“I’m going to be there, okay?” The words left her mouth before she could think them through.
He stopped crying and sniffed hard. “You are? Mom said you weren’t getting home until after our party.”
“No, I’ll be home for it. What time is your party?”
“After church at two.”
“Okay. I can make that.”
“You promise?”
Claudia sighed. She didn’t want to promise in case it turned out she couldn’t make it. But if she and Leland left as soon as he got here, they could definitely be home in time.
Bianca would be upset she wasn’t staying for Jillian’s party, but from the looks of it, Bianca had other issues to deal with. Plus, there was Joy who was more like a daughter to Bianca than Claudia could ever be.
Not that Claudia minded. She already had a mother. Joy didn’t.
“You promise you’ll be here?” Clark asked again.
“I promise.”
“Okay. I’ll tell Clay. Maybe that will make him not so mad at me.”
“Good luck. Just remember that sometimes people have to be mad for a little bit before they can get over it.”
“Okay, I’ll remember.”
With that, she said good-bye to her little brother and called Leland. Hopefully, he hadn’t changed his mind about driving down this morning.
“Hey, there,” he said, picking up on the first ring. “I’m at Vicki’s Bakery. Have you tried this coffee? It’s amazing.”
Relief washed over Claudia. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Me, too. The island is beautiful. Are you next door at the salon?”
“No, we’re here at the Rose Museum. It’s on the top of the mountain.”
“I think I saw a sign for it. I’ll plug it into my phone and come up there.”
“Okay, but Leland . . .”
“You want to stay longer?”
“No. Just the opposite. I’m actually ready to go home. I know you just got here, but can you take me home?”
Chapter 38
Daniel
“Dad?” Joy stared at Daniel, her eyes wide with fear.
Blood pounded against his skull. “We need to talk, honey. There are some things I need to tell you.”
“Is it about the picture? Was Mom the nurse in the hospital like Bianca said?”
He hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Joy looked at him expectantly. She’d always trusted him to be honest. “Dad?”
“The reason I don’t know whether or not your mom was Bianca’s nurse is because I wasn’t around your first year of life.”
“You weren’t?”
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t even know about you until you turned one.”
Joy blinked. “But Mom said you were there when I was born. She said you cut the umbilical cord.”
“I know she said that, but it wasn’t true. The first time I saw you, you could already walk. I wanted to tell you, but you were so young when you came to live with me that I didn’t think it mattered.”
“It shouldn’t.” Joy’s voice wobbled. “I don’t remember, so I don’t know why I’m upset. I guess I just always thought of you being there when I was born.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t want to contradict your mother for something that seemed harmless like that. And I guess I wanted it to be true.”
“But it wasn’t.”
“No.”
A beat of silence fell, then Joy said, “You’re not my biological dad, are you?”
Her question pierced his soul. “Joy.”
“Just answer my question. Please.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I’m not, but I didn’t know that until recently.”
“How’d you find out?”
“My dad said something at Christmas about us not looking anything alike, so I had your DNA tested with mine. It wasn’t a match.”
Joy blinked. “You’ve known since Christmas?”
“Since January.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you. I wrote you a letter, but . . .”
Joy wrapped her arms around her waist. “I heard your dad say that, but I thought you’d tell me if it was true.”
Daniel’s heart split right down the middle. “Oh, Joy.”
“I can’t believe you’ve known since January and you haven’t said anything.” Anger thickened her voice as she swiped at her tears.
“I know, but this is hard for me, too.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, of course. I don’t feel any differently toward you, but it’s still hard.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about not being there when I was born?”
He shrugged. “I guess I was ashamed.”
“Ashamed of me?”
“No, ashamed of my behavior. Ashamed I didn’t even know I’d fathered a kid until she was almost a year old.”
Joy sniffed hard. “I know Mom lied and did crazy things, but I always expected you to tell me the truth.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I messed up by not telling you earlier. I just—”
“Daniel,” Drew shouted, running toward the group with Claudia behind him. “Daniel.”
“Not now,” Bianca said.
“But Matt turned on the mirror ball with the remote, and it’s spinning really fast. We can’t get it to turn off. I think it’s going to fall and bust someone’s head open.”
“Did you try turning it off at the switch?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah, but it didn’t work.”
“Okay.” Daniel glanced at Joy who turned from him and started walking away. “Joy, don’t go.”
She shook her head and picked up her pace. “I just need to be alone for a minute.”
“Joy,” Bianca said.
“Is she crying?” Drew asked as Joy strode further and further away.
“I’ll check on the strobe light,” Bianca said, taking charge. “Daniel, you go talk to Joy, okay?”
The condescending way Bianca spoke frustrated Daniel. “No. I don’t want that strobe light injuring anybody. I’ll talk to Joy after I sort out things inside.”
“Daniel,” Bianca said, “you can’t just let her run off like that.”
“She’ll be okay.” He headed toward the museum, hoping he was right.
“Fine, I’ll go talk to her,” Bianca said.
Something inside Daniel snapped. “No. Don’t. Just let her go. This is how she deals with things.”
“This is how you deal with things. Not everyone ignores things until they become a crisis. I’m going to go talk to her.”
All of Daniel’s protecting instincts kicked in, and he spoke more harshly than intended. “No. She’s my daughter, and I need you to back off. I’m going to take care of the strobe light, then I’ll talk to her. So, please, just respect my decision.”
Without waiting for Bianca’s response, Daniel turned and marched toward the museum. Everything inside him told him he was making a big mistake, but he did it anyway, not knowing what else to do.
Chapter 39
Bianca
Anger filled me as Daniel walked away. What a stubborn, stubborn man. Pushing out a deep breath, I glanced across the lawn at Joy who was rounding the hedge that led to the Rose Garden. Was she going to be okay? Should I ignore what her father said and go after her?
“Bianca?” Claudia asked. “What’s going on?”
I shook my head, then because she was going to find out soon enough, I told her everything.
Claudia’s eyes widened. “So, Joy’s mom might actually be the nurse who took our picture?”
“It’s possible.”
“Wow. That’s crazy.”
“I know. It’s almost too much to believe.”
Claudia nodded. “When Joy and I were gathering the cedar branches for the centerpieces, she told me that her mom was a pathological liar, so I guess it’s not too far-fetched to imagin
e her using a different name.”
“No, but it does make me wonder if she had a nursing license.”
“Oh, wow. That’s scary to think about her in the nursery with all those babies if she wasn’t a real nurse.”
“I know.” I glanced back at the garden, worried about Joy. “Do you think I should go talk to her?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t know either. And I don’t want to interfere, especially if Daniel’s right about Joy needing time alone to process everything. I don’t want to make things worse.”
Claudia’s phone dinged with a text, and she typed back a quick response. Then, she looked at me, her expression guilty.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m really sorry, Bianca, but Leland’s here.”
“He’s here at the museum?”
“In the parking lot.” She gestured toward a green Toyota pulling into a parking spot.
“Well, that’s okay. I’m sorry he’s arriving when everything is so tense, but I’m glad he’s here.”
Telling myself everything was going to be fine, I followed Claudia to the parking lot to meet her boyfriend. As we approached, a tall, thin kid with a man bun climbed out of the car.
“Hi, Leland. I’m Bianca.”
“Hi.” He held out his hand, but I pushed past it and gave him a big hug instead.
“Oh, okay.” He awkwardly hugged me back.
“I’m so glad you came. You’re going to stay for the party, right?”
His body stiffened, and when I pulled away, I caught him shooting Claudia a nervous look. Was I missing something? Turning, I met my daughter’s gaze.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but we’re not staying.”
“You’re not?”
She shook her head. “I’m really sorry. My brothers have their birthday party and Clay broke his arm and I just need to go home.”
Tears stung my eyes. I knew I was overreacting, but between Claudia leaving, Daniel being mad at me, and Joy upset, I felt crushed.
“I’m really sorry,” she repeated.
Blinking back tears, I shook my head. “No, I understand. I wish you weren’t leaving, but I get it.”
“You do?”
“Of course.” I forced a smile, determined to tamp down my disappointment. “Do you want to come inside and say good-bye to everybody before you go? I know things are a little uncomfortable right now . . .”
Claudia glanced at Leland, then back at me. “I guess I’m anxious to get on the road. Maybe we could video chat later?”
“Okay,” I said, trying to sound cheerful and understanding. I glanced over my shoulder, wishing to see Joy headed toward me, but the lawn was empty.
She’ll be okay, I told myself. Turning back to Claudia and Leland, I forced a smile. “I left my keys and purse under my seat in the car, so we can drive back to my apartment right now and you can get your things.”
“That’d be great,” Claudia said.
Nodding, I headed toward my car, hoping she’d follow so we could spend the last few minutes of her time on the island together. Instead, she announced that she was going to ride with Leland. “I want to make sure he doesn’t miss the view and all the other sites.”
“Sure,” I said, quickening my pace to the car so she wouldn’t see my tears.
Chapter 40
Daniel
After securing the strobe light and making sure everything was fixed, Daniel went outside looking for Joy. A light rain had begun to fall, bringing with it a cold front.
Hopefully, Joy hadn’t gone far. He just wanted to find her and go home where they could talk about all this in private.
Later, he’d find Bianca and apologize for lashing out. He hadn’t meant to take his anger out on her. He’d just been so frustrated with himself and the situation. He never should’ve waited so long to tell Joy the truth.
Heading toward the Rose Garden, he pulled out his phone and called his daughter. To his relief, she answered on the first ring.
“Honey, I’m sorry,” he said.
She was quiet for a minute, then she choked back a sob. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He didn’t know what part she was talking about, but it didn’t matter. “I should’ve. I wanted to, but I didn’t know how.”
“You didn’t know how?” Anger thickened her voice. “How about, hey, by the way, not only was your mother a pathological liar, but I haven’t been honest with you either. That’s right, Joy, I didn’t even know about you until you were a year old, and guess what? I’m not even your real dad.”
His jaw clenched. “I am your real dad.”
She sniffed hard. “A real dad wouldn’t keep something like this from his daughter.”
His heart cracked wide open. “You’re right. I should’ve told you.”
She exhaled. “Do you even know who my real father is?”
He refrained from repeating that he was her real father. “I don’t. If you want, I’ll help you find him.”
“You’d do that?”
A ray of sunshine filtered through the dark clouds. “Of course.”
She started crying softly then. Maybe Bianca had been right. Maybe he shouldn’t have let her run away like that.
“Will you meet me at the truck so we can go home and talk about this?” he asked.
“I can’t.”
“Come on, Joy. It’s raining, and I just want to go home.”
“I want to go home, too, but . . . I’m lost, Dad.”
“What do you mean?”
“I walked through the garden to the viewing area and took one of the trails, but I’m all turned around. I can’t figure out how to get back to the museum. I keep thinking if I take the trail that goes uphill, I’ll get back to the viewing area, but it just keeps sending me in circles.”
“Do you have your backpack with you?” That was his first thought because low blood sugar could cause confusion.
“I left it on the bench in the museum,” she said, panicking.
“Okay, honey. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. I’ll come find you. Do you remember which trail you took?”
“No.”
Jogging toward the viewing area, he picked up his pace. “Did the trail go off to the right or the left?”
“I don’t remember.”
“When did you last eat?” he asked.
When she didn’t answer, he freaked out. “Joy?”
No response.
“Joy.”
The line was dead. Trying to stay calm, he hung up the phone and called her number again.
She didn’t pick up. Had her phone died? Had she passed out?
If her blood sugar was low enough to cause her to lose consciousness, then she was in danger of slipping into a diabetic coma, something that could have grave consequences.
Terrified, Daniel bolted down the path, calling her name and praying with every footstep. Please, Lord, keep her safe. Let me find her.
In hindsight, he should’ve prayed for his own safety as well because somehow he lost his footing. One second he was charging down the trail, and the next he was tumbling down the mountain, swept away in an avalanche of mud, rock, and debris.
Save me, Lord, he called. Save me.
Chapter 41
Bianca
As rain pounded on the roof of my apartment, I crawled into bed and sobbed. Claudia had left with Leland, Daniel wasn’t returning my phone calls, and Joy’s life had just been turned upside down. How in the world had things become such a mess?
I should’ve handled the situation better. I should’ve taken some time to think about the consequences of telling everyone I thought Joy’s mom was my nurse.
Why was I always blurting out the first thing that came to mind? What did it matter if Tiffany/Libby had lied about her name? She probably wasn’t even a real nurse, but still, I should’ve kept my mouth shut.
At some point, I must’ve fallen asleep. When I awoke, it was dark outside and the rain had
stopped. Glancing at the clock on my phone, I realized I was going to be late for Jillian’s party if I didn’t get moving.
Dressing up for a party was the last thing I wanted to do, but Jillian was my sister, and I needed to be there. Plus, I’d told Keith I’d come early to help greet the guests. Maybe Joy and Daniel would be there as well, and we could make amends.
For a moment, I thought about calling them, but something stopped me. What if they didn’t want to talk to me?
My mind went to the box of Thin Mints sitting in my freezer. I’d bought them for Claudia, but we’d never gotten around to eating them. Everything inside me wanted to scarf down the entire box while getting ready.
And then what? Feel fat and gross the whole night long? I didn’t want to feel like that anymore. I didn’t want to count calories and be on a diet for the rest of my life, but I also didn’t want to keep trying to solve my problems with food.
Oh, Lord. Can you fix me and everything else that’s messed up in my life? I know I sure can’t.
The words of the Abandonment Prayer came to me then, and I prayed what I remembered as I got ready for the party.
Let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord.
On the way up the mountain, Jillian called. I answered, determined to play it cool and not ruin her surprise. “Hey, sis.”
“Bianca?” Her voice was tight.
“What’s wrong?”
She inhaled sharply. “I think Keith is having an affair.”
The statement was so absurd and so far from the truth that it brought me out of my pity party. Unable to help myself, I burst out laughing.
“You think this is funny?” she said, outraged.
“Oh, Jillian. Your husband is not having an affair. Why would you say something like that?”
“He’s been acting so strange.”
“Strange? Strange how?”
“Secretive. Something is going on. Every time I ask him about it, he gets this glimmer in his eye and tells me it’s nothing.”
“Hmmm.” Despite the huge smile on my face, I tried to sound serious, like I had no idea why Keith was acting strange. “Aren’t y’all supposed to go to dinner tonight for your birthday?”
Bianca's Joy: Rose Island Book 3 Page 21