Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Chloe sat at her kitchen table with a half-empty mug of coffee beside her laptop. She’d started work an hour earlier today to give her time to come home and call her lawyer before Oscar finished school. It was hard enough dealing with what was going on, but upsetting Oscar would be worse.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone and found Laura’s number. Her fingers hovered over the call button as a mix of anxiety and determination settled in her chest.

“Time to get this over with,” she whispered to herself, pressing the button.

The phone rang twice before Laura’s receptionist answered the call and put Chloe through to her lawyer.

“Hello, this is Laura Henderson.”

“Hi, Laura. It’s Chloe,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Chloe, I’ve been expecting your call. How are you holding up?” Laura asked gently.

“I’ve been better,” Chloe admitted. “An email came from Paul’s lawyer today. I wanted to discuss it with you.”

“Yes, I saw the email as well,” Laura replied. “Paul’s requesting visitation rights with Oscar.”

Chloe’s grip tightened on the phone. “He wants Oscar to spend school holidays with him in Washington, D.C., and he’d like to visit here every second month for a week.”

“That’s correct,” Laura confirmed. “Receiving the email must have come as a shock.”

“It did.” Chloe sighed. “I don’t want Oscar being away from me for that long, especially with Paul. He’s barely been involved in Oscar’s life.”

“I hear your concerns,” Laura said reassuringly. “The only positive thing in this situation is that visitation is less invasive than shared custody. With visitation rights, Paul wouldn’t have any authority to make decisions regarding Oscar’s education, healthcare, or general welfare. Those decisions would remain solely with you.”

“But how can I make sure Oscar’s safe when he’s with Paul?” Chloe asked, her voice tinged with worry. “Paul’s history with gambling and... other issues doesn’t give me any confidence that he’ll keep Oscar safe.”

“That’s something we can address,” Laura replied. “As we discussed in our last call, I’ll petition the court for supervised visitation based on Paul’s past behavior. We’ll need to compile evidence of his gambling addiction and any other relevant issues, such as the affairs you mentioned during your divorce.”

Chloe nodded, even though Laura couldn’t see her. “I have records of his gambling debts and some emails that might help.”

“Excellent,” Laura said. “The more information we have, the stronger our case will be. Family courts prioritize the child’s best interests, and if we can show that unsupervised visitation could be detrimental to Oscar, the court may mandate supervised visits.”

“Do you think that’s likely?” Chloe asked hopefully.

“It’s certainly possible,” Laura assured her. “I’ve seen cases with less evidence result in supervised visitation. We’ll need to present a comprehensive file to the judge.”

Chloe exhaled slowly, feeling a small measure of relief. “Okay, I’ll gather everything I have and send it to you.”

“Good,” Laura said. “In the meantime, I recommend not discussing this with Oscar until we have more concrete information. We don’t want to cause him unnecessary stress.”

“I wasn’t going to mention it to him,” Chloe replied. “I don’t want him to worry.”

“That’s good. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?” Laura asked.

“Not at the moment. Thanks for all you’re doing for me.”

“Anytime, Chloe. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns,” Laura said.

“I appreciate that,” Chloe replied.

“Take care, and I’ll be in touch soon,” Laura said before ending the call.

Chloe set down her phone and leaned back in the chair. She’d felt sick to her stomach when she’d read the email from Paul’s lawyer, but talking with Laura had made her feel a little better.

As she stared through the window, her thoughts drifted to Oscar—his infectious laughter, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about his latest drawing or adventure with Liam and Trixie. The idea of him being away from her, especially with Paul, filled her with unease.

Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a text from Liam.

Just checking in. Hope your call went okay.

A small smile tugged at her lips. She’d told Liam about the email from Paul’s lawyer and how worried she was.

She typed a quick response. Thanks, Liam. Just got off the phone with Laura. Feeling better after speaking to her. She didn’t have to wait long for his response.

That’s awesome. Let me know if you want a distraction. I found something on one of Eleanor Whittaker’s sketches.

Chloe had asked her friends at the Smithsonian to find any information about Eleanor and Samuel, but she hadn’t had time to do any research herself. I need to send my lawyer some information, but after that, I’d love to hear about Eleanor. Can I call you later tonight?

Sure. I’m having dinner at Steve’s house, but I should be back by eight-thirty.

Chloe smiled. I’ll call then. Talk later.

Liam sent back a thumbs up emoji, and she sighed. Just knowing he was thinking about her made everything with Paul a little easier to bear. Leaving her phone on the table, she turned her attention to the stack of documents she needed for Laura.

Opening the drawer of her desk, she pulled out a folder. Four years ago, when she saw how much money Paul had taken from their joint accounts, she’d printed off the statements that showed the withdrawals. A part of her had hoped there was a logical explanation for the missing money. But when a friend mentioned seeing Paul with another woman, her heart had broken.

After their divorce, she’d nearly thrown out the evidence of what had happened but, thankfully, something had stopped her. She still had the old bank statements showing his gambling debts, copies of threatening letters from creditors, and printouts of emails that documented his affairs. Each piece of paper was a painful reminder of the past she’d worked so hard to leave behind.

She hesitated over one photo—a snapshot of Paul and Oscar on Oscar’s first birthday. They were both smiling, a rare moment of happiness frozen in time. Chloe felt a pang of sadness, but quickly pushed it aside. She couldn’t afford to dwell on what had happened in the past.

After scanning the documents and attaching them to an email for Laura, she hit “Send” and closed her laptop. As she took the documents back to her desk, she sighed. She didn’t know what Paul’s motive was for asking for visitation, but if he thought she’d make it easy for him to take Oscar back to Washington, D.C., he’d have to think again.

Later that night, Liam parked outside Chloe’s cottage and stepped out of his truck. He’d called earlier to see if it was okay to see her on his way home. What he’d found was too important to discuss over the phone, especially when it answered a lot of their questions about Eleanor.

Clutching a worn leather folder filled with documents, he held open the truck’s back door for Trixie. “Ready to see Chloe, girl?”

She wagged her tail excitedly and jumped onto the sidewalk.

As he walked toward the cottage, he thought about Chloe. When he’d called her, she’d sounded as eager as he was to see what he’d discovered about Eleanor. Reaching the front door, he knocked lightly, not wanting to wake Oscar. Moments later, the door swung open.

“Hey, Liam.” Chloe greeted them with a warm smile. “Hi, Trixie!”

“Hi, Chloe. Thanks for seeing me so late.”

“It’s no problem,” she said, stepping aside. “I’m looking forward to hearing about Eleanor. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Coffee would be great, thanks,” Liam said, following her into the kitchen. He set the folder on the table and shrugged off his jacket. Trixie made herself comfortable on the rug beside him. While Chloe made their drinks, he took the newspaper articles and photos out of the folder.

“Were you able to send all the information your lawyer wanted?”

Chloe nodded and handed him a mug of coffee. “It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. Hopefully, it helps.” She sat beside him and studied the papers. “That looks interesting.”

“As I was leaving Steve’s house, Percy called me. He told me about some old newspapers and letters that were found at the old steamboat museum. He’d forgotten all about them. When he looked through them, a couple of the stories mentioned Eleanor Whittaker and... her involvement in the Prohibition movement.”

Chloe’s eyebrows shot up. “Prohibition? Eleanor was involved in that?”

Liam handed her a faded newspaper clipping. “Quite significantly, it seems. I stopped at Percy’s house on the way home. This article from 1921 describes her as a leading advocate for the Temperance Movement in Montana.”

Chloe scanned the article, her expression shifting from surprise to intrigue. “I never would have guessed. She was an artist and an activist.”

“Exactly,” Liam nodded. “But here’s where it gets more interesting. Samuel Hartman—the railway executive she was connected with—was rumored to be involved in smuggling alcohol using the rail network during Prohibition.”

Chloe looked up, eyes widening. “So they were on opposite sides of a very contentious issue?”

“That’s what it looks like,” Liam agreed. “In the documents Percy found, there was a letter that talked about Eleanor and how frustrated she was about someone called Samuel. Whoever wrote the letter was worried Eleanor’s feelings for him were getting in the way of what she needed to do.”

Chloe leaned back, processing the information. “This could explain so much—why she disappeared and why their relationship didn’t work out.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Liam said. “If Samuel was using the railway for bootlegging and Eleanor was campaigning against alcohol, it would’ve created a serious rift between them.”

Chloe sighed. “Imagine being torn between your beliefs and someone you love.”

“If that’s how they felt, it must have been difficult for them.” Liam picked up another piece of paper. “There’s something else I want to show you.”

The sketch he held up was slightly worn, but the details were still vivid. “I found this tucked between some of Percy’s old documents. It’s one of Eleanor’s sketches.”

Chloe leaned forward, her eyes fixed on the drawing as Liam laid it on the table. The sketch showed a room inside an old brick building. People were sitting around a large wooden table, their faces intent and serious, as if engaged in a heated discussion. In the background, almost hidden in the shadows, was what appeared to be an old-fashioned still.

Chloe frowned as she studied the image. “This is incredible. The detail in it is amazing.”

“Look closely at the architecture,” Liam suggested. “Does it seem familiar to you?”

She examined the brick walls, the arched windows, and the distinctive wooden beams crossing the ceiling. Suddenly, her eyes widened. “It almost looks like the old steamboat museum.”

Liam nodded. “That’s what Percy thought, too. He said the steamboat museum used to be a warehouse back in the early 1900s.”

Chloe nodded. “Some documents Percy showed me last week talked about the old steamboat museum. It was rumored to be a meeting place during Prohibition, possibly even a speakeasy, but no one could prove it. I was hoping the copies of Penny Terry’s great-grandmother’s journals would mention something, but I haven’t had a chance to re-read all of them.”

“The sketch could be an actual depiction of one of those meetings,” Liam said excitedly. “There’s so much detail that Eleanor had to have been there.”

Chloe’s frown deepened. “She might not have been there as part of the temperance movement. She might have been documenting what was happening in town or even exposing illegal activities.”

“That could have put her in danger,” Liam pointed out. “Especially if influential people were involved in transporting liquor around the country.”

Chloe’s expression grew thoughtful. “If Samuel was connected to these activities, and Eleanor found out, it would’ve been a huge betrayal.”

“Exactly,” Liam said. “This sketch could help us figure out what Eleanor was doing and why she suddenly disappeared.”

Chloe picked up the image. “The only way we’ll know if this is the old steamboat museum is to compare the sketch to the interior of the museum. Pastor John might know more about what happened in the building, too.”

“I’ll ask him tomorrow,” Liam told her. “I like your idea of looking around the building. Do you want to go there one afternoon this week?”

Chloe checked the daily planner on her phone. “I’m working at the café for the next three days, so they’re out. And on Friday I have another baking class at The Welcome Center. What about Saturday morning, or is that too late?”

“It suits me. I have a lot more editing to do, so I’m happy to leave it until the weekend. I’ll make sure it’s okay with Pastor John, then call you.”

Chloe’s eyes shone with excitement as she looked at the papers on the table. “I can’t believe how much we’ve discovered since we started looking.”

Liam smiled. “Neither can I. Usually, it takes a lot longer to find information about something that happened so long ago. But everyone I’ve spoken to wants to know what happened to Eleanor.”

Chloe handed him the drawing of the meeting. “Next time we see Percy, we’ll have to thank him for keeping copies of the documents. It’s easy for things like this to be thrown out.”

Liam slid the rest of the information Percy had given him into its folder. “I said the same thing to him. He was happy he could help.” Liam checked the time. “I should go. Trixie gets grumpy if she doesn’t get enough sleep in her crate.”

When she heard her name, Trixie got up and stretched, ready to head home.

Chloe’s eyes widened when she saw the time. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

Liam grinned. “We’re having too much fun.” He attached Trixie’s leash to her collar and collected the information he’d bought with him. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad we’re working on this together.”

He pulled on his jacket and turned to face Chloe. “Me too. And remember, if you need anything, I’m only a phone call away.”

She looked up at him, and her expression softened. “I know. I’ve nearly finished the next set of edits on your book. If you have some more chapters for me to look at, I could do them this week.”

“That’d be great. I’ve done another three chapters since we last saw each other. Do you want me to drop them off tomorrow night?”

“Make it Wednesday evening,” Chloe suggested. “If you’re free, come for dinner. Oscar will enjoy seeing you and Trixie again.”

As they walked to the front door, there was a comfortable familiarity between them.

Liam reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

She nodded, a gentle smile playing on her lips. “I’m already looking forward to it.”

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Goodnight, Chloe.”

“Goodnight,” she said softly.

He stepped outside with Trixie and walked across to his truck. Before he opened the driver’s door, he looked back at the cottage. Chloe was still standing in the doorway, the warm glow from inside casting a halo around her.

“Drive safe,” she called out.

“I will.” He raised a hand in a final wave, and she returned the gesture before closing the door.

As he started the truck, he thought about Chloe. Everything about her was perfect. She was funny, intelligent, beautiful, and a great mom to Oscar.

He hadn’t felt this attracted to anyone in years. But none of that would matter if he left Sapphire Bay. He couldn’t expect Chloe to put her life on hold for him, and he didn’t want her to.

“It looks like I’ve got a big decision to make, Trixie.” He glanced over his shoulder and sighed. Trixie’s head was between her front paws and she was already half asleep.

Chloe and Oscar weren’t the only people he’d miss if he worked from Asia for a few months. Trixie would have to stay with his parents. She’d lived with them before when he’d gone overseas on another project, but he’d missed her like crazy.

Suddenly, his lifelong dream of writing travel books didn’t seem so important. If it meant leaving behind Trixie and the people he loved, was it really worth it?