Desperation on Wildflower Island

by Michelle Files

  “Got it,” Sebastian replied.

  The two men shook hands as Donald sat down in one of the empty chairs at their table. No need to wait for an invitation. He knew there wouldn’t be one. Donald smiled when he saw the unhappy expressions on their faces.

  “What? You aren’t happy to see me? It’s been a decade, Cathy. Aren’t you over it yet?”

  “Yeah, I’m over it.” It was the only answer she knew he wanted to hear. It didn’t matter how she really felt. He didn’t care about that.

  “Maybe I should go. Seems like the two of you have things to talk about.”

  As Sebastian started to get up, he looked over at Catherine and her eyes were wide as saucers. He could read the ‘please don’t go’ in her face. Just as he was contemplating what he should do, he felt a huge hand on his shoulder, guiding him back into his chair.

  “No, sit. Don’t leave on my account,” Donald told him, sporting a wide grin.

  Sebastian sat back down. “Okay, I guess I can stay and finish my beer.”

  Sebastian was no slouch when it came to defending himself, but Donald Sharpe was a large man. He knew he didn’t stand a chance in a fight with him. But, he couldn’t just leave Catherine there to deal with her ex-husband all alone. What kind of man would that make him?

  Catherine was relieved when Sebastian sat back down. The last thing she wanted was to sit there alone with her ex-husband. She thought about whether she should tell him about Isabella or not. Though Jeanette Hale didn’t deserve her pity, Donald was an angry person. She couldn’t sick him on Jeanette. He would probably kill her for what she had done. Besides, Catherine didn’t want him in her daughter’s life, regardless of the fact that he was her father. He was not someone that should be a father to anyone. Definitely not to a 10 year old girl that couldn’t defend herself.

  Did he have a right to know that he had a daughter? Perhaps. But that didn’t make the decision any easier. She knew she could take the girl and hide out for a long time on the money she got from selling the restaurant and her husband’s life insurance, and maybe that’s what she would do. She had a lot of decisions to make about her life, Isabella’s life, and even Jacob and Jeanette’s lives. Everyone was entangled now.

  “So, what are you kids talking about?” Donald motioned to the waitress as he spoke. “A beer, honey. Thank you,” he said to her as she walked up. “Anyone else?” Donald looked at each of them and they shook their heads. The waitress headed to the bar.

  He turned back to Catherine and Sebastian. “Well?”

  “Nothing. We were just chatting. Nothing important,” Catherine responded.

  “How’d you two meet, huh? Known each other long?” Donald was keeping his voice light, but Catherine could feel the tension behind his words. He didn’t like finding her there with another man, and she knew it.

  “We just met here, after I got to the island. So…not long…a few days.”

  Catherine told him as little as possible. Her relationship with Sebastian was none of Donny’s business. But she knew him. She knew that if she told him about her true relationship with Sebastian, he would make a big deal out of it. He made a big deal out of everything.

  “You two sleeping together?” He looked directly at Sebastian when he asked the question.

  Though Sebastian knew that he was no match for Donald Sharpe, he didn’t want to look weak. It took everything he had not to look away from Donald and look down at his beer instead. Sebastian was not the confrontational kind. He thought of himself as a lover, not a fighter. He looked Donald directly in the eyes when he spoke.

  “Now, Donald…I can call you Donald, right?”

  Donald nodded.

  “Good. Donald, don’t you worry a bit about me and Catherine here.” He deepened his charming southern drawl even more than usual. “We’ve only known each other a few days. We are just gettin’ to know each other. That’s all.” Sebastian smiled when he said that, hoping it would lighten the situation. It didn’t.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Donald replied with a frown.

  “Donny, stop that.” Catherine playfully tapped him on the back of his hand that was up on the table. “You are making my friend nervous. Just forget about all the other stuff, none of it is important. How about we order some wings?” Catherine also tried to lighten the mood.

  “You slept with my wife, didn’t you? I’m gonna kill you.” Donald said it quietly and deliberately.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nobody is gonna kill anybody on my watch.” Cecily had walked up just in time.

  Cecily could see from her perch behind the bar that something was brewing across the room. Most of the patrons were watching the exchange and there were whispers all over the bar. She knew she had better put a stop to it, before it got out of hand. She sat Donald’s beer on the table in front of him as she walked up.

  Sebastian smiled. “Hi there, Cecily. How are you sweetheart? You know what Donald, this is my girl right here.”

  Sebastian made a show of wrapping his left arm around Cecily and pulling her into his lap. He had had a crush on her for a while, and she never gave him the time of day. However, she was a smart woman and instinctively knew that she should play along. The man sitting with Catherine and Sebastian looked like he could carry out his threat easily.

  “Yeah, Sebastian is my man. He and Catherine are just friends, that’s all. She was keeping him entertained until I get off work. That okay with you?” Cecily looked Donald right in the eyes as she said it. Then she kissed Sebastian on the lips for emphasis. That surprised Sebastian. But he didn’t mind at all.

  “Well, yeah, of course that’s all right with me,” Donald smiled back. “Why don’t you sit down here darlin’ and have a drink with us?” he asked Cecily, as he pulled out the last empty chair at the table for her.

  “Oh, well, I’d love to, but I still have to work. Someone’s gotta pay the bills, you know? You guys have fun and I’ll talk to you later.”

  She kissed Sebastian on the nose lightly and playfully when she said that. Then she got up and went back to the bar. Sebastian was in shock. He just smiled after her as he watched her walk away. He temporarily forgot all about Catherine and Donald.

  Catherine let out a quiet sigh of relief. Cecily had saved the day. She knew in her heart that Donny would have, or at least could have, killed Sebastian. She would have to thank Cecily later.

  In that moment, she decided not to tell Donald about Isabella. She was perfectly fine with him going the rest of his life thinking that their baby died right after birth. There was no good reason that she could think of for him to know. If she did tell him, she would never get him out of her life. He was a violent man, and still dangerous. That fact was painfully obvious. She knew that after witnessing his exchange with Sebastian. It took Donald just thinking that she and Sebastian might have been sleeping together to bring out the hatred in him. She hadn’t seen him in a decade, and had even been married to someone else during that time, and he still thought she belonged to him. Well, she didn’t. And she wasn’t about to give him any reason to stay. Her daughter didn’t need him and his dangerous, negative ways in her life.

  Chapter 19

  The next morning, Catherine called Jeanette and they set a time to meet. Catherine half expected Jeanette to not show up, but an hour later, they were walking along the beach, talking

  The whole thing was very odd for Catherine, because she genuinely liked Jeanette as a person, remembering her kindness in the hospital as Catherine gave birth, feeling all alone in the world. Though she would never forgive her for lying to her and taking her daughter.

  “I need to ask you something,” Catherine started, “Why did you do it? Why did you take my daughter from me and let me believe she was dead all these years? How could you do something like that?”

  Jeanette hesitated for only a moment as she tucked her short dark hair behind her ears. “You know why. Didn’t we already have this conversation? Back at the cafe the other day?”r />
  Jeanette sounded a bit irked to Catherine. ‘How dare she be irritated with me?’ Catherine thought to herself. ‘I am the one that was wronged here, the one that was lied to all these years.’

  Catherine consciously kept her composure. “Well, yes, you told me the other day. But, we were both upset and now that we have calmed down, I really need to hear it again. In more detail. Please, just talk to me.”

  Catherine needed to hear it while she was no longer in shock from hearing the news that her daughter was alive. She could listen now, and really hear what Jeanette was telling her. Maybe it would make a difference. Maybe not. But, she wouldn’t know unless they talked about it.

  Jeanette really didn’t want to go over it all again, but she figured it was the best way to move on. She knew that the entire mess was all her fault, and she took full responsibility for it. At least internally, she did. She took the baby and now had to face the consequences of her actions. She was tired of running and would do her absolute best to work out the predicament she was now facing. Worse yet, she had involved her husband, Jacob, and son, Sawyer. Neither were at fault in this huge problem that she had caused. Well, Jacob did agree, so he certainly wasn’t completely off the hook. In fact, a court of law would find him just as guilty as the person that actually snatched the baby out of her mother’s arms. Jeanette didn’t feel that way though. She was the one burdened with guilt.

  Sawyer was another story. He was completely innocent, with absolutely no knowledge of any of it. Now that he was almost an adult, and could be considered an accessory after the fact, what was she going to do about that? The story was bound to come out, sooner rather than later, and Sawyer was going to be caught in the middle of it.

  Jeanette had no idea what she and Catherine were going to be able to accomplish with their talk, but she had to try. She had to do her best to help fix the hot water she was in, to the best of her ability. She sensed that Catherine was open to suggestions. Perhaps they could work something out after all.

  “Okay,” Jeanette began. “I took her because of your husband. You told me he killed two people and I couldn’t consciously let you put a baby in that situation.”

  “You knew he was in jail. He couldn’t get to her,” Catherine told her, fiddling with her long blonde hair nervously as they walked. She wore a cute summer hat, though there was no sunshine on the beach that day.

  “Well he couldn’t get to her right away. But I didn’t know when he would get out. Plus I didn’t think you would be a great mother. Neither one of you were fit to be parents. Not at the time anyway.” Jeanette was trying to be as honest as possible. She was tired of the lies and spending her life in hiding. It was no way to live. She almost felt like prison would be better. At least she wouldn’t be running anymore.

  “What are you talking about? I very badly wanted my child. How can you say I wouldn’t have been a good mother?” Catherine was perplexed.

  “You told me you had been evicted and were living on the streets. What kind of life would that have been for a child?”

  “It was just temporary. I got a job and an apartment not long after I had her. Then I met a wonderful man and got married. Isabella could have been part of all of that and had a really nice life, and a really nice father. Antonio would have adored her.” Catherine was starting to get defensive. How dare this woman judge her like that and tell her she couldn’t have taken care of her own child.

  “I know that now, but how could I have known that then?” Jeanette felt compelled to explain herself. To justify her actions.

  “You had no right to judge me and take my child, no matter what my circumstances were. You had no right to her!” Catherine had been trying so hard to stay calm, but it wasn’t working. She was beginning to get agitated as she ran her fingers through her long blonde hair repeatedly. It was a nervous gesture she had had since she was a child.

  “Look,” Jeanette stopped walking and gently put her hand on Catherine’s arm, “I’m very sorry. Truly. You are right, I had no right to judge you and no right to take your daughter. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. But now I know it wasn’t the right thing at all. I don’t blame you for being furious.” Jeanette was sincere in her apology. She meant every word of it.

  “Thank you for saying that.”

  Catherine surprised herself at how calm she was over the whole situation. If someone had told her that she would one day be thanking the woman that stole her baby, she would have thought they were losing their mind. She couldn’t even fathom that happening. But there she was, having a nice, mostly calm, conversation with her daughter’s kidnapper.

  “There is another reason why I asked you to come talk to me today,” Catherine told her, as she turned toward the ocean. It was a cloudy day, with a bit of a breeze and she pulled her navy blue sweater tighter around her shoulders.

  “There is?” Jeanette asked.

  “Well, it’s still about Isabella. But, it’s about her father. Her biological father, Donny.”

  “Oh, okay. You said he’s out of prison now, right?” Jeanette asked. She was apprehensive about where Catherine was going with all of it. Donald Sharpe scared her and she trembled without even realizing it. “Did you tell him about Isabella?”

  “No. That’s what I wanted to tell you. That man is a train wreck. I can’t let him in her life. He can never know about her. He’s dangerous and I worry about her safety.” Catherine was sincerely worried for her daughter.

  “I know that I don’t know him, but I have to agree with you on that,” Jeanette told her.

  “No matter what, I can’t let Donny know about her. He truly scares me.” Catherine shivered as she thought about Donald and what he was unquestionably capable of.

  “Me too,” Jeanette confessed. “I’ve never even met the man, but from what you’ve told me, I worry for Isabella.”

  “That’s why I’ve made a decision,” Catherine stated. “It’s strange that I just made this decision, right here, right now. I had no intention of saying this when I asked you to come here.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jeanette gave her a quizzical look.

  Catherine took a deep breath. She knew that she probably could never take back what she was about to do. She would have to mean it and she would have to stick by her decision.

  “Okay, here goes.” She hesitated just a second more before continuing. “I’m not going to take Isabella from you. She can continue to live with you and be your daughter.” Catherine closed her eyes to stop the tears that threatened to spill over. She had just done the hardest thing she would ever do in her life. But it was the right thing and she knew it.

  Catherine watched Jeanette’s reaction to what she had just announced. Jeanette had no words. They wouldn’t come. Relief flooded over her. It was all over, she thought. All of the lying, all of the hiding and the worst part of all, being afraid all of the time that they would be found out. Maybe she could finally sleep after a decade of fitful rest. Then, without warning, Jeanette began sobbing, uncontrollably. Catherine hugged her and let her cry.

  Catherine was Isabella’s biological mother, but that’s all she was. Yes, it was important, but not as important as keeping her away from Donald. She didn’t trust him and didn’t want him anywhere near her daughter. The only way she could be sure that never happened was to let Isabella go. Besides, and perhaps more importantly, other than DNA, she and Isabella shared nothing. They were complete strangers. She was in a nice family, with two loving parents and a big brother. Her daughter deserved that. Though Catherine had the legal right to get her daughter back, did she have the moral right to rip her from the only family she had ever known and send her parents to prison? Then make her live with a total stranger? A woman that she didn’t even know existed? No, she didn’t have that right. She needed to think about her daughter. This was about Isabella, not Catherine.

  Catherine knew that she would probably be devastated for the rest of her life, but she also knew that she was doi
ng the right thing. She felt at peace knowing that.

  Several minutes later, when Jeanette collected herself and could speak, she thanked Catherine, and hugged her again.

  “I can’t believe you are doing this. It’s the most selfless thing that I have ever witnessed,” Jeanette told her truthfully. “I can’t thank you enough. We can finally stop hiding and just be a family, with all the stress behind us. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m doing this for Isabella. She doesn’t know me and I can’t consciously take her from the only family she has ever known. I just can’t do it. It’s not fair to her, and this is about her, not me. And it’s not about you either,” Catherine told her.

  “I agree,” Jeanette replied. “We can’t make this about what we want. We have to do what is right for her.”

  “There’s another thing we need to do. We need to work together to make sure that Donny never finds out,” Catherine told her. “That’s my worst fear.”

  “Mine too. Yes, I agree. Only my husband and I know. We have never told anyone else. So, I don’t think there is any way he could figure it out,” Jeanette explained.

  “Probably not. But I just want to be careful. I did tell him that I was here looking for you, so I could find her death certificate. And her body. I’ll need to give him an update. I’ll figure something out.”

  “Couldn’t you just tell him that you can’t find any trace of me anywhere? Tell him that no one on the island has ever heard of me, and that maybe your lead was wrong,” Jeanette suggested.

  “Yes, of course. I will definitely do that. He will never know, I promise. There is one thing that I ask though,” Catherine added. “I want to meet her. I want to meet your daughter and talk to her. You can tell her I’m a friend, or a distant relative, or whatever. She’ll never know who I really am.”

  “Of course, that’s fair. I’ll set something up and get back to you,” Jeanette replied without hesitation.

  She still couldn’t believe that it was all over. All the hiding and being afraid every single day that someone would find out. No one would find out now, because there would never be anyone looking for them. She couldn’t wait to share the good news with Jacob.