Chapter Twelve
Charlie had just finished cleaning her house when the doorbell rang. Her heart did a flip-flop when she opened the door to find a casually dressed Jake. She had only ever seen him in business suits so far, but tonight he wore a pair of jeans that clung to his lean hips and tight buns, and indecently outlined the large bulge between his legs. Dark tufts of hair peeked out from the vee of his black crew neck shirt, which served to enhance the masculinity of his sinewy torso. Charlie’s mouth watered.
Jake carried an armful of toys. He gave her a sheepish grin when Charlie raised an eyebrow at his gifts. “I couldn’t help myself. Where is she, by the way?”
“She’s in her playroom, putting the finishing touches on your present.”
“A present for me?”
Charlie didn’t have a chance to answer him.
“Daddy!” Kristy screeched, running to Jake. Kristy had talked non-stop about him seeing him in person again all week. Jake had made a point to call every night to speak to tell Kristy goodnight. It seemed the two had formed an unbreakable bond. Jake’s face lit up when he saw his daughter. He put his armload down in a hurry and lifted the little girl in his arms and twirled her around. Kristy giggled, enjoying her father’s attention. When Jake stopped spinning her, he gave the child a big hug and kiss.
“How’s Daddy’s big girl today?”
“Super! Daddy, I drawed you a picture,” Kristy had been eager to show off her drawing since she’d created it.
“You did? Can I see it?” he asked.
“Sure. Put me down,” she ordered and then ran to her room once she was on her feet again.
“She amazes me every time I see her,” Jake said.
“She’s an amazing kid,” Charlie agreed.
“I suppose her drawing is the present you referred to.”
“It’s not just any present. She doesn’t draw pictures for just anyone. I appreciate you inviting us to your parents’ for dinner tonight. Kristy has been looking forward to this visit all week. She couldn’t stop talking about you,” Charlie explained. “Thanks for calling every night while you were away. Kristy enjoyed talking to you. She’s at the stage where she loves talking on the phone.”
“No problem. I missed her.” He smiled.
“I never realized that she knew she didn’t have a father, but I guess most of the kids at daycare talk about their fathers and Kristy is so smart… I just never thought… I mean she never mentioned it. I should have known.” She made a clumsy attempt at explaining her predicament.
“Don’t worry about it, Charlie. It’s the past. I’m here now, so we won’t talk about it again.”
“But—”
Jake placed a finger over her lips.
“We won’t talk about it again,” he repeated.
“Daddy, look at my picture.” Kristy returned, tugging on Jake’s pant leg to gain his attention.
Jake took her drawing and scrutinized it as if he were a die-hard art critic. Charlie appreciated that Jake was making such a big deal over the picture although she knew it was just a bunch of squiggles on a piece of paper. She could tell Kristy was thrilled.
“It’s beautiful, sweetheart. Can I keep it?”
“Sure. I drawed it for you.” Kristy rolled her eyes.
Jake chuckled, making eye contact with Charlie. “I was right. She’s definitely a thirty-year-old trapped in a two-year-old’s body.
Charlie smiled at the picture father and daughter made. “Don’t I know it,” she replied.
He turned his gaze back to Kristy, smiling indulgently at her. “You look pretty today, sweetie. Did you pick out your outfit yourself?”
“Mommy did, but I helped.” Kristy seemed quite proud of herself.
She looked adorable in a mini jean skirt and a pink T-shirt. Her two curly pigtails were tied with little pink ribbons. Charlie was usually very diligent about how Kristy looked when she left the house, but she was extra careful dressing her child tonight. The last thing she wanted was for Jake’s family to find fault in anything concerning Kristy.
“I brought something for you, too, sweetie,” Jake said to the two-year-old.
Kristy’s eyes widened at all the gifts before her. Jake had brought several stuffed animals and a doll.
“If she didn’t love you before, she’ll love you forever now. She already has so many toys, though,” Charlie pointed out.
“Not from her father. Look at this one.” Jake handed Charlie a doll with café au lait skin and blue eyes like Kristy’s.
“I didn’t realize they made dolls like this.” Charlie examined the obviously expensive toy. The quality of the toy shouted money.
“They have a shop in San Diego, that’s where I was, by the way, that specializes in making dolls. You can have them customized to your specification.”
“You must have spent a lot of money.”
“That’s inconsequential where my daughter is concerned.”
He sounded so proprietary already. Charlie knew it was wrong, but she felt a slight twinge of jealousy at Jake’s lack of concern for finances. She bit it back. She was happy that Jake could give Kristy the things that she couldn’t. “She’ll really like this doll. You’re going to spoil her with all this stuff.” Charlie sighed.
He shrugged. “So what? I have two and a half years of gift giving to make up for.” At the mention of Jake’s two year absence from their daughter’s life, Charlie clammed up.
Jake squeezed her hand. “It wasn’t meant as a criticism, Charlie. I passed the toyshop and I wanted to buy her something. By the time I finished, I had a shopping cart full of things. As a matter of fact there are more toys at my place, but I thought I’d keep them there, for when she visits me.”
“I know you didn’t mean to criticize, Jake. Here, give her the doll.” She handed the toy back to him.
Just as Charlie predicted, Kristy was enthralled by the doll that “looked like her”.
“So are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Let me go get our jackets.” Charlie headed to the coat closet.
Jake turned to Kristy “Alright, kiddo, we have to get going.” Jake affectionately tugged on one of Kristy’s pigtails.
“Okay,” Kristy agreed. “Can I take my toys?” she asked Jake.
“Maybe not all of them. I think just one will be okay. Which one do you want to take?” he asked.
“Can I take my doll?”
“You sure can. How about putting your jacket on?” Jake said, taking Kristy’s jacket from Charlie’s hand.
Charlie watched on the sidelines, annoyed at how Kristy had deferred to Jake instead of her.
Little traitor.
Charlie didn’t know what to expect when she met the Foxes. All week she fretted about what they would be like, wondering what they’d think of her. Would they be snobby? Would they look at her with disdain because of what she had done to Jake? Would they be uncomfortable about the fact their son had had an affair with some strange black woman? Jake had already assured her his parents didn’t care about race, but she still had her doubts.
Charlie trembled, a wave of nervousness spreading through her body. Oh, why did she agree to this dinner? She just knew they would hate her. Her heart beat faster as they pulled up to a large modernized farmhouse in the suburb of Fairfax. The house was surrounded by a rose garden. By the look of the well-kept garden, Charlie could tell the people who lived here took pride in their home
Before they walked through the door, Jake, with Kristy in one arm, looked over to Charlie and smiled. “Don’t worry, Charlie. My family will love you.” He gave her a tender look, taking her hand in his, and Charlie relaxed a bit, knowing she had Jake’s support. At times like this, she wished that she wasn’t such a coward. She wished she could let go and love him.
A short, pleasantly plump woman with a huge smile greeted them at the door. “Come in. Welcome. Jake, we were wondering what was keeping you.”
“Hi, Mom. I was going to call, but I forgot to charge my cell phone, so the battery is pretty much kaput,” he explained, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Charlie Brown, and this is Kristy. Charlie, this is my mom Moira Fox.”
Jake’s mother seemed quite friendly. If she felt any animosity toward Charlie, she hid it well. “It’s very nice to meet you, Charlie. Jake has said so many wonderful things about you. I expected you to be pretty, but his description didn’t do you justice.”
Charlie shot Jake a curious look. He gave her a sheepish grin.
“Thank you for having us.” Charlie smiled hoping her nervousness didn’t show.
“It’s my pleasure, dear.”
Charlie felt immediately at ease in this woman’s presence. If the rest of the family was as nice, the night would go smooth.
Moira turned to her attention to Kristy. “Hi, sweetie, you must be Kristy.”
“Who are you, lady?” Kristy blinked at the stranger.
“I’m Nana.” Moira gave Kristy a warm smile.
“This is my mother, honey.”
Kristy took a moment to process this. “Like Mommy’s Mommy?”
“Yep,” Jake said.
“Grandma?” Kristy asked.
“Yes, but you can call me Nana. Just like your cousins,” Moira said.
“Okay. Hi, Nana. Wanna see my doll?” Kristy practically shoved her toy in Moira’s face.
Moira laughed. “Oh, Jake, she is a delight. And she’s just as cute as a button.” Her warm hazel eyes welled up for a second. Charlie watched the exchange still holding Jake’s hand, relieved Jake’s mother seemed to accept her granddaughter so readily.
Moira was examining the doll under Kristy’s watchful eyes. “Daddy gived it to me,” Kristy explained with an air of importance.
“She’s a cutie. What’s her name?” Moira asked.
“I haven’t sided yet, but I’ll let you know,” Kristy said, taking her doll back.
“And she’s only two?” Moira asked of Kristy’s extensive vocabulary.
“Amazing isn’t it?” Jake grinned like the proud father he was.
“Well, I’m not that surprised. You were putting full sentences together around Kristy’s age.” A tear spilled from Moira’s eye. “Oh, dear me. Now I’m crying like an old fool.” She sniffed.
Kristy leaned over to touch Moira’s cheek. “Don’t cry, Nana. You can hold her some more.” Kristy handed her doll back to Moira.
This only made Moira tear up more. She took Kristy from Jake and gave her granddaughter a quick hug. By the end of the exchange, all three adults were misty eyed. “I gotta tinkle,” Kristy announced, interrupting the moment with her immediate need.
“Uh-oh, we have to get her to a bathroom fast. She’s recently potty trained, so she doesn’t tell you she has to go until it’s almost too late. Where’s the bathroom?” Charlie asked.
“I’ll take her.” Jake took Kristy out of his mother’s arms.
“Good idea. Then take her into the living room. Carl and Helen are here with their families. Charlie and I can get to know each other.”
“You didn’t say anyone else would be here.” Jake furrowed his brow.
“Well, they could hardly stay away after they heard the news. Everyone is anxious to meet Charlie and Kristy.”
“I gotta tinkle,” Kristy said, with more impatience this time.
“Get her to the bathroom quick, Jake,” Charlie said nervously. Oh dear Lord, this is exactly what she didn’t need, Kristy to piss all over these people’s floor.
Jake turned to Charlie looking as though he didn’t want to leave her alone with his mother so soon after their arrival. Charlie nodded, letting him know she would be okay. Jake hesitated before he rushed off with Kristy in tow. Charlie crossed her fingers in hopes they would make it to the restroom on time.
When they were gone, Charlie stood alone in the hallway with Jake’s mother. Charlie shifted on her feet. What must this woman be thinking? Shrewd hazel eyes accessed Charlie for a moment before Moira spoke. “I’m so pleased that you could join us tonight. I’m glad to finally meet you and Kristy. My other two granddaughters will be happy to have another girl in the family.”
Charlie looked at Jake’s mother in surprise. She’d been so sure Jake’s mom would let her have it the minute Jake walked out of the hallway. “Thank you again for having us, Mrs. Fox.” Charlie was humbled by the warm greeting but still waited for the ball to drop. There had to be a catch somewhere.
“Don’t give me that Mrs. Fox crap. I’m Moira, and when you meet my husband, he’s Bill,” Moira scolded.
“Thank you.”
“Kristy is a lovely child. She seems very comfortable with strangers,” Moira observed.
“Yes, she normally likes everyone. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, especially with so many nuts out there who would snatch a child without a thought. Part of me wants her to keep her innocence, while another part of me wants her to understand there are bad people out there. She’s so good natured and sweet, I don’t think she would grasp the concept right away.” Charlie tried her best to explain the situation and hoped the other woman wouldn’t hold a grudge.
“Well, I don’t know about that. Jake was the same way when he was a child, but I wouldn’t worry too much. I can already tell how smart she is. I think she’ll know a bad guy when she sees one.” Moira reassured. “I sometimes think children, especially the younger ones, understand and see far more than we as adults do.”
At the mention of Jake’s name, Charlie tensed. “Moira, I don’t know what Jake told you about our situation, but I’m sorry,” Charlie said remorsefully, feeling the need to unburden her guilt.
The older woman gave her a funny smile. “Sorry for what, dear?”
“Didn’t he tell you?” Charlie was baffled.
“Well, he did tell me he didn’t know about Kristy until recently and he had met you a few years back, but I also know there are two sides to every story.”
So Jake had told his mother. Why wasn’t she angry? “You mean you’re not mad at me?”
“Why should I be? You’ve given me a beautiful granddaughter. I despaired of Jake ever settling down and having children. I can’t exactly say I approve of what you did, but in time, when you’re ready to tell me your side of the story, I will be happy to listen.”
“But Jake and I aren’t together in the way you may think,” Charlie blurted out.
Moira gave her conspiratorial wink. “If you say so, dear. I just wanted to put your mind at ease before you met the rest of the brood. You’re very welcome here and we’re glad to have you. I hope we can see Kristy with some regularity.”
Charlie was humbled by this woman’s kindness and she felt at ease with Moira Fox.
“Now let’s go meet the rest of the family.” Moira took Charlie’s hand and lead her to the living room.
Charlie entered the living room to see a set of twins fawning over her daughter with delight and a few adults hovering over her. Kristy seemed to be on cloud nine from all the attention she was receiving. Charlie was relieved to see Jake had made it to the bathroom on time with Kristy.
Jake was talking to a man who could only be his father; they were so close in looks. They might have been twins if the older man wasn’t grayer. Father and son were roughly the same height and build and shared the same startling eye color. Jake stood when Charlie and his mother walked in the room. He smiled at Charlie, taking her arm. “Charlie, I would like you to meet the rest of my family. This is my father Bill.” Jake indicated the man who Charlie had already guessed was his father.
Bill Fox gave her a big smile, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek, and Charlie immediately knew where Jake had gotten his charm. “It’s very nice to finally meet you. Thank you for bringing Kristy to us. She is an angel.”
“Thank you.” She smiled back, liking Jake’s father right off the bat.
Jake steered Charlie around. “This is my brother Carl. He’s the jokester of the family, or at least he thinks so.”
Charlie giggled as she shook hands with Carl. He took after his mother in looks but was still a very well put together man. “You’ll soon learn Jake is a terrible liar. He’s just jealous because I’m the favorite.” Carl winked at her.
“Carl, you’re going to scare the poor woman off.” A redhead walked over to them. She wore a friendly expression on her face, looking at Charlie with curiosity.
“This woman is Saint Bridget. She’s a saint for being married to my brother for so long,” Jake explained to Charlie.
“Nice to meet you, hon, and those two carrot tops over there, fawning over your little darling are our daughters Kara and Kammy. They were thrilled to learn there was another girl in the family.” Bridget pointed to the twins playing with Kristy.
“You need to meet a few more people.” Jake took Charlie’s hand, leading her to the other side of the room where a blonde woman sat in a chair, giving her a cool stare. Charlie felt a little uncomfortable under the woman’s direct gaze. “This is my sister Helen. Her bark is far worse than her bite. Her husband is downstairs with their little holy terrors playing video games.”
The blonde didn’t look amused. “Very cute, Jake. How do you do, Charlie?”
Charlie didn’t feel any warmth in Helen’s greeting, but everyone else seemed nice, so maybe she was imagining it.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Charlie smiled at Helen, who didn’t return it. Just then a tall, dark black man entered the room, followed by four loud little boys who were clearly biracial. A smile crossed Helen’s face then.
“That’s Helen’s husband, Jason, and their sons Jason Jr., Mark, Dylan and Caleb,” Jake said to Charlie as he drew closer. She gave Jake a look. This must have been what he meant when he’d said race didn’t matter to his family.
Jason had a broad, welcoming grin on his face, when he and Charlie shook hands.
Jake’s family was a joy. Being an only child, Charlie often wished for siblings. From what she could tell, Jake was very close to Carl and Helen. They all teased each other mercilessly like a bunch of kids, but anyone could see the mutual love and respect they all shared for each other.
Charlie liked every single member of the Fox family. Bill Fox, the patriarch, had a laid-back charm that put Charlie at ease. She liked the way he would wink or smile at Moira every now and then throughout the course of the night. It warmed her heart to see the elder Foxes still obviously in love.
At dinner she learned Carl was indeed the jokester of the family. He had the whole table cracking up throughout the entire meal. Jake’s sister, Helen, was the kind of person to “tell it like it is”, yet anyone could see her heart was as big as her mouth. Helen was the type who was fiercely loyal to her family and friends.
Even the kids were great. Kristy was especially thrilled at all her newfound cousins. The nine-year-old twins had taken to Kristy and she to them. The boys were rambunctious as four-, five-, six- and seven-year-olds would be, but basically, they were good kids. The evening was turning out better than she thought it would.
As the night progressed, Charlie saw sides of Jake that she hadn’t realized he possessed. He was the caring son, the playful brother, and the protector. Jake was never far away from her or Kristy the entire evening, making sure everything went smoothly for them. Charlie could feel a tug on her heartstrings each time she made eye contact with him during the course of dinner. She found herself enjoying her visit so much that when it was time to get going, she felt a little sad.
When the families were standing around talking and getting ready to leave, Charlie stood apart from them all and observed the camaraderie. She leaned against the wall and watched them with envy.
This family represented all she had wished for with Paul. The love shown by the husbands in attendance to their wives was touching. Charlie had that special bond with someone once. She missed that feeling of being loved and cherished more than she cared to admit. Charlie smiled wistfully, thinking about how her life with Paul could have been.
She and Paul would have a couple of children together by now. Paul had been good with children. He had been a volunteer at a local boys and girls club. The kids he had mentored loved him. Knowing what a generous and kind-hearted man he had been, she knew Paul wouldn’t begrudge her relationship with Kristy.
She was confused about how she felt about Jake. On the one hand, Jake brought her to heights of rapture she only thought existed in romance books. Charlie had already decided they would become lovers if he brought up the subject again, but could she allow him to become more? On the other hand, Jake seemed to want more than she was willing to give. She was so confused. The one thing she did know for sure was she couldn’t put herself through the hurt of loving someone deeply again, only to lose them.
Jake Fox posed a big threat. Every so often he would sneak into her thoughts and she would banish his image from her mind. There was no way she could allow him to creep into her heart, which she feared he was already doing more and more each day. It was already bad enough she conceded to her physical needs, but to allow herself to feel more just couldn’t happen.
“A penny for your thoughts.” Jake approached her with a smile on his face.
“I was just thinking about my husband.” Charlie said the first thing that popped in her mind, and not wanting him to know he was the center of her thoughts.
Charlie looked away from his suddenly pale face.
“I see.” In one abrupt motion he turned and left Charlie alone once more. Charlie watched his retreating figure. She had the sudden urge to call him back, but thought better of it.
“Charlie, I’m glad to finally get a chance to talk to you without everyone else crowding around.” Charlie looked around to see Jake’s sister approach. Helen wasn’t smiling.
“Hi.” Charlie felt wary all of a sudden. She didn’t think she had the emotional strength to deal with whatever Helen wanted to get off her chest. During dinner, Charlie had thought she caught Helen glaring at her a couple of times, but the other woman would immediately look away. Now Charlie knew she hadn’t imagined the hostility.
“It was nice you could come join us for dinner tonight. Kristy is a little angel.” There was no warmth in the other woman’s eyes.
Charlie went on the defensive.
“Yes, I got pretty lucky with Kristy,” Charlie answered cautiously.
“Jake obviously adores her,” Helen pointed out.
“Yes, and Kristy adores Jake. Helen, I get this feeling Jake and Kristy’s feelings for each other isn’t what you want to talk about.”
Helen looked as if she were biting her tongue. “I understand you’ve worked for Jake’s company for several months now, yet he’s just found out about his daughter’s existence?” Helen asked caustically.
Charlie sighed. Here we go. She knew she’d been in the wrong for what she’d done, but Charlie didn’t appreciate Helen’s tone. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“How could you do that to him? Everyone else might be skirting around the issue as if everything is fine and dandy, but I’m not. I was here when he came to Mom, practically in tears. What kind of woman are you to do something so foul? How could you keep Kristy from him?” Helen demanded through narrowed eyes.
“I’m sure nothing I could say at this moment will satisfy you, but I had my reasons. Reasons that are none of your business,” Charlie replied with a calm she didn’t feel. She didn’t want to stand here arguing with Helen in front of Jake’s family, but she wouldn’t be cowed by her either.
Helen’s face turned scarlet at Charlie’s reply. She was obviously a woman who was used to getting her way. “It is my business when you mess with my family. Jake is my brother, and I love him. After what you’ve done, you have a lot of nerve to show your face around here.” Helen tossed her blonde hair back in an angry gesture.
Helen looked as if she wanted to physically attack her. Charlie silently counted to ten before she spoke, realizing Helen’s anger stemmed from love for her brother. “I don’t want to argue with you, Helen. I know what I did was wrong, but like I said, I don’t want to get into those reasons. And the only person I owe an explanation to is Jake. Besides, my reasons shouldn’t be important to you. The important issue here is Kristy and Jake. They adore each other, and I won’t stand in the way of their relationship.”
Helen’s eyes were still narrowed, but her words lost a lot of their bite when she next spoke. “And what about you and Jake?”
Charlie shrugged. “What about us? He’s my daughter’s father.”
“I see,” Helen said slowly. “Don’t jerk my brother around or you’ll have me to deal with,” Helen threatened before turning around, leaving Charlie standing on the wall watching her angry figure retreat.
What had Helen been implying about her and Jake? Although the evening had started off great, she was relieved when Jake returned with her coat. She didn’t avoid eye contact with Helen as everyone said their goodbyes.
On the way home, Kristy slept in her car seat, wiped out from the night’s events. Jake wasn’t in a talkative mood. In fact, every attempt Charlie made at conversation Jake either ignored or answered with one syllable retorts. Charlie finally gave up and they drove the rest of the way home in silence.
When they arrived at her house, Jake carried a still sleeping Kristy inside. They both put their daughter to bed. After they left Kristy’s room, Charlie turned to him. “Jake, I had a nice time tonight. I liked your family.” She omitted her confrontation with Helen.
“They liked you, too. Well, I guess I’d better be heading out. I’ll see you on Monday. By the way, I’ll have a support check for you.” He was so formal.
Charlie was stunned by Jake’s coldness. What had happened tonight that made him do a one-eighty turn from his happy contentedness earlier?
She made one last effort to bring Jake to a friendlier disposition.
“Would you like to stay for coffee?” Her mouth said stay for coffee, but her eyes said stay for more.
Jake paused, but only for a second. “No, thanks. I’m actually kind of tired. Goodnight, Charlie.”
“Oh…goodnight, Jake.”
Why did it bother her so much to see him go?