71. Elliott
SEVENTY-ONE
Elliott
I ring the bell with a shaky hand. I have no idea how she’ll receive me. If at all. She may shut the door in my face as soon as she sees me. I’ve prepared myself for it. But I’m not giving up that easily.
Someone’s shadow is visible through the glass insert on the door. I take a few steps back, give whoever is coming space.
When the door opens, a woman I don’t recognize stands there, impeccably dressed, full makeup and hair done like she’s going to church or a business meeting. But I know Jillian’s mother is retired, and it’s not Sunday.
“Yes, how may I help you?” Her voice is polite but cold.
I swallow. “Mrs. Heart?”
She holds the door as if ready to shut it on me. “That’s my name.”
“Is Jillian here?”
Her face turns even more austere. “Who are you? ”
The sound of running steps comes from inside the house and the door is yanked open from her grasp.
“Jamie!” she calls after him as he bursts through and runs to me.
I lower myself and catch him mid-leap. His little arms go around my neck and squeeze, and I lift him in my arms. “Hey, buddy. I missed you.”
“Jamie!” she yells again. Not a hint of warmth comes from her. “Put that child down right now.”
I don’t. I hug him tighter and face her.
“Mom? Jamie? What’s going on?” Jillian’s voice comes from somewhere inside, and a moment later, she, too, is at the door.
She’s a vision. I drink her in, wanting to capture this moment forever. She’s the complete opposite of her mother in her pink T-shirt with the words Gardening is my superpower , the cotton shorts, and her bare feet.
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. “Elliott?”
Her mother clears her throat. “Jillian, who is this man? And why is he holding your child?”
We stare at each other—me holding Jamie still, his little hands fisted on my shirt as if afraid to let go—and her, with trembling lips and misty eyes.
“Jillian!” Her mother’s voice is shrill.
Jillian drags her gaze away from me to look at her mother. “This is Elliott, a friend from New York.”
Friend. The word hurts, but what did I expect? At least the door is still open. “Can we talk?”
“Yeah, sure.” She steps back and motions me to follow her .
Her mother steps in the way and faces Jillian. “Excuse me, I haven’t given you permission to invite strangers into my house.”
Jillian looks at her for a long moment, puts a finger up for me to wait, and disappears inside the house with her mother calling after her.
A minute later, she’s back, wearing flip-flops and carrying a small purse. Her mother follows, still calling, her voice getting louder and louder until Jillian shuts the door in her face, takes Jamie from me, and walks down the steps.
“Let’s go.” She’s already heading down the sidewalk.
“Where?”
She points down the road. “There’s a playground around the corner.” We walk in silence until we get to the small park.
She sets Jamie down. “Want to go play?”
He nods and runs off. We walk down a path on the grass. A few other kids are here and small groups of two and three mothers sit together, talking and sipping coffee. Their gazes track us.
Jamie runs to a group of boys playing with a frisbee and joins them. Jillian points to an empty bench in the shade and we make our way to it.
We sit and the two-foot space between us feels like miles. “Thank you for talking to me. I was afraid you wouldn’t.”
“And if I didn’t?” She doesn’t look at me.
I try to smile and fail. “I have open return tickets. I guess I’d keep trying until you did.”
She sits back, her shoulders slumping. “What are you doing here, Elliott?”
“I came for you. And Jamie. ”
Her eyes are fixed on me now. “Yes, but why? You don’t need to court me anymore. Your firm got the building.”
Her words are like a slap to the face. I hoped I could get to her first, explain before she found out that Leonora sold the building. “You know that was never my intention.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, you do. Everything I told you, every moment between us, was true. Is true. I don’t care about the building. I never did. I’ve only ever cared about you and Jamie.”
She looks at me for a long time and then finds Jamie playing and laughing with the other boys. Her face softens. “I heard from the fire chief. The report ruled it an accidental electrical fire. The wiring, it seems, was too old.”
“I’ve heard.”
“And Leonora has been in touch with the insurance. It may take a month or two, but they will pay for loss and damages. She said the building is pretty close to being a total loss and she decided to sell it because she’s not in a position to deal with what it takes to rebuild it.”
There’s so much I want to say, but I can’t. Not yet. I take her hand and she lets me hold it. “I want you to come back to New York with me. I miss you and Jamie. Daisy too. How is she?”
She shakes her head. “I had to leave Daisy with Sheila. My mother . . .”
She doesn’t finish whatever she was going to say, but after meeting her mother, I can imagine. I start laughing.
She narrows her eyes at me.
“Your mother, the look on her face when you walked out and shut the door.”
Now she’s laughing too. We’re both in hysterics. She wipes at her eyes. “I’m going to pay for that.” She sighs. “I can’t wait to get out of here, but I have to stay a little longer.”
I sober. “You’re coming back, then? For sure?”
“Yes, we’ll go back before Labor Day. Jamie starts first grade a couple of days after.”
Hope blooms inside me. “You can stay with me.”
She shakes her head. “No, I can’t. I’ll be with Sheila for a few days. I already found a new apartment. Near my old place, so Jamie doesn’t have to transfer to a different school district.”
I nod. “And us?”
“What about us?”
Her response is like a stab to my heart. “Please don’t do this. Please.”
“What am I doing, Elliott? You say you want me, but you work for the devil. Your father must be so happy about the fire that took everything I built and worked for. He finally got his building.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want any of this to happen.” I want to tell her everything, but I can’t. Not yet.
She scoffs but doesn’t say a word.
“I have this.” I reach for the large envelope I placed next to me on the bench. “I hate to do this now, but it needs to be done. I need your signature.” I retrieve a sheet of papers from the envelope and a pen.
She sighs. “I knew this was coming, but I didn’t think anyone would fly to Ohio and hunt me down for it.” She takes the pen and papers. “What am I signing?”
“This is for your part of the building. And this is from Leonora.” I give her a sealed envelope.
She opens the envelope. When she finishes reading, she looks at me and reads the letter again. “It is her handwriting, that much I can tell from years of working with her.”
I get a glimpse of the handwriting, but I have no idea what Leonora wrote to her.
“Let me see those papers.” Jillian skims through the pages and then signs it. “I know it’s really stupid of me to sign this without having a lawyer go through it first, but Leonora signed it, and her letter tells me to trust you and sign it too. Not that I have a choice. I need to sign if I want to see the insurance money.”
I search her face. “About us?—”
“I have to go back before my mother calls the police and reports a kidnaping.” She cuts me off.
“She wouldn’t.”
“The only thing keeping her from doing that or running after me calling my name on the street is her fear of being embarrassed in front of her neighbors.”
“Can we please talk, figure us out?”
She shakes her head. “I can’t do this now, Elliott. I’m still hurting—it’s all too much. You show up here with papers for me to sign my life away, my future with my child. I can’t.”
“Jillian—”
She stands up, the moment abrupt, cutting me off.
I stand up too. “I’m not going anywhere until we talk. I got a hotel room not far from your parents’ house. I’ll keep coming for you.”
She takes a step away from me. “Jamie? Time to go.”
He comes running.
Jillian lowers her voice. “Say your goodbyes to him now. We’ll walk home alone.”
I hug Jamie and ruffle his hair as something falls apart inside me. But I keep a smile on my face for his sake. “See you soon, okay?”
She takes his hand and turns to leave.
“Jillian, I lo?—”
Her step falters. “I’ll call you.”
They walk away, and it takes every fiber of my being not to go after them.