Thirty-Three #2
“Dalia has space to put me up.”
He handed her the phone. “Ask if she has room for two.”
“Two?”
“Of course. I’m coming with you.”
Valerie put her arms around him. It was comforting to stand like that. At least, in this small section of forest, one thing was right.
* * *
Packing up Nico’s tidy things only took six minutes, and they put their bags in the car before searching for Roger.
It wasn’t until they double-checked the rock where he liked to be with his thoughts that they found him. Roger jumped up when they approached. “Valerie. I’m so sorry. I was going to come talk to you, but I needed to calm down. My head was a mess. I apologize for bringing you into this.”
“It’s okay,” she said automatically. She’d agreed to it, after all, and she was responsible in part for the consequences.
“No, it’s not. I took advantage of your generosity and what happened at Dad’s celebration of life to rope you into this.
I wanted it to work out so badly and I was a selfish dick.
What I did wasn’t right. Nico, I need to apologize to you as well.
I’m sorry. You should never have been involved in this personal matter. I was completely unprofessional.”
Nico nodded as Valerie stood taller. “Thank you,” she said. That’s it. This time she didn’t try to comfort him by minimizing what had happened. She glanced at Nico, and he gestured for her to give Roger the news.
“We have something to tell you,” she said.
“You’re leaving? I understand. Penny was something else.” He shook his head. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t do anything rash. You don’t have to worry about retaliation, I promise.”
“I am leaving, and that’s good about Penny, but it’s not what we need to say,” she said, taking Nico’s hand and taking comfort in his touch. “We know where Yvette and Rory are.”
“Rory?”
“Rory is your daughter,” said Nico.
There it was, the news Roger had wanted. He didn’t move. Or talk. He simply stared at them.
“We know where they are,” Valerie repeated, in case he didn’t quite understand.
“What.” Roger didn’t blink. She was suddenly grateful her surprise plan hadn’t worked out. Roger needed time to adjust.
Nico released her to pull up the photos on Roger’s phone, the ones of the bakery and the two women.
“Rory?” said Roger faintly. “Her name is Rory.” He sat down with a bump on the rock. “Rory. I love that name.”
Valerie gave him a quick summary of what Andrew had told her.
“Is she…?” Roger paused. “Do you think she’s happy?” He looked at the photo again. “This Alon guy loved her, I can tell. Look how proud he is. And Yvette. He loved them both.” He sounded relieved.
“Rog?” David’s voice echoed through the trees. “Roger!”
Roger didn’t look up from the photo. “Over here,” he called.
David appeared a minute later, puffing and red-faced from the exertion. He had a six-pack in one hand, a bottle of whiskey in the other, and stopped when he saw Valerie and Nico.
“She’s gone,” he said to Roger. “She and Brayden packed up and left. I thought you’d like to know.”
“Thanks.”
David shifted back and forth. “Is it all true? What those two said?” He paused. “Valerie and Nico.”
“Looks like.” Roger’s lips were trembling. “My daughter’s name is Rory. She’s in BC. I just found out.”
“When?”
“About thirty seconds ago.”
“What?” David’s jaw dropped. “God, you actually found her.” He glanced at Valerie. “The real her?”
Roger passed over the phone with the photo. “Here she is.”
“Nice-looking girl,” David said. “Lucky she took after her mom.”
Roger laughed, but it was short and then he fell silent. David cleared his throat. “Hey.”
“What?”
“I didn’t know anything about your kid.” He looked up, his face surprisingly vulnerable. “I’d never do that, Rog. I swear. You’re my brother. What Penny did was messed up. I don’t know how she could have done that. Dad I can see, but Penny?”
“I know,” Roger said. “Me neither.”
David held out one of the beers. “Thought you could use some company, though.”
Roger grabbed it. “I’d like that.”
That was Valerie and Nico’s cue to leave. Actually, they probably should have left before this brotherly bonding moment, but it had seemed awkward to interrupt. They stood and so did Roger.
“I get if you want to leave, but you’re welcome to stay,” he said. “Have a real vacation.”
“Thanks, but we’re going to a friend’s house,” said Valerie. “I should get back to the city soon. I need to get Ad Astra going.” And figure out her sublet situation, but now was not the time to bring that up.
“I’m here to help.” Roger pulled her into a bear hug, his face wet with tears. “Thank you,” he said. She felt him nod at Nico. “Both of you.”
He released Valerie, and Nico helped her over the rocks. They were almost at the path when Roger called out.
“Before you go, can you text me Yvette’s number? I’ve missed thirty years. I’m not going to miss a second more.”
Nico sent the text and Valerie heard the small ping from Roger’s phone. There was almost too much to discuss as they walked back, and Valerie took refuge in Nico’s comforting silence as he started the car and they went down the drive.
“Hey,” said Valerie, squinting into the distance. “Look. Do you see that?”
It was an old dilapidated sign and Nico stopped so they could get out and take a look. Valerie was the first to reach it. Two pieces of wood had been joined with a few rusty nails, and the words inexpertly carved. If they had been painted, time and weather had eroded the color away.
“‘Welcome to Badgertonville,’” read Nico. “‘Population: Six.’”
“It had a name after all,” said Valerie. After the emotional turmoil of the last few hours, she didn’t want to point out the name sucked. How basic.
“I prefer Badger-paulco.”
“I prefer you.” She sat on a rock near the sign. “What a day.”
He raised his hand in a fake cheers. “To many more.”
That made her laugh. “With you, yes,” she said. “Badgertons, I can pass on.”
Nico bent down to pick a daisy, which he tucked behind her ear. “The summer wasn’t all bad,” he said.
“I didn’t get bitten by a water snake,” she said, pulling him next to her. Nico was perfect to lean on.
“You learned to canoe.”
“I learned how to fall out of a canoe,” she corrected. “I did learn to kayak.” She glanced over. “How about you?”
“I met you,” he said simply.
She squeezed him tighter. “You flirt.”
“Do you know why I never doubted we’d find Yvette?”
“Because you had faith in my deductive and acting abilities?”
He kissed her temple. His touch had become increasingly casual as he’d become more comfortable but no less exciting. “I had that, but also, I knew how Roger felt. It’s how I feel about you. There are some things that are meant to be.”
“There are?” Valerie could feel the smile start to spread as Nico took her hand. Those eyes that never failed to astound her were looking as if she was the only thing he wanted to see the rest of his life.
He drew his finger along her palm, making her shiver. “Yes, like you. Everything about you. All of you. Your theories and your ideas and your hobbies. I want to explore all of them and I want to discover new things together.”
“Like paragliding?”
He paused. “Why paragliding?”
She beamed at him. “It always seemed cool. You know, flying with the birds.”
“I want to discover new things with you and then sometimes watch while you discover things on your own,” he amended, kissing her hand.
“That’s an acceptable compromise.” She brought his hand into her lap and hoped she wasn’t gripping him too tight. But what he was saying was heaven. “I want to do the same with you.”
He nodded. “I’ve always wanted to go to Tokyo to see where Masaaki Imai was born. He was a pioneer of kaizen.”
She knew only the bare minimum about continuous improvement methods, but that didn’t matter. She could learn. “I’m in!”
More palm kisses before Nico continued. “Here’s all I need to know. You said you would see where this went. Do you want this when we get back to the city?”
“Yes!” She nearly shouted the word as she grabbed him, and Nico’s smile grew brighter than the sunlight around them.
Of course she wanted this when they got back.
There were few things she wanted more. She wanted to tell him this, and everything, and all the thoughts that were spilling over each other as he looked at her.
Then she realized there was no need to do it all at once.
She could take her time because Nico would be there today, and tomorrow, and hopefully all the tomorrows after.
He hugged her close and it felt like home. “Good. That’s all I need for now.”
Then he kissed her, and Valerie knew, deep down, that Nico was something she would never be quitting.