The Butterfly Whisperer

by Lisa Moreau

  Jordan listened to the message again…and again. Fuck. Her stomach turned inside out, like she’d just stepped off the largest, loopiest roller coaster in all eternity. This wasn’t the way she wanted to break the news to Sophie or anyone else in Monarch. She was planning to do it slowly, over time, and with carefully devised methods of softening the blow. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the steering wheel. She had to stay calm. It was quite possible they hadn’t watched the interview. Jordan groaned. Who was she kidding? Bertha and the girls idolized Ophelia and never missed a show. The only positive was that Sophie probably had no idea. She recorded it sometimes, but right now she was at work with no TV. A wave of nausea washed over Jordan. She had to get to Bertha quick before she blabbed everything to Sophie.

  The moment Jordan opened the café door it was apparent that they knew. Bertha was leaning on the counter, shaking her head and frowning. Molly and Mabel sat on barstools looking like they’d just attended the funeral of a beloved friend. Jordan approached cautiously and glanced at the TV hanging over the bar, which was broadcasting the station that aired the Ophelia show.

  “Hey,” Jordan said.

  The girls stared, wide-eyed, until Bertha finally broke the silence. “Is it true? Are you really selling the sanctuary?”

  Jordan’s heart plummeted. She wasn’t sure what to say. “Well…yes…but it’s for a lot of money. Two million dollars.” Jordan paused, hoping they’d ooh and aah. Instead, they were silent. “I’d be selling it to expand my company.”

  Bertha’s eyes widened. “Does Sophie know?”

  “No. Not unless you’ve talked to her.”

  “I tried calling but there was no answer.”

  Jordan exhaled a sigh of relief. “I’d really like to tell her myself. I’m heading there right now.”

  “But what about the monarchs? And the trees? And the sanctuary? Everything will be destroyed,” Mabel said.

  “And the milkweed field,” Molly added. “The town won’t be the same without the butterflies. They’re everything.”

  The three women gawked at Jordan, looking completely devastated.

  “I’m sorry.” Jordan’s voice sounded strained from a hard lump in her throat. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t looked so hurt and disappointed. If they’d yelled and screamed, she could have fought back, but this she couldn’t handle. It broke her heart to know she had caused their sadness. Jordan had grown very fond of the girls. They’d made her feel more like family than her own father did.

  “I hope you don’t hate me,” Jordan said. Six arms reached out simultaneously to give her a hug.

  “We could never hate you,” Molly said. “We don’t agree with your decision, but you’re still our friend.”

  “That’s right. We love you, Jordan,” Bertha said.

  The sentiment brought unexpected tears to Jordan’s eyes. Bertha grabbed a handful of napkins and handed them to Jordan, who dabbed her cheeks and blew her nose. She scanned the faces of three unbelievable women. Here she was about to destroy something they loved, yet they still cared about her. She could only hope Sophie would react the same way.

  *

  That was odd. Two strange cars were parked in front of the sanctuary. They never had visitors. It took Jordan a minute to register what she was seeing when she walked in. Three men in business suits were standing next to Nanci, who was talking animatedly with her hands. Sophie was ghostly white and looked as though a thousand volts of electricity had zapped her. It was a good thing she was sitting, because it seemed as though she’d keel over at any moment. Jordan slowly approached, never taking her eyes off Sophie.

  “Oh, there’s Jordan,” Nanci said, excitedly. “I’d like you to meet the representatives from Kelstrom.”

  Nanci said their names, but Jordan didn’t hear. Blood rushed to her head and a loud pulse pounded in her ears. Sophie stared straight ahead, a mixture of pain and confusion in her eyes. Jordan wanted to crawl into a cocoon and hide forever.

  “Jordan?” Nanci looked perturbed and motioned to one of the guys, who had his hand out. Jordan grasped it and gave him a weak shake. When Jordan looked at Sophie, she bolted upright and headed for the door.

  “Sophie, wait. I can explain.” Without even tossing a glance over her shoulder, Sophie ran out and was gone.

  “Jordan, you’re being rude.” Nanci tilted her head toward the men.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you.”

  They grunted and glanced at one another, obviously agitated.

  “How about we have a seat and review the contract?” Nanci said, much too cheerfully considering the awkward circumstances.

  “Would you excuse us for a minute?” Jordan grabbed Nanci’s arm and pulled her outside, the dust from Sophie’s retreating car still in the air.

  “What are you doing?” Nanci shook her arm free from Jordan’s grasp. “You’re going to blow this deal.”

  “What are you doing here? You know this was supposed to be our little secret.”

  “You mean you still haven’t told Sophie you’re selling? I figured the cat would be out of the bag by now.”

  Jordan could have sworn she saw the corner of Nanci’s mouth begin to turn upward in a smile before she stopped herself by pressing her lips together.

  “What did you tell Sophie?”

  “Just the truth. You know how much she values the truth.”

  A strange sensation gurgled in the pit of Jordan’s stomach. Nanci had done this on purpose, maybe to get back at Jordan for dating Sophie or just to be spiteful. She’d had a bad feeling about the real-estate maven from the first moment they met.

  Nanci grabbed the doorknob. “We need to get back in there.”

  Jordan ignored her comment and rushed to her car. Nanci yelled something, but Jordan tuned her out. She just wanted to find Sophie.

  *

  The last thing Sophie wanted to do was cry. She knew Jordan would probably show up any minute, and she wanted to be strong, not bawling her eyes out. Maybe she’d been fooling herself, but she didn’t think Jordan would actually sell, and certainly not before February as promised. She felt betrayed, hurt, and like a complete idiot. Sophie sat on the couch and lightly ran her hand over the cushion. What a difference a day made. Just yesterday morning Jordan had been sitting in that exact spot, where they’d awakened in each other’s arms. Her heart ached. She couldn’t lose Jordan again. They shared a once-in-a-lifetime soul connection that went deeper than love. How could she walk away from that?

  Sophie jumped when someone forcefully knocked. She took a deep breath, walked to the door, and slowly turned the knob. Jordan looked frightened and achingly beautiful. They stared at each other for several long seconds until Sophie stepped aside. Jordan entered and stood stiffly in the center of the room. Sophie stayed a safe distance away and crossed her arms.

  “I was going to tell you,” Jordan said.

  “Oh? When? You intended to sell from the first moment you came to Monarch, didn’t you? Why did you even bother making that promise to me when you’d already made up your mind?”

  Jordan ran her fingers through her hair. “Yes, I’m selling. Yes, I knew what I wanted to do before I ever got here. But I didn’t break my promise. I haven’t signed a contract yet.”

  “If you weren’t hiding something, then why did you tell Nanci to keep it a secret? Did you want to get me in bed before you told me the truth?”

  Jordan winced. “You know that’s not true. Look, Sophie, this money can help build a prosperous future for us. For you and me.”

  Sophie stared at the carpet, unable to look into Jordan’s eyes. “There is no us.”

  Jordan looked as though she might take a step forward, but then changed her mind. “Don’t say that. I love you.”

  Sophie hated the way her heart melted from hearing those three words. She didn’t want anything melting when it came to Jordan. “You don’t get it, do you? I can’t be with someone who would destroy something I
love. It’s not that I expect you to adore nature and monarchs as much as I do, but I want to be with someone who at least respects them…and me. More than money.”

  “What’s important to you matters. But it’s one grove out of hundreds. What difference would it really make? We can build a new one somewhere else.”

  Sophie shook her head. “We’re back to square one. Nothing’s changed. This is the same argument we had when you first arrived.”

  Jordan threw her hands up in the air, clearly exasperated. “You can’t expect me to pass up two million dollars.”

  They were both silent for several seconds, the air between them as thick and gloomy as the early morning fog.

  With a tight chest and clenched teeth, Sophie forced herself to look into Jordan’s pleading eyes. “I can’t do this. I can’t be with you. I can’t stand around and watch you tear down the sanctuary and milkweed field. The butterflies are everything to this town and to me.”

  “We just found each other again. I can’t let you go. Not twice in one lifetime.”

  Sophie struggled to take a deep breath, her heart shrinking to the size of a green pea. She wanted this moment to be over. She couldn’t feel Jordan’s devastation and her own at the same time without crumbling into a heap. Sophie commanded her wobbly legs to walk to the front door and open it.

  Jordan paused and shuffled toward Sophie, standing directly in front of her. “I’m not giving up on us. No matter what you say. I won’t let you go.” She glared at Sophie with determination before walking away.

  Sophie closed the door, fell back against it, and cried.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  A Flock of Butterflies

  “I don’t know why I let you girls talk me into this.” Sophie glanced behind her at Molly and Mabel, who were scrunched in the backseat of Bertha’s car.

  “It’ll do you good to get out and take your mind off…well, you know who.” Bertha patted Sophie’s leg as she drove down the highway toward Tallon. “We’ll go out to lunch, do a little shopping. It’ll be fun. Oh, and we should get our hair done at that salon Jordan took me…oh, I’m sorry.”

  It may have been sophomoric, but Sophie had warned them not to mention Jordan’s name. That was several days ago, which was the last time she saw Jordan and when her world had crumbled. Since then she’d barely stepped out of the cabin, afraid to run into Jordan in town. She couldn’t eat or sleep, and barely remembered to feed Mr. Limpet. Jordan had left dozens of phone messages, but Sophie deleted them all without listening. She didn’t want to hear Jordan’s voice. And she certainly didn’t need something to remind her how much she missed her.

  “Have you decided what you’re going to do? For a job, I mean?” Mabel asked.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll teach or work at another sanctuary.”

  “You wouldn’t leave Monarch, would you?” Bertha asked, fear in her voice.

  Sophie grinned. “No. This is my home. You girls are my family. Even if I have to drive an hour to work every day, I’ll never leave.”

  They collectively sighed in relief.

  Molly leaned forward and stuck her head between the two front seats. “Jordan is miserable without you,” she whispered, as though that would make bringing up the subject acceptable.

  “I can’t believe you’ll still talk to her. She’s just a lying, rich Beverly Hills snob!”

  “You don’t mean that,” Bertha said. “You’re just hurt and angry. We’re as upset about this as you are, but we care about Jordan. She’s a good person and has her reasons, I suppose.”

  “Yeah,” Sophie snorted. “Money. That’s her only goal. I should have never gotten involved with her.”

  Bertha grabbed Sophie’s hand and squeezed it. From the look in Bertha’s eyes, she knew Sophie hadn’t meant what she’d said. Sophie gazed out the window at the blur of passing trees. Maybe she was just a romantic fool, but she thought Jordan would choose love over a mini-fortune. So yes, she was angry and planned to stay that way. It was easier than collapsing into a heap of unbearable pain and heartache from losing her soul mate, yet again. Maybe she needed to get away, at least until after Jordan sold the sanctuary and left town. She could drive up the coast or cross-country for a month. Yes, that’s what she’d do, and the sooner the better.

  *

  Jordan stopped abruptly on the sidewalk. Maybe if she crossed the street and walked around the block she could avoid talking to Madame Butterfly. But the fortuneteller was struggling to heave a large F onto her shoulder in front of her shop, so Jordan sighed and reconsidered. The least she could do was help the woman before she broke her back.

  “Can I give you a hand?” Jordan asked.

  The steel F dropped to the ground with a clang. “Oh, Jordan, I’d be forever grateful.” Madame wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. Any more exertion and the inch of pancake makeup would be dripping down her cheeks.

  “Tired of being known as Madame Butterly?”

  “Normally I wouldn’t care, but a stranger came into my shop the other day thinking it was a bakery.” Madame cackled loudly and slapped Jordan hard on the back. When she regained her composure, she asked, “So, is it true?”

  Jordan knew what Madame meant. She’d alienated almost everyone in town after word got around about the sanctuary. Thankfully, Bertha and the girls were still talking to her, but Sophie was a different story. After more than a week of phone calls and texts, Sophie was still avoiding her.

  “Yes, it’s true.” Jordan lifted the F, which was none too light.

  “I’m sure Sophie is devastated.” Madame shook her head. “Your grandmother wanted you two to get together.”

  Jordan placed the steel letter back on the ground. “What do you mean?”

  Madame paused and squinted at Jordan. “Why don’t we finish up here and I’ll make us some tea?”

  Out of curiosity, Jordan agreed. After she attached the F to the sign, they went into the psychic parlor, where Madame motioned for her to sit at a small table while she disappeared behind a curtain. Glancing around, Jordan’s eye fell on the large crystal ball in the center of the room. She recalled how she’d freaked about Madame’s reading, which had been surprisingly accurate, not that she’d ever admit it.

  Madame resurfaced and placed two cups on the table. She sat and stared into her tea for a full minute, which made Jordan wonder if maybe she wasn’t reading tea leaves.

  “Frances was a hard woman,” Madame finally said.

  “You can say that again,” Jordan snorted.

  Madame ignored her comment. “She changed after Chuck was born, and that’s when we became friends. She learned what’s really important in life, something she wanted to impart to you.”

  “Did she ever talk about me?”

  “Oh, yes. All the time. It wasn’t until soon before her death that she found out why you disappeared.”

  “You know about that? I mean, did she tell you?”

  “She told me everything. She wanted you to make amends with your father, but also with Sophie. That’s why one of her demands was that you work at the sanctuary. She said it was a chance to right your father’s wrong.”

  “I wondered why that was one of her stipulations.” Jordan said that more to herself than Madame. “I never thought she liked me, especially not after what happened.”

  “Frances felt bad about what your father did. When she found out how much you loved Sophie, she wanted to give you a second chance.”

  Jordan stared into space as the information sank in. “A second chance that I blew.”

  “Tell me something. Why did you start your matchmaking company?”

  “Because I want to help women find their soul mates.”

  “And what about you? Have you found yours?”

  “Well, yeah, that’s Sophie. I knew from the first moment we met when we were kids.”

  “So why would you put your company over your soul mate?”

  “I’m doing this for us. I want to spend the rest
of my life with Sophie. I want to give her everything…a secure future, a big house, a nice car, everything she wants.”

  Madame reached across the table and laid her hand over Jordan’s. “My dear, Sophie doesn’t want any of that. She already has what she wants, and you’re taking that away. It’s not too late to change your mind. One of my favorite quotes is, ‘If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.’” Madame patted Jordan’s hand twice, rose, and disappeared behind the curtain. When she didn’t reappear after several minutes, Jordan figured their visit had concluded.

  After leaving the psychic parlor, Jordan drove to the eucalyptus grove. She sat under her and Sophie’s tree and traced a finger over their carved initials. Reclining against the smooth bark, Jordan lightly rubbed the butterfly necklace Sophie had given her. She stared into space and marveled at everything that’d happened. Just six weeks ago she’d been ecstatic about the inheritance. Growing her company was the only important thing to her. She’d gotten exactly what she wanted, yet she felt miserable.

  A piercing squawk and rustling of leaves sounded overhead. Jordan ducked as several thin branches tumbled down. If she’d felt the earth shaking, she would have sworn she was experiencing an earthquake. Instead, it appeared to be several maverick seagulls buzzing the tree. The ruckus caused thousands of monarchs, who were huddled together on branches, to spread their wings and soar into the sky. Jordan stood with her mouth agape. It was the most beautiful, glorious sight she’d ever seen, like swimming in a sea of orange and black.

  She walked to the center of the grove and twirled around. Butterflies were everywhere, some landing on her shoulders and arms. It was like something out of a magical fairy tale. Jordan held out her hand, and within moments two monarchs landed in her palm, both gently flapping their wings. They were female since they didn’t have black spots on their hind legs. There was a one in a million chance that they were the twin monarchs, but Jordan liked to think that they were. Maybe they’d come back to greet her or say thanks for helping raise them. Slowly, Jordan lifted her hand until they were a breath away. They were stunning, shiny wings that seemed paper thin, yet so strong. Their antennas twitched, tickling Jordan’s chin, right before they ascended, disappearing together into the swarm.