Page 5 of Dancing on Air

“He’s dying,” Cora blurted out, not really knowing why she chose to say that bit. “Or at least I think he is. He won’t tell me.” Her mother had told her that Paul was dying, but whenever she tried to talk to her dad about it, he’d just shake his head and say something about her mother being a sick woman.

“So?” JT said, walking back down the path towards the house. “What’s it to me? He left us long ago.” Then he stopped and looked down at her when she followed him. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen,” she answered quickly. JT was nothing like she’d imagined.

“Paul Thomas is your biological father?” he asked suddenly.

“Yes,” she answered, understanding what that meant. Her and her mother had been Paul Thomas’s second family. Her mother was the other woman. The woman who had broken up JT’s family.

From there, things took a different turn. He threatened to call the police on her, but Emma talked him out of it. Cora was surprised when they suggested they all head back to the house and talk about their next move.

When they got back to the house, JT and Emma asked her a bunch of questions.

“You rowed out here from the mainland?” Emma broke in, sitting down across from Cora. Gosh, she was even more beautiful in real life than in the movies she’d seen her in. “You could have gotten lost or capsized and drowned,” Emma added.

Cora shrugged. “It was better than…” She dropped off and avoided their eyes.

“What?” JT leaned against the table, his face inches from hers. “What has you so scared you’d come all this way? Don’t give me the bullshit line about needing money because our old man is sick. I’ve checked, he’s not. A picture of perfect health.”

Cora was silent for a while, thinking. If their dad wasn’t really sick, then it was just one more lie her mother had told her to manipulate her somehow. But why? “My mom’s missing,” she finally admitted.

“Missing?” Emma asked.

“After Dad called you last, she disappeared,” Cora said, feeling sick at the fear that had consumed her since that day. Fear that her father had done something to her mother. That he’d do the same thing to her. That was the real reason she’d taken off. Fear.

Just what did that make her if she was the spawn of two very disturbed people?

“They got into a huge fight,” she added.

“What does Dad say?” he asked.

“He says that she’s just taking a break.”

“You don’t believe him?” Emma asked.

“No,” she answered, suddenly feeling tired. “They went for a drive and Dad returned on his own. Her car is still in the garage.”

“So… you came here for… what? My help?” JT asked. “Why sneak around?”

“I… wasn’t sure about you at first. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to call the cops or my dad. I didn’t have anyone else.” She closed her eyes, feeling too tired to care any longer. “Dad won’t talk about it and he’s… changed.”

“Changed?” JT asked.

“You probably know this better than I do, but Paul Thomas isn’t quality parent material. Nor is my mother, for that matter, but she’s been a better role model than he has. Especially since I don’t really remember him being around much until after I turned eight.”

“Where are you staying?” JT asked finally.

She shrugged. “I was staying in your boathouse.”

He sighed. “How long have you been on the island?”

“Two days,” she answered, holding in a yawn.

“Before that?” he asked.

“I got into Silver Cove three days ago. I hitchhiked down, then took the boat.”

“What did you do with the boat?” Emma asked.