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ChapterTwenty-Six
Jeremy returned home from the Nantucket Courthouse with a big platter of Greta Copperfield’s world-famous oatmeal cookies. It had been something of a process, getting them. Jane had shoved them across his desk, disgruntled, before grunting that she was “happy that everything had worked out with the Copperfield files.”
To this, Jeremy had said simply, “Jane?”
“Yeah?” Jane hadn’t sounded pleased.
After a pause, he’d said, “I have a very handsome, very successful friend who’s interested in getting back out on the dating scene. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in going on a date with him?”
A shiver had run up and down Jane’s lithe frame. At first, she’d seemed displeased that Jeremy hadn’t asked her out himself. A split-second later, however, she’d mustered the strength to say, “Um. Can I see a picture of him?”
Within the hour, Jane and Todd had set up a date for the following evening. Already, Todd had sent Jeremy several exclamation marks via text message, along with the question.
TODD: Dude. What do people wear on dates? It’s been so long.
Now back at home, armed with the platter of cookies, wearing his heart on his sleeves, he walked through the house to greet his daughter, who was reading on the back porch. Large Audrey Hepburn-style glasses were perched on her nose, and her ankles were crossed, still bony but worlds away from what they’d been.
He placed the cookies on the table beside her and grinned. “Hi.”
Sarah dropped her sunglasses to the edge of her nose. “Uh oh. Those have Greta Copperfield’s name all over them.”
Jeremy perched on the chair across from her. Sarah slid her bookmark between two pages and adjusted herself, reaching for a medium-sized cookie. Jeremy’s stomach twisted. It had been more than a week since the Fourth of July Festival, more than a week since Sarah had revealed her acting talents. Still, they hadn’t discussed his strange rage toward Sarah and Alana, which he’d exhibited after the performance. It was time to apologize.
“Sarah. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for how I acted after your performance last week,” Jeremy said, forcing himself to look her in the eye. “Alana was a very important person in my past. Very important. But she triggers something in me, an anger that I should have dealt with a long time ago.”
Sarah blinked several times, assessing him. Jeremy knew that teenagers these days were much more understanding of mental health issues. Still, he didn’t always like to be put on the spot like that.
“As you know, I got into a car accident when I was eighteen and about to head off to Notre Dame to play football,” Jeremy breathed, feeling like a broken record. “But what I haven’t told you is this. Alana was my girlfriend at the time. I’d just broken up with her because I wanted to run off and start a brand-new life. I thought I was hot stuff. Probably, since you’re my daughter, that sounds crazy to you. But it’s true.”
Sarah held the silence.
“After I broke up with her, Alana looked terrified and so, so sad. She ran off and jumped in her car to drive home. I took off after her, driving my truck. I just wanted to talk to her one more time. I wanted to explain. Although now, I ask myself, what could I possibly have said to make things better? We were headed our separate ways. But at the time, it all felt like the end of the world. Then, a split second later, that big truck crashed into me. Everything faded to black. And I never saw Alana again. Not till this summer.”
Sarah’s eyes were damp with tears. Suddenly, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around her father. She allowed herself a few sobs as Jeremy cradled her, overwhelmed with the love she showed him.
“I know that you’ve been through so much,” Sarah whispered. “I know this isn’t the life you wanted.”
But Jeremy shook his head at this, genuinely surprised. As their hug broke, he lifted his eyes toward Sarah’s and said, “Are you kidding me? This life is the only one I’ve ever known. I love it. And I love you way more than you could possibly know.”
Sarah dropped back on the porch chair, kicking a pebble with her flip-flop. Jeremy felt as though he’d just run a marathon. He took a sip from his water bottle and tried to focus on his breathing.
“I actually put together that you and Alana were boyfriend-girlfriend in high school before the Fourth of July,” Sarah confessed suddenly.
Jeremy’s eyes widened.
“She mentioned that her high school boyfriend was supposed to be a big college football star. That after he broke up with her, she ran off the island with a truly psychotic artist who ruined her life.” Sarah shrugged as she added, “she’d said she always thought about that high school boyfriend because he was genuine and kind. She said it was such a contrast to the man she’d married.”
Jeremy bowed his head. It all seemed like too much for him— too much grief, too much sorrow, too much pain. They’d been through so much. But that was life, he supposed.
“Alana appeared in my life when I really, really needed someone who understood me,” Sarah whispered, dropping her gaze to the ground. “I got tied up in wanting to be just like her. But when I took a step back, I realized that just because she empathized with me didn’t mean we were anything alike. Through our conversations and working on the play, I’m working slowly on learning to accept myself. It’ll be a long process. But somehow, this summer has given me the strength to try.”
That night, as Sarah watched reality television in the living room, Jeremy hunted through social media for some sign of Alana Copperfield— a woman he’d hardly dared research during all her years away. It was easy to find her photos, most of which featured either Alana or her ex-husband in a series of gorgeous locations: Paris, London, Singapore, and Hawaii. In each, Alana evoked endless beauty and confidence. It was incredible that her husband had dared throw her away. She was so clearly a prize.
When Sarah popped up to grab a glass of water from the kitchen, Jeremy wasn’t quick enough to hide his search. She laughed, not unkindly, and bent down behind him to glance at the photos.
“I’ve already gone through all of them,” she explained matter-of-factly. “She had such a life. I hope she doesn’t get bored here.”
Jeremy grunted in agreement.What could he possibly say?
