19. Thursday, June 28, 2012
THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2012
T he rest of that week was no less frenetic than Monday. Between scheduling and attending appointments with therapists and meeting with Aaron – not to mention routine work and parenting duties – there simply weren’t enough hours in the day. By the time dinner ended each night, Julia was practically sleepwalking. She was sorely tempted to cancel the individual therapy she had scheduled with Clio for Thursday and just rest, instead; but she knew she needed Clio’s input. And sure enough, between Clio and her dance class afterward, Julia felt much better, like always.
That is, until William told her his news over dinner.
“I got in touch with Marisa today,” he announced quietly, lifting his eyes from his plate to assess her reaction.
The bite of burrito Julia had just swallowed stuck in her throat, and she took several sips of water to clear it. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“No, I’m sorry,” William replied with a rueful chuckle.
“So, how did that go?”
“Better than expected, I guess. I had prepared myself for the worst, but it wasn’t like that. Though she did seem a little cautious at first.”
“Cautious?” Julia hoped her tone sounded less ruffled than she felt. “How so? ”
“For one thing, after meeting with your dad last week, when my number popped up on her caller ID, she figured it couldn’t be a coincidence. Later, she admitted she initially thought I was calling to ask for a job.” He wiped his hand down his face with a rueful snicker.
“So what did you find out?”
“Long story short, they haven’t settled yet on a restaurant, but she sounded pretty optimistic about Dunphy’s prospects. It would make a good storyline, considering it’s where she got her start. It would be like coming full circle – an ‘apprentice is now the master’ kind of thing.”
Julia gave a wry laugh. “As much as the Sith Lord shoe fits, we’d better not frame it that way to Dad.”
He laughed along with her before reaching across the table to take her hand and growing serious again. “She said something else that might interest you.”
Julia’s heart stuttered, even though she had no idea what it could be. “Okay?”
“She told me she was actually grateful to me for ending our relationship.”
Julia barked out a laugh. “Wow. That’s... okay.”
“She wasn't hateful about it,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “She just says she knows now that if we had started a family, she never could have achieved the things she has. She also says that after a lot of therapy, she realizes we were never compatible, and neither of us was ready for a healthy relationship. She admits that none of those epiphanies occurred until after she saw us at MacGowan’s that day.”
Julia hummed thoughtfully. “So you talked about me, then.”
“I told her Paul is your father, and you’re still the one who maintains the aquarium at Dunphy’s. I thought she should know, if she was considering taking over, and of course Paul didn’t think to tell her.”
Julia huffed out a laugh. “No surprise there.”
“The bottom line is, if the production team ends up selecting Dunphy’s, she’d be happy to meet with you to clear the air.”
Contemplative, Julia nodded slowly. William squeezed her hand and dipped his head to catch her eye. “I was hoping you'd feel a little more at ease, knowing she has no lingering interest or regrets, any more than I do. And that she feels no resentment toward you. ”
Julia smiled. “It does help. Thank you. And I’m still happy to meet with her, too.”