Chapter Two #2
“I asked Dominic. However, he would only tell me your name, marital status and where you lived. Dom said anything else I wanted to know I had to find out for myself.”
“Some best friend he is,” she said, grinning. “At least I got more information about you out of Pam.”
He appreciated that she had no problem letting him know she had inquired about him, as well. “As a best friend, she sounds like a keeper.”
“She is, trust me. Pam’s the best.”
“So, what did Pam tell you about me?” he asked.
“She didn’t have to tell me your name since you were the buzz the moment you arrived.
However, she did tell me where you lived, what you did for a living and your marital status.
She even told me that your daughter, at twenty-two, had recently graduated from law school and was studying for the California Bar exam.
That’s an outstanding accomplishment for a twenty-two-year-old. ”
“That’s due to dual enrollment and earning both AB and IP credits while in high school and going to college year-round. Deena is my pride and joy,” he said.
“I feel the same about my son. He’s on a fast track to finish high school as well. However, not as aggressively as Deena.”
He nodded. “How old is your son?”
“Garlan is sixteen, a senior and plans to attend Harvard. He wants to be an attorney.”
He could hear the deep pride in her voice. “That’s a pretty good profession if I must say so myself,” he said, grinning. “Your son sounds like an outstanding young man.”
Her smile widened. “Of course, I think so.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you, Iris?”
“I don’t mind at all. I will be forty-one on my next birthday.”
He stopped walking and turned to study her beautiful features. “You’re kidding, right?”
She chuckled. “No, I’m not kidding. Don’t you know a woman might lower her age but never increase it?”
“Well, you definitely don’t look it.”
“Thanks, Matt. How old did you think I was?”
“Thirty-four. Maybe thirty-five.”
“Those days are long gone, trust me. What about you? How old are you?”
“I’m forty-four.”
“You certainly don’t look it.”
“Thanks. However, as a single father of a daughter who was very energetic and wanted to do everything while growing up, I feel my age.”
“I feel mine, too,” she said. “Garlan is into baseball, track, soccer, martial arts, tennis and now girls.”
He nodded. “At sixteen, Deena was still taking dancing classes. She had a lot of guy friends but didn’t have a boyfriend until her second year of college. He lasted four months. She said when he wanted to get too attached, she decided to cut him loose.”
“Well, I have to say it, Matt, but AJ hasn’t let your daughter out of his sight since they were introduced.”
Matt raised a brow. “AJ?”
“That’s the nickname given to Alisdare when he was a kid. After college, he decided he wanted everyone to call him by his real name instead. Once in a while, we’ll let it slip. When we do, he takes it in stride. He knows old habits are hard to break.”
Matt stopped walking again. “Wait a minute. Alisdare, Alisdare,” he said, repeating the name. “Is he Dare Westmoreland’s son?”
“Yes.”
A huge smile touched Matt’s face. “I know Dare. Met him through Quade a few years back. He’s a sheriff in a town near Atlanta.
I’ve been on a few fishing trips with him and the Atlanta Westmorelands.
I was included in several of their card games.
I met his wife, Shelly, but never met their kids. Nice guy.”
“I agree. Dare will soon be retiring, so he claims. But we will see. In case you have any reservations about Alisdare, he’s a nice young man. Dare and Shelly raised him well.”
“I believe it. Now that you’ve made the connection, I can see how much Alisdare favors Dare.”
She smiled. “An example of strong genes.”
Matt returned her smile. “You’re right. I don’t recall seeing Dare and Shelly here tonight.”
“They aren’t. Dare took Shelly on a cruise to Italy for their wedding anniversary. It had been planned for a while.”
Matt nodded. “And what do you do for a living, Iris?”
“I’m the CEO of the Knight Group, a PR firm in downtown LA.”
He nodded. “I’ve heard of your company. It has a very impressive reputation. My firm has recommended a few clients there.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome. Why the Knight Group and not the Michaels Group?”
“My husband selected the name for me. Since his stage name was Garlan Knight, we decided to go with that.”
“Stage name? Was he an actor?”
“No. A stuntman. Typically, stuntmen don’t need stage names, but when he started in the business, there was a group of brothers who acted under the last name of Michaels. It was suggested he use a different last name to avoid confusion. He chose his mother’s maiden name of Knight.”
They paused to look at another painting. “That makes sense. How long ago did he pass away?” Matt asked.
“Close to twenty years ago.” She gave a small smile and said, “To help with the calculations that usually start working in most people’s heads, my husband did indeed father my sixteen-year-old child, but there is a story behind that.”
“Is there?”
“Yes. A very special story,” she said, smiling wider.
“Would you share it with me?” he asked, returning her smile.
“Sure. Because of my husband’s profession, some of his most dangerous stunts, those dealing with extreme physical conditions such as air stunts and heat exposure, potentially decreased a man’s sperm count.
Garlan wanted to avoid that, as he planned to marry and have kids one day.
So, he deposited his sperm in a bank for future use. ”
“I see.”
“And if you’re wondering how I can tell you that with a straight face without any embarrassment, it’s because I’m glad he did.
For me, it was a blessing. A very special gift.
Garlan, who was seven years older than me, had been a stuntman ten years before we married, so the sperm bank donation wasn’t anything he thought to tell me about.
He had been dead almost five years when I finally went through a filing cabinet in his office.
It was there I found information about the sperm bank.
There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted Garlan’s baby.
Like I said, I thought of it as a special gift he left to me. ”
“You’re right. Your son is a special gift, and I can understand why you feel that way.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling again. “My son is the spitting image of his father. And from what I’m hearing, so are you.”
Matt nodded. “More examples of strong genes.”
“I agree. Now tell me more about you, Matt.”
They began strolling again. “I’ve been divorced for over twenty years.
I was able to prove to the court that I would be the better parent and was awarded custody of my daughter, who was barely a year old at the time.
The last time Deena saw her mother was when she packed up and left.
She’s now married to some Frenchman and lives in the port city of Marseille.
I discovered that she never told her husband about her prior husband or child. ”
“How did you find that out?”
“I ran into Rhonda a few years ago while in France with Dominic, visiting his grandfather. She was with her wealthy husband at a polo match. She saw me, and the first chance Rhonda got, she pulled me aside and asked me not to mention our marriage to anyone. Deena was ten at the time.”
“Wow.”
“I started to not do what she requested, out of spite, but then I decided to comply, because it meant she would not show up one day wanting custody of Deena.”
“Smart thinking.”
He glanced at his watch. “I guess we need to head back before those Westmorelands send out a posse, or those Outlaws, looking for us.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You are now a part of a very large family.”
“I see that.”
“It will seem overwhelming at first. Trust me, I was in your predicament years ago when Pam married Dillon. But in time, you will come to appreciate the inclusiveness.”
He enjoyed engaging in conversation with Iris. She was easy to talk to. He had shared things with her that he hadn’t shared with other women. Such as that information about Rhonda. And Iris was a lot of fun to be with.
“Since we’re both living in LA, could I call and invite you to dinner?”
“Presently, I’m seeing someone.”
He should have known that a woman as beautiful as she was would be taken. “Thanks for sharing this little escape with me, Iris.”
“You’re quite welcome, Matt.”