Chapter 26

Jon had led Jo to one of the alcoves for a bit of privacy, after explaining how to get ‘Rita’ to connect the call, he had left the girl to her privacy. Staying close by in the kitchen, preparing some coffee with Fiona who had come up to get a drink as well.

“You Bastard!” Jo cried out. The unexpected outcry caused both Jon and Fiona to go running over. Jo was aware of the two arriving but carried on regardless.

The conversation was open and they could hear both Jo’s parents on a loudspeaker at the other end.

“You absolute Bastard! So now that you’re out of the public eye, it’s ok to dump mom like a piece of trash!” Jo continued.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, remember I’m your father!” Robert Daniels replied with rising anger.

“Yes, a father that I sacrificed the last ten years of my life for!” Jo spat back with her cheeks reddening. “A father and a husband that my mother stood by through all of his bullshit.”

“What the hell are you talking about, your Mom told me about her night with you a long time ago! For years I have kept my mouth shut!”

“Told you did she? Told you why I have been living a lie for ten years! If she told you, a good father wouldn’t have kept his mouth shut!” Jo yelled back.

“What the hell is she talking about, Claire?” Robert asked. “What didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t tell you anything because you didn’t ask!” Claire growled back. “You just walked out and walked into your girlfriend’s life, smiling because you thought that you didn’t have to hide it. You didn’t care about anyone else except yourself!”

“So what’s the big secret I’m missing?”

“Which secret dad because let’s be honest, we have a few don’t we?” Jo spat out, “Our big secret is that I was blackmailed into marrying Mark to save your sorry arse. He has a video of that night, which would get you kicked out before you had been in the job twenty-four hours. Who knows, it might have been enough to change the final result of the election.” A loud smash was heard on the end of the phone as Robert dropped his glass with shock. “Then, of course, there are the other secrets aren’t there, dad, like Elsie and Maria. You absolute Bastard!”

“Who are Elsie and Maria?” Claire asked tentatively. “Robert, Jo, someone please tell me!”

“Seems like my great father has nothing to say! You must remember Maria Tanner, Mom.” Jo said with great glee.

“What the pretty little secretary at the associates,” Claire asked as the penny dropped.

“Yes, that’s the one although she should really be known as Dad’s other woman for four years until she got pregnant! Dad thought a thousand dollars a month was a good pay off to kick her into touch. Well, Elsie is their daughter, my half-sister, she turned sixteen a couple of months ago, luckily. You see when Elsie turned thirteen, she was diagnosed with leukaemia. Dad stonewalled her, never returned a call or a letter. She didn’t want your money, you prick, she wanted life!” Jo was crying now.

“How could you Robert! You cold bastard. You would have let that little girl die!” Claire shrieked.

“I didn’t know honestly, that’s the first I’ve heard about it,” Robert answered quietly

“Oh, you lying snake!” Jo spat. “Like today you didn’t know where I was! I am going to break you, you may be my father but I want nothing to do with you!”

“Get out, you shit, your bags are packed so pick them up and leave!” Claire hollered, “And forget about what we agreed I am going to take you for everything you’ve got!”

“We’ll see about that!” Robert said before everyone heard the door being opened and then being slammed shut.

Jon and Fiona were a little embarrassed by being a party to the family call. Jo was openly crying while Fiona consoled her. The call was live but there was silence for a minute or two.

“Are you there mom?” Jo asked.

“Yes, baby,” Claire answered quietly.

“What are you thinking?”

“To be honest, I’m a bit numb. I don’t know what to think. I don’t really know what to do!” Claire answered honestly. “I suppose that’s a question for you, what are you going to do now?”

“I have a couple of things I need to do, first off I need to talk to Mark! But I feel like a weight has finally been lifted off my shoulders for the first time in ten years.” Jo said smiling for the first time since the call was started.

“I think I will need to get myself a lawyer!” Claire slipped out absentmindedly.

Fiona suddenly jumped in, “Hello Mrs Daniels, I might be able to help there. My name’s Fiona Wright and I just happen to be a Divorce attorney.” Jo’s eyes went wide with surprise. “I have been here for most of that conversation and I think that you would have a pretty good case. The question is would you like my services?”

“Hmm, I don’t see why not,” Claire answered, not really sure of anything. “What would I have to do?”

“Well for starters, how quickly can you get here?” Fiona asked.

“I’m not sure where ‘Here’ is?” Claire said with a scoff.

“Just outside Little Rock, Arkansas, mom,” Jo added.

“What the hell are you doing there?” Claire said laughing.

“This year’s our tenth anniversary, Mark wanted to get away for a week. It’s a lovely place if maybe a little different.” Jo continued with a little laugh.

Jon conferred with ‘Rita’ and there was an early flight the next morning that would get Claire into Little Rock just after nine am. Jon booked the flight and all the details were relayed to Claire, who was advised to pack enough to stay for a few days.

“Jon, I need to speak to my husband, would it be possible to do it here?” Jo asked. “You home is beautiful by the way.”

“Thank you, yes I will ask Danny to go and get him for you and bring him back,” Jon answered moving off to ask Danny to get Mark Campion.

Fiona took Jo through to the Kitchen, giving her some tissues to wipe her eyes and making some coffee for all of them. Jon had arrived back a minute later and the three sat and talked.

“What are you going to Jo?” Fiona asked

“I’m really not sure, I think it will be the end of Mark and me but beyond that, I have no plans. I suspect that I will have to make my mind up quickly, we are due to leave on Wednesday.”

“You won’t be leaving on Wednesday, I will need your mom here until the end of the week to file for everything,” Fiona explained.

“Oh god, I need to get some money transferred to pay to keep the cabin then,” Jo said worrying.

“No, you don’t. Maybe it would be better if you stayed here. You don’t seem to be comfortable staying around the camp anyway.” John said before changing the subject. “What is it you do for a living?”

“I work with special needs children, mainly at kindergarten level but I’m trained to go through all age groups, even adults. I won’t have trouble finding work no matter where I end up.”

“Have you got any experience with dyslexia?” Fiona smiled knowing where Jon was going with that.

“Yes, I have loads of experience. I used to do extra work in the evenings with kids that suffer from that.” Jo added. “By the way, the camp is lovely. It just stands for every reason that my mother and I are in this position. There would have been a time where this place would be somewhere I would come running to.”

“Well after you and Mark sort out whatever it is you need to deal with, we should talk again,” Jon said.

Danny arrived ten minutes later with Mark in tow.

Mark could see that Jo had been crying.

“What’s wrong Jo, what’s happened?” Mark asked.

“It’s over!” Jo said giving her husband a strained smile.

“What’s over, what do you mean? You’re not making sense!”

Jon and Fiona had moved away to give the couple some space.

“I just got a call from my dad, he’s divorcing mom and knows about everything. So you can do whatever you like with that video, but I think you know what it means for us.” Jo said watching Mark for his reaction.

He just sat back and let out a big breath. “I deleted that video as soon as I got back to my apartment. There was no way I was going to use it against the only woman I ever loved, no matter what happened.” He said with resignation to his voice. “To be honest I was going to sit down with you when we got home anyway.”

“Sit down to talk about what?” Jo said with interest as to what he was going to say.

“I was going to suggest that we separate, you are just not the person you were. I took that from you when I forced you into this agreement. I hoped that you would learn to love me, but you didn’t. If anything you resented me more and more over the years.” He explained. “I don’t know how you could have been any different. I did try, god did I try!”

“Strange as sounds, you have been a wonderful husband. You just never had my heart. Your family as so special to me and you, well you’re like a brother I never had. I don’t hate you but I will never be able to love you as you deserve.” Jo said starting to cry. “There is someone out there that will be a more perfect wife than I ever could.”

“So what now?” Mark asked.

“Well, do you still dream of being a journalist?” Jo said smiling at her husband.

“You know I do. Why? What have you got in mind?” Mark asked intrigued.

“Well, I think we need to get ready for tonight and we can discuss it. I want our tonight together to be special, I know that sounds strange in these circumstances. I want you to remember us with a smile on your face.”

“I always smile when I think of you Jo, you will always have a piece of my heart,” Mark said rising from his seat and holding his hand out, inviting Jo to take it. She did and pulled him into a tight hug before saying thanks to Jon and Fiona. Starting their journey back to the Cabin.

While Fiona and Jon had been together, Fiona had explained that Ally and Maria had called to see if it was ok to come over on the following day. Rita had been informed and would allow them access when they arrived.

Gail had also been in touch and wanted to come over with her father on Wednesday. It was her day off so she was hoping to spend the day.

The last bit of news was that she had spoken to her son, Connor. He had agreed to come over for the day on Wednesday. She would need to pick him up from the station at eleven forty am.

The couple made their way down to the pool and the rest of the guys. Jon went to sit with Stefan and Jim who both had their wives close by.

“So, shall we go and get ready before we can’t get in the bathrooms?” Jon enquired.

Stefan was looking past Jon to the other side of the pool. Cat was smiling as was Jim and Beth. Danny and Nessa were getting reacquainted and Stefan was finding it hard to control his fatherly instinct.

“I’m sorry Jim, but if that boy hurts her I will kill him!” Stefan said.

“If he hurts her, you won’t need to because I will,” Jim answered evenly. “But if that is the case, what should I do if it’s Nessa that hurts him?” Beth, Cat, and Jim were smiling as Jim said this, watching Stefan for his response.

Stefan went to say something but stopped, he didn’t know what to say. “How do you do it? I mean you have two girls. How do you not get upset or try to protect them from making mistakes? Lord knows I remember being Danny’s age and the feelings I used to get!”

“You don’t, well that’s not true. What I mean to say is it’s too late now to say anything. We spent all of our lives up to now teaching them. Now you have to just let them go and hope you gave them the right tools to make the decisions. They will get it wrong, they will get hurt but as long as you are there to support them, if and when things go wrong, you can do no more. We’ve been lucky so far. We have good kids that have good friends and haven’t really stepped out of line.” Jim looked at Stefan, “I can’t and won’t tell you how to parent Nessa, but maybe you need to let her find things out for herself.”

“You are right Jim, CC told me the same thing earlier. Ok, time for me to take a step back.” Looking at Jon with a frown, “what did you say earlier, Jon?”

“I said that it’s time that we go and get ready for this evening before the ladies get there!” Jon answered laughing.

“We need to go and get our bags from the car!” Stefan said.

“Don’t worry about that tonight, I have suitable gear that will fit you and I’m sure the girls have some ideas for cat and Nessa.” Tommy offered.

They all rose to leave and get ready, Jim had moved all the Piper’s gear into their room so no one had to go back to the apartment. Jim Called Danny to let him know it was time. Danny gave Nessa a searing kiss and came along with the men. Before they left Beth came to Jon, kissing him passionately in front of the Cooke’s and saying she was hoping to catch up with him later.

After the guys had showered and got ready, the five started walking over to the Clubhouse

As they were walking, Jon asked Stefan about what had happened in Joliet.

“I’m not sure actually, CC spoke with Sissy a couple of days before we left and everything seemed to be set up. When we got there, she was nowhere to be found and her place was locked up solid.” Stefan answered with concern. “I spent a day going round some friends and neighbours, but no one had seen her. I even called the hospital just in case she had been in an accident, but they didn’t have anyone of her descriptions with them.”

“I take it that this is unusual for her,” Jon continued.

“Yes, well for the last thirteen years it is. Sissy used to have her demons in her early twenty’s but those have passed and she has cleaned up now. Not without her struggles, I may add.” Stefan said, with a hint of sadness.

“Well if you want me to, I have the ability to do a search and see if we can find something.” Jon offered.

“That may be a good idea, I’m really at a loss as to where else to look.” Stefan continued. “I spoke to Pastor Reynolds before I left and he and couple of others were going to make some enquires. I don’t know if they have found anything as my mobile doesn’t seem to get a signal here.”