The Chesapeake Diaries Series 7-Book Bundle: Coming HOme, Home Again, Almost Home, Hometown Girl, Home for the Summer, The Long Way Home, At the River's Edge (145 page)

A moment later, his grandfather appeared, greeting him warmly and holding the door open for him.

“Right on time.” Curtis nodded approvingly.

“Can’t be late for our six o’clock reservation at Lola’s,” Jesse said.

“They’d hold our table but it’s always best to be prompt. Besides, I’m starving. I got caught up in reading something this afternoon, never did stop for lunch. Now, let me just get my overcoat …” Curtis paused. “Do I need an overcoat?”

“I think you’ll want it later,” Jesse said. “It’s cool out now and likely to be cooler by the time we finish dinner.”

His grandfather’s coat lay over the back of a chair in the living room, which was visible from the hall. Jesse retrieved it for him and helped him into it. His overall impression of the room was of dark antiques and too many portraits on the walls.

“Thank you, son. Now”—Curtis patted Jesse on the back—“shall I drive?”

Jesse couldn’t help but smile. While a ride in the old Caddy was tempting, he thought maybe Curtis might like a spin around town in the two-seater.

“I’ll drive, if you don’t mind,” Jesse told him.

“Fine with me.” Curtis locked the front door behind them. “Always wondered what it would be like to drive one of these things. Should have bought one for myself when I was still young enough to enjoy it.”

Jesse held the keys out to him. “Can you drive stick?”

Curtis shook his head. “Not these days.”

They arrived at Lola’s with several minutes to spare, so they sat in the bar and chatted over drinks until their table was ready. Curtis was surprisingly up-to-date as far as the firm was concerned—thanks, no
doubt, to Violet. But while he appeared to know the status of most of the ongoing cases, he wanted the details, the more complete, the better.

“Now, tell me how you approached Harold Lansing on that property issue of his,” Curtis would say, and Jesse would tell him, step-by-step.

“And the Macallister divorce. How did you ever get Peter to agree to share the Rehoboth house with Nancy?”

“That squabble among the Hillyer kids over Cyrus’s will … how’s that going?”

“Wish I’d been there to see the look on old Jack Winbry’s face when the jury came back in favor of our client.” Curtis had chuckled over Jesse’s defeat of an old adversary.

By the time they’d ordered dessert, Jesse figured Curtis knew as much as he did about the cases that had come into the office over the past ten months.

“The last thing I should be thinking about is pumpkin pie,” Curtis told him, “but I just can’t resist. Your grandmother made one hell of a pumpkin pie. Never did find one that rivaled it.” He looked across the table at Jesse, his voice lowered. “I’m sorry you didn’t know her. I’m sorry she didn’t know you.”

“I’m sorry, too, Pop. I feel like I know her a little, though, through different things that Violet has said from time to time. I know it’s not the same thing, but I have an idea of the type of person she was.”

“She was one in a million, son.” Curtis stirred cream into his coffee. “Only woman I ever loved, and I loved her the minute I laid eyes on her. Hate to even admit how many years ago that was.”

He raised the cup to his mouth and took one sip, then set it back down in the saucer.

“You ever been in love, Jesse?” he asked, and Jesse shook his head, no.

“At least, I don’t think I have. I’ve been in
like
a couple of times, in
lust
several more, but I don’t think I’ve ever been in love.” He thought of the way he was starting to feel about Brooke, which was definitely different from anything he’d ever felt for anyone. But was it love? How would he know? “I haven’t given up, though.”

“Well, I hope you find her here, and I hope you find her soon. You are getting up there, you know.”

Jesse laughed. “I’m only thirty-six.”

“Long past the time when you should have found the right girl, settled down, gotten married. Started a family.”

“I’d like to think that’s in my future.” Jesse stirred cream into his coffee. “But you know, my parents’ marriage wasn’t very good, and my father …”

“Didn’t set a very good example for you, did he?”

“Not when it came to relationships.” Jesse thought for a moment. “Or much of anything else, I’m afraid.”

“I’ve never been able to understand Craig. He was the boy who had everything. He was smart, he was athletic, he was good-looking, he had a magnetism about him … he could have been anything. He had the family firm waiting for him, he had a family that loved him and wanted him to succeed. And yet he chose to be, well, what he is.”

“I’m sorry,” Jesse found himself saying.

“Oh, son, no need for you to apologize. Believe me, your father started messing up his life long before you
came along.” He shook his head. “We could never figure out where we went wrong, and God knows, Rose and I tried everything we could think of to help him turn it around. But it was like standing on the sidewalk watching a car go out of control. There was nothing you could do about it unless you were the one behind the wheel. After a while we just stopped trying. It occurred to me one day that nothing was going to change Craig unless and until he wanted to change. I never saw any sign that he wanted to.”

“He never did.”

“That business at that last law firm he was working for, that whole embezzlement thing.” Curtis shook his head sadly. “I suppose that was the last straw as far as your mother was concerned.”

“They’d actually split up before that,” Jesse told him. “We’ll just say that he’d already picked out wife number three and we’ll leave it at that.”

“Your mother is a fine woman. Smart, lovely, charming. A good woman. I’ll never understand what she saw in him. Her or Craig’s first wife.” He paused. “Did you ever meet her? Delia?”

“The famous mystery writer. No, we never met, but I’ve heard a lot about her, and I’ve seen her on TV a couple of times, read a few magazine articles. She seems like a nice lady.”

“Terrific woman. Rose and I loved her. Never did find out what happened there. Craig wouldn’t discuss it, and when we tried to get Delia to open up, she shut us out. I mean, literally, shut us out. Wouldn’t let us anywhere near the kids, no real explanation behind that. That was back in the days before grandparents
had any rights.” Curtis glanced at Jesse. “You do know there were children from that marriage?”

“I know I have a half brother and two half sisters, but we’ve never met.” Jesse nodded and thought about the invitations that had already gone out, and hoped he’d made the right decision. Violet seemed to think so, had encouraged him to invite all the Enright offspring, and she would certainly be the one to know.

“That’s a shame. For all of you. That shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.” Curtis sighed deeply. “It’s very disappointing to get to this stage in your life and to look back, only to find you have so many regrets, so many things you wish you’d done differently.”

“You can’t change the past, Pop. We both know that.” Jesse patted his grandfather’s arm reassuringly. “And the decisions that my dad made … those are all on him.”

“I have something to say to you that’s long overdue.” Curtis sighed and put down his cup. “I’m sorry I ever let my feeling of anger and frustration with your father come between us. You and the others. I deeply regret that I haven’t done right by any of you. Those times when your father wasn’t there for you, I should have been. Same for Nick and the girls. I should have been there for all of you. I shouldn’t have taken no for an answer from any of my former daughters-in-law. At least when you became adults, I should have—”

“It’s okay, Pop.” Jesse felt his throat tighten. “Water over the dam now.”

“You’re a fine young man, Jesse. You make me very
proud.” It seemed Curtis, too, had a catch in his throat.

“Well, now, look,” Jesse said, “we’re here and we just had a great dinner together and everything is fine. No need to look back, Pop. Just look ahead. You have lots of time to get to know all your grandkids.” He grinned. “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

“God, Rose would have loved you.” Curtis chuckled. “When did you say your sister would be coming back for another visit?”

“In a few weeks.”

“Good, good. We’ll plan dinner or something special while she’s here.”

“Sounds good. I know she’ll look forward to that.”

The waiter served their desserts, pumpkin pie for Curtis, a Black Forest cupcake for Jesse, who couldn’t help but smile when he ordered it. Everything about Brooke seemed to make him smile. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her from the minute the door had closed behind her that morning. The way she looked all tousled from sleep when he’d awakened, the way his heart had swelled when she opened her eyes and reached for him …

“That looks tasty,” Curtis remarked as he eyed the two cupcakes that were set before Jesse.

“Oh, these are wonderful,” the waiter confided. “Made right here in St. Dennis.”

“Brooke made them, Pop,” Jesse said, his smile still in place. “Brooke Bowers.” When his grandfather appeared a little confused, he added, “Brooke Madison?”

“Ah, yes. Little Brooke. She’s a baker now?” Curtis chuckled. “She must take after her aunt Francie. Now,
there was a woman who could bake. Took the blue at the county fair for both her lemon pound cake and her rhubarb cake every year for … I don’t even remember how many years.”

Jesse took a bite. The flavor was rich and sweet, the chocolate dense and delicious. Remarkable, but he could almost taste her in her creation.

“That must be one pretty darn good cupcake,” Curtis mused. “You’ve been grinning from ear to ear since the waiter brought it out.”

“You tell me.” Jesse cut off a wedge and passed it to his grandfather, who used his fork to take a bite.

“Yes.” Curtis nodded. “It is quite good. You be sure to ask her if she got this recipe from Francie when you see her again, hear?”

“I’ll do that.”

Curtis snapped his fingers. “Of course, of course. Brooke was the Halloween queen. There was a picture of her on the front page of the
Gazette
the other day. Dancing with a tall, dark-haired fellow who looked an awful lot like you.”

“Pop, it
was
me.”

“Thought he looked familiar.” Curtis went back to his pumpkin pie. “Lovely girl, Brooke.”

The waiter returned to refill their coffee cups, and they made small talk. When Curtis appeared to be tiring, Jesse signaled the waiter for the check.

“How ’bout if I get that?”

Curtis reached for it, but Jesse reminded him, “I invited you, remember?”

“Yes, you did, and I appreciate the invitation.” Curtis acquiesced, and sat back while Jesse paid the bill. “I can’t remember the last time one of my grandchildren
took me to dinner. Actually, I can’t remember the last time one of them accepted a dinner invitation from me.”

“We’ll have to do it more often.” Jesse slid his wallet back into his pants pocket.

“Thank you for not reminding me that most of my grandchildren have good reason
not
to want to have dinner with me.”

“You can change that anytime you want, Pop. It’s all in your hands. It always has been. Maybe you’ll get the chance to do that soon.”

They got up from the table and said their good-nights to the hostess on their way to the door.

“Where’s Lola tonight?” Curtis asked the young woman.

“I’m Lola,” she replied.

“If you’re Lola, I’ll have whatever it is you’re having,” Curtis quipped. “I know for a fact that Lola is ninety-six years old, and if you’ll pardon me for saying so, you don’t look a day over twenty.” He leaned a little closer. “And Lola was never as lovely as you.”

The woman flashed the smile pretty young girls reserve for old men who mean well.

“You mean my great-aunt Lola,” the woman said. “She’s off tonight.”

“Well, you tell her Curtis Enright was asking for her, if you think of it.”

“I’ll do that.” She held the door for them and flashed a bright smile at Jesse as she did so.

When they got outside, Curtis said, “She’s a pretty thing, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t really notice, did you.” Curtis stopped
next to the passenger-side door of Jesse’s car and waited while it was unlocked.

“Sure, I noticed.”

“You’re not a good liar.” Curtis ducked his head and slid into the little sports car. After Jesse got in behind the wheel, Curtis said, “She may not be royalty, but she’s still a pretty girl and she was looking to flirt with you.”

“That part I did
not
notice. And what royalty?”

“Halloween queen. Cupcake princess.” Curtis chuckled. “She comes from a long line of beauty queens, you know.”

“You mean Lola?”

“You know damned well who I mean. A man could do a lot worse than to fall in love with a beauty queen.”

Jesse didn’t reply, but when he pulled up in front of Curtis’s house and turned off the car, he said, “Earlier you told me I was nothing like my father.”

“I did.” Curtis nodded. “You’re not.”

“What if I am, Pop?” Jesse asked softly. “What if deep inside, I am?”

“I think you would have known by now, son.” He reached over and patted Jesse’s hand where it rested on the gearshift. “We all would have known.”

Jesse wasn’t so sure.

“You and Gramma Rose had a good life together, didn’t you?”

“The best.”

“It’s safe to say you were a happy and loving family?”

“Always.” Curtis hesitated. “Well, until your father got into his teens and turned into someone we didn’t
know and brought chaos into our home. What are you thinking, Jess?”

“I’m just wondering why, if my father had such good role models in his parents, I should have any reason to think I’d be better at being married and raising kids than he was, since I had no role model at all. I wouldn’t want to have a family and end up doing to them what he did to us.”

“You’re not him, that’s why. Whatever is in him that makes him seemingly unable to stay in one place, to understand what love and commitment are all about, I don’t see any of that in you. If you want to know the truth, I see more of me in you than I do of him.” There was silence for a moment, until Curtis said, “I don’t think that Craig ever really felt love for anyone, son. Not his parents, not his siblings. Maybe not for any of his wives or his children. There are people like that, you know. They think they love—they try to love and maybe convince themselves that that’s what they feel. But inside, there’s nothing. Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you’ve never felt love for anyone?”