Chapter 15 Isabella
ISABELLA
Isabella stood at her kitchen counter staring at the coffee maker as it dripped with agonizing slowness into the carafe.
She’d barely slept at all last night, maybe two hours total if she was being generous.
Every time she’d closed her eyes, she’d seen Todd’s message on Maddy’s phone, the casual manipulation of it making her stomach churn.
If Christopher hadn’t been in the spare room down the hall, she wouldn’t have slept at all.
Just knowing he was there, that solid presence between her and the rest of the world, had allowed her to drift off for those brief, restless hours.
She’d lain awake listening to the unfamiliar sounds of someone else in her house.
Christopher’s footsteps as he’d checked the locks one more time before going to bed.
The creak of the guest room door. The knowledge that if anything happened, she wasn’t alone.
She poured coffee into her favorite mug and wrapped both hands around it, seeking warmth that had nothing to do with temperature. Her mind kept replaying last night, the way Maddy’s face had looked when she’d seen that message. The confusion and hope and uncertainty all mixed together.
Thanks to Christopher’s support, Isabella had managed to field Maddy’s questions without completely falling apart. She’d made the decision to be honest, or at least as honest as she could be without terrifying her twelve-year-old daughter.
Maddy’s eyes had lit up when Isabella first explained that her father had contacted her. For one brief, shining moment, Maddy had thought Todd had reached out because he wanted to know his daughter. Because he’d finally realized what he’d been missing all these years.
Isabella had been about to lie, to let Maddy believe that comfortable fiction, when she’d caught Christopher’s eyes across the living room.
He hadn’t said anything, hadn’t needed to.
That steady gaze had pulled her back to reality.
This wasn’t a game, and Todd had just proved he’d play as dirty as necessary to get what he wanted by somehow getting hold of Maddy’s contact information.
So Isabella had told Maddy the truth. Well, part of it. That her father was looking for a loan, but they had nothing to give him. That he was in financial trouble and thought Isabella might help him.
“Is that why he wants to meet me?” Maddy had asked, her voice small but her eyes sharp with understanding that sometimes made Isabella forget she was only twelve. “He thinks he can manipulate you through me?”
Sometimes, Isabella forgot just how incredibly smart her high-potential daughter was. Maddy had inherited Isabella’s emotional intelligence along with a razor-sharp analytical mind that saw through pretense with uncomfortable accuracy.
Maddy had understood the situation, but she still wanted to meet Todd. Even if it was just once. Even knowing he had ulterior motives. She wanted to look her father in the eye and know him, even if what she found wasn’t what she’d hoped for all these years.
Isabella had made Maddy promise to only meet her father if Isabella was with her. No private meetings. No going anywhere alone with a man who was essentially a stranger, blood relation or not.
Now, standing in her kitchen as dawn painted the sky pink and gold, Isabella couldn’t shake the feeling that Todd’s real agenda had been to scare her.
To show her that he could reach Maddy whenever he wanted.
That Isabella’s carefully built walls of protection meant nothing if Todd decided to go around her directly to their daughter.
The message had been clear: give me what I want, or I’ll use your daughter against you.
“You’re up early.”
Isabella turned to find Christopher in the kitchen doorway, his hair slightly mussed from sleep, wearing the same jeans and Henley shirt from last night. He looked tired but alert, and the concern in his eyes made her throat tight.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Isabella admitted. “Coffee?”
“Please.”
She poured him a mug and handed it over, their fingers brushing in a contact that sent familiar warmth through her despite everything. Christopher took a sip and studied her over the rim of the mug.
“You did good last night,” he said quietly. “With Maddy. Being honest with her was the right call.”
“I almost lied,” Isabella confessed. “I almost told her that Todd wanted to see her because he missed her. Because he’d realized what he gave up.”
“But you didn’t,” Christopher said, setting his mug down and taking a step closer. “You told her the truth, and she handled it. Because you’ve raised a strong, smart kid who can deal with hard truths.”
Isabella felt tears prick at her eyes, but blinked them away. She didn’t have time to fall apart. They had work to do, and Maddy would be up soon for school.
An hour later, they were in Isabella’s now-fixed car heading toward the inn.
Christopher had picked up her vehicle from the mechanic yesterday evening, and whatever had been wrong with it had been repaired.
Whether Todd had actually sabotaged it or if it had been a convenient coincidence, Isabella didn’t know.
She wasn’t sure which option scared her more.
Maddy sat in the back seat, unusually quiet as she stared out the window at the passing scenery. She’d given Isabella her phone that morning without being asked, understanding that any further contact from Todd needed to go through her mother first.
The gesture made Isabella want to cry and cheer at the same time. Her daughter was growing up, learning to navigate complicated adult situations with grace that belied her age.
As soon as they pulled into the inn’s parking lot, Maddy unbuckled her seatbelt. “Can I go find Trinity?”
“Of course,” Isabella said, watching her daughter practically sprint toward the inn’s entrance.
Christopher reached over and squeezed Isabella’s hand. “We’ll keep an eye on her. She’s going to be fine.”
“I know,” Isabella said, but her voice wavered. “She’s a good kid. She understands what’s happening. I hate that she has to understand it at all.”
They climbed out of the car and walked into the inn together.
The morning was already bustling with activity.
Julie stood at the front desk sorting through what looked like more RSVPs for the Winter Ball.
Jack’s voice drifted from somewhere deeper in the building, probably the workshop.
The smell of fresh coffee and cinnamon rolls wafted from the kitchen where Mrs. Hurling was preparing breakfast for guests.
It felt normal and safe and like a haven from everything threatening to crash down around Isabella’s carefully built life.
Christopher had promised to keep an eye on Maddy while they worked on the ballroom, and Isabella found comfort in that. Trinity and Maddy were inseparable these days, and between Christopher, Gabe, and Jane, all working in the ballroom, there were plenty of responsible adults watching over them.
The morning passed in a blur of activity. Isabella helped Mrs. Hurling with breakfast service, then moved on to prep work for the inn’s lunch service. Her hands moved through familiar motions while her mind spun with worry she couldn’t quite shake.
Just after lunch, Isabella realized she needed supplies from St. Augustine. Several specialty ingredients for the weekend’s catering jobs that she couldn’t get locally. She was debating whether to go alone or ask someone to watch Maddy when Christopher appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Want company?” he asked, as if he’d sensed her hesitation about leaving Maddy.
“Are you sure? I know you’re busy with the ballroom.”
“We’re at a good stopping point,” Christopher assured her. “Besides, I could use a break from manual labor.”
Isabella was reaching for her purse when Jane appeared, Trinity and Maddy trailing behind her. “I was going to take the girls and Duke to the beach for a couple of hours,” Jane said. “Give them a break from being cooped up inside. Would that be okay?”
Isabella opened her mouth to agree, then hesitated. The beach. Public and open. What if Todd showed up? What if he approached Maddy when Isabella wasn’t there?
Before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out. “Maddy’s father contacted her last night. He’s trying to use her to manipulate me into giving him money.” She swallowed hard. “I’m worried he might try to approach her if he knows where she is.”
Jane’s expression shifted, the usual walls in her eyes dropping away to reveal genuine warmth and concern. It was the first time Isabella had seen that kind of openness from Jane, and it made her chest tight with unexpected emotion.
“I’ll look after her,” Jane said firmly. “We’re taking Duke with us, and I promise I won’t let her out of my sight. If anyone tries to approach them, they’ll have to go through me and eighty pounds of very protective Great Dane.”
“Thank you,” Isabella managed, her voice thick with gratitude.
As she and Christopher left the inn, Isabella couldn’t shake a lingering feeling of unease. She tried to ignore it, told herself she was just being paranoid after yesterday’s confrontation and last night’s message. Maddy was safe with Jane. Everything would be fine.
The drive into St. Augustine was peaceful, the afternoon sun warm through the windshield. Christopher had insisted on driving, and Isabella found herself relaxing into the passenger seat, watching the familiar landscape roll by.
They made their way through her errands efficiently, stopping at the specialty food store, the restaurant supply shop, and the farmer’s market for fresh produce.
Christopher carried bags without complaint and asked intelligent questions about ingredients and cooking techniques that made Isabella smile despite her lingering worry.
“You’re getting pretty good at this assistant chef thing,” she teased as they loaded the last bags into the car.
“I have an excellent teacher,” Christopher said, and the warmth in his voice made her pulse skip.