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“You’ve remembered some things,” Addie reminded him. “And more and more memories might come back to you once you reunite with Rayna.”
Addie looked down at her cell phone. She and her father had been playing phone tag for days. He was in Costa Rica on business so they were operating under different time zones. She still really needed to talk to him and figure out why he’d sent Ricardo to take pictures of the Blue Bayou. And she hadn’t raised any concerns with Caleb about seeing Ricardo at the bistro. She didn’t want Caleb to worry about his business. At the moment he needed to focus on meeting his birth mother.
When they reached Tampa, Caleb’s GPS system directed them to the Sea Breeze Inn, an ocean-side bed and breakfast that Rayna’s friend, Heather Sanchez, owned. They had decided it would be best to meet on neutral ground in the event that things became uncomfortable. As the sign for the inn came into view, Caleb turned down a palm tree lined driveway. After he parked the car in the pebbled driveway and turned the car off, Caleb let out a ragged sigh. She leaned over and pressed a tender kiss on his cheek. “I think you’re so very brave to open yourself up to this. I’m proud of you.”
“Without you I wouldn’t be venturing down this road at all,” Caleb said. He squeezed her hand.
“Are you ready?” she asked him, knowing his stomach must be a bundle of knots.
“Yes,” he said in a firm voice. “I’m ready.”
They exited the car and headed toward the entrance. Addie had reached for his hand and joined hands with Caleb. Once they crossed the threshold, a petite woman with sandy blonde hair greeted them. “Hello. Welcome to the Sea Breeze Inn. I’m Heather Sanchez. You must be Caleb.”
Caleb stuck out his hand. Heather waved it away and went in for a hug. “I’m your mother’s best friend. Handshakes are useless with me.”
Caleb turned to Addie. “Heather, this is Addie Fontaine.”
Heather gave Addie a tight hug.
“Your mother is waiting for you in the big room,” Heather said. “She’s a bit nervous, so go easy on her,” Heather warned.
“She’s not the only one,” Caleb said. “My palms are moist.”
“She’s a good woman, Caleb. It won’t take you long to figure that out,” Heather said. She waved a hand toward a closed door down the hall. “She’s right in there.”
Caleb turned toward Addie. She had the impression he was looking at her as a life preserver.
“Caleb, I think you should meet with her by yourself,” Addie said.
Caleb’s eyes widened. “I was hoping you’d be there.”
Addie reached out and swept her palm across Caleb’s cheek. “I’ll be right here waiting for you. I’m eager to meet her myself, but I think this first meeting should be just the two of you.”
Caleb nodded. “As usual, you’re right.” He took in a deep breath. “Here I go,” he said as he walked off toward the meeting with his birth mother.
**
Caleb slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door to the great room open. A woman was seated in an over-sized love seat. When he first saw her face, he let out a gasp. There was an immediate feeling of recognition as his gaze swept over her warm brown skin, petite frame and exotic features.
“Caleb!” She called out his name in a high-pitched, emotional voice. She raised her hands to her mouth as tears trickled down her face. She jumped up from her seat and met him halfway, flinging herself into his arms. Caleb wasn’t sure what to do. Although he had a sense of familiarity, he still didn’t know this woman. Not in the ways that mattered.
She pulled away from him. “I’m sorry to be so over-the-top,” she said. “It’s just that I wasn’t sure this day would ever come.” She looked him up and down. “Look at you. You’ve grown into a beautiful young man.”
For a moment he just stood there staring at her. He didn’t know what to say or how to bridge the huge divide between them.
“I want us to have an honest and open dialogue. Nothing is off limits.” She reached for his hand and pulled him toward the sofa. “I know this must feel overwhelming to you. Your memories of me…of us…must be miniscule.”
He nodded. “I don’t have a lot of memories of us, although seeing you after all of this time has brought some of them back. You used to sing to me before I went to sleep. One of the songs from Phantom of the Opera.” The memory had broadsided him, bringing along with it a sense of being loved.
Rayna smiled at him. Her high cheekbones were prominent in her face as she grinned. “That was my favorite Broadway show. Your father took me there the night he proposed to me in the Big Apple.”
“My father? Who was he? Did he look like me?” Caleb asked. There were so many things he wanted to know and ask Rayna.
She began to dig around in her purse and pulled out a small frame. She handed it to Caleb. The handsome man staring back at him from the photo had big brown eyes and mahogany colored skin. Caleb saw a lot of himself in the man.
“He was my college sweetheart. Ramsey Johnson. You were a toddler when he passed. A drunk driver T-boned his car when he was on the way home from work. It changed our lives forever.” She wiped away a tear. “He loved you so much. And he was a great father and husband. He was the smartest man I’ve ever known. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.” She shuddered. “Caleb, I lost so much after Ramsey died. We went from being very comfortable to living on the poverty line. I should have gotten help for my depression, but I didn’t know enough about it back then to realize I could get help.”
She began to weep. “But I loved you, my son. Really, truly loved you.”
