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He had just started shaving when the phone rang. Naked, he walked into the bedroom to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hel-lo, Dad. " Jamie sighed disgustedly. "I told you he was still at home. He forgot us. "
Shit. Today was the day they were going to Oregon. "I was just walking out the door. "
Lame, Jack. Lame.
"Often, people leave for the airport before the plane lands," Jamie said.
"I meant to. "
"He meant to," Jamie said, clearly talking to her sister. "How long until youll be here? Maybe we should get a room and wait until its convenient for you to pick us up. "
He glanced at the clock. It was eight-forty-eight. "An hour, max. I dont know what traffic is like. Our plane doesnt leave until . . . "
"Eleven-forty-nine. "
"Right. Ill meet you at the gate by ten. "
Jamie sighed. "Well be there, Dad. "
"Im sorry," he said. "Really. "
"We know. See you in a few. "
Jack hung up the phone, took two aspirin, and rushed to get dressed.
What if Birdie could tell hed been unfaithful just by looking at him?
Damn. One screwup at a time. For now, he had to deal with the fact that hed forgotten to meet his children at the airport.
In ten minutes, he was out the door and in a cab, heading toward Kennedy.
That gave him plenty of time to figure out what to say beyond, Im sorry.
Maybe Stephanie would buy it, would smile prettily and say, Thats okay, Dad, but not Jamie. Shed stare daggers at him and ignore him for as long as she damned well felt like it.
Once again, he needed Birdie. Shed always been the glue that held their family together. Shed guided him, gently and not so gently, toward an easy relationship with his daughters. Shed made sure that hed apologized when he needed to and listened when it was imperative. Without her, he was on his own, and he had no idea what to say.
"You can quit being strong, you know," Anita said as they sat at the kitchen table, eating an early lunch. A few presents sat on the counter.
"What do you mean?"
"A happy birthday from your stepmother and a little gift doesnt quite cut it. Admit it, you miss your family. Youve looked at the phone about fifty times today. "
"Im fine. And you said you were going to teach me how to play cribbage tonight. Thats something to look forward to. "
She eyed Elizabeth. "What did you normally do on your birthday?"
"You mean besides warn everyone for a week that it was coming?"
Anita nodded.
"Lets see. I usually took the day off from all volunteering projects and slept in. By the time I woke up, the house was empty. Jack and the girls always left birthday messages on the table. Once they tied balloons to the chairbacks. " Elizabeths heart did a little flip. Shed forgotten that . . . "Jack always made dinner for me that night. His one meal--chicken piccata. It took him two hours and two drinks to make it, and you couldnt talk to him while he was cooking. He cursed a blue streak the whole time. After dinner, he gave me a body massage and then we made love. Oh, and I got to kiss and hug the girls as much as I wanted--they werent allowed to protest. "
"It sounds wonderful. "
"It was. "
