Butterfly Kisses Read online

  Chapter Eight

  “Oh, excuse me,” Jac said as she rounded a corner of her motel and bumped into someone. Her eyes went wide as Donald Fisher spun around and glared at her. Jac didn’t miss the tightening of his fists, his face turning purple with anger. She braced herself for the punch that never came.

  “Ms. Colby. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m staying here while Molly recovers.” His face turned a deeper shade when she spoke of his daughter. She knew in that instant he would never forgive her for her part in Dillon’s demise, and of her presence in Molly’s life.

  “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you need to stay away from her.”

  “I can’t do that, Sir. In fact, I’m on my way there now.” Donald couldn’t hide his anger any longer, he grabbed Jac’s shirt front and pulled her closer to him. She could smell stale booze on his breath.

  “I would have thought our little episode the other day would be enough to get rid of you, but you just won’t get the message.”

  Jac grabbed his wrists and yanked hard, breaking his hold on her shirt. Tiffany was right, she could knock him out with one punch, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  “Molly said it’s okay if I stay. Until she tells me otherwise, I’m not going anywhere.”

  He blinked at her as if he hadn’t expected her to stand up for herself. He floundered for a moment then straightened up. “You tell Molly I’ve gone back to the States and I won’t be coming back until you’re gone.” He spun on his heel and strode away.

  “You’re making a mistake,” she called after him. He stopped and glanced back at her, brows raised in question. “She’s your daughter. She needs you.”

  “I gave her a choice and she chose you, evidently. Tell her goodbye.”

  Jac didn’t get a chance to argue further as he disappeared around a corner. She straightened her shirt and shook her head. Molly would be devastated knowing he had left, but at least Jac tried to get him to stay. As much as she wanted Donald in his daughter’s life, she wouldn’t give up her place by Molly’s side as long as Molly wanted her there.

  A half-hour later she knocked on Molly’s door, surprised to see Molly and Tiffany both in tears. For a moment her heart stopped, fearing something bad had happened. She strode into the room.

  “What’s going on?” Her voice was panicked and came out in a rush. “Are you okay?” She hurried to Molly’s side and gripped her hand. Molly glanced at Tiffany and Tiffany nodded. It was bad news, she knew it was. She locked her knees to stop them from giving out.

  Noticing the state Jac was in, Molly said, “Jac, I’m okay. Calm down.”

  “Then what is it? Why are you both crying?”

  Tiffany stood from her chair and reached for Jac’s other hand, pulling her around the bed and forcing her to sit. “I’m going to head back to work, make some calls. I’ll see you later, Molly, and let you know how I get on.” She smiled at Jac and left.

  “Tell me, Molly.”

  “You have to promise you’ll take it easy and not fly off the handle.” Jac didn’t answer. She couldn’t make a promise until she knew what was happening. “Promise me, Jac.”

  “Okay, fine. I promise.”

  “Good. Tiffany and I have been talking and we both think it’s best if we sell what we can and disband the business.”

  “No!” Jac stood up forcibly, toppling the chair. “You can’t.”

  “You promised.”

  “Why, why would you do this?”

  “Sit down.” Jac righted the chair and re-took her seat. “The farm is failing, you know this. And with me in here for a while, there just doesn’t seem any point in keeping it going. Barry won’t let up in harassing me and to be honest, I can’t be bothered to fight him anymore. It’s time to let it go.”

  “But you can’t.” Jac began to cry, her body shaking. The very reason she came to The Midlands was to stop Molly from giving up. She couldn’t let her do it, not now. “You said you wouldn’t make a decision for a while. Why now?”

  “Jac. Why is this so hard for you to accept? And don’t give me that crap about it being my dream. I lived my dream and it failed, I’m okay with that. Why do you care so much?”

  How could Jac explain it? If Molly was so willing to give up on her dream business, would she also be willing to give up on her dream relationship? A relationship with Jac? Jac had to fight to keep Bloomin’ Butterfly open, it was her only hope of convincing Molly to give them a chance. She couldn’t find a way of explaining it without sounding crazy so she opted for the truth. She didn’t look at Molly as she spoke.

  “If you can easily give up on the farm, then you can give up on us.”

  “Oh, Jac. There is no us.”

  “But there can be,” she said desperately. “You just need to remember what we were like. We can work it out.”

  “Jac, you need to listen to me. We’re over. We have been for a long time. I moved on. We can be friends but that’s all I can offer you.”

  Jac glanced up, noting the determination in Molly’s eyes. Could it be Jac had waited too long to come back? Had she lost Molly forever? She couldn’t contemplate the thought. “But I love you, Molly.”

  Molly reached out and took Jac’s hand. “I love you, too. But it’s not enough, not anymore. If you can’t get over it then we can’t see each other anymore.”

  “Please, Molly.” Jac would get on her knees and beg if Molly would just say they had a chance. “I can’t let you go.”

  “You have to.” She took a deep breath. “I need you to draw up a contract for Barry and Ralph to sign. Something along the lines of we won’t sign anything for them until we have time to liquidate our assets. Can you do that for me?”

  “Of course.” Jac swiped the back of her arm across her face. “I’ll have it sewn up so they can’t come near you until you’re ready.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry, Jac.”

  “No, don’t be. This is all my fault. I should have listened to my gut when I found the loophole in Dillon’s contract. I messed us up, not you. Don’t worry. I won’t ask again. I’m still going to stick around though if that’s okay?”

  “I’d like that.” Molly smiled sadly, squeezing Jac’s hand. “Now, do you think you can get something long and pointy? My knee is itching like hell.”

  Jac laughed and the tension was broken. She would keep her promises, she wouldn’t ask again, she just hoped Molly would learn to love her once more. They belonged together.

  An hour later Jac got around to telling Molly about her father. Although Molly didn’t cry, it was easy to see she was upset he had chosen to go home instead of staying.

  “If you’d rather, I can leave, and he can stay with you.”

  Molly shook her head. “No. He made his choice. I don’t want him here if he can’t get on with you. You’re important to me, and if he can’t see that, that’s his problem.

  “I don’t want to be the reason you two don’t see each other.” Jac had already driven a wedge in Molly’s family over Dillon, she didn’t want to be responsible for her dad being absent too.

  “You’re not. He is. Please don’t feel guilty. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  If only Jac could believe that. Molly was gracious enough to say the words, but Jac could see her struggling with knowing her father had left, and without saying goodbye. A fresh wave of doubt suffused her. She couldn’t help thinking all she brought to Molly’s door was heartache. Bloomin’ Butterfly, Dillon, the car accident, and now Donald, all happened with Jac around. Maybe she was a jinx? She would need to be careful. She didn’t want any more bad fortune coming Molly’s way.

  ***

  Later that afternoon Jac pulled up into the carpark of Bloomin’ Butterfly. She sat for a moment looking up at the rusted sign, thinking back to the times when this used to be her home too. Molly had wanted to live on-site, to be close by to her breeding program, and it made sense for Jac to live here too and commute to work. Even tho
ugh it had been years since she lived here, she still got the same sense of home she always had. For a fleeting instant, she thought maybe she could buy the land off Barry and then Molly wouldn’t have to move, however, the idea didn’t stay for long. Even if Barry didn’t want his land back, the business was still failing. Whichever way Jac looked at it the farm would be closed in the end. Molly was right, it would be better to try and recoup as much money as possible so she could pay her way while she recovered.

  Another thought hit Jac. Where was Molly going to stay once the farm was gone? As far as she knew, Molly didn’t have any other property. Not only that, Jac would need to find somewhere more permanent to live herself. She had no intention of leaving The Midlands, not if that was where Molly was. She would need to talk to Molly about that.

  Jac opened her door and went in search of Tiffany. The Closed sign hanging on the visitor’s centre made her throat catch. It would seem Tiffany didn’t waste any time shutting the place down. Jac tamped down her anger over the whole mess. It wasn’t her business what Molly and Tiffany decided to do, but she would make sure they wouldn’t leave until they were ready, and that meant drawing up the contracts for Barry and Ralph to sign. That was what brought her here now. She needed to talk to Tiffany about her projected timeline on how long it would take her to sell off what she could. This also meant rehoming the butterflies, caterpillars, and larvae etcetera.

  Jac approached a man who was stacking boxes along the visitor centre wall. He looked vaguely familiar and then it clicked who he was. “Gabe?” He turned around and glanced at her. “I don’t know if you remember me–”

  “Of course I do. Jac. It’s so good to see you again.” He stepped toward her and held out his hand. “Been a long time.” Gabe had been at the farm since the very first day. He was in charge of the maintenance of all the buildings and the greenhouses, making sure everything stayed running.

  “It has. How’s the family?”

  “The girls are in high school now.” He shook his head and smiled. “They won’t stop growing up and my hair won’t stop falling out due to the stress of it all.” He reached up and rubbed the bold spot on his head that wasn’t there when Jac last saw him, a sheepish grin stretching his lips.

  “I can imagine. Do you know where I can find Tiff?”

  “Last I saw her she was in the office. Damn shame about everything.” He shook his head and glanced around them, looking at the property, void of any visitors or staff.

  Jac wondered if he meant Molly’s accident or if Tiffany had already told them about closing for good. The fact the Closed sign was up indicated the latter. “Yeah, it is.” She shook his hand again and headed toward the back office where she last remembered it being. She glanced through the frosted glass window and saw Tiffany’s shadow moving about inside. She rapped on the door and strode in. Tiffany glanced at her as she did so, phone tucked between her shoulder and ear, a Filofax in her hands. She lifted a finger telling Jac to wait a moment. Jac turned away to give her some privacy, looking at the photos on the wall, all of them butterflies, some she recognised as photos she had taken herself. She had always had a keen interest in photography, in fact, she even took a class in it when she was in university. Molly’s butterflies always made for good shots, and Jac spent many a hour capturing them on film.

  “Sorry about that,” Tiffany said, throwing her phone down onto the desk. “I’ve been calling Molly’s contacts all day to see about re-homing the insects. Can I get you a coffee?”

  “No, thanks, I’m good. Molly asked I draw up a contract for you guys. I came to talk to you about your schedule, how long you think it’ll take to liquidate.”

  “Here, sit down.” Tiffany glanced around and then lifted a stack of folders off a chair and dumped them onto the desk. “I spoke to a business auction house, they’re coming up in a couple of days to look around and take some photos. They can fit us in in a month. They’ll get a catalogue made up and distributed, so that’ll take care of the bulk of things. I’ve also talked to a couple of garden centres who’ll take the plants. The insects are a different matter. I talked to the manager at Insect Go Wild down south, he said he’s interested in taking some of the butterflies but not all. I’ve reached out to some other farmers and am now waiting for call-backs. If it all goes well, the whole place should be emptied in two to three months.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.” Jac glanced around the office as if seeing the whole farm through the walls. “You two worked so hard for this, it’s not fair.”

  Tiffany nodded and frowned. “It certainly wasn’t in my plans, but if the people aren’t visiting, there’s nothing we can do. On the bright side, we had a hell of a time in the last ten years.” She smiled. “We enjoyed every minute. And who knows what the future will bring.”

  “Still, I wish there was something we could have done.”

  “This is the right thing to do, Jac. You must know that.”

  “Yeah, I’m just sorry it came to this.” Tiffany studied her for a moment and Jac shifted under her gaze.

  “I’m pleased you’re back and everything, but I have to ask, what are your plans? For Molly I mean.”

  “I told her I loved her, but she just wants to be friends. I don’t plan on staying in London. I want to come home.”

  “You understand that home might not be with Molly?”

  Jac took a breath and ran her hand through her short hair, giving herself time to answer. She needed to accept that Molly might not ever change her mind about them, however, that didn’t mean Jac wouldn’t be in her life. Just being near Molly was enough to help mend her broken heart. She could also see the interest in Molly’s eyes. She may have told Jac she just wanted to be friends, but Jac knew her well enough to know Molly wanted more but was too afraid to admit it.

  “I know what she told me, but I can’t give up hope. I won’t pester her, but I need her back in my life. When I thought she was dead...”

  “I know, I saw you at the hospital, don’t forget. If It makes you feel any better, I know she still loves you. Maybe over time, she’ll fall back in love with you.”

  Jac smiled, that was wishful thinking and not something she could hope for too much. Molly was in a fragile state right now. All that mattered was Molly getting healthy and repairing their friendship. That would have to be enough for Jac, for now.

  “Enough about me, tell me about Doctor Miles.”

  “He’s so dreamy.” The blush tinting Tiffany’s cheeks were adorable, Jac didn’t think she had ever lost her head over a guy before. “We went out on a date the other night and he was so sweet.”

  “You think maybe he could be the one?”

  “I don’t know about that. I haven’t been with a man for years, too busy with this place, but there is something about him.”

  “Well, good luck to you. I hope you find your happy ever after.”

  “Same to you. Now, enough of this mushy stuff. How would you like a guided tour? I’ll show you all the things we’ve done since you were here last.”

  Jac stood and followed Tiffany out into the daylight. She took in everything as Tiffany showed her the improvements they had made. This could very well be the last time she would see this place in all its glory before things started to be sold off. She suddenly wished she had brought her camera to capture the moment. She settled for snapping pictures with her phone. She hadn’t realised how much time had passed when the sun began its descent. She needed to go back to her motel and start outlining the contract and then go and see Molly before visiting hours were over. The day so far had been sombre and she hoped spending an hour or two with Molly later would brighten her spirits. They had a long road ahead and Jac needed to be on point if she was going to help hold off Ralph and Barry for as long as possible. From what he had said that day in his office, his client was desperate to buy the land, and for Ralph that would mean doing everything in his power to move Molly and Tiffany on.

  Chapter Nine

  Moll
y had now been in the hospital for three weeks and it was starting to piss her off. Not being able to move and staring at the same four walls had her temper flaring. She was being rude to the staff and on more than one occasion she had snapped at Tiffany and Jac. All everybody was trying to do was help her and she was throwing it back in their faces. She needed to get out of here, she wanted to be back on the farm with all her things around her. Tiffany had been doing a great job in organizing the sale of the property and finding buyers for her butterflies, but Molly wanted to be there with her, helping to disband the business they had worked so hard to build.

  “Good morning, Molly,” Doctor Miles said, a cheery smile on his face.

  Molly grunted at him. “Is it? I wouldn’t know.” Doctor Miles raised his eyebrows in alarm. “Sorry, that was bitchy. I’m just sick of being here. I want to go home.”

  Doctor Miles flicked through her chart and then sat in the guest chair, crossing one leg over the other, the chart resting on his knee. “Your recent scans came back all clear. The concussion is gone and we see no damage to your brain. The physio tells me your arm is good and you’re near enough back to full strength. The only issues you have left is your legs and pelvis. I’m not so concerned with your left knee, that’s healing perfectly, and in a couple of weeks, you’ll be able to progress to an immobilizer. Molly, at the present time your pelvis and right leg are still a long way off from healing. I don’t think it’s wise to send you home. Here you have access to nurses who can care for you.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, but I’d heal faster if I was at home. Is there not a home care team that can come and see me?”

  “Yes. But what about your check-ups, scans, sponge baths? These are all things you need to consider. Moving you to and from the hospital can displace the bones we’ve pinned together causing further damage. I’m sorry, but in my professional opinion, it’s just not wise.”