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August and I ordered burgers, but I got mine with no tomatoes; those things are my worst enemy.
“So, where are you staying?” he asked.
“My best friend Callie and I got a room at the Mountain Inn. We booked it for a few days and figured we would plan it out as we go.”
“Oh no, no, no. You must come to stay with us.” Then he sat back and thought. “I need to talk to Liza first and explain everything, of course, but there is no reason you should spend money on a hotel. We have perfectly good bedrooms that were just painted and refurbished. Only one is ready, but if you give us a day or two, we will get the other one ready for you. Also, Liza is an amazing cook.” I smiled because the thought of getting to know him and his wife on a deeper level made my heart happy.
“That’s so generous, but I wouldn’t want to leave her alone in a hotel.”
“She’s just as welcome to stay as you are,” he added.
I looked at him in awe. I couldn’t believe he was taking this news with such ease. “Can I ask you something?” He nodded. “You barely know me. Why would you let complete strangers stay with you?”
He grabbed my hand. “You aren’t a stranger. You are my daughter. We are family.”
I smiled a little. “Sorry if I’m acting like I'm not grateful. Believe me, I really am. I just can’t believe you don’t want more proof or something. I mean, you have known me for all of two hours. Maybe you want to research me? I would totally understand, of course. It’s just…how do you know I’m not a crazy serial killer?”
He chuckled. His laugh was just like mine but more profound. He took a sip of his water.
“I can tell by looking at you that we are related. I thought it before you even told me and…Are you a serial killer? Should I be worried?” he laughed again.
I smiled. “No, but what kind of murderer would I be if I told you?”
“Okay, you got me there. I’ll still take the chance on you staying with us.” He leaned forward. “Just do me a favor. If you are a killer, kill me first and let Liza go. She is too important for this world to lose her just yet.”
My heart warmed with emotion at that statement.
“Got it,” I grinned. “It is very kind of you to offer the rooms to us. Callie will most likely have to go home. She was only staying so I wasn’t alone. Her mom, our boss, lost us both at her restaurant just so Callie could accompany me here. I want her to return to the restaurant and her piano students as quickly as possible.” I paused for a moment. “As long as you guys aren’t serial killers.” We both burst out laughing.
He composed himself and said, “No problem, just know the offer is there. Also, please let your boss and your students know that I am forever grateful they allowed you the time to come find me.” He paused and started to look a little uncomfortable. “I would love to talk to your mother and father, if possible. We have a lot to discuss.” He smiled, even though it was a little forced.
The thought of him talking to my parents made my stomach turn. I prayed that the conversation would go well because I didn’t want to lose this happiness. I’m sure it will be tense. I just hope they can get along. I hope he can be part of my life in some capacity now that we have found each other.
We finished eating and got lost in conversation while our food settled, and then August paid the bill.
“Okay, I’ve got to return to the shop. I need to give Link a break and get some work done. Sundays are usually my paperwork days. Although I don’t know if I’ll get much done today, this was life-changing.” —he smiled like he was thinking of something funny— “Maybe I should just call today a wash and close early; I need to talk to Liza as soon as possible. I want her to know you. Once she gets over the initial shock, I'm sure she will be so excited.”
He looked a little sad, “We couldn’t have kids, even after years of trying. Liza got sick, so we started fostering. That’s how we were blessed with Link.” He was getting up but stopped abruptly. “Come to dinner tonight?”
I smiled. “I will ask if Callie is okay with that when I return to the hotel. Thank you for lunch. I really appreciate it. All of this, really. I had so much fun learning about you and Liza. I can’t wait to meet her; she sounds charming.”
He offered to walk me to my hotel, but I insisted he return to work. We exchanged cell numbers, and I headed to meet Callie.
When I entered the hotel room, I was assaulted by the smell of chlorine mixed with my body wash. Callie apparently took it upon herself to go through my stuff because my hairbrush was next to her, and she was sitting on the bed against the headboard in her towel with her legs up on my bag. She didn’t even turn to acknowledge me.
“Comfy much?” I asked with a laugh. I pushed her feet off the bag when I walked by to get to my bed.
She laughed and stood up. “Yes, actually. I just got back from swimming in the pool and took a nice, hot shower. Jake called. He is acting super weird. It’s like he needs to know exactly every detail of what we are doing and when. He asked me who I was with last night, can you believe that? Like I have the time to be with anyone but his stubborn ass, plus I called him like three times.”
I laughed at her admission, and she continued.
“And I hung up on him because he thought he would get loud with me.” She removed the towel leaving her in just her bra and underwear. She sat up staring into my bag, “I’m trying to decide what to wear, but I wasn’t sure what we were doing today.”
She laid back and acted like she was relaxing, but then her eyes flew open like a light bulb went off, and it was clear she just remembered where I came back from.
“Oh my god, how was it? Was he nice? Was he tall like you? Did he have your eyes? Was he mean? Did he believe you? Did he blow you off? Wait, what about Lincoln? What happened with him?”
I put my hand up to stop her questions, “Bitch, really? First of all, why would Jake suddenly care so much about your whereabouts? That’s new for him, No?”
