Butterfly Kisses
Samantha Hicks
Back of Book
Jac Colby faces her biggest challenge to date - to go back and see her estranged wife, Molly, after five years apart. Jac's a solicitor specialising in contract law. It was her job that led to the eventual death of Molly's brother after she found a loophole in his business lease that paved the way for his self-destruction, causing Molly to throw her out and break all contact with her. Now, in a strange coincidence, Jac has been sent to Molly's butterfly farm by her boss to do the same thing - get Molly to break her lease so the land can be sold. Unable to do this to Molly, she sets out to convince her to give their relationship another try.
Molly Fisher has missed her wife terribly over the last five years, but when Jac does turn up, her anger gets the better of her, telling Jac to leave. Upset by her visit, Molly drives off and gets involved in a serious car accident, landing her in hospital. Jac comes across the scene and fears Molly is dead.
Jac sticks around to help Molly heal, even with Molly's reservations about her presence in her life standing in her way.
Will they overcome their differences and rekindle their love? Or will Molly stick to her guns and keep Jac at arms-length? And will they be able to save Molly's business, Bloomin' Butterfly, from Jac's greedy boss?
This is a story about lost love and failings, and finding your soul mate once again.
Butterfly Kisses
© 2019 by Samantha Hicks
FDP Publications
Edition: 1st
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the author and publisher. Please note that piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights and is illegal.
This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Production Design: FDP PUBLICATIONS
Dedication
Dedicated to my Great-Nephew & Great-Niece,
Milo and Callie.
Also by Samantha Hicks
After the Dark
A New Beginning
Silly Billy
Trusting Hearts
Unknown Forces
Chapter One
Jacqueline Colby took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders, centring herself before she entered her boss’s office. She had avoided this meeting for the last two weeks, knowing what it was he wanted to ask her to do wasn’t something she was comfortable with. She worked for a land procurement firm that bought private land for clients who wanted to build their own homes or businesses. Jac was the company solicitor. When Billings & Lloyd first started out they hired an outside company to deal with all the legal wrangling’s buying land entailed. As they became more successful it made sense to hire their own legal team to work full-time for the company. That was Jac’s department. She had been with the company since she graduated from law school nine years ago. She worked her way up through the ranks and now, at thirty-seven years old, she headed the legal team. Jac enjoyed the work. It kept her busy and stopped the loneliness of her life creeping up on her. She travelled the country and was seldom at home and that suited her perfectly. She didn’t necessarily agree with some of the contracts and working practises of her employer, but she was here to do a job and earn her pay. She left her conscience at the door. The meeting today with Ralph Lloyd was about the purchase of land Bloomin’ Butterfly currently occupied, it housed a habitat for wildflowers to grow and a butterfly farm open for public viewing. It had seen a drop in visitors over the last few years and the landowner wanted to sell. The only problem was the land was leased to Bloomin’ Butterfly and Jac knew the contract wasn’t up for renewal for another five years. And this was the reason she was standing in front of Ralph’s office with sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat.
“Ms. Colby?” Jac blinked and glanced at Betty, Ralph’s receptionist. “He’s ready for you.”
“Thank you.” Taking another deep breath Jac opened the door. Ralph was seated behind his desk, head down and flicking through paperwork. He didn’t look up.
“Take a seat, Jac, I’ll be right with you.”
She did as asked and waited while he finished up. She couldn’t stop her foot from bouncing on the floor, causing her leg to move up and down rapidly, so she gripped her knee to still the nervous habit. Her stomach clenched while she waited to hear her next assignment, knowing there was no way to get out of it. Ralph didn’t know her previous history with Bloomin’ Butterfly and she was determined to keep it that way. She just hoped her worst fear wouldn’t come true and he would decide to send someone else out there.
“Jac, considering your office is only a few doors down from mine, you’re a hard woman to pin down.” His gaze bore into hers and Jac knew he knew she had been avoiding him. She didn’t reply as he wasn’t expecting one. She knew him well enough to know when it was a good time to keep your mouth shut. He pulled a folder from his desk drawer and passed it over to Jac. “Our client wants this deal finalised within two months. The seller is eager to sell and the client is only prepared to wait so long before he finds other land for his business.”
Jac gripped the folder tightly in her lap, knowing the connection to her past would be between the cardboard flaps. She had kept her distance from Molly, as Molly had requested, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t kept track of her over the last five years. Molly was still the owner of Bloomin’ Butterfly, and it was the last place Jac wanted to go.
“Sir, you know as well as I do that the lease isn’t up for another few years. He doesn’t have the legal right to sell the land from under the company owner.”
“Since when has that stopped us from doing a deal?” Ralph narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers under his chin. He was right about that. Jac had been instrumental in getting plenty of contracts and leases voided so landowners could sell. It had never bothered her much before, she did her job and moved on. However, this was different, this was Molly they were talking about. “I’ve cleared your schedule for the next few weeks. Get up there and get them gone any way you can. From what the seller tells me, Bloomin’ Butterfly is so far in the red that the owner would probably leave with only a modicum of persuasion. You’re the best at that, so get it done.” He leaned forward and opened another file, effectively dismissing her. She stood from the chair and headed back to her office, the file still gripped in her hand.
Jac didn’t greet her secretary as she passed her on the way into her office. She closed the door and tossed the file onto her desk. She ripped off her suit jacket and flung it on to the guest chair. She stared at the folder, knowing that once she opened it she would be bound by the sellers’ client/solicitor privilege and she wouldn’t be able to warn Molly about his plans to break the lease. She paced the office, fighting her instinct to send Molly a warning. Why she even still cared what Molly thought of her she didn’t know. Molly made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with her, that she hated her. So why was it so hard to just open the damn folder?
She slumped into her chair, and after another full five minutes of staring at the file, she opened it to the first page. She leafed through the pages Ralph had prepared for her, details of the business, the land ownership, and lease were all there, along with her travel arrangements and the motel she would be staying at in Wolverhampton. She recognised the name of the seller from when she lived there with Molly, Jac would need to meet up with him first before seeing her.
She flipped the folder shut and swivelled in her chair to stare out the window. It
was true she had used strong-arm tactics before to get other contracts quashed, but there was no way she would be able to do that to Molly. As much as Molly hated her, Jac still loved her. She would need to find another way of getting Molly to agree to break the lease, and she had no doubt when Molly found out why Jac was suddenly back in her life, Molly would hate her even more.
***
Molly Fisher held her breath as the pupa began to split. Any moment now the new butterfly would emerge and cling to its former home while it’s wings filled with the fluid to make them strong enough to fly. She loved this part of the process, the beginning of a new life. She had been fascinated with butterflies ever since she was a kid, and it was a dream come true when she finally had the funds to start her own butterfly farm. Gradually, she had turned her little slice of heaven into a tourist attraction, and with the addition of the wild gardens and small visitors centre, she had spent the last ten years living out her passion surrounded by the insects she loved. The pupa gave way with a burst of liquid and slowly the birth began. A huge smile blossomed on Molly’s face as she watched. She would never get tired of this.
“Mol?” A voice from behind disturbed her quiet vigil and she turned to find Jay, the on-site mechanic, behind her. She lifted her eyebrows in question. “I’m sorry to interrupt but there is someone out front wanting to see you.”
“Who?”
“She didn’t give her name, ma’am, but said it was important.” He turned his gaze away, blushing. An unusual thing for Jay to do. Molly had the feeling he knew exactly who was waiting for her but she refrained from commenting.
Molly turned back to the fully formed butterfly now hanging onto its former home, it’s wings twitching with the effort to fly. She would miss its first flight. Her gaze scanned the other pupas hanging from the nets. She would have plenty of opportunities to come back and watch the others hatch.
“Thanks, Jay.” She followed him out of the greenhouse and strode toward the front of the property and the carpark.
Bloomin’ Butterfly was four acres of greenhouses, wild gardens, gift shop, and visitors centre. The business had initially been successful but over the last few years visitor numbers had dwindled and they were lucky to see a few thousand people a year. With a heavy heart, she knew she wouldn’t be able to remain open much longer, but she was determined to hang on for as long as she could. There was always the hope more people would come when the summer months arrived.
As she reached the main gate a familiar figure caught her attention. Jac was leaning against the side of a Lexus, her coal-black hair cut stylishly around her ears, much shorter than the last time Molly had seen her. The black power suit she wore clued Molly into why she was here. It was no secret Benny wanted to sell the land and had been badgering Molly about terminating the contract for months. Molly always refused. This was her home, her sanctuary, and no way Jacqueline Colby was going to force her to leave. The anger she had toward Jac bubbled up in her throat. She would have thought that after five years she wouldn’t harbour those feelings anymore, but one look at her brought them all flooding back. Jac had betrayed her in the worst way possible and now it seemed she had come back to finish the job.
“What are you doing here?” Molly stopped four feet away from Jac and crossed her arms over her chest. Up close, Jac was still just as striking as she had been all those years ago. The urge to kiss her flashed through her mind, causing her insides to warm, but she quashed the desire as fast as it came. It would seem that five years hadn’t diminished her attraction to her either.
“Can’t an old friend just pop in and say hello?”
“Cut the bullshit. I know who you work for, don’t forget.” That seemed to startle Jac for just a moment. Her eyes went wide and her composure slipped. “From what I remember, I told you to never come near me again.”
Jac lowered her head, her cheeks tinting pink. “I know, but I thought–”
“What? That you could come here and sweet talk me into ending my lease?”
“You know about the sale?” Jac’s eyebrows rose.
“Of course I know. It’s my business to know. And Barry isn’t shy about his plans. The answer is no, so why don’t you slink back under the rock you crawled out of and leave me the hell alone.” Molly spun on her heel, intent on walking away but a hand on her arm stopped her.
“Mol, wait.”
Molly whirled around, her right arm swinging out, her hand slapping Jac hard across the face. Jac stumbled back a step, her hand going to her now red cheek.
“That’s for Dillon. Something I’ve owed you for a long time.”
“You can’t keep blaming me for that.” The words were whispered but Molly had no trouble hearing them.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Molly stalked toward Jac, causing her to back up until her butt hit the car. She grabbed Jac’s jacket in her fists, slamming her back into the metal panelling. “If you hadn’t taken his business, he wouldn’t have turned to drugs and died on the streets. How is that not your fault?” She slammed her again. “My brother is dead because of you.”
Jac had been part of the deal to make her brother to break his own lease on his bakery. Jac had found a loophole in the contract with the landowner that had forced him to leave. Seven businesses had been lost that day and all because Jac worked for scum. With his business in tatters, Dillon sunk into depression and eventually turned to drugs. He was dead within a year. That was the catalyst for Molly breaking things off with Jac. She had tried to forgive her for doing her job, but when her brother’s life spiralled out of control, Molly could no longer continue living with her.
“Molly.” Tiffany’s voice came from behind her. “Everything okay?” Tiffany was the botanist who oversaw the wild gardens and was Molly’s best friend. She had known her since their early days of secondary school and had been as close as sisters since then. In fact, it had been Tiffany who introduced Molly to Jac in university.
“Jac was just leaving.” She glared at Jac one more time then dropped her hands from her jacket. She turned and strode away.
***
“What the hell are you doing here?” Tiffany asked Jac, her hands on her hips. Jac didn’t look at her, her gaze was glued to the retreating form of her ex-lover.
“She’s never going to forgive me, is she?”
“That’s a pretty dumb question, don’t you think?” Tiffany moved in front of her field of vision, causing Jac to glance down at her. She hadn’t changed much since the last time she saw her. Her unruly brown hair blew around her face with smudges of mud on her cheeks. Tiffany loved playing with her plants and didn’t care how messy she got. “Jac, we were just friends and even I have a hard time forgiving what you did. You can’t blame her for still hating you.”
Jac’s gaze roamed over the property, remembering a time ten years ago when Molly officially opened to the public. It had been an amazing day, Molly was so happy and Jac thought it was the start of their life together. Jac had lived on-site too, travelling the one hundred and forty miles to her office every day in London, and she loved driving home every night, the bright sign of Bloomin’ Butterfly always welcoming her back. She looked at that sign now, with its warped edges and dust splattered lettering, and felt a sense of loss she had never felt before, even when Molly had kicked her out. She had always thought one day they would get back together, once Molly had moved on from her grief, however, seeing her now, it finally hit home they were over for good. Molly would never allow her back. She turned her gaze back to Tiffany.
“Molly thinks I’m here to force her to break the lease on this place.” She nodded in the direction of the property. “But I’m not. I came here to warn her that Barry Owens wants her gone.”
“She already knows that, and you know she won’t believe you if you tell her that was your intention. Just go back home and leave her alone.” Tiffany walked away.
“What if I can’t?” Jac called after her.
Tiffany glanced over her shoulder, holdi
ng her hair away from her face. “Then you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.”
Jac got back into her Lexus and slammed the door. Her intentions last night was to check into the motel Ralph had organised for her and then go see Barry Owens to discuss his plans for the sale. The only problem was, the closer Jac got to The Midlands the more her feelings for Molly resurfaced. She just couldn’t find it within her to betray her like that. She had got off the motorway and headed straight to the farm. It would appear, though, that her noble efforts would go unnoticed. Tiffany was right, no way Molly would ever believe Jac had come here to help. The issue with her brother would always be between them.
She started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, aiming toward the motel. She couldn’t give up on the idea of at least gaining Molly’s forgiveness for her actions in her brother’s decline. Had she have known the outcome, she never would have told Ralph about the loophole she found in the contracts. Her phone rang and she accepted the call through the car’s Bluetooth.
“Hello?”
“Jacqueline, Barry Owens said you called to cancel the meeting. What’s going on?” Ralph’s voice was edged with anger.
Jac sighed, wishing she had checked the caller ID before answering. “I had a little car trouble on the way up here. I’m just pulling into the motel now. I’ll call Barry and reschedule.”
“Don’t worry about that. He’s in his office all day. He’s expecting you as soon as you can get there.” Ralph disconnected without a goodbye and Jac thumped the steering wheel. She knew without a doubt this assignment would be micro-managed by Ralph. When large amounts of money were involved, Ralph always stuck his nose in. Not for the first time, Jac wondered why she was even still working for him. As much as she enjoyed contract law, the effort to keep doing what she was doing was wearing her down.
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