disclaimer three times as long as the text. While she waited for confirmation of her first phone appointment, she found the firm’s website and learned what she could. It wasn’t much, since her head started to ache behind her eyes.

Dr. Sanders had just reminded her that the concussion might interfere with activity and thinking for days to come.

Not what she wanted to hear when she needed to be at her best to deal with the Graingers.

Giving in to her limitations for the moment, she turned her phone upside down and tried to rest her eyes.

“Knock, knock!”

She jerked awake to see Nina striding into the room.

Molly checked the clock and realized she’d slept for nearly an hour. Immediately she grabbed her phone, but the law firm hadn’t confirmed the appointment yet.

“They said they were letting you snooze,” Nina said. “But we can go when you’re ready.”

How was Nina taking off so much time during a crunch week? “I just need clean clothes.”

“Sharon left your bag right here.” Nina lifted a duffle from the floor to the bed. “Need any help?”

Molly knew when she was being steamrolled. As weak as she felt, it was better to go along with it and conserve her energy. “I’ve got it.”

“I’m right outside the door if you need a hand.”

Dressing quickly, Molly sent Sharon a text message making sure her aunt was feeling well.

The response came back immediately.

S: Doing awesome. See you soon.

Molly carefully washed her face and brushed her hair, doing her best to cover the bandages and bruising around her eye. There was no way to hide the brace Dr. Sanders said had to be worn on her wrist around the clock until her follow up in three days.

Which was Valentine’s Day. She stifled a groan. Nina and Hailey would be working around the clock without her. There had to be some way to help them.

Once her shoes were on, she opened the door. “We’ll need a cart for the flowers,” she said.

“I’ve already asked Henry to swing by,” Nina said. “He’ll pick them up and take them to your place.”

“Oh, good.” Their delivery driver really was the sweetest guy. “Sharon will be so excited.” She loved it when Molly brought home fresh flowers for the house. “What about Addison?”

“Boone and Dad have her at the nursery. Dad swears her supercharged baby smile increases sales by at least twenty-five percent.”

Molly smiled. The Billings Nursery was a big draw in Brookwell. Folks came from all over the Lowcountry for the excellent plants and help with gardening questions and designs .

“So about work—” she began as Nina drove away from the clinic.

“Nope. Not going there.”

“But—”

“Brunch first,” Nina said firmly. “We’ll eat and enjoy ourselves, and then we can decide when or if we’ll discuss any business. Dr. Nyland already gave me your work restrictions, remember?”

“Vaguely.” Everything felt smothered in a foggy blur right now.

“People have been asking about you all morning. I’ve let everyone know you’re doing great.”

“Thanks.”

Of course word would’ve spread. The community was tight here. People cared—about her and about each other. That friendly warmth had been a shock after the strained and distant relationships she’d had at home. She had never been the most popular girl in school. A little awkward, shy, and definitely insecure about where she fit in. All of that compounded by parents she couldn’t seem to please.

Bryce was only five, but she’d vowed from day one not to put him through the same kind of crap. She valued him for who he was, encouraging his interests no matter how fleeting. Which explained her continued visits to the marina even though the boats terrified her.

Lost in thought, she was late to notice Nina wasn’t heading into town. “Did a new place open?”

“Kind of.” She smiled. “Just enjoy the drive.”

Within minutes, Molly chuckled. Nina turned into an established, familiar neighborhood. “We’re going to your parents’ house?”

“Yes.” Nina beamed. “Mom heard what happened and she wanted to have you over. If not today, it was going to happen soon. But Dr. Nyland approved and Dr. Sanders confirmed this morning.”

Molly took it as reassurance that the medical consensus agreed her symptoms would pass quickly.

“Your mom does the nicest things.”

Roxy Billings and her husband Nico had raised Nina and Nash in that same mold. They were instrumental in maintaining a strong, stable community here on the island and Molly appreciated the dedication. Did her best to contribute as well.

Brookwell had become so much more than a temporary safe haven. This was where she wanted Bryce to grow up. The place he would always think of as home. Sure, small towns had a few drawbacks, but for Molly the occasional nosiness was outweighed by the perks of the location and the friendly people looking out for one another.

“The guy who hit me was a tourist,” she blurted. “Why didn’t that register sooner?”

“Because the collision was awful from what I hear. And you have a concussion. Along with a thousand other things on your mom-brain. Let the police deal with all of that,” she suggested.

“Right.” She’d try. Her mom heart was achy that she’d missed seeing her son to school this morning. She blamed the sting of tears on the concussion too.

Thankfully the number of cars in the Billings driveway provided an effective distraction before she had a meltdown. “How many people did Roxy invite?”

“All of them probably.” Nina exited the car and came around to help Molly. “Let’s go see.”

The stone path from the driveway to the backyard was lined with baskets of smiling pansies hanging on shepherd’s hooks with frothy swags of tulle sweeping along in between.

It was easy to see where Nina’s design skills stemmed from .

At the sunroom, Roxy welcomed them in, hugging Nina tightly and Molly more gently. The lovely table was laden with food and pitchers of tea, water, and lemonade and set for seven. Jess and Sharon were there, along with Lila Copeland and her grandmother Connie from the Bread Basket bakery.

Molly glanced at the table once more. Sure enough, Connie’s famous strudel was there. “You guys are too much.”

“You love us,” Jess teased.

After a full circuit of hugs, they all sat down to eat and visit. Molly was famished and thankful for it. Roxy had provided an incredible spread. She and her husband were known all through town as excellent cooks. In fact, Jess, as the new daughter-in-law, claimed she was surprised they let her stay in the family with such rudimentary kitchen and gardening skills. Molly knew Roxy and Nico were thrilled to have Jess officially in the family. Molly didn’t think it would be too much longer before word got out that Jess and Nash were expecting.

Happy for them and grateful for such wonderful friends, Molly relaxed as they all indulged and talked—thankfully not about last night—enjoying the garden outside the wall of windows.

Gorgeous camellias and roses had been planted with care around a weaving gravel path. Several camellias were in bloom, all the more stunning against the deep green backdrop of the dormant rose bushes. Naturally, Roxy and Nico would design beds that delivered vivid color and visual interest year-round. She admired their skill and season by season learned as much as she could, putting to use as much as possible in and around the cottage.

“Roxy, this is incredible,” she said during a lull in the conversation. She had to pause as tears threatened. “Thank you so much. ”

Sharon reached over and refilled Molly’s water glass. “Keep hydrating.”

“I’ll need it since I seem to be crying every two minutes,” Molly said.

“The quiche often brings guests to tears,” Roxy teased. “You’re in good company.”

Before she knew it, Lila, Connie, and Roxy were scheduling food drop offs for Molly and Sharon. Her aunt protested, to no avail.

“Everything will be ready to eat or freeze,” Lila said. “It’s always good to have options. What you don’t use now, use later.”

“We’ll appreciate it,” Sharon said, giving Molly’s good hand a squeeze.

“Before we go our separate ways, let’s set a date to do this again.” Roxy picked up her phone. “We don’t do this kind of thing often enough.”

Nina rolled her eyes. “Feeding the whole town once a week wouldn’t be enough for you, Mom.”

Roxy laughed. “I might resemble that remark.”

When they had a date for March, Roxy and Jess started packing up the leftovers for Molly and Sharon.

She’d wanted to ask if Jess knew anything and yet she didn’t want to burst the happy bubble Roxy had so expertly created. Someone would’ve told her immediately if the other driver had been found.

“Your mind’s drifting,” Nina said. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No, not at all. It’s just my fuzzy brain,” she replied in a hurry. “It was so thoughtful of you to pull this together,” she said when Roxy walked back in.

“My pleasure.” She carried a two-tiered serving tray with scalloped edges. Lemon squares filled the top and jam bars were piled on the bottom. Connie followed with a carafe of fresh coffee. “Help yourself.”

Molly took a jam bar, delighted when it was raspberry. Nina must’ve told Roxy that was her favorite.

She glanced over and caught Nina’s gaze sliding to Sharon and back.

“I gave Connie and Lila a few more details,” Sharon said. “The more people keeping an eye out for you and Bryce the better.” She rubbed Molly’s good shoulder. “No one wants a crisis for either of you. None of this is your fault.” Her voice snapped like a whip. “None of it came around because of any mistakes you’ve made.”

Sharon was clearly furious and worried too. How had Molly overlooked her aunt’s feelings? The custody issues would affect all three of them. They were a family. If her aunt wanted more support, more folks in their corner, Molly couldn’t deny her. “It takes a village.”

“It really does,” Connie agreed.

“I’m so glad Jess found an attorney for you,” Lila chimed in. “You can count on Guardian Agency resources. And Travis too. Whatever you need.”

Everyone kept saying that. “I should have the initial meeting soon.”

“I forwarded the documents you shared,” Jess told Molly. “Devaney’s paralegal told me it might be a day or two while they get a handle on the case. But you have representation.”

“I signed a couple of things earlier. Online,” Molly said. “And requested the appointment.”

“And you started to worry again,” Sharon chided.

“Well, yeah.”

Jess waved it off. “Completely understandable. I can help run interference between attorney meetings. Don’t ever hesitate. Goes for you too, Sharon. ”

“Wonderful,” Sharon replied. “I don’t care who shows up or flashes a government ID, no one is taking Bryce from us.”

Molly hoped it would be that simple, that the crisis would fizzle out. Especially after the car wreck. She knew she was stressing more than she should, but the Graingers had money. The kind of money she couldn’t compete with on her salary even with Sharon’s generosity backing her up. She didn’t want to think of how many paintings her aunt would need to sell to pay off the legal bills if things dragged on.

“Well, there isn’t a woman on this island who isn’t on your side,” Nina said.

“It’s true,” Sharon said. “I haven’t been blabbing or betraying your confidences, but I figured we needed to be proactive.”

Molly swallowed the last bite of her second jam bar. “So this is brunch and a strategy session.”

“We’re excellent multitaskers,” Connie said with a wink.

“We all want to help,” Lila said. “Not just as you recover after last night, but until the custody nonsense is over and done.”

“Y’know, I’ve been on the other side of it,” Connie mused. “We had to jump through all kinds of legal hoops to adopt Lila.”

Lila smiled at her grandmother. “And my parents were eager to be rid of me.”

Molly stared. She knew the Copelands had raised Lila, but she’d never been privy to why or how. It had happened long before her arrival.

“Good riddance,” Connie muttered. “I only bring it up because from what I’ve heard so far, this is moving way too quickly for normal legalities. Especially with a family court.”

More to think about. She watched the women around the table, gathered here for her and Sharon, and knew it was time to open up, to lean on the friends she’d made. “Then there’s something you should know.” All eyes turned to her. “Last night I was thinking about why the Graingers might be doing this.

“I haven’t thought about them in so long. There was no reason to. I never really knew them.”

Sharon reached over and patted her hand. “No one blames you for any of this, honey.”

“Right, but he’s my whole life. You know that. Bryce needs me to figure this out. If the lawyers have more insight or information, surely they can wrap things up sooner.”

“Go on,” Roxy urged.

“Tommy—Bryce’s father—never knew I was pregnant, so this can’t be anything like grandparent visitation or paternal rights. The fact is Tommy disappeared. Both his mom and the police assumed he died.” She swallowed. “I left town shortly after because Sharon invited me here.”

Nina smiled. “If I didn’t thank you, Sharon, I should have. She’s the best designer and manager I could’ve hoped for.”

Molly felt herself blushing at the praise. The sincerity was clear and yet Molly struggled to accept the compliment. She plowed on, “When I went to the Graingers house to look for Tommy, his mother was upset. And she blamed me.”

“That bitch.” Sharon stood up, pacing the width of the room. “You’ve never mentioned this.”

“It was irrelevant.” Molly shrugged. “I was here, they were there, it was over.”

“Until it wasn’t,” Roxy murmured.

“Bottom line, I was naive.”

“You were a kid,” Jess corrected her.

“A kid with grown-up issues.” She sat forward. “But I never heard anything about the case being resolved and I kept up with the news for a few months. Tommy was presumed dead, but I don’t think it was ever confirmed.”

Jess bent over her phone. “Sending that to the researchers. Go on.”

“Okay. Well.” She took a breath and spilled the rest. “Last night I started wondering if maybe because Tommy wasn’t found, that they blamed me for that too. Maybe they tracked me down expecting to find Tommy?—”

“And discovered Bryce instead,” Sharon finished.

“Stranger things have happened,” Lila murmured, exchanging a look with her grandmother.

“That doesn’t explain why they would try to take Bryce,” Nina pointed out.

“I don’t know.” Molly sank back in her chair. “Could be the concussion talking. They warned me it might be hard to think clearly over the next few days.” She’d been warned not to make any big decisions. So whenever she thought about taking Bryce and running away to a new city, she forced herself to stay put.

She was currently winning the battle, but she had no idea how long she could hold out. Her eyes caught Sharon’s and she leaned into the calm strength she saw there.

“The doctors specifically told you not to think,” Sharon said. “To let your mind rest and heal.”

“It’s tough,” Molly admitted. Especially when she was so scared about losing Bryce.

“I’m sure it is.” Sharon shifted her attention to the other women. “It kind of makes sense,” she said. “The Graingers are definitely a power couple in the Tampa area where Molly was raised. Where I was raised actually,” she explained. “The money goes back several generations. They aren’t used to hearing no. If something happened to their son, they would definitely pursue all avenues, estranged or not. And if the police were involved, I’m sure Molly’s name was mentioned somewhere along the way as an associate of Tommy’s.”

“Have you told the attorney all of this?” Roxy asked .

“He or she should definitely know,” Connie chimed in. “Might help them connect some loose dots.”

“I won’t hold back any details,” Molly assured the group. “To be clear, I didn’t do anything but date a bad actor. He never included me in his scams.”

“No one thinks otherwise,” Nina said.

Maybe no one in this room. The Graingers were another story. Fighting off another urge to run, she reminded herself that if they’d found her and Bryce here, they’d likely be able to find her again.

Better to face them now, with friends to help, than take them on alone. Grateful as she was for the incredible show of support and delicious food, she was more than ready to get home. Sharon promised to take care of Bryce, dinner, and anything else that came up. All Molly needed to do was rest and speak with her lawyer if he called.

Molly obeyed. Almost. She went to her room and stretched out on the bed. But she did set an alarm so she’d be up and awake when Bryce got home from school. She needed the rest, but she also needed to be up and around to reassure her little boy that she was fine.

When she woke up, Sharon was leaving her a note on the counter, next to another glass of water.

“I didn’t expect you up.”

Molly smiled. “I want Bryce to see me feeling better.”

“Are you?”

“A little.”

“Good. Lila said they’d bring over food in a bit.” She smiled. “Or Bryce and I can bring something home after we visit the marina if it’s been a good-behavior day.”

“Either way works.” Maybe it was best that she stayed here. Just thinking about getting back in a car made her queasy. “I just want life to be normal again.”

“It will be, sweetheart.” Sharon gave her a big hug. “Take your time with the attorney if he calls. Ask all the questions and cut it short if you need to. Your recovery must come first.”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” she blurted. “You’ve done so much and—” The vicious scowl on Sharon’s face stopped her. She’d never seen her aunt so angry. “Wh—what’s wrong?”

With obvious effort, Sharon’s frown eased. She reached out and smoothed Molly’s hair away from her face, mindful of the bandages and bruising. “It’s moments like this when I most want to strangle my brother and his wife. You haven’t been a burden a single day of your life. I was there when you were born, so I can say that with complete confidence.”

Molly knew that story. She appreciated the tales Sharon recalled of her childhood. It had given her a different perspective and helped her reframe some very difficult memories. Bringing healing bit by bit to the deep-seated insecurities.

“Aw, honey. I was there as often as I could be. I’m so sorry they gave you any doubts about how wonderful you are. There are times when I look at you and marvel that you came through it as kind-hearted and lovely as you are.”

“Nature versus nurture?” Molly tried to joke.

“You, my dear, are nature all the way.”

But Molly wasn’t so sure. Sharon’s nurture had seen her through many a challenge. She’d been the voice of encouragement and comfort whenever Molly needed it. “I should’ve known something was wrong with Tommy when I didn’t want to tell you about him.”

Sharon chuckled and picked up her purse. “Probably so. But without Tommy we wouldn’t have Bryce, and that would be a tragedy.”

On that note, Sharon headed out to pick up the little guy.

Molly dutifully drank the water, took a shower, and dressed again. Feeling better she wandered out to the backyard, but the sunny afternoon drove her back inside in a hurry. How long before the light sensitivity faded, she wondered. A pointless question. Dr. Sanders had told her concussions healed on their own timeframe.

Inexplicably antsy, she went to the front porch to sit in the shade, telling herself it would all work out.

Eventually.