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“That’s Pup-pup,” Janie said. “I know I’m getting kind of old, but I still sleep with her. I guess that’s lame, huh?”
The tattered animal shook a bit in Eric’s hand as he studied it. It was no longer a shade of snowy white, and its head lolled to one side because the stuffing in its neck, he supposed, had been flattened by Janie’s fingers. Pup-pup no longer had a nose and its glass eyes were scuffed.
“I don’t think it’s silly at all. Looks to me like she’s been keeping you company for a long time.”
Eric handed the dog to Janie and she hugged it. “I’ve had her since I was a baby.”
Coughing, he bit back the rare threat of tears. “Hey, Jen,” he said after clearing his throat. “I could use that second cup of coffee if you don’t mind.”
“Sure. I’ll go downstairs and make a new pot.”
Eric winked and smiled at Janie. “I just wanted to get rid of your mom.” He paused, his eyes again settling on items—wall hangings, the pink striped window coverings, a shoe with no apparent counterpart. He spoke quietly. “I know you don’t know me, but I’m going to ask you for a big favor if that’s okay.”
She nodded.
“I don’t want you to blame your mother for anything, none of it, not what happened last night, or for the secret she kept. Can you do that?”
“But she said she was wrong. And…and you’re mad at her…aren’t you?”
He sighed. “I’m not mad. I’m just sort of getting used to things, like you are. And I’m going to work really hard until I have everything figured out.”
He brought his finger to his temple, tapped it, and smiled again. Janie looked at him. Her eyes locked with his for a few precious moments, and she smiled back.
****
Jenna returned to tuck Janie in. With Pup-pup clutched in her arms, the child said goodnight and rolled to her stomach. Eric and Jenna went down to the kitchen for coffee.
“How is she…really?” he asked. “I would have thought she’d be more upset. And she never mentioned Mark. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“The average kidwouldbe traumatized by what happened. But Janie’s life has never been average.”
“Tell me about it. I really need to know.”
Jenna nodded and began slowly. Her words sounded like a confession filled with guilt and regret. “We’ve lived a life of isolation; and I think she always sensed there was something unusual about it. We were always moving, switching it up between big cities and really small towns. I never talked about my past, and the older Janie got, the more she suspected I was keeping something from her. There’s a part of her that might be relieved for everything to finally be out in the open.”
Eric pushed his mug away. “It’s probably too soon for me to be offering an opinion, but don’t you think she should see someone?”
“Of course I do.” Jenna expelled a pained and weary sigh. She picked up their empty coffee cups and placed them in the sink. “Being kidnapped isn’t exactly like having a scraped knee. I’ll ask her pediatrician to recommend a child psychologist.”
Eric stared at his clasped hands. “I’d like to come and hear what they have to say. I also want to pay. I should be the one to pay.”
“I have insurance for—”
“I don’t want you to have to take her to some doctor just because he or she’s on your plan. Let me at least do this, do what a father is supposed to do.”
“Okay.”
She and Eric talked more about what lie ahead. He desperately wanted to believe he and Janie could form a bond and become a family. “I want to get to know her, but I won’t force her into a relationship.”
“You won’t have to.” Although Jenna scooped away his cup, she waved the half empty carafe to offer him more of the brew. He declined a third cup.
“So, what now?” she asked.
Eric rubbed the back of his neck. His to-do list was infinitely long. “After I get Ina squared away, I have to get back to Los Angeles. My divorce hearing starts in two weeks. Then there’s still Baldwin and Mark. I may be spending the next year going back and forth to court.” Eric snorted and lifted his lips into a sardonic half-smile. “At least this time around, I’m not the one in the defendant’s chair.”
Jenna’s sober expression told him she didn’t find his comment amusing.
He eased his hands into his pockets. “Not funny, huh?”
