The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  Blu walked into the kitchen to check on the snack that Maria was preparing for everyone to eat before they all headed off to the airport for their evening flights. “How’s it going, Maria? Is everything almost ready?”

  “Yes; would you like me to take the food out to the deck?”

  “Sure, that would be great. Thanks.”

  Maria stopped to turn towards Blu on the way to the door. “Did you see the message by the phone?”

  “Oh no, I’ve not had a chance to look yet. Anything important?”

  Maria had come to know Blu well; Blu counted on her as the fielder of many phone calls to do a good job of collecting the important details of anything that she felt needed Blu’s attention. And Maria rarely let her down in this regard.

  “Linda called…”

  The simple statement hung in the air as if there was a question mark coming at the end of it.

  Maria continued. “She said that she’s your mother…”

  Blu felt as if she’d been punched in the gut. It wasn’t something she was prepared to deal with today. But that’s what I get for putting it off all week.

  “What did she say?” Blu’s voice was quiet.

  “She asked that I ask you to phone her back. I wrote the number down on that paper there for you.” Maria gestured towards the counter near the phone.

  Blu crossed the room to pick up the piece of paper, feeling a bit unsteady suddenly, as if she might pass out.

  “Are you okay? You look very pale.” Maria had set the tray of food back down on the kitchen table and was heading towards Blu.

  Blu let Maria lead her to a chair and took the glass of water that she handed her. Deep breaths. Just take some deep breaths.

  “Shall I get someone?” Maria was asking her, a look of real concern on her face by this point.

  “Will you—will you get Chase for me, please?”

  Maria was nodding her head, making her way to the door.

  “And Maria—please don’t mention anything to the others. If you could just get them started on their snack, because they’ll be leaving soon for the airport.”

  Maria turned around to pick up the tray of food once again. “Yes, of course. Don’t worry.”

  Before Maria could get Chase, Lia had slipped into the kitchen.

  “Here you are. Are you going to come outside and sit with us for a few minutes before we leave? I’m so sad to—Blu, what’s wrong?” Lia quickly crossed over to where Blu was sitting.

  Blu imagined that she must really look like she’d seen a ghost. She was desperately trying to hold it together for the remaining minutes before her guests departed, but judging from both Maria’s and Lia’s reactions to seeing her face, she was doing a very poor job of that.

  She tried to smile, and thought about keeping the new information from Lia. She didn’t want to say anything that would ruin the great day they’d all just had or end the week on anything other than a good note. But looking at Lia’s concerned face, she saw no point in concealing her obvious stress.

  “My mom called.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah, while we were out today. Maria just gave me the message.” Blu opened up the folded piece of paper that was still in her hand. “She left her number, asking me to call her back.”

  “Wow. Are you okay?” Lia asked, eyeing her carefully. “Do you want me to stay a bit longer? Because I could do that, if you think you’d like me to be here with you for some of these things that you need to work out.”

  Blu shook her head. “No, no, but thank you. I don’t want to keep you from Antonio and the restaurant, your amazing life in Italy.”

  “Are you sure? Because I wouldn’t offer if I couldn’t do it—if I didn’t want to. And I—I know how it is to be feeling alone while in the middle of a crisis. I’d hate for you to feel that way.” Blu saw the question in Lia’s eyes and she felt the support that her friend offered to her.

  “I’ll be okay. Really. And I have Chase now, so I’m not alone.” Blu smiled. And she realized that she meant it.

  “And you have me—all of us—just a phone call away—or I’m sure Gigi and Douglas would stay another day—”

  “No, really. I’m going to try to handle this by myself for now—well, with Chase, I mean.” It felt good to hear herself saying the words. “It just took me by surprise when Maria gave me the message, but I’m already feeling better about it. I just need to get it over with,” Blu said.

  “Does that mean that you’re going to call her back, then?” Lia asked tentatively.

  “Yes, I will do. Tonight, after I’ve had a chance to get my thoughts together about it.”

  “And once you’ve got some peace and quiet in this house again.” Lia laughed.

  Blu got up from the table, tucking the small piece of paper into the pocket of her jeans. “And on that note, let’s head outside to get you a bite of something before you have to leave.” She reached over to give Lia a hug before they headed to the door. “And for the record, I’m really sad that it’s going to be so quiet here again.” She looked her friend in the eye. “I’m really gonna miss you. As will Jemma.”

  “Me too. But—”

  “But we should be expecting our wedding invitations in the mail soon?” Blu whispered in her friend’s ear as they opened the door to go outside and join the others.

  Lia turned around to wink at Blu as the two women settled in at the table. The others were drinking a last glass of wine and eating the various meats and cheeses that Maria had assembled for them.

  Chase leaned over to give Blu a quick kiss on the cheek. “Are you okay?” he whispered in her ear. “Maria told me you needed me, but then you and Lia seemed pretty deep in conversation.”

  Blu nodded her head, appreciating his steady support next to her. It felt really good to trust someone again. She put her head next to his. “Yeah, I’m okay.” And noticing the question in his eyes, “My mother called here while we were out. Fill you in later?”

  He nodded and took her hand under the table.

  Chapter 15

  The remaining time with her friends went way too quickly, and before Blu knew it the car that she’d hired was there to pick them up. Jemma was crying in the driveway, tightly hanging on to Lia as if she was never going to see the poor woman again. Blu bent down to whisper in the little girl’s ear.

  “Honey, we’ll see Lia soon. Maybe in Italy.” Blu smiled as Jemma looked to Lia to confirm this news.

  Lia nodded her head in agreement. “Yes, I propose that our next get-together be at my place.”

  “Or the vineyard,” Gigi chimed in, laughing.

  Blu looked at Lia, who shrugged her shoulders, grinning like that cat who’d eaten the canary.

  “I don’t know what you all are going on about, but Italy sounds like a fine idea to me,” Douglas said, as he helped carry the suitcases to the waiting limo.

  After a round of hugs and kisses, Blu, Jemma, and Chase stood waving one last time as the car doors shut and their friends drove away.

  Chase spoke first. “Shall I make us something for dinner, or does anyone feel like pizza?” He winked at Jemma.

  “Can we, Mom?”

  “Yep, seems like a good plan to me. Why don’t you go on up and have a shower and get ready for bed?”

  Blu wanted just a moment alone with Chase, which Jemma may have sensed because she went straight upstairs without having to be told a second time.

  Chase came up behind Blu as she sat on the sofa, rubbing her neck in a way that instantly caused her to relax. God, that feels good. And it made her realize just how tense she’d been lately. He came to sit next to her, taking her hand in his and giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

  “Wow, it’s been a busy week, huh?” Chase said.

  “Yes, it has.” She turned to look at him. “Thanks for being around so much. It really means a lot to me.”

  “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have been able to do without you after that last night we shared t
ogether.” He leaned in to kiss her deeply.

  Blu laughed. “I think we’ve been having similar thoughts.”

  “But I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you all. I really like your friends a lot.”

  “Really?” Blu was delighted that everything had gone so well. “They like you a lot too.” She sighed, remembering that she still had things to take care of.

  “So tell me, what’s going on with your mother? And the phone call?”

  Blu filled him in on everything, ending with the fact that she’d promised Lia—and herself—that she’d return that call tonight.

  “But maybe I’ll do it in the morning. I’m pretty tired.”

  Chase was looking at her with a funny expression on his face.

  “Out with it,” Blu said.

  “I just think you should do it. How ’bout after dinner I’ll entertain Jemma with a game or a movie and you go upstairs and just get it over with. Then you’ll know once and for all.”

  Blu nodded her head slowly, knowing he was right.

  Blu’s heart was racing as she punched the number Maria had written down into her phone. Please don’t answer. One ring, two rings…

  “Hello.”

  Blu vaguely recognized the voice on the other end, and the recognition of this fact was startling. She got up from her bed to look out the window as she tried to calm her racing heart.

  “Hello?” the woman said a second time.

  “Hello—hi.” Blu’s own voice croaked out after much effort on her part.

  “Who is this? Angela? Is that you?”

  “Yes, it’s—I go by Blu now,” she stammered out, willing herself to be calm. She could hear what sounded like a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone.

  “I—I’m so glad you called me. I really didn’t think you were going to when I never heard back. But then I—I didn’t know if you got my email. Did you?”

  “Yes. I got it.” Blu said. “It really surprised me so I—I didn’t quite know how to react.”

  “It’s been a long time,” her mom said.

  Blu was really having a hard time forming her sentences, surprised by her inability to hurl the harsh thoughts that she’d been forming the past few days at her mother, telling her to stay away and leave her and Jemma alone. The words just didn’t come.

  “What—what do you want?” Blu finally said quietly.

  “I—I don’t want anything from you. I’ve wanted to reach out to you over the past few years, but I couldn’t—you changed your names and I had no way to find you—but I’ve thought about you—and Jessica—every day.” She stopped talking and then there was silence for several seconds.

  “Blu?”

  “Yes. I’m here. I—I just don’t know what to say.” And she didn’t. Her mind was going a million miles an hour. She didn’t expect her mom’s voice to sound so clear.

  “I’ve changed, Blu. I have.”

  Her mom continued to speak, and the voice Blu heard on the other end of the line only seemed to get stronger with each word.

  “I’m here—in San Diego. And I’d really like to see you.”

  Blu’s heart was pounding fast again. She’s here. I waited too long to tell her not to bother coming and now what? She wasn’t ready for this.

  “I—I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Blu forced the words out. God, she was really scared now. What was going to happen to her—and Jemma? In her head, she started making a mental checklist of what she needed to do to put her plan into action. This was happening. She’d just have to take Jemma and leave everything—and everyone—behind.

  “You need to know that I don’t blame you for anything in the past. Blu, I don’t want to hurt you—or take Jessica. You don’t need to worry about that.”

  Blu allowed her mind to slow down as she tried to focus on the words being spoken to her. For some reason that she couldn’t quite comprehend, there was the beginning of a little bit of hope—or a shred of doubt about everything that she believed to be true about the mother who had lied to her so many times when she was younger. She certainly sounded much different.

  “Really?” Blu managed to squeak out. “Are you telling me the truth? Because everything I’ve ever done, I’ve done for Jem—Jessica—and I won’t stop protecting her now. You need to know that.” Blu’s voice grew stronger now with every word.

  “I do know that. I do,” her mom said.

  Silence filled the space between them again as Blu tried to think of what to do.

  “Please just give me a chance. One meeting. Just with you. I’m only here for a few days and I’d—I’d just like a chance, Blu. That’s all. No commitments, no promises. I only want to sit down with you face-to-face. Please.” She was pleading, but Blu got the sense that this would be the end of it, that she’d said her piece and the rest was up to Blu.

  Blu looked out her window at the infinite waves of the ocean, so vast and magnificent. It always made her think about possibilities. It reminded her of all the hard work that she’d put in downstairs in her workroom, sewing and designing at her table, with the ocean in front of her, urging her to press on toward everything that she’d been dreaming for. It reminded her of being here with Arianna, out on the deck, her friend’s smile wide and her laughter loud even as her days were slipping away.

  “Blu?” Her mother’s voice on the other end of the phone cut into her thoughts and she knew that she had to make a decision.

  Blu took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said.

  Chapter 16

  Blu looked at Chase over the top of Jemma’s head as the two were finishing up a board game that Jemma was obviously winning, by the sounds of her squeals. Blu mouthed the words “we’re meeting” to Chase, who raised his eyebrow, then reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She was anxious to tell him about how the phone call had gone—how it had felt to be talking to her mother. She watched Chase as he interacted so wonderfully with her daughter. How did I get so lucky with him? Blu thought for about the hundredth time this past week. She’d had no idea when she first started dating him that he would turn out to be such a source of support to her. Well, whoever knew how these things were gonna turn out? She was learning, that was for sure. It definitely seemed to be the theme of the month. To trust.

  “I win!” Jemma shouted after her roll of the dice.

  Blu and Chase laughed.

  “Jemma, be a good winner,” Blu said, trying to put on a stern face.

  “Oh, I’m a great winner,” Jemma laughed, holding her arms above her head to indicate her victory.

  “Well, take your winning attitude on upstairs to get ready for bed. You’ve been yawning this whole time, and I think that you have some sleep to catch up on after the busy week we’ve had.” Blu playfully tapped her on the bottom.

  “Okay, mother dear.” Jemma gave them both a hug. “Oh, can I go over to Claire’s tomorrow? She has a new game she wants to show me.”

  “Yes, I’m sure that that should be fine. I’ll phone Claire’s mom in the morning. Good night, kiddo.”

  After Jemma had left, Chase leaned in to Blu sitting on the couch, giving her a deep kiss. God, how is that I’ve missed him so much when we’ve been around each other all week? She found herself wondering if they dared sneak upstairs to her bedroom once Jemma was asleep, just as quickly trying to erase the thought from her mind. She wasn’t ready yet for Jemma to catch them in a compromising position—well, not that that should ever happen. But she didn’t want to have to explain her relationship to her just yet. She noticed, though, that she no longer had the same fears about Chase disappearing out of Jemma’s life—or her own, for that matter. She didn’t know exactly what that meant or what it would eventually lead to, but she did believe that Chase was in the picture for the long haul, something that made her very happy.

  Chase pulled away and got up. “I’ll go get us a glass of wine.” He bent down to give her a quick kiss. “I’m guessing maybe you could use one?”
>
  Blu nodded. “Yes, thanks. I think a glass—or two—might be in order tonight.”

  Surprisingly, she wasn’t feeling as upset as she had been about everything before she’d talked to her mother. She was still very skeptical and guarded about believing her, but she felt stronger about it. And less inclined to run away. As she watched Chase reenter the room with the wine, she didn’t know if she really would have had it in her to do that anyways. To leave him. But just as quickly as she had the thought, it was Jemma’s face that she saw, and she knew that she could do it—for Jemma. Everything had always been about her, and she needed to continue focusing on the little girl, no matter what else was happening in her life—even Chase.

  She took the wine from Chase and, after a big sip, settled back against his chest as he pulled her close.

  “God, you feel good in my arms,” he whispered in her ear.

  She felt his lips on her neck, sending chills up and down her spine. She turned her face to kiss him on the lips. “I do feel good being in your arms.” She laughed. “Amazingly so, in fact.”

  “Is that so,” he teased. “So tell me about the phone call.”

  It felt good to Blu to go over it with Chase. She recounted as much of the conversation as she could remember and told him that she’d be meeting her mom the day after tomorrow in a coffee shop downtown.

  “And how are you feeling about this meeting? Nervous?” Chase asked.

  Blu thought about the question for a few seconds. “No, I wouldn’t say that I’m exactly nervous, although ask me again that morning and it’s likely I’ll feel different.” She laughed. “Oddly, it felt kind of good talking to her. Once we got over the initial awkward moments.” She sat up and away from him on the sofa so that they could look at one another. “I mean, none of it was comfortable and I still have so many doubts.”