A Dad for Charlie

by Anna J. Stewart

  “What? Charlotte Rose, don’t you dare!” Paige Cooper steered her almost eight-year-old daughter away from the wedding cake before a baby pink rose found its way onto Charlie’s finger. “We’ll have to see about the caves.” Paige’s schedule these days barely gave her enough time to breathe, but she knew at some point she’d have to find time to quell her daughter’s curiosity about one of Butterfly Harbor’s more mysterious legends. Something about ocean caves, a treasure box and your heart’s true desire. She supposed it was only a matter of time before her normally practical, well-reasoned daughter had her head turned by a fairy tale. No treasure box could solve life’s problems. “The caves aren’t going anywhere.” Wherever they were.

  Charlie sighed in a more dramatic way than normal. “You always say we’ll see. School starts pretty soon and I want to see them before...oh. Hey, Mom? Why’s Willa crying?”

  “Where do you see Willa?” Paige cast a cursory glance around Flutterby Dreams, the recently renovated restaurant turned reception hall for the day, but saw nothing but familiar friendly faces crowded together.

  “Over there, by the window. With Mrs. O’Neill.” Charlie flashed that cheeky gap-toothed smile that always hit Paige dead center of her heart. “And why can’t I have a flower? I’m the flower girl. Holly won’t mind. I helped pick out the cake, remember?”

  Paige remembered. She also remembered the techno-colored puke fest that followed and proved her sweet-toothed child had a sugar threshold after all. “Choosing a cake doesn’t give you frosting flower privileges.” She tugged Charlie into the corner of the room and stooped down to poof up the daisy yellow dress that had been accentuated with tiny embroidered monarch butterflies by, of all people, Willa O’Neill. What that young woman could do with a needle was pure magic.

  Paige’s chest tightened as she located the young woman bending down to straighten the lightweight blanket around her mother Nina’s thin legs. As she stood, she swiped an angry hand across her damp cheeks. Nina pressed her hand against her daughter’s cheek, her lips moving in what Paige assumed were words of comfort from her wheelchair.

  Paige fought the desire to inquire as to their distress even as she reminded herself it wasn’t any of her business. But how could she not ask? Helping people was second nature to Paige—a compulsion. A compulsion that had gotten her into trouble most of her life. That said...Paige pursed her lips. She didn’t like to see anyone upset, especially not on a celebratory day like today.

  Paige gave her daughter another once-over. With a crown of carnations and daisies in her long red hair—it had taken bribing Charlie with a trip to the bookstore to get her to forgo her trademark pigtails—her little adventurer was pretty as a picture. Tears misted Paige’s eyes as she glanced down at the new neon pink sneakers on Charlie’s feet. Her kid definitely had personality plus.

  “Mom, you’re doing it again.” Charlie rolled her eyes at what she called Paige’s “sappy” expression. “Can I go find Simon now?”

  “I think they’re still taking pictures.” Pictures Paige had been trying to avoid for the last hour. She took a long, steadying breath as the knots that formed in her chest last summer tightened to the point of suffocation. Two months to go. In two months she could stop looking over her shoulder; she could stop worrying about having her picture showing up...anywhere.

  All she had to do was keep her head down, stay off everyone’s radar and ride out the consequences of the worst decision of her life.

  Not that she could avoid the photographs forever. Holly deserved the perfect day, no matter Paige’s previous lack of judgment. “Hey, there’s Calliope and Stella.” Paige gestured to the bell-laced gypsy-like woman and her much younger sister maneuvering through the town residents who had turned up for the long-awaited nuptials. Between the crowd inside the inn and the group outside, Paige was pretty sure just about everyone in town had come out to join the celebration. “Why don’t you head on out and I’ll catch up.”

  “’Kay.” That her daughter was immediately engulfed by compliments on her stellar flower girl performance had Charlie flying almost as high as her favorite winged insect.

  If Paige had any doubts about extending their stay in Butterfly Harbor, she only had to look at Charlie to dismiss them. Her daughter had always been a friendly kid, but she’d blossomed in the months since their arrival. Moving on was always difficult. Moving on from Butterfly Harbor—if they had to—would be downright impossible. Not to mention heartbreaking, especially for Charlie. Speaking of breaking hearts...

  Paige bit the inside of her cheek as she gave in to temptation and shifted around guests toward Willa O’Neill.

  “Smile!” Melina Sorento, her mass of tight black curls bouncing around her round, curious face, snapped her camera phone and caught Paige unaware. “Thanks, Paige. We’re featuring the wedding in next weekend’s edition of The Monarch Gazette. Nothing Butterfly Harbor likes more than a party, right? Especially one that closes down the entire town!”

  “Right.” And there was nothing Paige detested more than being a headline. Then again, she didn’t have much to worry about considering the town paper’s circulation was limited to the guests in attendance. No one back in New York would ever know. Paige swallowed hard. She hoped.

  “Willa?” Paige placed a gentle hand on the young woman’s arm; not gentle enough apparently, as Willa jumped, color popping into her cheeks as she spun to face Paige. “I’m so sorry I startled you. Are you all right? Nina? How are you doing today? I’m so pleased to see you here.”

  “Nothing was going to keep me from seeing Holly Campbell get married.” Nina brushed a nervous hand over her tropical-colored-scarf-encased head. The months of chemotherapy had taken their toll, from what Paige had been told. In the little time Paige had known the family, she’d seen a serious decline in the older woman’s health, the result of a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis. “I was just telling Willa how nice it is to be out among friends. I feel almost normal.”

  “You look beautiful.” Paige rested a hand on her frail shoulder and gave a slight squeeze. “I don’t mean to pry, but is everything all right?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Willa pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded once. “Everything’s great.”

  Paige glanced from daughter to mother. Nope. Not buying it. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “It’s Jasper,” Nina said and earned a huff of frustration from her twenty-something daughter. “Willa, you know this situation is getting beyond our control. Paige might have some ideas as to what we should do.”

  “I’d be happy to try to help,” Paige offered. “How about we find a quiet place where we can talk?” As well-meaning as their fellow Butterfly Harbor residents tended to be, they definitely had a talent for whipping up the rumor mill where anything potentially scandalous was concerned. Knowing what Paige did about Willa’s brother Jasper, scandal could very well be a possibility. “Have you seen the updated kitchen yet?” She shifted her way behind Nina’s wheelchair, released the brakes and pushed her around the edge of the room toward the double swinging doors. “The new owners really did it up nice.”

  “We haven’t, but we’ve heard it’s beautiful.” Nina tugged at the edge of her scarf.

  “It’s definitely a stunner. Willa, would you mind?”

  “Of course.” Willa pressed her slight frame through the doors first, stepping back to let Paige push Nina through.

  Pale yellow bridesmaid gown tucked into one hand, Paige headed toward the side porch exit, offering a smile to resident chef Jason Corwin, who was bent over the counter. “Hey, Jason. Don’t mind us. Just passing through.”

  “Wasn’t going to.” Jason glanced up from where he piped salmon mousse into delicate phyllo dough cups. With shorn dark hair and eyes as sharp as the edge of a knife, Jason looked more like a magazine cover model than a onetime celebrity chef. “Mrs. O’Neill.” He nod
ded politely at Nina then Willa. “Hey, Paige, when you see Abby, would you send her back? I need a taster for one of the appetizers.”

  “What am I? Chopped...” She grinned when his brow arched in her direction. “Chicken. I was going to say chicken. I’m an excellent taster.” She motioned for Willa to open the door.

  “Uh-huh.” Jason grinned. “Keep moving. You’re not getting your hands on any of my new recipes.”

  “That’s what he thinks,” Paige whispered to Nina, who let out a soft chuckle. What Paige wouldn’t give to pick the brain of one of the country’s top food artisans. The midafternoon breeze welcomed them as she situated Nina’s wheelchair by the narrow bench overlooking the ocean. She took a deep breath, let the pure salt-caked air refill her lungs and clear her mind. “Now, tell me what’s going on. No one should be crying anything but happy tears at a wedding.”

  Willa wilted onto the bench beside her mother. She was a tiny thing with one of the kindest natures Paige had ever encountered. She also had a spine of steel. Rarely did Paige see Willa with anything other than a brilliant smile on her thin face despite the weight of responsibility she carried on her shoulders.

  “Sheriff Saxon called asking if he could come by to talk to Jasper again,” Willa said. “About those break-ins.”

  “Again?” Paige sat beside her and, because Willa seemed to need the added comfort, took hold of her hand and squeezed. “Why?”

  “He wouldn’t say. Exactly. You know the sheriff,” Nina said when Willa shook her head. “He’s very nice about it, very understanding, but this time, I don’t know. I got the feeling they haven’t moved past thinking Jasper’s somehow involved. Last time he asked Jasper to account for his whereabouts on a bunch of different evenings.”

  “And was Jasper able to?” Paige asked.

  “No. In fact he was out almost all those nights,” Willa said with an air of defiance that had Paige’s insides jangling. “He’s out most every night. Jasper might have his quirks, but this isn’t something he’d do. He knows the last thing we need is for him to get into trouble.”

  “You said Luke only talked to him,” Paige said. “He didn’t say anything about a warrant or being there to arrest him?”

  “No. But I’m sure that’s what’s about to happen. He’s only sixteen, Paige. He can’t afford to get into serious trouble if he hopes to apply for scholarships and grants for college. They look into all that.” Nina seemed to be taking the situation better than her oldest daughter. “This puts his entire future at risk.”

  Paige squeezed her hand. “What do you think of Luke’s idea he’s involved with the break-ins?”

  “I’m his mother,” Nina said, her pale face losing what little color it possessed. She tucked her trembling hands under her blanket. “I don’t want it to be true. But I’m also a realist.” She straightened in her chair, the bright blue of her dress catching against the sun. “He’s been through a lot these last few years. It’s...changed him. There are times I think he’s just so angry, withdrawn. And he’s never kept company with the best of influences.”

  “He’s always got his nose in a book. Or he’s in his room watching those gruesome videos,” Willa explained when Paige inclined her head. “I suggested he look for a job, but he doesn’t think anyone around here will hire him. And he’s probably right. He rubs people the wrong way.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s so far gone he’d take to damaging property and vandalism,” Nina said. “He wouldn’t do that to me. To us. Not now. The last thing we can afford is bail, let alone a lawyer.”

  “That’s the second time one of you has said ‘not now,’” Paige said, recognizing grief when she heard it. “What’s changed?”

  Willa’s eyes filled as she looked at her mother before glancing away.

  “My latest test results came back last week,” Nina said after she cleared her throat. “They say the cancer’s spread to my lymph nodes. The chemotherapy didn’t do as much as they’d hoped, so they’re putting me on an experimental regimen. But that means going to San Francisco and being admitted for four to six weeks.” Nina shook her head as if to clear her own tears. “It’ll be tough. Willa will have to take on even more than she already has. Maisey’s only ten. I want her life as disrupted as little as possible. She’s a dream and little trouble, thank goodness, but—”

  “Jasper being under suspicion with the police is only adding to the strain.” Paige nodded. Oh, boy. She’d heard this before. She should have followed her instincts and stayed far, far away. The last thing she should be thinking about was getting involved with anything having to do with the police. “Did Luke give you any more information about the crimes themselves? Maybe if I talked to Jasper...”

  Mother and daughter looked at each other again. “We haven’t seen or heard from Jasper since we got Mom’s results,” Willa said. “He took off. I don’t know what Luke’s going to think if he shows up trying to talk to him in person. I’m sure he’ll take that as more evidence of his guilt.”

  “If Jasper did these things, he did them,” Nina said. “It’s something we need to come to terms with. We’ll deal with whatever happens.”

  “And what if he is innocent?” Willa asked. “Mom, what if he’s a convenient scapegoat? There are plenty of bored kids around town, not to mention frustrated adults with just as many grudges,” Willa added as Paige assumed she was talking about the still new teen community center. “Why are they focused on Jasper? Because he’s different? Because he sees things in a way different from the rest of us?”

  Because Jasper O’Neill walked around Butterfly Harbor looking like death’s less optimistic minion? Paige had met Jasper only a handful of times. He was quiet, sure. Introspective, one might think. But if appearances were any indication, there was also the way he embraced the black clothes and had jet-black hair that covered equally dark eyes. And then there was the attitude he wore like a second skin. Yeah. Paige could understand why he was at the top of the list. That didn’t mean he was guilty.

  “If this was anyone other than Luke Saxon we were talking about I’d be inclined to agree with you.” Paige had little to no faith in law enforcement, but that was because of her own personal bias. Luke was one of the reasons she still had some. “You know Luke’s own history. He’d never railroad someone just because they look the part or it’s the easy way out. He goes by the evidence.” What that evidence might be, however, was the question. She could probably find out. A few questions here and there, if only to put Nina’s and Willa’s minds at ease...

  What was she thinking, getting involved? Just moments ago she’d been reminding herself to keep her head down, and now she was considering poking around an active criminal investigation?

  She should get up and walk away. Luke was a good man. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt this family; not if he could help it. And yet...

  Paige wasn’t one to turn her back on people who needed help. She could do this. Carefully, quietly. Yeah. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She could do this. “I have some pull with the groom.” Paige’s heart leaped ahead of her brain. “Let me poke around a little. Maybe it’s not as bad as you think. Maybe they’ve found something that exonerates him and just haven’t let you know yet.”

  “We can’t ask you to do that,” Willa said. “You have so much going on already.”

  “You’re not asking, I’m offering. And I always have time for friends,” Paige said. “Your family has a serious fight ahead of you. The last thing any of you need is a distraction. All your energy needs to be going to getting you better, Nina. If I can help make things a little easier, that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “You’ll talk to Luke for us?” Willa’s disbelief scraped against Paige’s heart. “You’ll try to convince him Jasper’s not involved?”

  “I’ll do my best.” A promise she felt pretty confident she could keep. Dealing
with Luke was easy enough, and thankfully he’d taken the lead. Now, if she had to try to extricate information from Deputy Fletcher Bradley...

  Paige shivered. Oh, well, that would be a whole other story.

  Handsome, attentive, charming Deputy Fletcher Bradley. How many times had she felt herself getting sucked into the attraction vortex that seemed to develop whenever she got into his orbit? She’d gone out of her way to avoid him, especially after realizing he was just as interested in her. Not that he’d pushed or tried to insert himself into her life; just the opposite. He seemed to respect the fact she wanted to keep her distance. Which, of course, made him all the more appealing. The kicker was he was so good with Charlie; he flipped all those switches inside her that made her wish everything about her life was different.

  Nope. Paige gave herself a hard mental shake. That train of thought needed to be derailed immediately. As uncertain as Paige was about a lot of things in her life, she knew one thing for sure: no matter how appealing the good deputy might be, anything other than a cursory friendship was absolutely impossible.

  Because a lawman like him would never understand a fugitive like her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “FASTER, DEPUTY FLETCH! Spin me faster!”

  Charlie Cooper’s demanding squeal lightened Fletcher’s heavy heart. Taking the political hit for his friend was one thing; needing to go after a member of an already overburdened family he’d known most of his life was another. The O’Neills had so much to deal with already. How could he even think about sacrificing one of their own to save his friend’s career?

  No wonder Luke hadn’t said much about the investigation. He probably felt as conflicted as Fletcher did.

  “I think that’s fast enough.” Fletch found himself laughing as Charlie released his hand and tottered dizzily on her sneakered feet. He caught her around the waist before she fell into the lush flower bed in front of the Flutterby Inn. He steadied her and glanced up as Paige Cooper exited the inn. She stopped short on the edge of the porch, her knowing, beautiful blue eyes glistening almost as brightly as her recently changed hair. The now strawberry blond tresses with hints of fire matched those of her daughter’s, except where Charlie’s was razor straight, Paige’s tumbled around her shoulders in thick, glossy waves. She was girl-next-door pretty, with that radiant smile of hers and a small dimple in her left cheek. All of that seemed so surface, but it was all he had. Despite the overwhelming desire to know more.