Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Emily
I walked into Scarpetta fifteen minutes early with a bundle of nerves that resided in my belly.
“A booth for two, please,” I told the hostess as she greeted me.
She grabbed two menus and led me over to a corner booth with high backs. It was the perfect spot that would give Gregory and me more privacy.
“What time will your guest be arriving?” she asked as she set down the other menu across from me.
“He should be here in about fifteen minutes. My name is Emily, and he is an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair.”
“Very well. I’ll be on the lookout for him.” She smiled.
I arrived early so I could down a martini to calm my nerves before he showed up.
“Good evening.” The peppy waitress smiled as she set down a drink napkin in front of me. “What can I start you off with?”
“I’ll have a neat martini with three olives.”
“And your guest?”
“I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask him when he arrives.”
“One neat martini with three olives coming right up.”
My drink couldn’t get there fast enough as I sat in the booth and pondered whether or not I was ready to hear what Gregory had to tell me. The waitress walked over, and before she could set my drink down, I grabbed it from her hands and immediately took a large gulp.
“Sorry. This is very much needed at the moment.”
“It happens to all of us.” She smiled.
As I looked up, I saw the hostess walking Gregory to the table, and the nervousness I already had felt intensified.
“Emily.” He smiled nervously as he sat down.
“Gregory.” I nodded.
“Is that a neat martini with three olives?” he asked as he looked at my glass.
“It is.”
“That’s the way I order mine.”
I needed just to come out and say what I was thinking. There was no use in making this situation any more awkward than it already was.
“I called you because I want to know how you knew my mother. I want to know how and where you met, how old you were, and what your relationship was.”
After the waitress took his drink order, he folded his hands on the table and took in a deep breath.
“Your mother and I met through a mutual friend one summer when we were sixteen years old. I don’t care what anyone says, it was love at first sight for both of us. I’ll never forget the first moment my eyes laid sight on her. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. And her smile, just like yours, would light up the darkest rooms. She was sitting on a blanket on the beach in a black and white polka dot bikini when Crystal introduced us.”
“Wait a minute. You know Crystal?” I set down my glass.
“Yes. Crystal had moved next door to me when we were just ten years old. We became good friends, and shortly after, my father was transferred to San Francisco, and we had to move. But Crystal and I still remained very good friends. When I was sixteen, my father got transferred back to Los Angeles and we returned there. I was reunited with her, and she introduced me to your mom.”
I sat there, intently listening to him speak as I grew angry on the inside at Crystal for never mentioning him.
“Karen and I spent that whole summer together and saw each other practically every day. We did everything together, and there wasn’t one moment I wanted to be without her. Our relationship grew even stronger over the course of three years. Her dream was to own her own business someday, and mine was to serve our country. Enlisting in the army was something I had wanted ever since I was a child. My father served, as well as my uncles and grandfather. We talked about marriage, kids, and building a future together. She had it all planned out, right down to the red brick house with the white picket fence and the springer spaniel named Dooley.”
A small smile crossed my lips because I’d never known that side of her.
“I told her all along I wanted to enlist in the army, and she tried to talk me out of it every time, giving me reasons not to do it. With her as the main reason, I tried community college for a year, but it didn’t cut it. Being in the army was in my blood, and I loved her so much, and she loved me, so I knew deep in my heart that our relationship would survive it. I told her that after I finished training, I’d come back, and we’d get married, and then we could be together forever. She finally agreed, and I enlisted. She told me she was pregnant the day I was leaving for training. That was the happiest day of my life, and then she begged me not to go. But it was too late. I had no choice. I’ll never forget the tears that fell from her eyes as I said goodbye to her with the promise that I’d be back and that I’d write to her every day. It was only for ten weeks, Emily. Ten weeks of training, and I’d be back to get my girl, marry her, and raise a family.”
There was a moment of silence as he picked up his martini and took several sips before going on with his story.
“I kept my promise and wrote to her every day. When I could call her, I would, but I heard nothing but sadness in her voice. I missed her so much and promised to be together soon. Then a war broke out, and the unit I was assigned to was getting deployed right after training. They wouldn’t even give me a day to see her. When I wrote and told her what was happening, she wrote back and told me that she understood. With every letter I wrote to her from that day forth, I begged her to send me pictures of her and her growing belly. But no letters ever came, except for the ones I wrote to her that were returned.”
“I’m so sorry, Gregory.” I reached out and placed my hand on his.
His eyes met mine, and I gulped at the sadness that resided in them.
“Two years later, the war ended, and I returned to California, only to find out that her mother had passed away a year prior and that she had moved. Nobody knew where she went. After her mother’s funeral, she packed up everything and quietly moved away. I spent the next year searching for her.”
“What about Crystal? My mother would have told her where she was going.”
“Crystal was studying abroad in Paris then, and it was impossible to get hold of her. I wrote her letters, and she wrote one back saying that she had lost touch with Karen, and she didn’t know where she went.”
“Well, she obviously lied to you because Crystal was there when I was born.”
“I figured she did, but what else could I do? I finally gave up, went on with my life, and prayed to God every day that I would find my child. I never even knew if you were a boy or a girl. When I walked into your shop that day, I felt like I was seeing Karen all over again.” His eyes swelled with tears.
After we finished eating, we stepped outside the restaurant, and before parting ways, I spoke, “I need time to process all of this, Gregory. I hope you can understand.”
“I understand and want you to take all the time you need. I will if you want me to do a paternity test. I’m sorry for just springing this on you, but I’ve waited twenty-seven years for this moment.”
I reached over and hugged him. “I’ll be in touch. I promise.”
I sat in the back of the cab, not knowing what to think. All these years and my mother's shield over her heart were for a reason. A reason she never once talked about. All her lectures about happily ever after made sense to me now. She lived a loveless life all because she couldn’t stand by and wait for the only man she ever let herself love.
When I stuck my key in the lock and opened the door, I jumped when I saw Jackson sitting on my couch watching TV.
“Oh, my God. You scared me.”
A smile crossed his face as he got up and walked over to me.
“I’m sorry.” He kissed my lips.
“What are you doing here?” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”
“I decided to come home a day early. I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?” He smirked.
“Very surprised.” I laid my head on his shoulder—a shoulder I desperately needed.
“How did your dinner with Gregory go?”
“God, Jackson.” I broke our embrace. “The things he told me about him and my mother.”
“I want to hear all about it. But first, I brought you something back from Chicago.”
“You did?” I smiled.
He walked over to a black bag that was sitting on the counter and pulled out a black and gold box.
“What is this?”
“Open it up and find out.”
I carefully removed the lid and stared down at the chocolates that were staring back at me.
“Jackson.” My eyes widened as I looked at him.
“Taste one.” He winked with a smile.
Taking a chocolate from the box, I took a bite; it felt like heaven in my mouth.
“Holy shit. Oh my God.” I placed my hand over my mouth as I devoured the small square.
“Good, isn’t it?”
“Where did you find these?”
“From a family-owned chocolate shop in Chicago. I’ve been buying chocolate there for years.” He placed his hands on my hips and kissed my forehead. “I’ll grab the wine, you bring the chocolates, and we’ll continue our talk in bed.”
“How about the bathtub?”
“You want to take a bath?” He raised a brow.
“Yes. Wine, chocolate, and bubbly water. Is there anything better?”
“Well, I can think of something better, but I’ll take your word for it.” A sexy smirk crossed his face. “I’ll take the chocolates and start the water, and you grab the wine. I’ll meet you in the bathroom.” His lips brushed against mine.
I was so happy he returned tonight because I needed him after my dinner with Gregory. I was confused and torn up by his story that I felt somewhat lost, and I knew that just seeing Jackson would help me find my way.