The Daughter He Never Knew

by Linda Barrett

Maggie’s eyes flashed before she banked her anger. “You’re naive, Adam,” she said gently, “if you think the truth won’t change the balance here. And I like things just the way they are. You and Lila and the girls. I guess I was merely indulging in some wishful thinking.”

  Adam visible relaxed. “Balance? No worries there. With children, visiting rights are no problem. Millions of kids live primarily with one parent while the other abides to a schedule.”

  A schedule? The Parkers? Lila’s mind raced. The Parkers loved hard. Every one of them. The men had loved Katie since she was born. She was part of their lives. Lila couldn’t picture any of them living or loving according to a schedule.

  “After all,” continued Adam. “Three thousand miles is a lot of miles.”

  “That’s certainly true.” Lila turned to her mother. “As usual, you’re putting the worst spin on everything. I’m an adult. I’ll handle it and maintain my ‘balance.’”

  “Then why haven’t you told him yet?”

  Lila lifted her chin. “Because the time wasn’t right.”

  “Ha!” replied Maggie. “The time will never be right. Admit it, Lila. You’d be better off if he’d never come home.”

  Lila turned to Bart. “How did you manage to produce such a selfish daughter?”

  “Hold it,” interrupted Maggie. “I didn’t say Sam would be better off, or Matt would be better off. I merely said, you would be better off. I’m not selfish. Only truthful.”

  The immediate silence was interrupted by Adam. “Why should it matter that this man is back? Lila’s leading a different life now.” He reached for her hand and caressed it.

  Lila smiled at him, happy for the support, but her attention was fixed on her daughter as Katie whispered to her friend.

  A minute passed…or a year, before Lila turned to Bart. “I’ll find Jason tomorrow.” And her comfortable life would change.

  “Lila,” said Adam. “My offer’s still open. If you’re afraid of his reaction, I’ll be more than happy to come along.”

  She wasn’t afraid. Just not eager for an emotional upheaval.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said, and even Maggie agreed that Adam’s suggestion, while understandable, wasn’t appropriate. But her mother’s eyes glowed with satisfaction, and Lila knew that Adam’s status had risen on Maggie’s imaginary scale.

  So she’d track Jason down the next day…third item on her morning agenda. After she returned phone calls and after her ten-o’clock client. She wasn’t moving him to first place.

  JASON PARKER BEGAN THE DAY by checking out of his motel, shopping at the supermarket and moving into Sea View House. The Captain’s Quarters provided more than enough room for his needs. The place was nicer than he remembered with its wide-planked gray floors and oval area rugs, which provided some color. Chintz-covered upholstered furniture and a large brick fireplace decorated the living room.

  He’d unpacked and stored his groceries and now stood in the entrance hall trying to decide where to put the upright piano he’d ordered the day before and which was due to arrive from Boston at any moment. He’d had to pay a surcharge for the quick service, but it was worth it.

  The back living-room wall was perfect. When he returned to California at the end of the month, the music store would sell the piano on consignment for him. Satisfied with his decision about the piano, he began searching for stereo components but found only a VCR underneath the television. No external speakers anywhere. He thought of the case of CDs he’d brought with him and sighed. Seemed like quality music systems were not part of a rental house. But who could blame Bart? Quality cost money, and tenants came and went. Although sometimes they came and stayed, like his new sister-in-law.

  Laura was a delight, and Matt was a lucky guy to have found a second wonderful woman to love. Laura insisted that Sea View House had helped her to heal emotionally.

  And now here he was in Sea View House. Perhaps being here right on the beach would be perfect for him, too. He hadn’t had time to dig his toes into the sand, hadn’t listened to the ocean’s soothing murmur up close in far too long. He’d make running along the shore as much a morning ritual as breakfasting with his dad and the ROMEOs at the Diner.

  Of course Sea View House also was steeped in memories for him. But if he dwelled on them…if he dwelled on Lila…he’d not only torture himself as he’d done the night he’d seen her at the steak house, he’d ruin the relationships he was starting to rebuild with his family. His dad, his brother, the kids, Laura—those were the people he needed to think about.

  Jason glanced at his watch. It was after two, and the piano had been due at one. He opened the front door to check the street. He saw nothing, but heard the rumbling of a motor. A truck appeared at the corner, and Jason went outside to wave the driver over. Twenty minutes later, the instrument had been carefully maneuvered into place by the driver and his helper.

  “It was tuned this morning,” said one of the men as Jason handed him a tip at the door. “But with all the moving and road construction…”

  “No problem. I can make adjustments myself.”

  Suddenly he heard high-pitched voices from the area near the truck. Two kids on bikes appeared and pedaled to his front steps at full-speed. Casey and Katie.

  “We came to see your new piano,” said Katie.

  “Yeah, Uncle Jason.”

  The delivery guys left, but two jean-clad eight-year-olds remained, walking through his open front door as if they belonged there.

  “Whoa!” Jason dipped down, wrapped one arm under each child’s tush and lifted them off the ground, grinning at their squeals.

  “Do your moms know you’re here? Or do you usually take off on your bikes all over town?”

  “My mom’s in B-Boston,” said Casey. “She’s doing a taping. A big story. But it’s for girls.” He wrinkled his nose, and Jason laughed out loud.

  He looked at Katie. “And where’s your mom?”

  “Working. But Grandpa Sam knows we’re here,” said Katie.

  Grandpa Sam? Probably a courtesy title since she hung around with Casey so much. The children wriggled to the floor, and went into the bathroom to wash their hands without being asked. His dad’s influence? Teaching them respect for an expensive instrument? But why Katie?

  He watched the kids run through the living room, at home as could be. They’d obviously been to Sea View House in the past. Jason decided to remain quiet and watch what happened next.

  “Let’s practice for the Memorial Day program first,” said Casey. “And then we can do funner stuff.”

  Katie turned to Jason and wrinkled her nose the same way Casey had wrinkled his earlier. “We have to do a Memorial Day program every year at school.” She turned back to the keyboard before he could answer, which was just as well, since all he wanted to do was laugh.

  “You want the bass or the treble?” asked Casey.

  “Either one.”

  “Okay, you take the low part first, then we’ll switch.”

  The girl nodded and stood on the left side of the instrument, while Casey stood on the right.

  And then Jason’s amusement turned to amazement as Casey led with the melody line, and Katie carried the beat. Four hands never left the keyboard, not even when they switched from “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” As they changed songs, they also changed positions, each child keeping one hand on the keyboard, and the music never stopped. Now Katie was above middle C and Casey below. They’d turned the change into a challenge.

  Jason watched them closely. They had no music sheets; they played by heart. But playing wasn’t a silly child’s game to them. Rather, it was a skill they took pride in. He could see and feel how attuned they were to each other. Just the way he and Jared had been.

  He and Jared. Suddenly, his heart began to thud as he stared at Katie. The image of Lila. But neither Tom nor Maggie nor anyone in that family played a musical instrument as far as he knew. True, they could all sing a pretty tun
e, but was that enough to produce…this talented child?

  “So, whaddyathink, Uncle Jason?” asked Casey.

  Katie spoke next. “I don’t like the part where we change songs. Something doesn’t sound right.”

  “Yeah,” said Casey. “That’s the problem.”

  Jason refocused to the business at hand. “That’s because you changed keys. The songs were written in two different keys, and that’s how you learned them. But now you’re trying to put them together like a little medley, so just transpose one of them.”

  “Huh?”

  “Like this.” He walked to the piano, pulled the bench out and played for them. “Hear the difference? Start with your hands here and follow me.” He showed them. They copied him. And played through the two pieces again.

  Wide grins this time. “Yup,” said Katie. “I like it better.”

  He decided to go one step further. “Good job. But you’ve got another choice.” Two sets of eyes stared at him unblinkingly.

  “Let your ears take your fingers for a walk between the songs. Make up something to connect them, the way a flight of steps connects the first floor to the second floor. So when you get to the new key, it’ll sound good.”

  “Show us,” demanded Katie.

  “All right. Here’s the end of ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy.’” He played the last few bars, then composed a short transition to “Grand Old Flag.”

  Two young heads were watching his hands and nodding. They both insisted on creating their own transitions—at the same time. This experiment ended with a cacophony of sound and a lot of laughter. Jason wouldn’t bet money against them coming up with something that worked.

  “Now we can have some real fun,” said Casey.

  He whispered something to Katie who looked at Jason and said, “Grandpa taught us this one, too. It’s ragtime.”

  Jason pulled the bench back to give them room. He’d already learned that they preferred to stand next to each other. He and Jared had done the same thing when they were very little.

  They played Scott Joplin—“The Entertainer.” Jason remembered driving his parents crazy playing it all the time. And now…these two. Katie and Casey. The next generation of Parkers had made themselves known.

  Katie had to be his daughter. A Parker. Nothing else made sense. At that moment, his brain froze. He simply stared at Katie, needing to catch his breath. Every move she made seemed miraculous. A child. He had a child!

  His thoughts began to flow again. He felt a smile grow across his face. While he had been gone, his dad and older brother had made sure Katie knew she belonged with them as well as with Bart and the Sullivans. In fact, thought Jason, putting more pieces together, the whole town had realized the truth, had realized that Katie was Jason’s child.

  Lila had no reason to deny it. She’d assumed Jason would be returning. He’d made that promise on the night he’d left, and she’d believed him. He’d believed it himself. He’d asked her to wait for him, and she’d said “Yes.”

  How could he have known he’d break that promise? That he’d go on an alcoholic binge with no hope for a future? God, the things he’d done in order to forget the past. If he hadn’t recovered…he would have missed this miracle before him.

  The kids slid into a duet of “The Candy Man.” This time they were singing as well as playing. And were right on key.

  Jason couldn’t take his eyes from Katie. Katie Sullivan-Parker. His daughter. His clever daughter who referred to him as Casey’s uncle Jason.

  LILA HEARD THE MUSIC as she stepped through the front door. So Jason’s piano had arrived. Maybe he’d be in a happy frame of mind to absorb the news she was about to share.

  She had to admit that her nerves were singing, but she thrust her chin up, walked to the living room. And stopped dead when she saw the children.

  Too late. She was too late. A crazy day at the office. The third item on her morning agenda had evolved into the thirteenth, and she’d gone along with the work flow, thrusting Jason to the back of her mind. Now she was too late. And it was her own fault.

  She watched the kids going to town at the keyboard like they always did. Jason’s attention was on Katie. He hadn’t even heard Lila come into the house. She took a deep breath and waited.

  Jason stood behind the kids, almost blocking them from Lila’s view. He started to speak when the kids finished their number. “So Grandpa Sam taught you both how to play?”

  Two heads bobbed. “And Uncle Matt helps sometimes,” said Katie.

  “Brian plays lots of instruments,” added Casey about his big brother. “The piano, the trumpet and the flute.”

  “Wow!” said Jason, looking at his nephew. “Does Grandpa Sam teach all the kids in town?”

  “No way!” replied Katie, staring up at him. “He helps Uncle Matt in the store sometimes. But he don’t help anyone on the piano except us. ’Cause we’re special, ’cause we’re his family. Brian, Casey and me. That’s what he said.” She sounded adamant rather than boastful—staking her claim.

  “You sure are special, Lady Katie,” said Jason, scooping her into his arms and giving her a kiss. “I can see that easily. And you’re as beautiful as your mom.”

  She started to giggle. “Everybody says that!”

  “You know what I think?” asked Jason, not giving the child time to answer. “I think you’re a sweetie pie and very smart. Smart enough to know what time your mom gets home from work.”

  Lila’s cue. “Her mom’s right here.” Lila stood as straight as an oak tree and hoped she wouldn’t faint.

  He turned to her slowly, still holding Katie. “I wondered how long you’d take to announce yourself. How long I’d have to keep the conversation going.”

  She felt heat rise to her throat. “I was politely allowing them to finish their piece.”

  “Right.” Skepticism colored his tone and expression. “You should have remembered my hearing is very acute.”

  “Hi, Mommy!” Katie waved from high in Jason’s arms. “Casey’s uncle showed us a lot of stuff today.”

  “That’s great.” She never interfered with Katie’s musical education. That was Sam’s department.

  Katie turned to Jason again. “But you know what’s not great?”

  “What, sweetheart?” asked Jason.

  Lila winced. She knew what was coming.

  “Casey and Brian have a piano and I don’t! It’s not fair ’cause Casey can get better’n me and what if I can’t catch up?”

  The incredible look Jason sent Lila almost made her stagger. “We were getting to it on her next birthday,” she protested. The excuse sounded lame, but it was the truth. And she was more than ready to prolong this conversation in order to delay the one she was sure would come next.

  Jason, however, had already turned toward his daughter, still in his arms. “I guarantee that you’ll have your own piano very soon. In the meantime, you can use mine whenever you want. Will that work?”

  She responded with a kiss on his cheek and a hug around his neck, before resting her head against his shoulder and sighing a deep sigh. Jason’s expression was easy to read. A mixture of love, wonder and regret. In mere minutes, he’d become totally connected to this child.

  Lila bowed her head. Jason’s return had changed the status quo. No going backward. Despite her future with Adam, Lila knew it was time for truth. For Katie’s sake.

  When she looked at Jason again, his dark eyes held a question. A question laced with hope he couldn’t hide.

  “She is, isn’t she?” he finally asked.

  Lila’s throat closed. Katie had been hers alone for eight years. She’d been the one to cuddle her, feed her, nurse her and play with her. She’d been the one to tuck her in at night with a hundred kisses. And now, she’d be the one to introduce her to her dad.

  “Yes.” One word whispered on a thin breath of air. She gave Jason the one word that would change the world for both of them. She said it again and watched his smile emerge. The smile that coul
d melt her like rich chocolate on a hot summer’s day. His grin widened, a dimple appeared. And God help her, she was eighteen again.

  “Then there’s no time like the present,” said Jason.

  His meaning quickly dissolved her daydreams. She forced herself to inhale, then exhale. She and Jason would have words—later. And she’d learn to deal with him as the father of her child—later. Right now, however, their daughter came first. They’d tell her the truth together.

  Jason walked toward the couch, glanced at Lila and inclined his head at Casey before he sat down. Lila bribed the boy with chocolate-chip cookies and milk in the kitchen. When she returned, she saw that Jason and Katie hadn’t moved. Her daughter, who lived life at Mach speed, was content where she was. Cuddled in the arms of her dad, her expression as peaceful as an angel’s. Jason’s countenance, however, revealed his concern about the next few minutes.

  At that exact moment, Lila understood what Jason didn’t. She stepped closer to the sofa, looked at the worried man and whispered, “Relax. She already knows.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  JASON KISSED his daughter’s cheek, forehead, neck. “Katie?” he whispered.

  “Hmm?” She didn’t raise her head.

  “Do you know what your Mommy and I are talking about?”

  Instead of replying, Katie snuggled into the sweet spot on his shoulder, right under his jaw, where she fit perfectly. He could have stayed with her forever on that sofa in Sea View House. He didn’t care if the rest of the world faded away. Everyone could disappear at that moment… Everyone, that is, except Lila.

  The other end of the sofa shifted as Lila sat down. He looked at the mother of this remarkable child, the woman who’d held his heart from the time they’d been children themselves, sitting side by side in fifth grade. Her eyes held uncertainty, a furrow marred her brow.

  “This water’s deep,” she murmured as she reached over and stroked Katie’s leg.

  She’d get no argument from him.

  “Remember when you were a little girl,” began Lila to her daughter, “and you’d ask me about your daddy?”