heard of it.”
He raised a shoulder. “But perhaps they speak French. The man could have come from there, at my father’s direction.”
She nodded. “Possibly.”
“What did they argue about?”
She closed hereyes. “I’m not sure.”
“What did he look like?” The questions came fast.
“I don’t…” She trailed off, eyes still closed. No image was forming.
“Anything like the man in the photos?”
“Hey, easy with the pressure, all right?” she said, eyes opening as she leaned back. “Until this moment, the dominant memories of that night have been about losing you. I hated your mom after that. She could havetold me she was about to take you away. She could have let me say goodbye. Afterwards, I was terrified that I’d start to forget you so I pushed everything else aside.” She settled in her chair, arms crossed. “Now I have to damn well find it again.”
Jed allowed that to shove him into silence. With a strange look on his face, he gazed back and waited.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “Just hold tight andlet me think.”
He didn’t hold tight for long. “What do you remember of me?”
“Jed,” she warned, mind instantly muddled by a teenage masterpiece. “That’s not going to help me remember the man.”
“The man, then.”
A fragment formed, sharp-eyed and well-dressed. Glaring. She was vulnerable, sprung with Jed’s taste on her lips and losing her virginity on her mind. The last thing she’d needed wasa stranger’s scrutiny.
“Not like the man in the photos,” she recalled. “Thinner. His face too, thin and narrow, I think. I guess if it were Oscar himself, I’d remember that he looked a lot like you.”
Jed nodded, frowning. “How do you know the name Oscar?”
“Hang on.” Dee tilted her head, sifting thoughts. “First Ellie pretended I was her daughter. That was really weird. I went along with it.I mean, you wouldn’t lie about your kid for no reason. And then he said I looked nothing like Oscar and left.”
His frown folded tighter. “Nothing like Oscar.”
“Supposedly nothing like the man who believed Ellie had his child.”
“What was the man like?”
“Let me think.”
Again, he waited, feigning patience. His hands were fists on the tabletop.
“I don’t recall feeling threatened. He didn’t seemlike a thug or brute or anything. Refined, even. But that’s about all I’ve got.” It was a sketchy recount of events that shed no light on the scruples of Jed’s father. She couldn’t disguise the bitterness from her voice as she said, “Sorry you tracked me down for no reason.”
“Dee,” he said instantly, a broken word.
Silence followed, and Dee decided this would require additional coffee. She reachedout to graze a passing waiter’s elbow. “Ardalan, sweetie, would you bring me another latte?”
The waiter paused in his bustle to peer at her accusingly. “Depends on how many you’ve had.”
She pouted a little. “Just two.”
Ardalan shot Jed a glance. “You look new. Three’s her limit, okay?”
Jed smiled and inclined his head. When the waiter left, he asked, “Addicted, are we?”
“Don’t mess with it.Withdrawals aren’t pretty.”
He laughed softly. Then his humor faded and he leaned forward, folding his arms across the table in front of him. “I think the email is genuinely from my father.”
Dee focused, adjusting her woolen hat. An email from the father he’d never known? The walls of Jed’s existence must be cracking, letting light in. Meeting this man could change his life. Or break it apart.
“Okay.” She thought of a cold night, ten years ago. A man scrutinizing her, searching for family resemblance. “You know despite his convivial tone, he could be dangerous.”
“Yes.”
“He could be after something. Not a happy father and son reunion.”
A large hand swiped over his jaw and she imagined the hushed rasp of regrowth. “I know that, too.”
“Do you want to meet him?”
His hand lowered
He raised a shoulder. “But perhaps they speak French. The man could have come from there, at my father’s direction.”
She nodded. “Possibly.”
“What did they argue about?”
She closed hereyes. “I’m not sure.”
“What did he look like?” The questions came fast.
“I don’t…” She trailed off, eyes still closed. No image was forming.
“Anything like the man in the photos?”
“Hey, easy with the pressure, all right?” she said, eyes opening as she leaned back. “Until this moment, the dominant memories of that night have been about losing you. I hated your mom after that. She could havetold me she was about to take you away. She could have let me say goodbye. Afterwards, I was terrified that I’d start to forget you so I pushed everything else aside.” She settled in her chair, arms crossed. “Now I have to damn well find it again.”
Jed allowed that to shove him into silence. With a strange look on his face, he gazed back and waited.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “Just hold tight andlet me think.”
He didn’t hold tight for long. “What do you remember of me?”
“Jed,” she warned, mind instantly muddled by a teenage masterpiece. “That’s not going to help me remember the man.”
“The man, then.”
A fragment formed, sharp-eyed and well-dressed. Glaring. She was vulnerable, sprung with Jed’s taste on her lips and losing her virginity on her mind. The last thing she’d needed wasa stranger’s scrutiny.
“Not like the man in the photos,” she recalled. “Thinner. His face too, thin and narrow, I think. I guess if it were Oscar himself, I’d remember that he looked a lot like you.”
Jed nodded, frowning. “How do you know the name Oscar?”
“Hang on.” Dee tilted her head, sifting thoughts. “First Ellie pretended I was her daughter. That was really weird. I went along with it.I mean, you wouldn’t lie about your kid for no reason. And then he said I looked nothing like Oscar and left.”
His frown folded tighter. “Nothing like Oscar.”
“Supposedly nothing like the man who believed Ellie had his child.”
“What was the man like?”
“Let me think.”
Again, he waited, feigning patience. His hands were fists on the tabletop.
“I don’t recall feeling threatened. He didn’t seemlike a thug or brute or anything. Refined, even. But that’s about all I’ve got.” It was a sketchy recount of events that shed no light on the scruples of Jed’s father. She couldn’t disguise the bitterness from her voice as she said, “Sorry you tracked me down for no reason.”
“Dee,” he said instantly, a broken word.
Silence followed, and Dee decided this would require additional coffee. She reachedout to graze a passing waiter’s elbow. “Ardalan, sweetie, would you bring me another latte?”
The waiter paused in his bustle to peer at her accusingly. “Depends on how many you’ve had.”
She pouted a little. “Just two.”
Ardalan shot Jed a glance. “You look new. Three’s her limit, okay?”
Jed smiled and inclined his head. When the waiter left, he asked, “Addicted, are we?”
“Don’t mess with it.Withdrawals aren’t pretty.”
He laughed softly. Then his humor faded and he leaned forward, folding his arms across the table in front of him. “I think the email is genuinely from my father.”
Dee focused, adjusting her woolen hat. An email from the father he’d never known? The walls of Jed’s existence must be cracking, letting light in. Meeting this man could change his life. Or break it apart.
“Okay.” She thought of a cold night, ten years ago. A man scrutinizing her, searching for family resemblance. “You know despite his convivial tone, he could be dangerous.”
“Yes.”
“He could be after something. Not a happy father and son reunion.”
A large hand swiped over his jaw and she imagined the hushed rasp of regrowth. “I know that, too.”
“Do you want to meet him?”
His hand lowered
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