Chapter 58
TWO WEEKS LATER
The smell of hay and barnyard animals clogged Josie’s sinuses.
She stood outside a fenced-in area filled with baby goats and yoga mats, entertaining serious doubts about this adventure.
Stupid T-Rex pancake mold. It had clearly been defective and yet, no one bought that.
Misty, Harris, and Noah all agreed that she had lost the dinosaur pancake-making contest to Wren and now they all had to endure goat yoga.
Besides the smell, her itchy sinuses, the heat, and her general trepidation about having a farm animal walk over her spine while she was in child’s pose, Josie found herself mourning the loss of the drawing she’d never get from Wren.
One day, she told herself. One day she would earn that girl’s trust and learn all her secrets. Even if she had to do this to get there.
“Aunt JoJo,” Harris called excitedly from the other side of the fence. “We can feed the goats, too! They have baby bottles!”
Josie couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face.
Harris had that effect on her. He stood between Wren and Erica as the three of them listened intently to the instructions one of the farm owners was giving.
He was so amped up, he kept hopping from one foot to the other.
A few feet away, Misty and Noah had already chosen their yoga mats, and sat atop them, surrounded by curious and somewhat aggressive baby goats.
Josie had to admit they were really cute.
“You have to go in, you know. I have it on good authority we’re here because you lost a bet.”
Josie turned to see Gretchen and her adult daughter, Paula, approaching, carrying water bottles.
“I’m going in,” Josie grumbled. “In a minute.”
Paula, who was taller than both Josie and Gretchen, looked down at Josie, one eyebrow arched. “I didn’t peg you as someone who would be scared of farm animals. Didn’t you shoot a guy a couple of weeks ago? Thanks for that, by the way. I kind of like having my mom around.”
“I’m not afraid of farm animals,” Josie said.
“She’s not afraid of farm animals,” Gretchen said at the same time.
Paula laughed and backed away, headed toward the enclosure. “Right, okay. We’ll see.”
Once she was out of earshot, Josie asked Gretchen, “Did you get them?”
Reaching into the small backpack hooked over her shoulder, Gretchen produced two tickets, waving them in Josie’s direction. Each one of them was good for a hot air balloon ride from a company based in southern Pennsylvania, about an hour away.
“Great,” Josie said, taking them and tucking them into her own bag.
“You think they’re coming?” Gretchen asked.
Josie gave a nod in the direction of the parking lot. “They’re already here.”
“Great. I’ll see you in there.” Gretchen still wasn’t completely on board with socializing with Turner but she wouldn’t give Cassidy short shrift, and when Josie had suggested Turner and his daughter join them today, Cassidy had practically jumped up and down with excitement.
The moment they were close enough, Cassidy threw her arms around Josie. “Thanks for inviting us!”
The first time Josie met the girl, she wouldn’t have thought she was a hugger.
Maybe it was the trauma. Maybe it was that Josie was one of the people on the other side of the door when she was rescued.
It didn’t matter. Josie would take it. Even when she noticed Wren eyeing them from across the fence, a frown on her face.
“Oh, there’s Noah!” Cassidy said. “And Wren!”
With that, she was gone, leaving Turner and Josie face to face. She took out the tickets and thrust them against his chest.
“What’s this?” he said, brows drawing together as he studied them. “Quinn, I can’t take these.”
“Shut up,” she told him. “They’re not for you anyway, although if you aren’t on that ride with her, I will kick your ass.”
He shook his head, staring at the tickets. “Noted.”
The sound of giggles drew both their attention. Misty was being full-on attacked by a half-dozen baby goats and apparently loving every second.
“Whoa,” Turner breathed. “Who’s that?”
Josie’s head snapped in his direction so fast, she almost gave herself whiplash. “Don’t,” she said sternly. “Don’t even think about it. In fact, don’t look at her at all.”
He chuckled. “I asked who she is, not for her hand in marriage.”
Josie glared at him. “She’s the best person I know. She’s kind and caring and generous and too good for mortal men.”
“Jesus, Quinn,” Turner said, full-on laughing now. “I was just looking for a name.”
“Bullshit.”
He shrugged.
Together, they watched Harris join the fray, throwing himself into his mother’s lap and letting the goats nudge and lick him.
“Don’t worry, Quinn,” Turner said. “I’m not interested in dating anyone. I’m in the middle of a divorce.”
She’d assumed that Dani’s affair would be the final nail in the coffin of their marriage, but he hadn’t said one way or the other until now.
“I’m sorry,” Josie said.
His fingers tapped against his thigh. “Yeah, me too. But hey, I’ve got my kid, and that’s all that matters.”
“I guess she knows about Dani,” Josie said, lowering her voice.
“Yeah. Kind of hard to hide it when your manstress kidnaps you.”
“Is she upset? About the divorce?”
“Hell, no. She’s happy we won’t be fighting anymore.”
Josie wasn’t surprised after having read all three of their text messages and other communications, and having a bird’s-eye view of the dynamics of their family.
Turner watched as Cassidy talked animatedly with Wren and Erica, a look of profound gratitude on his face. Josie knew the feeling. She still paused to stare at her husband the same way even ten months after his abduction.
The melodic sound of a young girl’s voice floated toward them. Turner searched it out and when he found its source, his mouth dropped open in shock. Then he clamped it shut and glowered at Josie. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, Quinn?”
Zara and Penny approached, clad in yoga pants and tank tops, their hands linked between their bodies. From where she stood, Josie couldn’t hear Penny’s words, but she could tell the girl was chattering to her mother. When Zara spotted Turner, she smiled.
His return smile was strained. Josie knew by the way he tugged at his beard that he was freaking out.
From the corner of his mouth, he said, “I’m serious, Quinn.
You don’t know what I had to do to make sure they were safe.
You can’t just invite them around whenever you want.
Emmer is still out there. Still a threat. And Cass—”
He yanked two more times on his beard as he looked back toward Cassidy.
Josie knew she was crossing a line here and that it could go horribly wrong but truthfully, she didn’t care.
Secrets and miscommunications and Turner’s utter inability to defend himself and face his fears head-on had been a factor in everything that had happened to his family.
If he had any hope of moving forward and being the dad that Cassidy needed—again—then he needed to address the issue of Zara.
“Annette is keeping an eye on Emmer for the day,” Josie told him.
She happened to know that Annette had returned to Alden a few days earlier, secure in the knowledge that Dani was recovering well from her ordeal.
Dani’s parents were staying longer. Annette was more receptive to helping both Zara and Shitbird once Dani confessed the truth of her affair with Griffin.
Annette had been only too happy to track Dustin Emmer for the day.
She was determined to be there the next time he so much as littered.
Although Emmer was still walking free, Griffin Holt was still behind bars.
The homicide charges had been dropped. He had agreed to plead guilty to kidnapping Dani and Cassidy.
With input from Milo and Reina Torres as well as Dani herself, the prosecutor was amenable to ensuring he received whatever mental health treatment was available to him after his sentencing.
“I guess Annette will keep Emmer in line,” Turner mumbled. His relief did little to decrease his beard-pulling as he frantically looked back and forth between Zara and Penny and Cassidy. “This is a goddamn train wreck, Quinn,” he added for her benefit only.
Josie shrugged. “Maybe.”
Zara and Penny were only feet away when Cassidy drew up beside Turner. “Dad, next weekend Wren and Erica are going to— Oh, hey! It’s Zara, right?”
Josie’s mouth dropped open. When she orchestrated this meeting, she had not anticipated that the two women had already met. Clearly, neither had Turner, if the wide-eyed look of shock on his face was any indication.
Zara grinned, playing with one of Penny’s braids as the girl pressed into her mother’s side. “You remember! It’s so nice to see you again, Cassidy. How are you doing after everything?”
Turner’s gaze flicked back and forth between Zara and his daughter as if he were watching two strangers.
Cassidy glanced back at him. “I’m doing really well. Thank you for asking.”
“How’s your mom?”
For a moment, Cassidy’s face twisted as she fought down her anger and disappointment over Dani’s betrayal. Turner rested a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to calm her. Forcing a smile, she answered, “It’s hard, but I think she’ll be okay.”
“I’m sure she will,” Zara said.
Cassidy cleared her throat and stepped closer, addressing Penny. “Hey, I’m Cassidy. You probably don’t remember me ’cause you were really little when we met. Are you excited about goat yoga?”
Penny nodded shyly, still clinging to her mother.
“You can have the mat next to mine,” Cassidy said. “It’ll be fun. We get to bottle-feed the goats, too.”
Penny’s eyes lit up but she didn’t say anything. Zara nudged her toward the enclosure. “Why don’t we go look?”
Once they were out of earshot, Turner used his grip on Cassidy to spin her toward him. “You’ve met them before?”
“They came to the house looking for you once. Back when you were trying to get them new identities.”
Turner’s brow furrowed. “Was your mom home?”
“No. It was after school. I had a babysitter, remember? That lady who smelled like menthol? Really old? Slept in your recliner pretty much the whole time she was ‘sitting?’” Cassidy used air quotes around the last word.
“Right,” Turner muttered. “How did you know I was trying to get them new identities?”
Cassidy put a hand on her hip. “Did you hit your head, or what? You told Mom and Aunt Annette what you were doing. What? You didn’t think I’d overhear?”
“You were young, though, and—”
Her arched brow could have stopped traffic. “I was eleven, Dad. I had sentience.”
“That’s not how you use that word,” he said, obviously beginning to regain his composure. “No points.”
“We’re going to need an independent review on that one,” Cassidy said. “Anyway, can I go to the movies with Wren and Erica next weekend?”
“That should be fine,” Turner said. “We can talk about it later.”
Josie knew he wouldn’t want to let her out of his sight ever again. Maybe Cassidy did, too, because she didn’t push, simply nodding and heading back toward the pen which was now very crowded with people and baby goats.
“Cass,” he called, stopping her in her tracks. “Why didn’t you tell me that Zara and Penny stopped by that day?”
“You were in court,” she said. “’Cause you had on your gray suit.
Remember? That was the one you always wore to court when we lived in Alden.
When Zara said she couldn’t get you on your cell phone, I remembered.
I told her that was why she couldn’t reach you, but she could check the courthouse.
I meant to tell you but I forgot, and I sure as hell wasn’t telling Mom.
I didn’t want her to accuse you of cheating again. ”
“Accuse me,” Turner said slowly. “Again.”
Cassidy’s face filled with disgust. “Yeah. I never understood why she would think you cheated but now I know. She was the one being unfaithful. What better way to make sure you would never suspect than to put you on the defensive?”
Josie felt the unmistakable prick of tears behind her eyes as she watched Turner’s entire face transform. His jaw went slack. Even the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes loosened. Years of tension seemed to drain away in a matter of seconds.
“Anyway,” Cassidy said. “You promised we’d do something fun today, and this conversation is not it. Are you coming, or what?”
“Yeah,” he croaked. “I’ll be right there.”
As he watched her go, a single tear leaked from the corner of his eye. Quickly, he wiped it away.
“So,” Josie said, forcing her own tears down and smirking at him. “That went pretty well, wouldn’t you say?”
Sniffling, Turner shot her a dirty look. “Try not to look so smug, sweetheart. It doesn’t suit you.”
With a grin, Josie left him standing there. Over her shoulder, she called, “That’s going to cost you a dollar.”
* * *