I huffed a mirthless laugh.“People on the islandhavemet her.People whom I trust to have her best interests at heart.Who I know won’t judge her, or me.My daughter is a wonderful, brilliant, beautiful person, Jolene.She loves birds, she loves to draw, she’s skipped three grades in school and is already auditing college courses—for fun.But pushy, overbearing people who violate her personal space and boundaries can be a trigger for her.Hell, they’re a trigger for me.So I’m going to ask you—nay, I’m going to demand—that you respect what I’m saying and leave me and my daughter alone.You will meet her one day.The rest of the island will meet her—when she is ready.”
Jolene’s face was almost as red as the truck in the driveway.“What are you hiding, Mr.Paul?”
“Not a damn thing.And even if I were, it’s mine to hide.”
“I’ve heard your daughter is thirteen.But you look too young to have a child that old.How old are you, Mr.Paul?”
I turned to go.“Have a good day, Jolene.I hope I don’t see you poking around my house again.I have cameras now, just so you know.”Then I headed down the stairs.
“Do you know the family you’re getting tangled up with?”she called after me.“That they came from a cult?A cult!Those cult people came to this island and kidnapped Raina’s son.They brought their dangerous lives to our safe little island.You better not be doing the same.”
I ignored her threats and kept going, tiptoeing through the tulips to my truck.I wasn’t alarmed when I didn’t see Mabel in the front seat.She was smart enough to know to duck down if she didn’t want to be seen.
I opened the driver’s side door and saw her crouched behind the passenger seat, in the same place Naomi had been a few days ago so she didn’t get caught by Jolene.
This busybody woman was going to be the Band-Aid in my salad, I just knew it.
I turned on the vehicle and pulled out from behind the truck.Mabel didn’t pop up or climb into the front seat again until we reached the end of the driveway.
“She’d not going to stop, is she?”
“Nope.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“Not sure, kiddo, but at least we know people whom we can ask for help.”
“I don’t think I want to stay home tonight now while you go out for a beer.”
“Yeah, I don’t want you to either.”
I glanced over at her as I pulled onto the main road.“We’ll figure it out, kiddo.”
Her smile was small and forced.“We always do.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Naomi
LennoxdroppedMabeloffat Gabrielle’s, then hopped into Jagger’s truck with Maverick and Jagger so the guys could all head over to Tom’s for a beer.Over the last month or so, this had become theirthing.Every Monday, they met at Tom’s, sat in beach chairs at the top of his pasture with an unencumbered ocean view, and talked about life.The horses, donkeys, goats, and other animals frolicked behind them, while Portia flitted from one man to another for butt scratches.I considered it a big deal that they were welcoming Lennox into their little group, especially since he wasn’t officially my anything yet.
Of course, when he messaged Tom to cancel and told him why, we were all quick to rally and figure out how we could help.It made sense that Mabel come here, and she didn’t seem upset about the idea at all.
Damon came out of his cave, and he, Austin, and Marco took off to go kick the soccer ball around in the driveway while Honor, Laurel, and Sam baked in Gabrielle’s kitchen.Neither of those activities appealed to Mabel, but she seemed happy to hang out with my cousins and me, putting labels on wine bottles.
I’d given all three of my cousins a heads-up beforehand that some topics were off limits to ask Mabel.Particularly regarding her dad’s age and her mother.
“Why don’t you pay someone to do this?”Mabel asked, giving the bottle a thorough wipe with a cloth and rubbing alcohol before passing it to Gabrielle so she could glue the label on.
“We do have staff, and they start in a couple of days.But we’re very hands-on here.Also, the more we do and don’t have to pay others to do, the more money that goes back into the business and into our pockets,” I replied.
She shrugged.“I guess that makes sense.I don’t like the taste of wine.”
I snagged the gazes of my cousins and we all smiled.“It’s definitely an acquired taste.Maybe when you’re older.”
“Maybe.But probably not.I don’t think I’ll drink alcohol when I’m older.Liver disease, a decline in cognitive function, impaired decision-making capabilities, heightened aggression.None of that sounds fun to me.Besides, my grandfather was a horrible alcoholic and used to beat my dad.Not that I want kids, but if alcoholism can run in the family, no thank you.”
Lennox didn’t tell me that his dad was an alcoholic.He told me that he tried to kill Lennox when he found out that Kyla was pregnant with Lennox’s baby, and that he was abusive, but nothing about him being an addict.
