by Lyssa Layne
It was next to impossible for Olivia to look her in the eye. Instead she stood and moved slowly toward the picture window.
Cherie and Mark exchanged worried glances, before Cherie went to stand behind her Grandmother, placing her hand upon her sagging shoulders.
“Olivia, what’s wrong?”
“How you must hate Lawrence and I for what happened to you.” Olivia covered her face and began to weep.
“How can you say that? Would I be here if I hated you? No way. I know you’re not to blame for what happened all those years ago any more then Destiny is. However, I will tell you that if Lawrence were here today, I’d have a few choice words for him.”
It appeared as if they were all thinking of the same incident in Jason’s office the day they read Lawrence’s will. In a matter of minutes, they were laughing.
Mark’s shoulders dropped, as if he was laughing out of relief.
Cherie was laughing because if she didn’t, she knew she’d find herself in tears knowing her worst fears were playing out at this very moment.
But Olivia laughed the hardest and the longest. When her laughter didn’t die down, but rather increased, Cherie and Mark looked at each other then back at Olivia.
At the same time they approached Olivia, one on each side of her.
Mark was the first to speak, “Olivia, are you sure you’re okay?”
Then Cherie chimed in, “Grandmother, I know it was funny, but not this funny.”
Olivia wiped her eyes then taking in the worried expressions on her granddaughter’s face and that of Mark’s, she was instantly set off again. It was several minutes before she could contain her laughter to explain.
“Oh, my dear, I’m sorry if this old woman’s folly is more amusing than you might think. I just remembered your comment to Jason for his inexcusable behavior that day in his office. Well, I was picturing Jason as your Grandfather and the look that I’d expect to see if you’d said that to him. And I can tell you from experience, there weren’t many times that I ever saw Lawrence speechless, but I can state emphatically that had you made the same comment to him, that’s what we’d have seen. That’s why I’m laughing so hard. I almost wish he was here just to see the expression on his face. I think you’re the one person who could have handled him.”
When Olivia was again able to seat herself, Cherie opened the envelope addressed to the Michaels. After reading it to herself she looked over at Olivia and stated, “It’s a good thing Lawrence isn’t here, because what I’d say to him after reading this makes the things I said to Jason sound like a compliment.
Barely able to contain her anger she passed the letter to Mark then Olivia to inspect.
When Cherie opened the last envelope address to her, she started to cry. One hand clutched her crystal necklace, while the other held a letter from her parents.
Dear Cherie,
If you’re reading this, our worst fear has happened. Not only are we no longer alive, but you alone and having to deal with our transgressions all by yourself.
First, your mother and I want you to know that just because you weren’t born to us doesn’t make you less our child. We love you more than life and did what he had to in order to protect you from Mr. Alexander and his threats if you were to find out where you came from.
We felt it was in your best interest to maintain the lie rather than see you hurt further. We beg your forgiveness for not telling you the truth, but loving you as we do, we couldn’t take a chance on hurting you worse, as we had no idea what retribution Lawrence Alexander might seek against you.
Please try to remember all the loving times, the precious memories we’ve shared and keep those near and dear to your heart as we always have.
And finally, please try to remember you were loved, always!
Your loving Mom and Dad
Cherie placed their letter in her purse and she tried to shake of the sadness she felt. After reading Lawrence’s letter she understood why her parents acted as they did. As far as she was concerned the Michaels acted out of love, which was more than could be said for Lawrence.
By the time Cherie was able to get a grip on her emotions, Martha was wheeling a cart into the room. Cherie had been so involved in the reading of the letters she hadn’t notice Olivia excusing herself to arrange for refreshments.
When Martha commented on Dinner being served, Cherie shot out of her chair heading for the stairs, while yelling over her shoulder. “Damn, I’m supposed to meet Jason for dinner at my parent’s house at five-thirty and I’m not even dressed.
Olivia and Mark shared a knowing smile. It was the first time either of them has seen her so excited about anything.
Cherie was back in the library in less than thirty minutes dressing in her favorite navy blue raw silk dress. She had to pull the spaghetti strap back up onto shoulder when she came bouncing downstairs. In the process of putting on the earrings her parents gave her for her twenty-first birthday, when she heard the doorbell ring. Anxious to get going, she asked Mark to fasten the clasp of the matching pearl necklace.
Turning her back on Mark, she gathered her hair and raised it so Mark had easier access to her neck.
Mark fumbled with the necklace and accidentally lost his grasp on one end of the chain, the pearl slid off the chain and down the front of her dress. “Sorry about that Cherie. Guess I’m all thumbs tonight.”
“What is it with you two? Every time I turn around the two of you have your heads together and I’m left waiting out in the cold.”
Cherie and Mark spun at the same time they heard Jason’s voice.
Mark rolled his eyes at Jason, then, commented, “You know Jason, if I didn’t know better, I would swear you’re jealous.”
Cherie smiled to herself. Jason—jealous? What an enticing idea.
CHAPTER SIX
Jason stood there with his mouth open, unable to defend himself because he knew he had been wrong, yet again. What was the matter with him? Ever since he met Cherie, he’d been acting like an idiot.
Cherie ignored Jason's comment while she gathered her sweater and her purse then moved in between the men. “Are you ready?” she said to him with a smug expression on her face.
Mark and Jason continued to stare at one another.
Jason broke eye contact first, out of a sense of guilt. Knowing that he'd incorrectly read the situation, again. Turning to Cherie, he placed his hand on her lower back as he excused them to leave.
They made it safely to the front door when Jason heard Mark laughing out loud. Somehow, he had a feeling he was the butt of Mark's joke.
The drive to the restaurant took relatively no time.
When they arrived, Cherie was delighted at his choice of restaurant. It was one she had always wanted to try.
The waiter immediately seated Cherie and Jason towards the back of the restaurant in a cozy little corner. It was apparent to Cherie by the casual conversation that Jason and the waiter were well acquainted with one another's families.
Cherie perked up her ears when the waiter asked about her Grandmother by name.
Jason took that opportunity to introduce Marcello, the owner of the establishment, to Cherie.
“Marcello, I’d like to introduce you to Mrs. Alexander’s granddaughter, Cherie.” There was no need to mention the different last name, only to bring on more questions that he knew Cherie wasn’t prepared to answer.”
“Ah, Cherie. What a perfect name for one so lovely,” Marcello said, his English tempered with a hint of an Italian accent as he leaned over and kissed the back of Cherie’s hand.
“Why thank you, Marcello. I’ve heard so much about your establishment, I can’t wait to try to the food.”
Within a matter of minutes, Marcello was back with a bottle of his best champagne to toast Cherie's family then Marcello left Cherie and Jason to themselves.
Once they were alone, Cherie decided it was time to talk.
“Jason, I've noticed that there seems to be some tension betwe
en you and Mark. I don't know if it's as Mark suggested that you're jealous or what? And, maybe I'm way off base on this, but I think you ought to know that there is no reason for you to be jealous of Mark. He's the man you hired to help me. At least that's what you told me. So, unless you plan on ruining what I believe is a good friendship, you really need to...ah…chill out a bit.”
Jason felt his cheeks flame at her scolding of his behavior even if Cherie tried to make light of the situation. Trying to cover for his embarrassment, he picked up his glass of champagne and proceeded to take too large of a gulp, which set off a coughing fit.
Cherie patted his back until he raised a hand to stop her. She sat back staring at him, waiting until his breathing eased.
Jason toyed with his glass, unable to face Cherie as he spoke. “Look, Cherie, I'm frazzled enough about my own behavior lately. I'm not even sure what's bothering me, but I do know I never meant to put you or Mark on the defensive.”
“Believe it or not, I hope there is some truth to what Mark said, and that you are a bit jealous. It's been a long time since a man made a damn fool of himself over me.” She gave him the mother of all smirks as she sat back grinning at him.
Jason shook his head, “Only you would find this amusing to sit and watch me make and absolute idiot of myself,” He reached over and took her hand. “I hope you'll forgive me?”
“Oh, I don't know, I think I'll let you suffer a little longer before I let you know for sure.” He liked the way she teased him.
He saw she was about so say something more, but Marcello brought their dinners just then. True to his word the Eggplant Parmesan was delicious. During dinner, Cherie told him about the papers they had removed from the safety deposit box. She even shared the letter from her parents, the Michaels, with him. He found himself losing his appetite when she started talking about how torn she was about her feelings for the Michaels and Destiny and Jeff. His stomach gurgling as nausea paid him an unwelcome visit.
Jason again took her hand while she relayed the details her day had uncovered. He could tell she was torn between them. It didn't hurt a bit either when he saw the smile it put on her face, it made him feel as if he were taking some of her pain away through his touch.
On the other hand, he also felt her pulse speed up almost as fast as his own when he took her hand. Merely touching her had the ability to make his mind go blank. And better than that was the overwhelming feeling that everything would be all right as long as he was holding onto her.
If she continued to stare into his eyes, he was afraid he'd make a fool of himself, fawning all over her. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd been attracted to her from the very beginning, even when he was being arrogant toward her that first day. She was so like Destiny.
Sweet innocent Destiny.
His life went south when she disappeared. Now he knew why. It was Cherie’s sudden appearance that turned him into a jerk.
##
Cherie had been drawn to Jason’s facial features, especially his eyes. She loved seeing the laugh lines etched on the side of a man's eye. To her, it was a sign of a great sense of humor, which was the most important asset for a man to have. Unfortunately, she was still waiting to see signs of that humor, since he hadn't shared much of it with her yet.
He had a straight nose except for a bump up toward the bridge. He must have broken it at some time in his life. She'd have to remember to ask about it when they got to know each other better. But the feature that drew her attention the most was his lips. He had to most kissable set of lips she’d ever seen. And what she wanted most was to slap the wettest kiss on those lips of his. She could barely take her eyes from them.
“Cherie, are you okay?”
“Huh, did you say something?”
“I've been talking to you for the past five minutes, and you haven't heard a word I've said. You're just staring at me.”
Cherie felt the heat infuse into her face and must have blushed several shades of crimson, based on the flames licking her cheeks.
“I'm so sorry I wasn't paying attention. I was just thinking about something else. What was it you said?”
“I was asking you about what you found out today, remember the bank box?” Worried how she was taking such a great deal of information, Jason forged ahead, “So how does that make you feel, knowing that you are Olivia's granddaughter, officially?”
“Honestly, I think I’m okay with that. She's a wonderful woman, and I couldn't have asked for a more supportive person at this time in my life. I hate to bring this up, but frankly, I'm worried about Destiny's mental illness and whether or not it was inherited. I've been hesitant to bring it up with Olivia since I still don't know her that well.”
At that, Jason started to laugh.
Cherie did not think it was the least bit funny and told him so. “I'm glad you find my fears so amusing!”
“Oh Cherie, I'm not laughing at you or your fears. I'm laughing because you couldn't be further from the truth. I knew your mother when I was a little boy, and she was the most wonderful person, very much like your grandmother. When my mother died, Destiny stepped in and started babysitting me after school so my father wouldn't have to leave me with the servants. If it weren't for your mother, I don't know how I would have survived the bleakest time of my life.”
“I don't know much about her except what Olivia has told me, and I think she's just a touch prejudice about her daughter. Would you mind telling me what you remember about her?”
Jason's eyes lit up, “Are you kidding, I'd love to.”
For the next twenty minutes, Jason told her stories about her mother. By the end of his third story, she realized something very important and called Jason on it, “You had a crush on my mother, didn't you?”
“What?” Jason blanched.
Cherie chuckled. “You heard me.”
“I don't know what you mean?” Jason scoffed, taking a bite of food.
“I mean you had a full-fledge, heart-throbbing, hard-on, school-boy crush on my mother.” Cherie smiled as she slapped the truth on him, right between the eyes.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you have a deplorable way with words?” Jason looked down. Then slowed raised his head, deep in thought.
She could tell the second he realized she was right. “My mother says—said it all the time.”
With a shrug of his shoulders, he continued. “She was one heck of a special person. She played board games with me after school, helped me with my homework and shared her love of music with me. It was because of her that I'm hooked on Jazz and music of the earlier eras.”
As if it were on cue, the music on the sound system changed from the opera music on tap, to Dean Martin singing Amore. Jason sat back in his seat and smiled. Pointing to the speaker he went on, “And that was her favorite all time song to sing to me. Any time she'd see me getting sad or wishing for my mother, she's put this song on the phonograph and start dancing around the room. She never failed to make me laugh.”
Suddenly, Cherie saw a pained expression on Jason's face. She leaned forward and covered his hand with hers. “What are you thinking about just now?”
“I was just remembering the day she stopped taking care of me. I knew all about her boyfriend. She told me about this boy she had been dating for the past year. And that she was so proud of him for going into the military. She also confided in me that a small part of her was afraid he might not make it back. After that, she tried not to bring him up anymore. I figured she just didn't want me to see her worrying since she was all I had left.
“What about your dad?”
“My father was—well, let's say—was probably as difficult for me to handle as Lawrence was for Destiny. My father and Lawrence were best friends. They grew up together, and when they graduated from college, Lawrence took over his father's business and hired my father as the company Lawyer. My father handled all the legal matters for Lawrence as well as his private matters, as you have seen.” Jason scoffed, sneering and
shaking his head at the mention of his father.
Cherie watched Jason pull into himself as he talked about his father. These were obviously painful memories for Jason.
She assumed he needed to fortify himself to continue; Jason drained his glass of champagne.
“My Father was convinced he was the most honest, trustworthy man who walked the face of the earth. He drilled it into me from an early age that justice always conquers evil, that right always wins over wrong, and that if I weren't at least as good as he was, then I would never amount to anything.”
“Geez, nothing like growing up with a little pressure, huh?”
“You have no idea. If I brought home an A-minus, you'd think it was an “F” in his eyes. If I came in second in my track meets, it didn't matter if it was by a hundredth of a second it was as good as last to him. He called it first loser.”
“Boy, that must have been rough.”
“It was worse after Destiny went away because there was no one to tell me that my A-minus was just as good and that she was proud of me regardless. The more my father complained the harder I tried. Unfortunately, I've discovered that I seem to be turning into a perfectionist just like him. I'd have done anything just to get him to notice me and pay attention to me. I even became a lawyer, hoping one day, he'd ask me to join him in business.”
“So, is that how you ended up taking over his business?”
“Fat chance! Upon my graduation from Stanford, he shook my hand and said good luck finding a job and you’re on your own. That any attorney worth his salt acquired his own job.”
“He sounds almost as bad as Lawrence. So, if he didn't bring you into his partnership, how'd you come to take it over?”
“That's the kicker…my father filed his will, and stipulated that I was not to get his practice. That it was to be turned over to Lawrence to find his replacement. Not only that, he gave all his investments to our alma mater and that he wanted me to earn everything on my own. All he left to me was the family home, which had such a huge mortgage, that I’m sure he thought I’d sell it, or lose it.”