Chapter 33 - Max
“What do you mean, you don’t have a daughter? What about this?!”
I slam the folder on his desk, sitting back in my chair and waiting for his answer. He stares at me with dark eyes, and I search his face for any resemblance between him and his supposed daughter.
She has her mother’s eyes, and her mother’s lips. His nose, maybe?
He reaches forward and flips the folder open, glancing at it curiously. His eyebrows shoot up and then he looks at me.
“Private investigator?”
“It was my parents. They did it without my permission. But I’m glad they did, otherwise I never would have known what you two were up to.”
His eyebrows stay raised and he glances back down at the folder.
“Naomi Rose,” he muses. He reaches up and scratches the back of his head. My eyes widen—I’ve seen that movement before. Naomi does it anytime she’s lost in thought.
My heart starts hammering and a lump forms in my throat.
It’s true, then!
She lied to me. I’m simultaneously relieved and crushed. I can’t speak.
Jerry flicks the first page over and his eyes widen.
“Jacqueline Rose?”
“Her mother.”
“Her mother is Jacqueline Rose?” He inhales sharply, his whole body stiffening. He flicks through more pages, scanning the paperwork with almost panicked interest. Suddenly, I want it back. It seems so intrusive to have him reading all these things about Naomi.
Maybe this was a mistake.
“She’s twenty-nine,” he says to himself. “Oh my god…”
“What?”
“I just… I need to meet this woman. Where is Jackie? And Naomi? Holy shit.” He stands up, grabbing his jacket.
Then he sits down, putting his hand to his forehead and staring at the center of his desk. He picks up the phone and then hangs it up again.
Finally, he swings his eyes over to me.
“How…? Oh my god.”
“You… you didn’t know?” Is he lying? Is this all part of the ruse? They must be playing me. She said she’d never met him, maybe they decided to pretend to have never met.
But his cheeks are red, and I can see a smattering of freckles across his nose. Maybe his grey hair used to be red? He puts his elbows on his desk and drops his head in his hands, shaking it slowly.
“Jackie,” he whispers.
I watch him as my heart thumps, and I know.
I know that I was wrong.
Naomi was telling the truth.
They’ve never met.
There’s no way someone could pretend to have that reaction. A tear drops from Jerry’s eye and he brushes it away angrily. He looks at Naomi’s picture from the folder, running his fingers over her face. Finally, as if he remembers that I’m there, he looks up and closes the folder, pushing it back towards me.
“Take me to her.”
“What, now? I mean, we’re not exactly speaking right now…”
“Take. Me. To. Her.”
There’s no question in his voice. I’ve heard that voice before, and I know that Jerry is just like my father—they’re men who are used to getting what they want. I nod my chin and take the file back, sliding it into my jacket pocket.
“She’s probably at work. You can ride with me if you want?” I watch his hands shake as he squeezes them into fists. He nods curtly, saying nothing.
I wonder if he still has a voice.
His assistant tries to call after him as we walk out, but he just waves over his head. “Cancel my appointments!” He yells out, and we walk into the elevator.
He doesn’t look at me, and he doesn’t speak. His face is pale and drawn, and his arms are crossed over his chest. We find my car and drive to Naomi’s work in silence.
When I walk in, I see Meg right away. Her eyebrows shoot up and she rushes towards me. She stands in front of me, blocking the way. Her arms are crossed and she shakes her head.
“She’s not here,” she hisses. “You should go. How dare you!”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know, Max. Home, probably. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. You should be ashamed of yourself. Get out.”
I exchange a glance with Jerry.
I probably deserve that. The shame makes my cheeks burn.
How could I have been so wrong? I let my pride and my ego make me push away the only woman that’s been decent to me. I chased her out of my house! I made her fucking cry!
My heart burns with guilt. We step back outside, and Jerry clears his throat.
“What was that about?”
“Naomi’s a bit mad at me right now,” I respond. That’s probably the understatement of the century, but I’m not exactly feeling like sharing my deepest, darkest feelings with my new companion. We get back in my car and I head towards Naomi’s apartment. If she isn’t there, I’m not sure where she could be.
I know one thing: I need to find her. If not for me, then for Jerry. He deserves to meet his daughter, and she deserves to know who he is.
A sliver of hope enters my mind when I think of it. If I bring them together, maybe she’ll forgive me for this morning. I shake my head and focus on the road. I can’t let my mind run away from me.
“What’s she like?” Jerry asks in the silence. I turn down the car radio and look at him. His cheeks have a bit more color, but he still looks nervous as hell.
I sigh. “She’s incredible. Smart, funny, successful. She’s gorgeous.”
We’re only a few minutes away from her house, and my heart is thumping. Jerry nods. “You love her?”
“Yeah,” I reply, and we’re quiet.
We don’t speak until I pull up outside Naomi’s apartment. I nod to the steps.
“Jackie’s probably up there, too. She’s been living at Naomi’s since she started chemo.”
“Chemo?” His eyes widen and his voice chokes. He glances at me and I see the panic in his face. “Chemo for what?”
“Breast cancer,” I reply. “It was in the file.”
“I missed that,” he whispers. “I shouldn’t be here. Fuck.” He hangs on to the passenger’s side door as if it’s a life raft.
“Too late,” I say. “We’re here.”
He glances at me and laughs bitterly. “I bet Jackie loves you,” he says. “She always liked people with a bit of personality.”
“I don’t think she likes me very much right now.”
Walking up the steps to her apartment building is like walking to both our funerals. Jerry’s so pale, he looks like he’s already died, and I can’t think of anything except how I’m going to apologize to Naomi.
How can I apologize for that? I accused her of some ridiculous conspiracy and then I threw her out! I hesitate at the door, glancing at Jerry.
“You sure you want to do this?”
“Nope,” he says, and then he presses the buzzer next to the name ‘Rose’.
It only takes a minute for Naomi’s voice to come through the intercom. Her voice sounds thin and distorted through the old audio equipment, but my heart still jumps.
“Yes?”
Jerry leans in. “Naomi, hi,” he says. “You don’t know me. I’m… I…” He glances at me. “My name is Jerry Irving.”
He hesitates, and the intercom clicks. Did she hang up?
A second goes by, and then the buzzer sounds. I look at Jerry, who takes a deep breath and then pushes the door open.