Chapter 6

 

Bailey marched up the stairs of the brand new brick and mortar building that housed her father’s commercial investment business. She was sick to her stomach having to face him, but she wanted him to know what chaos he brought to everyone’s lives over his bad decisions.

Her adopted mother wanted her to brush it all under the carpet, but there was no way Bailey would do that, not now, or ever. Bio mom felt the same way. They both told her they wanted to move from the past and into the future. What neither of them realized was Bailey needed to do this in order to move on. Besides, if they really wanted to move on, then her two moms would forgive each other and start over. But they were still avoiding each other like a bad omen.

Even after twenty years of best friend status, her adopted and bio moms had a big rift between them and it was her father’s fault.

“Hey, Bailey. Are you looking for your dad?”

“Yes. Is he in his office?”

The regular girl at the front desk had been around since Bailey was in high school. The woman made a strangling noise in her throat. “He’s in there. Not alone, though. He got a new assistant last week. You know, the normal stuff that goes on between a boss and his assistant.”

Bailey tilted her head and scanned the desk for a nameplate since she had never bothered to get to know anyone at his place of business. “Thanks, Barb. I probably didn’t need to know all that info.”

“I wanted to warn you in case you walked into something highly unusual. We all have.”

“He’s disgusting,” she mumbled under her breath as she walked towards her father’s closed door. Kurt Myer was a two-timing man-whore who wondered why everyone hated him. How did her adopted mom put up with him all these years? The sad thing was she didn’t remember him being so bold and obvious in front of everyone. What he did to her mom had been well hidden. After the whole town found out about him, it gave him an open door to be a jerk. She hated him for that behavior.

She didn’t want to fight with him, but her counselor seemed to think it was important for her to make the first move to get past the hatred she felt inside. Always worried about a relapse, she decided to move forward and confront him. There was no way she’d go back to taking drugs because of her father. No, he’d never take that much space inside of her head again. But, she followed her counselor’s advice to make sure. Then she’d have no excuses to move on. In Bailey’s mind, this was the final confrontation to leave the past in the dust.

She gave his door three hard knocks and then pushed it open to find the assistant sitting casually on his lap. Bailey stared at her father.

The woman jumped up and looked slightly embarrassed. “Hello,” she said before racing out the door, her skirt so short Bailey shook her head in disgust. What was wrong with him?

“What a pleasure to see you here,” Kurt Myers called out as if that didn’t just happen. He stood up like he was going to come around the desk and give her a hug.

She held up both hands. “Don’t get near me after you’ve had your paws all over that woman!”

Kurt moved quickly around the desk, his face pale and angry. “I don’t expect to be spoken to like that, Bailey. I’m still your father no matter what goes on between your mother and I.”

“Which one?”

That stopped him in his tracks. He shook his head. “What?”

“Which mother? The one you chose for me, or my biological mother, Holly Winters?”

The shock in his eyes belied the fact he tried to deny it. He actually tried to laugh out loud in a throat-strangling kind of way. “Where did you hear this nonsense?”

Bailey was more than ready for him. “At the courthouse!” She pulled the paperwork out of her back pocket and laid it on the desk.

“The courthouse? There is nothing at the courthouse hidden away.”

Bailey watched him with partial interest as his eyes locked on the document. “Holly allowed the seal to be broken and told me the truth.”

He turned away. “That bi-”

“Watch your mouth, Dad! I won’t allow you to talk about her in a negative way.”

“You do know that she bribed me? I don’t know what story she told you, but it’s all a lie. I saved you from her evil, conniving ways.”

Part of her wanted to smash him in the mouth with her fist while the other wanted to hear him out. How can one person be so torn in how to react? She crossed her arms over herself and stared. “I doubt you are going to lie your way out of this one.”

“Sit down and we’ll talk. Close the door.”

“No. I’m not staying long. I’m an adult. You can’t order me around, not after the way you’ve ruined all of our lives with your lies and deceptions.”

In that instant she realized now that the truth was out, he wasn’t about to hold anything back. She could tell by the angry look in his eye. “Ruined your life? I haven’t done a thing to you, Bailey. I saved you! Your so called mother was going to have you aborted!”

Bailey flinched. She was determined not to believe anything that came out of his mouth, and yet the words coming from him made the acid in her stomach curl and her heart rate skyrocket. She had to stand tall and be brave. This confrontation was for her, not him. He’d get no pleasure from this if she had any say in the matter.

She had to remember this conversation was only a moment of her life and once she told him the things she wanted to, the relief would be so great, she could finally move on without looking back. Her counselor had warned her not to get involved in a heated argument, but she had to speak up for bio mom.

Bailey seethed, trying hard to keep her anger in check. “My bio mom would never do something so horrible as that. I’m here, alive and well, so no! You don’t get to say those things to me. They are nothing but lies.”

“It’s true, Bailey. I saved you.”

“No, what you did was attack a young woman without allowing her to decide who she sleeps with. You forced alcohol and drugs in her so you can have your way! Don’t deny it, I don’t want to hear any more of your sick lies. You are a horrible man and I hope that everything you’ve done to others comes right back to you.” She looked around at his bare office. There were no longer awards on his wall, or family photos hanging proudly. The walls were cold and bare, like his heart. He was not a nice person.

“You are wrong, Bailey.”

She shook her head. “I’m not wrong. Look around. You are slowly fading from everyone’s life. No one cares what happens to you, Kurt. That’s who you are to me from now on. I cannot call you a dad. All you are is the sperm donor. The reason I am here is to tell you that unless by some miracle you change your ways, I never want to be known as your daughter.”

“That’s not fair, Bailey. I gave you so many good years. How can you do this to me?”

She turned away, not wanting to be there any longer. “It’s not what I do to you. It’s what you’ve done to everyone who ever loved you. Holly is a good person and you destroyed her for many years. As her daughter, I will do whatever it takes to make sure she knows that she is loved and cherished. As for you, I don’t care what happens to you, Kurt. Good-bye.”

There was no denying standing up to him hurt so badly her stomach churned as she held her head up and marched back out the door. A few of his employees tried to speak with her, but Bailey didn’t want to break down in front of anyone. Oh, she was acting tough as nails, pretending it was easy to dump the only father she ever knew.

It wasn’t. This was excruciatingly painful and hard. Harder than she imagined it would be. She bit into her bottom lip to keep it from quivering as she went back down the steps, slamming the door to his office building for the last time.

Bailey would not return. She gave one last look back, then turned away for the last time. Forward. Full speed ahead. It was the only way to go.

She looked up to see three women standing at the curb.

Waiting.

For her.

That’s when Bailey burst into tears and ran to her moms.

Laura was standing next to the woman who betrayed her, staring at Bailey with compassion.

Holly stood beside Bailey’s adopted mother, an uncertain look in her eye.

Olivia, her step-sister and best friend, began to walk towards her with open arms. Before Bailey knew what happened, everyone stood together wrapped in a circle of love, holding onto each other.

It was the happiest and saddest day of Bailey’s life.

Maybe there was hope for the future yet.

 

*****

 

“Are you certain it’s what you want?” Laura was hoping Bailey would make a decision now that she got her other business out of the way. It had been a few days since she held her daughter in her arms sobbing. She tried to tell Bailey to never hate someone, but at twenty, her daughter thought she knew everything.

“It is, Mama.” Her youngest snuggled up beside her on the porch as the flames burst from the center of the pit and lit up the shadows on the porch. There was more of a wintry chill in the air than there had been in the last few weeks. It would keep getting colder with more possibility of snow the closer they got to the wedding.

“I hope the snow storms predicted this year do not happen until after the new year. I’d like to have Joe’s family with him when we get married. That means a lot to him.”

“No worries, darling! They will come no matter what, even if they have to rent snowmobiles to make the trip across the mountains.”

Joe must have heard her in the still of the evening as he turned the corner and came onto the porch. His thermos of hot chocolate was tucked in his arm. Laura gave him a warm smile. “Well, Joe. How nice to see you again. This is what, six days in a row now we’ve had the honor of seeing you on a daily basis?”

He leaned in for a quick kiss. “Get used to it. The mansion will be open and running soon and you’ll see more of me than you want to.”

She took the thermos from his hand. “I highly doubt it, Joe. I love your company. Would you like to sit?”

Bailey scooted over so Joe could take a seat in the middle. She eyed the thermos like a child wanting to get into the cookie jar.

Joe noticed. But, then that was her Joe. He noticed almost everything around him with his keen eyesight. He grinned at her daughter. “Bailey, go get yourself a cup and you can have some of my famous chocolate.”

Bailey and Laura both laughed because they knew who fixed the chocolate. He used to pick it up at the café where Olivia had it ready for him. Since Olivia was working at the mansion, all he had to do was stop by the kitchen. He made a statement that it was one of the perks of knowing the chef.

“Did Bailey tell you the good news?”

Laura shrugged. “I think she was about to before you came. How is it you know anything about this news?”

Joe leaned back, crossing a leg over his other ankle. “She stopped by yesterday and we had a zoom call with my sister. She wanted to have everything in place before bringing you her good news.”

Laura wasn’t so sure it was good news. As a mother, she only wanted the best for her children. Bailey had always struggled to figure out what she wanted to do. First, nursing, then quitting, then drugs and now she wanted to throw a nursing career away to be a counselor! It was quite exhausting trying to keep up. Yet, Bailey overcame the battle with drugs. She had to commend her for the quiet strength the girl had. But, worry crossed her brow thinking Bailey was getting into something else she wasn’t prepared for.

“Here she comes,” Joe said in a low voice. “I’m sure she wants to tell you herself.”

Laura closed her eyes. She felt Joe’s arm across her shoulders. He leaned in and whispered in her ear not to worry.

Bailey held out her cup while Laura tipped the thermos to fill it. “So, Bailey, what were you about to tell me?”

“Okay, Mama. I asked Joe if I can come here and talk to you both. I’m not here out of the blue.”

Laura smiled. “I guessed as much.” She knew her daughter and thought she was beginning to understand Joe. They had been pulling shenanigans behind her back. She’d be patient and hear them out.

Bailey took a long sip of the chocolate. “Okay, well, as you know I meant it when I said I did not want to finish nursing, even though I know you were hopeful that I’d change my mind. I haven’t.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I know you want to go into counseling, Bailey. That takes schooling and I’ll be honest, we’ve already paid for your nursing career, so if you want to go to school, you will have to pay the cost.” Laura loved her daughter, but she thought long and hard about paying for more education. It was time Bailey paid her own way. She was twenty years old and had to find her way.

“Mama, I know and that’s why I’m going to go to work for Joe’s sister. She is the head counselor at the treatment center I was in. I’ll be working full-time and pay my own way at the local college in Berks County. They had several programs and classes that will enhance my career as a counselor.”

The relief hit Laura like a brick falling out of the sky. “You know if that is what you want, then I’ll be happy for you.”

Bailey jumped up and gave Laura the biggest and tightest hug ever. “Thank you, Mama. Even if I have to start at the bottom, I promise to work hard at everything.”

Laura was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Joy told me I have to learn every single job first and work my way up. She doesn’t want me thinking that I am better than the next person. So, I’ll officially be the dishwasher, house cleaner and part-time cook for the first six weeks. Then, she’ll move me to the next phase and as I get to know and observe, she’ll work in sessions I can attend until I’m ready to counsel others.”

“You’ll be a dish washer?”

Joe was grinning beside her, she felt his chest rumble. He was laughing at her shock, not Bailey.

“Yes, Mama. I have to start somewhere and I’m not too good for any job.”

Laura didn’t mean it that way. “I know you’ll do whatever it takes to get to the top, Bailey. I guess the job title surprised me.”

Bailey gave her another hug. “I leave two days after your wedding, so plan to spend time with me. I won’t be that far away, but you can rent out my room at the Inn since I’ll be staying at Joe’s town house for now.”

Laura gave Joe a startled look. “Joe, is this true? I thought you were going to sell the town house?”

Joe winked at her. “The market is horrible right now. It’s sitting empty and Bailey can stay there and keep an eye on it so I don’t have to hire someone all the time to manage things. She’ll be saving me money, so we’re helping each other.”

“Thank you, Joe.” Laura’s heartstrings tugged at her when Bailey gave Joe a big hug. She waited until her daughter went inside before turning to her fiancé.

“Joe, I’m not sure how I feel about all of this.”

“It’s nothing, really. Look, Laura, we all have our issues. Bailey had more than her share. She’s still trying to find herself and there’s nothing wrong with that. She’s not the only one who doesn’t know what they want to do with their lives. Joy struggled for a long time when she was a teenager, but after her days with drugs and alcohol, she knew exactly where she wanted to be and what she wanted to do. She’s making a difference in so many people’s lives. Perhaps that is Bailey’s calling, too.”

“You can’t assume that just because she had a little drug problem.”

“Laura, it wasn’t a little drug problem. It was huge. Her drug addiction consumed her life and you can’t downplay any type of drugs.”

Joe was always an honest man and said what was on his mind. That’s what Laura loved about him but now he was telling her things she’d rather not hear. Even if he was right. “I worry so much about her.”

Joe lifted her chin with his finger and pressed his forehead against her own. He gave her a reassuring smile. “Darling, you worry all you want. It doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. I’m here for you and I’ll hold your hand through all your restless days and nights of worry.”

Laura was the luckiest woman alive. He truly cared. “How did I get so lucky, Joe?”

“Beats me. You may reward your good luck with a sweet kiss if you’d like.”

“I’d like,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I can’t wait for us to be married, Joe. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

He shook his head. “I got to thinking, Laura. I know you’ve been married before and have been through the whole marriage ordeal. To be honest, it’s starting to feel like a drag. Everyone wants to ask me about the food, or the décor or the size of a flower pot, for Pete’s sake! It’s only been two days since we announced we hired a wedding planner and everyone at the mansion is driving me crazy. I can barely get my work done.”

“Poor Joe. The anxiety must be terrible.” She wasn’t feeling too sorry for him since it was his idea in the first place to hire a wedding planner and make it a big deal.

“I can see by the way you are looking at me that you have no sympathy.”

She shook her head. “Not even an ounce.”

He nuzzled her neck. “We can still save the headaches and elope.”

Laura burst out in laughter. “Oh no you don’t, Joe. You are stuck with a wedding planner that I am not going to fire after just hiring her. She’s already spent a pile of your money making the plans you wanted.”

“Money is not an issue.”

“Maybe for you, but for Savannah, it is. I know she is depending on this event. She’s already invested several days and we are not canceling. Besides, you deserve more than ever to know what a first wedding is all about.”

“I’ll pay her double to cancel and give her a bonus.”

Laura laughed harder. “You already are, Joe. Remember, you offered double since no one was available? Even triple, if you had to go that far?”

He was enjoying bantering with her. She saw the sparkle in his eyes. He began to dip his head for a kiss when a huge bang and a police siren went off out of the blue.

Joe stood up, taking Laura with him. She held onto his arm and peered across the porch to see the police lights swirling around near the beach across the street. “What’s going on?” she asked breathlessly. The lake had been quiet since late September. Not much went on there this time of year.

A beam of light waved back and forth.

“It looks like Harry is working tonight.”

“He’s always on at night. The chief never leaves his desk any more,” Laura grumbled.

Joe cupped his hands and shouted across the road. “Harry? Is everything okay? What’s that bang?”

The beam of light waved back and forth, showing two figures by the front wheel of the police cruiser. “It’s fine, Joe! Flat tire!”

“Why did you put on your siren for a flat tire?”

“It was an accident.”

“You sure? Need help?”

“I can use some more light down here, Joe.”

“Coming right over.” Joe turned to Laura. “Do you have any flashlights?”

“There’s a Streamlight hanging in the kitchen. I’ll go get it.” She hurried inside and wrapped a scarf around her neck. She wasn’t going to miss this moment for anything since she had a feeling she knew who was with Harry and what they were doing on the beach. After making sure the high-powered spotlight was charged up, Laura met Joe outside and they both began to make the trek across the road.

“You didn’t have to come along, Laura.” Even as he said it, Joe pulled her closer and tucked her into his side.

“I have a hunch we will find your partner’s assistant with Harry. I’ve heard some gossip about those two.”

Joe shook his head. “The only reason you want to come along is to see if the rumors are true?”

“Absolutely. It’s always good to see things for yourself to dispel those nasty rumors.”

Joe gave her a hug and whispered in her ear. “I’ve heard some naughty tales about our man in blue.”

“And, I’ve heard the same thing about James’s assistant. It’s our duty to follow our instincts and make sure there is no harm coming to our community.”

Joe burst out laughing. “You are something, my darling. To each his own and as long as he protects our town, we shouldn’t worry about his private life.”

“Not unless he’s having a private life while there’s a crime going on.”

“You have a point. Here we are.” Joe took the spotlight from Laura and pointed it in the direction of the tire. Harry had the police cruiser up on a jack and was kneeling down at the tire while Angel sat on the ground holding a small flashlight.

He was tugging on the lug wrench, trying to loosen the nuts. After a few moments, while Joe gave him better light, the tire was off and the two studied the rubber for a clue to the damage. “There it is,” Harry told Joe, pointing to a thick piece of glass still embedded in the tire. “Looks like someone busted a bottle down here. I’ll have to keep my eye on who is littering at the beach.”

Laura knew some of the kids from the next town over had been hanging down by the lake. She’d seen them a few evenings but they usually went home before it got dark. “You may want to keep an eye on the Mountain Top development, Harry.”

Harry nodded. “I’ve had my suspicions. Bored teens with nothing to do. I’m going to have to stake out the beach more often.”

Angel waved her flashlight back and forth. “I’ll help you, Harry.”

Laura looked over at Angel, realizing she had been rude not saying hello. “Angel, what a surprise. How are you?” She looked at the handcuffs on Angel’s wrist that held the flashlight between both hands.

“I’m great. How are you?” she shot back. Angel gave Laura a nonchalant look as if she normally sat on a beach in handcuffs in the dark.

“I’m fine. Maybe we should take your flashlight there and look around to make sure when Harry pulls out there are no more broken bottles or glass, Angel.”

She got up, reluctantly, and gave the older woman a sweet smile. “You are so right!” With both hands in metal cuffs, she walked beside Laura as they searched for broken glass. Angel spotted a few pieces of broken glass and pointed. Laura bent down and picked them up.

“Be careful,” Angel warned. “I’d help but I can’t really with my hands like this.”

“Don’t you think you should ask Harry to take them off?”

“Not yet. I’m being punished.”

“What?” Laura was a bit shocked that Angel admitted it so freely. Perhaps the rumors were correct then.

She shrugged. “You’ve been married, Mrs. Myers and know what goes on. I’m not ashamed to admit I have a healthy need that Harry is happy to fill.”

“Well. Good for you. As long as you keep that need away from my future son-in-law, I have no problem with you.”

Angel giggled. “No worries, Mrs. Myers. That man has fallen so hard for his cook that he sees right through me. Trust me, before I knew about the cook, I tried, thinking he was a perfect catch. Now, I see it wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Too much information, Angel. But thank you for being honest.”

“Eh, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone acts like being a little kinky is so taboo. All I know is Harry is one healthy, hearty man and I’m taking full advantage of his excellent brute strength and -”

Laura shook her head. “Okay, please don’t give me any images to implant in my brain. I like Harry. He’s a good cop.”

“Harry likes to have fun, Mrs. Myer. That’s all. We’re just hanging out together, nothing serious.”

“You can call me Laura.”

“Okay.” Angel swung her hips as they made their way back to the men. Joe and Harry watched as Angel took long steps and pushed back her shoulders. Joe looked up and rolled his eyes when he noticed the handcuffs.

“All done?” Laura asked, trying not to burst out in laughter.

Joe nodded, shook Harry’s hand and left, not saying a word. He took Laura’s hand as they made their way across the beach. When they got to the road, Joe pulled her across as if he were going to a race.

The engine started behind them as the lights came on and the cruiser proceeded to make its way from the beach to the road, the rear lights disappearing down the road. Joe let out a huge sound right before he roared with laughter, his whole chest and shoulders shaking. Laura followed suit, shaking her head as she clutched Joe’s hand. Three minutes later they were still chuckling as they made their way back to the porch.

Joe gave Laura a hug and walked her to the door. “I’ll put out the fire if you want to go inside and take an aspirin. That woman had to give you a headache.”

“Not at all, Joe. She was quite bold and brazen and I’m not sure what to think of her. It was a fun night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’m going to the office in Berks County on Thursday. Want to ride along?”

“Sure. I can have Madison check in on my guests.”

“Okay.”

“While we are there, perhaps I can have Savannah stop in and give me an update with our wedding plans. She works at the candy factory a few blocks from your main office.”

“Sure. Goodnight, darling.” He kissed her goodnight and went to the fire pit to extinguish the fire. Laura lingered inside the door for a brief moment, happy that Joe was the kind of man she could trust. How in the world did she get so lucky? She kept asking that question, and wondered if she truly deserved a man like him.

Kurt had been the only man she’d ever slept with. The thought of not being pleasing to Joe worried her. Then she shook herself, certain when the time came, she’d be fine. Joe was a loving, kind man and he would not put any expectations on her that she couldn’t handle.

Laura glanced in the hall mirror, realizing that she was an attractive woman. Maybe Angel and her kinky notions were making her feel like less of a woman. She certainly hoped all men were not like Harry. Because if Joe was, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

Somehow, Laura knew in her heart that Joe would be a good husband and lover. She had no doubt about that. It was Angel’s presence and her freaky ways that had Laura uncertain.