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“Enough,” Jonah snapped at his sister. “Not now, Maya.”
Maya frowned and folded her arms across her chest, her lips pinched tight.
Jonah ignored her and added: “I need JoJo to find any other children I might have.”
“What?” Chase said.
“Yes, sons. I have been very careful, but it is my belief that Dane might not be my only child born out of wedlock. I might have one or possibly two more heirs. I want to set the record straight and make sure I tie up any loose ends before I go.”
“Hello, Mr. B.” JoJo made an appearance in the study. His six-foot-five frame was always a sight. He looked more like a combat soldier than a detective. And Dane and his brothers were all over six feet, too. He was tall, broad shouldered and lean and Dane had seen him a few times around his friends, the Romeros, at family functions and gatherings. He’d never seen the man smile before, and he honestly wondered if he ever did. But the man always got things done.
“Hey, JoJo, what’s up?” Dane said.
JoJo nodded.
“Thank you for coming, JoJo,” Jonah said. “I’ve just finished talking to the boys about my bucket list challenge and I was explaining to them about your assignment.” He handed JoJo papers from the desk table. “These are the names of the women I’ve had relationships with. Please find out what you can, JoJo.”
“Sure thing, Mr. B,” JoJo said. He took the papers and shifted through them. “I’ll wait in your office.”
“Thank you,” Jonah said before turning to the boys. “So, back to the reason you’re all here.”
“You’re really serious, aren’t you, Jonah?” Dane said. “First this bucket list, then…”
“Well, you know me, Dane. I’m not exactly conventional. I make my own rules if it makes better sense. You remember I told you about Nessa, my first girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
“Well, she was always so good to me but I wasn’t ready to settle down. This was back in 1962 before I re-opened the Belmont and turned it into what it is today. Well, she married and ended up staying with the guy for fifty years before he passed on. I ended up never falling in love the way I did with Nessa and married so many times afterwards. Don’t be like me. Anyway, boys, you have no choice.”
“What do you mean we have no choice?” Chase asked.
“I’m serious about you boys not wasting your life or your fortune on being single, swinging playboys who’ll dishonor the family name, or wait until it’s too late to enjoy a family of your own. If you don’t do what I ask, you’ll have to go it alone.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chase said.
“Tough love, son. I’m giving you all tough love. Marry so that I can fulfill my last wish, or you’ll be cut from the will and removed as executors of the Belmont estate.”
The temperature in the room dropped.
“You can’t be serious,” Dane said.
“I’m very serious, son. Before I transition to the other side, I need to know that all of you are happily married and will continue the Belmont tradition. Don’t dismiss being in a caring, loving relationship. You’ve all avoided long-term relationships like the blasted plague. I’ve heard you talk about never getting married. What do you think you’ll do? End up growing old alone? Take a look at successful people; most of them have love in their lives. Love is all around, son. You’ve just got to find it. Whatever you look for in life—I promise, you will find it.”
Chapter 2
Olivia McAlister sat in a daze with the phone pressed to her ear at the historic Belmont Hotel suite the night before her wedding.
“What do you mean you’re backing out?” Olivia felt the breath being squeezed out of her lungs. Her heart hammered hard and fast in her chest. She needed air, like yesterday.
A sigh over the phone was all she could hear.
“Jack? I’m talking to you! What do you mean you’re backing out of our wedding? You mean you want us to elope instead?”
“Listen, Olivia. That’s just it. You never know what I want. Hell, I don’t know what I want sometimes. I’ve realized I haven’t had a chance to explore life yet. I just—”
“Just what, Jack?”
“Listen, I’m backing out of the wedding and…and…that’s it. I’m sorry. I’ll call my side of the family and tell them it’s off, too.”
“Jack, don’t do this. Why are you doing this?”
Silence on the other end of the phone line.
“This is how you treat somebody you love? Someone who’s always there for you?” she continued, her voice trembling. “I supported you through law school and now that you’ve graduated you don’t want me anymore? This is our wedding you’re talking about. Not some…stock option.”
“Look, Olivia, weddings…I mean, marriages are investments. Emotional investments. I’m just not ready. I was thinking I couldn’t go through with the wedding before, but I thought the feeling would settle down. But it didn’t. Maybe it’s cold feet.”
“What? You seemed okay with us getting married when I was doing your homework assignments for you. Who did all your research for you? I did.”
“Listen, I’ll pay you for all the work you did for me. I really appreciate all you’ve done for me, Olivia.”
Olivia resisted the urge to scream. She fought valiantly to stifle the tears. Appreciation? Some appreciation.
If she was being truthful with herself, she noticed Jack’s distance lately, but she thought it was just because of the bar exam. She was not so much angry as she was sad and embarrassed.
“Fine. You know what? Good-bye, Jack.”
“Olivia! Wait. I don’t want us to end like this. I know how you feel—”
“You don’t know…Jack!”
“Now that’s not fair.”
“No. This is not fair. Have a nice life.” Click. Olivia had to hang up the phone before she exploded into a river of tears.
After Olivia hung up she put her head down in her hands. She was hyperventilating. She had to get air. Her lungs burned. She quickly moved over to the bar in the hotel room and grabbed one of the paper bags on the countertop. She unfolded it and pressed the opening against her mouth and nose and took deep breaths. Exhale all the crap that was on her mind right now and inhale all the confidence and strength she could.
Jack was gone. Out of her life.
He was calling off their wedding? Now? At the last minute?
Olivia's limbs were numb and felt limp. Her brain was so fried that she could not process anything.
She was crushed. Devastated. Numbed with shock.
What was she going to do?
This was all so surreal. A nightmare. A horrific nightmare before Christmas Day. Her wedding day!
Her body trembled.
Jack was leaving her—now?
He was jilting her the night before their wedding?
Still, if Olivia was being truly honest with herself, she’d noticed that Jack wasn’t his usual attentive self in the last few months. He’d been pulling away, emotionally. There was something wrong but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He’d always have a baggage load of problems tagging along with him. He was always uptight over the littlest things. Seemingly blaming her for his misfortunes. Not only did he have a mountain of student debts, but he’d also done a little gambling on the side to try to pay off his debt and ending up owing more. But what did she do? She ignored the aching feeling inside her telling her that he didn’t really want her, telling her that other things were more important to him in his life—and that did not include her. But she wanted so desperately to make it work. She really wanted a family. But now the reality was, it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
Oh, no. She’d already moved out of her studio apartment she’d shared with Jack. Her things were in storage. She was waiting to move in the new year. New marriage. New home. New beginning. So why did this feel like the end?
They were supposed to move into their new rental condo apartment on New Years Day on the east side after their Christmas wedding. The plan was to be on their honeymoon during that time. What would become of that now? There was no way she could afford the rent on that place, alone anyway. Great. So now she was groom-less and homeless.
Could things get any worse?
Olivia felt her heart muscles squeeze mercilessly in her chest. This must be a dream. A hallucination. This was not happening. It could not be happening.
She thought of her grandmother’s advice to her when she had trouble in the past. If life gives you lemons…you sweeten them to make lemonade. Right now she couldn’t imagine anything that could sweeten the bitterness she felt inside her heart.
Jack was gone.
It was over.
How could he do this to her?
How could he dump her like this after all they’d been through together?
Three hundred guests!
Three hundred guests would be showing up tomorrow morning at the chapel…and Olivia was groom-less.
This was the ultimate disgrace.
Olivia gasped when she looked over at the bedside table. A card signed by the women at the Survivors Camp sat atop it. She had lost her own mother to breast cancer just two Christmases earlier and had successfully undergone a removal of a lump in her own breast. Thankfully it was benign and she was cancer-free.
