At Hidden Falls (Angel's Bay Novel)

by Barbara Freethy

“I know you will,” Charlotte said, trust shining out of her eyes.

  He’d be damned if he’d let her down.

  SEVEN

  After her hike, Isabella showered, changed into jeans, and threw on a bright red sweater over a cream-colored top, adding high-heeled boots to complete the ensemble. She blew her hair dry but left it long and curly rather than wasting time with the straightener. She was eager to get to the theater. Not only was she looking forward to working on the costumes, but she also felt sure that the theater was tied to the dreams that had brought her to Angel’s Bay. After her disturbing flash at the waterfall, she was more determined than ever to find some answers.

  When she entered the lobby, she found a hum of activity. The ticket office was crowded with volunteers organizing the presales, and a line was forming in the lobby for auditions. She waited for Tory to finish announcing the schedule for the day and then made her way over.

  “Isabella, hello,” Tory said with a smile. “I was hoping we hadn’t scared you off.”

  “Not a chance. You look busy,” she said, noting the pile of scripts in Tory’s arms.

  “Once we get into preproduction, this place becomes a madhouse.”

  “It’s exciting,” Isabella said, feeling the energy in the old building.

  “You’re going to fit right in,” Tory replied with a knowing gleam in her eyes. “You’re already feeling the magic.”

  “I am,” she admitted. “I’d forgotten what it’s like to be in a playhouse. There’s an unbelievable energy.”

  “We need that energy to get everything done. I’ll walk with you; I was on my way to the costume shop to drop off the new scripts. Mariah, our head designer, is out this morning, but Erin can help you get started.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  They went down a short staircase and through a hallway to the costume shop. Erin was a skinny, pale brunette who wore jeans and a T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She got up from behind a sewing machine as Tory introduced them. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “We can really use your help around here.”

  Despite her welcome, there was a strain behind Erin’s smile and worry in her eyes. “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” Isabella said quickly, knowing that some designers could be territorial.

  “You don’t have to worry about that. We have more than enough work.” Erin turned to Tory. “I was just about to come and find you. Have you heard the latest rumors about Annie?”

  “No,” Tory said as she set the scripts down on the worktable. “What’s going on?”

  “One of the prospective adoptive fathers is the biological father of Annie’s baby,” Erin said.

  “What?” Tory gasped, putting a hand on the table to steady herself. “That’s crazy. Who would say that?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s all over town. I called Dan, but he’s out on a call and hasn’t gotten back to me yet. He’s going to be furious.”

  “Steve will be, too,” Tory muttered. “After everything we’ve been through, now this? It’s too much.”

  Isabella saw the look of commiseration pass between the two women. She was just wondering if she should leave them to their conversation when Tory sent her an apologetic glance.

  “Erin and I are both on the list as possible candidates to adopt Annie’s baby,” Tory explained, “along with three other couples. Annie disappeared before she made her decision. Now we’re all in limbo.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Isabella said. “It sounds like an awful situation.”

  “And getting worse by the minute,” Erin said darkly. “I can’t believe what some people in this town will say.”

  “The gossip doesn’t matter,” Tory said. “What’s important is finding Annie. Now, I need to get back to the auditions.” She gave Erin a quick hug. “Don’t lose faith.”

  Erin wiped a tear from her eye as Tory left the room. “Sorry,” she mumbled to Isabella. “It’s been a stressful morning.”

  “What can I do to help?” Isabella asked, feeling a wave of compassion for Erin. While Tory had lifted her chin and rallied her fighting spirit in the face of the rumors, Erin seemed quite fragile, almost ready to break.

  “I need to run an errand and get my head together,” Erin said. “Let me get you started before I go.” She walked over to a rack and pulled out a dress, then laid it on the worktable. “This beading needs to be repaired. And the director wants to update the neckline and the hem like this.” She pulled out a sketch and set it next to the dress. “What do you think?”

  “It’s a great improvement,” Isabella said, studying the sketch. “I’d love to do it. Who is the director, anyway?”

  “Blake Hammond. He’ll be arriving next week, and he’ll probably have additional ideas when he gets here. Here’s a list of minor alterations that needed to be handled.” She gave a piece of paper to Isabella. “Everything is on that rack over by the door; just make yourself at home.”

  As Erin left, Isabella blew out a breath and looked around. She was happy to be alone for a few moments. Erin’s emotions had cast a thick pall that lingered even now. Or perhaps the emotions she sensed weren’t coming from Erin’s distress but from a more distant past.

  Isabella put a hand to her pendant. It felt heavy and warm against her skin, reassuring yet also making her feel oddly expectant. She waited for some flash of insight to come, but there was nothing. Still, she had the feeling that this costume shop was important in some way.

  Picking up the list of alterations, she sat down to sew. Soon she was lost in the world that had always been her second home. Stitching had been her therapy all of her life. When she’d felt sad or lonely or lost in her head, she’d turned to the needle and the thread, finding joy in repairing a costume to its former glory or in creating something new and wonderful. When she sewed, she had control over the outcome. She could fix what needed to be fixed.

  Caught up in her stitching, she didn’t hear anyone enter until a backpack landed on the table next to her with a thud.

  A teenage girl sank into a nearby chair with a sullen frown. Despite the black hair streaked with purple, heavy eyeliner, nose ring, and an abundance of teenage swagger, the girl’s irritated gaze was all Nick. This had to be his daughter.

  “Hello,” Isabella said, offering a smile. “I’m Isabella.”

  “Megan,” she said shortly. “Grandma said you’d give me something to do.” Megan crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave Isabella the same notrespassing sign that had flashed across her father’s face earlier that day.

  “Do you know how to sew?” Isabella asked.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “I take it that’s a no. Do you want to try?”

  “I’m sure I’m just supposed to sweep the floor or pick up trash or something.”

  “Well, there’s no garbage at the moment.” She lifted a dress off the alteration rack. “I do, however, have to sew about twenty buttons down the back of this dress. I could show you how.”

  Megan hesitated, then shrugged. “Whatever.”

  Isabella brought over the box of buttons, then showed Megan how to sew them on. It wasn’t a difficult task, but it needed some care and attention to detail. Despite Megan’s initial reluctance, she picked it up very quickly.

  They worked in silence for almost half an hour, the quiet becoming less tense as the minutes passed.

  Isabella finished her beading and paused to take a look at Megan’s work. “Very good,” she said approvingly. “You’re a natural.”

  “Anyone could do it.”

  “No, they couldn’t. Believe me, I know. One of the last people I worked with stitched her own sleeve to the costume.”

  “She must have been stupid.”

  “Just clumsy.”

  “Where did you learn to sew?” Megan asked as she picked up another button.

  “My grandmother. She was an incredibly talented designer, but as she got older, her arthritis made it difficult for he
r to sew, and she eventually retired. It was lucky timing, because my mother wanted to go back to work and needed someone to watch me. We became very close. And it was nice to have my grandmother all to myself. I was the youngest of five kids, so my parents were tied up with my older siblings most of the time. They tended to forget about me.”

  “My mother forgot about me all the time,” Megan grumbled. “And the nannies didn’t care what I was doing, as long as they got paid.”

  Isabella was happy that Megan was finally talking, but she sensed it wouldn’t take much for her to stop, so she didn’t reply, hoping that Megan might go on.

  “My mom didn’t want me,” Megan continued. “Neither did my dad. I was a big mistake, and I ruined their lives.”

  “Ruined seems a little strong,” Isabella observed. “Your mother is a successful actress, and your father is an architect. Seems like they’re doing okay.”

  “Well, that’s because they both ignored me,” Megan snapped, pain flashing through her eyes.

  Isabella felt immediately sympathetic. While she’d never doubted her parents’ love, she’d never felt quite as wanted as her other siblings.

  “Now my dad is stuck with me, because my mom is getting married again, and she doesn’t want me around. She’s in love,” Megan added with a disgusted roll of her eyes. “She wants to have sex all over the house. I’m too old for a nanny, so here I am. Angel’s Bay sucks. I hate everyone here.”

  Isabella suspected that Megan hated everyone because she was afraid to love them, afraid to set herself up for more rejection, and who could blame her? Why had Nick been absent from his daughter’s life for so long? He seemed like such a responsible guy.

  “How come you’re not in school today?” she asked.

  “I got suspended.”

  “For what?”

  “I was just talking to some kids at lunch. They had some beer. I didn’t drink, but it didn’t matter, they kicked us all out for two days. Like that’s a punishment,” she added sarcastically.

  “I thought you hated everyone in Angel’s Bay,” Isabella said mildly. “But it sounds like you have a few friends.”

  Megan didn’t reply right away, then said, “There’s a guy who’s kind of cool.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Why? Are you going to tell my dad?” Megan asked suspiciously.

  “No. I was just curious.”

  “It’s Will,” Megan said a moment later. “He grew up here, and he can’t wait to get away. He’s going to leave the second he graduates in June.”

  “He’s a little older than you, then?”

  “What does age matter? My mother is marrying a guy who’s ten years younger than her. He doesn’t know, because she lies about her age and gets plastic surgery. That’s another reason she doesn’t want me around. I’m too old now; she can’t stand the thought of being photographed next to me.”

  “Maybe it’s good that you’re here with your dad, then.”

  Anger burned in Megan’s eyes. “Like he wants me. He didn’t see me for twelve years. That’s how much he cares. I can’t wait until I’m eighteen and I can do whatever the hell I want.”

  Megan tossed down her needle and got to her feet. “I’m bored and hungry. I’m going to get some lunch.”

  “I could eat,” Isabella said, glancing down at her watch. It was after one. “Want some company?”

  “What are you, my jailer?”

  Isabella laughed. She couldn’t help it, Megan was the picture of teenage rebellion. “No, and you can feed your bad mood all alone if you want. I just thought you might know where I could find a good cheeseburger. I’ve only been in town a couple of days.”

  Megan gave her a suspicious stare but finally said, “I know a place.”

  “Great. Do you need to tell someone you’re leaving?”

  “Do you really think anyone in this theater cares what I’m doing?” Megan countered. “My grandparents and great-grandparents are so caught up in this production they probably wouldn’t notice if I walked by with my hair on fire.”

  Isabella smiled. “Well, I’ll let Tory know that we’re off to lunch, just in case you’re not as invisible as you think.”

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Isabella and Megan were ordering chili fries and cheeseburgers. It had been a long time since Isabella had eaten like a fifteen-year-old, and it was sure fun. Jax’s Burger Shack was set on a bluff above the beach. Two guys, one of whom appeared to be named Jax, flipped the burgers, french-fried the potatoes, and handed out orders in red baskets. They took their meal to one of the outdoor tables on the patio overlooking the bay. It was after the noon crowd, and school was in session, so there were only a few other customers.

  “This burger is delicious,” she said to Megan, who was downing her own burger in record time. “You’re a girl after my own heart.”

  “I can’t believe you’re eating the double-double,” Megan said as she reached for her vanilla shake. “My mother would die before putting one bite of a cheeseburger in her mouth.”

  “Is she a vegetarian?”

  “No, she’s skinny and an exercise freak, probably bulimic. I’ve heard her throw up a few times. And she can’t walk by a mirror without looking in it. It’s disgusting.”

  Isabella wondered if Megan had changed her appearance so she wouldn’t have to compete with her beautiful mother. “What color is your hair normally?” she couldn’t help asking.

  Megan scowled. “Dirty blond—boring.”

  “It’s not boring now.”

  “I might change it again. I haven’t decided. Nick will probably freak if I dye it red.”

  “How come you don’t call him Dad?” Isabella asked curiously.

  “Because he sucks as a father. I don’t want to talk about him,” she added quickly.

  “Okay. Tell me about the boy you got in trouble with.”

  Megan hesitated, then said, “Will rides a motorcycle. He doesn’t care what people think about him. And he’s never heard of my mother. The other kids look at me like I’m from Mars, just because my mother is an actress and sleeps with famous men. Most of them are pricks.”

  For all of her coarse language and worldly ways, Isabella saw a vulnerability in Megan that made her worry. She hoped this Will was a good kid and not playing Megan by telling her what she wanted to hear. “It must be hard to have your mother’s reputation hanging over you wherever you go. I can’t imagine what that’s like. My parents are not extraordinary in any way.”

  “You’re lucky.” Megan finished her burger and glanced out at the water, where boats were making their way in and out of the harbor.

  “I never thought of it that way, but you might be right. I did grow up in the shadow of very talented siblings, though. My brother is the chief of police here in Angel’s Bay. The top cop,” she added with a smile.

  “So you can’t do anything wrong.”

  “I’m sure he’d prefer that I didn’t.”

  Megan didn’t speak for a moment, then said, “I always wanted to have a brother or a sister, but my mom would never choose to have a child. The only reason she had me was because she was stupid enough to get knocked up.” There was a lonely look in her eyes.

  Megan had been tossed aside by too many people, Isabella thought. She needed to be loved, to feel secure. It seemed as if Nick wanted to make that happen, but Megan wasn’t going to let him in without a fight. And Isabella couldn’t blame her. She didn’t know why Nick had been absent from his daughter’s life, and she couldn’t imagine a reason that would make that absence okay. But Nick seemed to want to make things right now. He’d made it clear to her that Megan was a priority. Had he made it clear to Megan?

  Megan folded her arms on the table. “Are you going to have kids?”

  Isabella was taken aback by the direct question. Not that she hadn’t been asked it before; her mother and sisters were always on her to find a man, settle down, and have babies. “I’d like to at some point. But I don
’t know what life has in store for me.”

  Megan raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

  “I’ve found that making plans is usually a waste of time. My life seems to turn upside down whenever I least expect it.”

  Megan nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean. Every time I start to like someone . . .” She drew in a breath. “Anyway, now I live for today and forget about tomorrow.”

  It was the same philosophy Isabella had followed the last few years, but hearing it come out of Megan’s young, brash mouth, she couldn’t help but worry. Megan was looking for trouble—for someone to love her, for someone to give her attention. She wanted to find her place in the world, to stand outside her mother’s shadow, which was all fine if she did it in a mature, rational way. But she was fifteen; that wasn’t going to happen.

  It was one thing to accept fate, another to tempt it.

  “Megan, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m a good listener.”

  “And how long will you be staying in town?” Megan challenged.

  “For a while.”

  It wasn’t a good answer. Megan needed a friend who could commit to being around, but Isabella wasn’t in the position to make that promise.

  When Nick arrived at the theater at around two o’clock, he was surprised to see his brother-in-law storm out of the building. Steve Baker usually had a charming smile and an easy manner that worked well in his busy dental practice. But there was nothing easy about him today.

  “Steve,” he said, realizing his brother-in-law was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t even seen him. “What’s going on?”

  Steve stopped in mid-stride, then stared at him in bemusement. “Nick, I didn’t see you there.”

  “You look pissed off. Did you and Tory have a fight?”

  “You could say that. All your sister can think about is having a baby, being a mother,” he said in frustration. “It’s never enough to be just the two of us. I thought adopting Annie’s baby would finally make her happy, but now there’s just more trouble.”

  “I heard about the girl’s disappearance. What’s going to happen to the baby?”