by Rhonda Marks
“He’s not, but I assured him everything will be alright. It will be okay, right Dirk? You’re not going to take my son away from me.”
“You mean our son,” he bit out. “Like I told you, I will not pursue any legal action against you concerning custody as long as you and the town do what I’ve asked.” He paused to ease his temper. “Don’t forget to give me an estimate on the cost, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll send you a text with a detailed itinerary so you can pass it onto the film crew. Goodbye, Dirk.” She disconnected the call before he could say anything more. But it was all good. He got what he wanted, hadn’t he?
Chapter Four
“Now that’s more like it.” Monique gave him a thumbs up as they entered Devinne’s city limits. On their right was a huge, wooden sign proclaiming Devinne as the birthplace of Dirk Benedict, league MVP and championship quarterback. There were even several banners suspended on telephone poles along their route welcoming him home. “I knew they’d come through.”
Dirk’s left eyebrow rose as he tried his best not to laugh. Caroline must have done a lot of tap dancing and probably outright begging to get the townsfolk to cooperate. But she did it, that’s all that mattered.
He casually glanced out the window of the limo and took in the miraculous changes on Main Street. Instead of the dirt and trash he saw just three days ago, the area was now tidy without a lick of litter in sight. The young men hanging out on the corners were gone and the boarded up storefronts now had colorful photos hung up to disguise the blight.
Instead of the blank stares that met him on Sunday when he drove through town, today the citizenry smiled as the limo passed. A few even waved and shouted “Welcome home”. He almost wanted to roll down the window and return their greetings, but stopped when he realized it was all part of the show. Caroline probably ordered them to be on their best behavior.
After speaking with her yesterday, instead of delighting in the upcoming week, he spent the rest of the day in a funky mood. How could she have kept his son away from him all these years? And how could she or her father have persuaded a whole town to keep that secret? He knew his acceptance of the scholarship to USC and transfer upset some people, but to go so far as to deny him the opportunity to be a father was too much.
He spent much of the early morning hours today in the gym, working himself so hard that Monique had to practically drag him back to his suite. Physical exertion made him forget about his problems, and he certainly had a ton right now. First and foremost was how he was going to establish a connection to his son.
Just thinking about the boy, Jordan, made his breath hitch. He’d only seen him for a few minutes on Monday, but he saw enough to know that he was his splitting image. Same nose, same eye color, same smile. The back of his eyes burned thinking about all he’d missed in his son’s life; his birth, his first steps and first words. He missed him saying “Dada”.
The film crew had arrived earlier in the day and had set up their equipment near the entrance of the municipal building. Although the rest of the town seemed to have fallen into disrepair, the politicians made sure their headquarters were in tip top shape. As the limo pulled up to front of the building, he shook his head at the continued inequality in town. Those that got, got more. Always had been that way and always would be the same.
A smile tipped the corner of his mouth as he thought about the battles his father had with the city government. Whenever there was a council meeting, his dad could be counted upon to rile them up with some complaint or other observation. Those who were not as outspoken or brave as his dad would stop by the house and ask him to speak on their behalf. And boy, did he love to do so! One year, they even tried to revise the rules to make it more difficult for him to air his complaints. Didn’t work though. Dad took them to court for violating his constitutional rights and won. The war was really on then.
“You ready?” Monique’s question roused him from his trip down memory lane. “Looks like the welcome committee is ready to greet you.”
Lined up at the entrance of the building was the who’s who of Devinne. The same people his dad tormented were standing there, prepared to greet him. The old man was probably up in heaven laughing his head off right now, elbowing his mother and pointing at the stuffy group assembled at the door.
He spied Caroline on the far right of the group, a blank expression on that beautiful face. Today she had on a black dress that hugged those curves that his hands itched to travel. Her crinkly red hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail, but that failed to dampen his desire to run his fingers through the soft tresses.
Suddenly the door to the limo was thrown open and it was time to get started with the show. Shouts of “Welcome back” went up as he stepped out. Dirk plastered a smile on his face as a camera was thrust into the midst of the gathering.
As he went down the line, shaking hands with the mayor and council, he did his best to keep that smile in place. It slipped a bit when Ty Jackson thrust out his hand, but Dirk held it together and quickly gave it a shake. But as he approached the end of the line and Caroline, he noticed a man standing a bit too close, with a menacing look on his face. Dirk returned the stare with one of his own. Competition. And he so loved a good fight. Let the games begin.
Caroline looked at the preening pair as they warily eyed each other and shook her head. She didn’t need this today, of all days. The testosterone these two idiots were throwing off almost made her gag. Like either one of them had any right to act that way, especially Dirk Benedict. He gave up his rights regarding her a long time ago.
And what did Emanuel Hines think he was doing? His behavior right now solidified her decision not to have anything to do with him. She could care less that he was Devinne’s most eligible bachelor and school principal. Her dad tried to put them together whenever he got a chance and dropped hints about them getting together daily. The man was a creep, and hell would freeze over before she’d date him.
“Benedict,” Emanuel sneered. “So kind of you to gift your hometown with your presence.”
Dirk’s gaze flicked over to her before grasping Emanuel’s outstretched hand. “Thank you for the, um, kind welcome. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”
“That’s right, because you haven’t been around. Name’s Emanuel Hines and I’m the principal of the Devinne Educational Center.”
“Educational Center?”
“Yes, because of the declining enrollment, all grades have been consolidated into one building. If we had the financial support, maybe it wouldn’t have happened.”
Caroline saw Dirk flinch at the not so subtle dig flung by Emanuel. To his credit though, he quickly recovered.
“I’d like to hear more about the school’s condition when I visit tomorrow.” With that, his attention moved onto her and she tenuously slid her hand into his. That damn feeling returned, the electrical charge she felt each time he touched her. And with that devilish gleam in his eye, she bet he felt it too. She had to really tug to extricate her hand, and quickly stuck it into her jacket pocket.
The mayor, along with the film crew, arrived just in time so she could escape Dirk’s attention. Willing her heartbeat to return to normal, she took several deep breaths while no one was looking. Satisfied that she was once again in control, she turned her attention to the growing crowd of young people descending upon Dirk. Most of them looked genuinely happy to see him. Had she been wrong in not contacting him over the years? The thought almost made her knees buckle. But she shook her head and carried on.
“Look at him. Just like his old man, thinking he’s better than everybody.” Ty Jackson’s eyes shot daggers in Dirk’s direction and a chill shimmied through Caroline’s body.
“Dad, please. Not now.” She looped her arm through his and guided him toward her mother. Geraldine Jackson had been standing off to the side in the midst of several other women, probably spreading gossip, as usual. “Mom, can you watch dad, please?”
“I don’t need
my wife watching me!” Ty countered. “I know how to behave.”
“Then do it,” Caroline shot back. “For JJ.”
Hearing his grandson’s name seemed to deflate Ty’s anger and he meekly allowed his wife to lead him away. Despite his anger at Dirk, Caroline knew her father would do anything for his grandson. Anything.
“As I was saying,” the mayor boomed, “Devinne may be down, but we’re not out. We have a lot to offer any business that wants to relocate to our fine city.”
Caroline rolled her eyes at the mayor’s blatant business pitch. With the reduced output from the mill, Devinne lost more than half its population in ten years. Gone were the grocery stores, liquor store, and most of the retail shops. Dollar stores were the only new businesses in town. The bus service was few and far between and townsfolk without cars paid exorbitant fares to jitney drivers to get them to the out of town establishments. Devinne was a shell of its former self.
“And you can see there’s plenty of space for industrial complexes on the outskirts of the city,” the mayor droned on. Caroline could tell the film crew was getting a bit bored by the speech. She needed to intervene.
“Mr. Mayor, how about we go inside?” She tilted her head in the direction of the entrance.
“We’re not quite ready,” Seneca Worth loudly whispered as she rushed into the building. “Give up another half hour to get all the food prepared.”
Caroline wanted to scream. She’d explicitly requested that everything be in place by six o’clock.
“Would it be possible to get a tour of the city?” Dirk asked with a half-smile on his face.
“Wonderful idea,” the mayor said. “I’d love to show you the changes and my plans for the city.” He started walking toward the limo with the film crew behind him.
“Mr. Mayor,” Dirk shouted. “If you don’t mind, I’d like Caroline to be my guide.”
Her gaze met his and she could see the merriment dancing in his eyes. He then boldly looked in her father’s direction, as if daring him to say anything.
This was not how she planned the evening to go. Not. At. All. But with the film crew nearby, she didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to them. “Alright, let’s go.”
Chapter Five
Dirk tried his best not to let his face show what he thought about Caroline’s car. To say it was a step above the piece of crap he drove while living in Devinne years ago was being kind. The car was a hot mess and should have been junked eons ago.
He casually shifted in his seat, trying to find a comfortable spot. But each time he moved, he seemed to find either another lump or some kind of squeaky coil. After a while, he simply gave up with a sigh.
“Go ahead and say it.” She shot him some serious side eye before returning her attention to the road. “My car is not what you usually travel in, right?”
“It’s, um, how can I say it, still road worthy.” He watched her lips twitch and soon both of them were howling. His heart warmed hearing her laugh. “Why are you driving this thing?”
She quickly sobered and took a deep breath. “It’s all I can afford. The library is not doing well and the board had to cut my salary last year.”
He bit the inside of his cheek to avoid saying what he really wanted. If she hadn’t hidden his son’s existence from him, she wouldn’t be in this position. He was well on his way to becoming a billionaire with his salary and endorsement revenues. She could be living in the lap of luxury, driving the best and most expensive vehicle on the market.
“You know you don’t have to live this way. Let me buy you—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence,” she shouted. “I won’t take your money.”
“I’m not going to give you any money, per se,” he countered. “I’m going to give you money so you can take care of my son. And hopefully one of the things you’ll do is purchase a vehicle that’s safe for him to travel in. This thing is beyond repair and you know it.”
“Like I said, it’s all I can afford. And it’s safe. Dad makes sure of it.”
Dirk simply grunted at the mention of her father. The man went out of his way to make his dad’s life miserable, and when he died, he shifted his vitriol in Dirk’s direction. To say he truly disliked the man would be quite the understatement. “Still, you could do better.”
They were touring the city with the film crew in a truck trailing behind. She took him to areas he hadn’t seen Sunday, way off the main drag, places where he once hung out daily. The building that housed the after school programs looked as though it had been empty for some time. All the windows were broken out and trashed littered the exterior grounds. “What happened here?”
“Lost our funding about six years ago. We begged the county not to do it, but they claimed they couldn’t afford it. Put a lot of kids on the street and into trouble.”
“Things were getting bad when I left. Still having problems with the drug dealing?”
“You really haven’t been keeping up with what’s happening here, have you?” He shook his head and shifted his eyes away from her. “Things are a little better, but that’s only because we don’t have as many people living here. The police still do round ups, but not as often.”
Guilt zinged through Dirk, making him lower his head. Maybe ignoring his hometown wasn’t such a cool thing to do. In addition to missing out on the first ten years of his son’s life, he also turned his back on people who weren’t the cause of his pain.
“You’re pretty quiet over there,” Caroline pointed out with a sigh. “I guess I’m used to the way things look now.”
“But I’m not.” He took a shuddering breath and sat up straighter in his seat. “Things will change. I’ll see to it myself.”
“I’m not showing you all this to get your money,” she said with a hint of irritation in her voice. “You can go back to the way things were before. Forget about us.”
“Listen here, Caroline,” he responded forcefully. “There’s no way in hell I can ignore what I’ve seen.” Especially my son. “I don’t plan on making any kind of public announcement of my intentions, but the city can expect a large check from me to start to make things right around here.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Everyone will appreciate it.”
A wave of satisfaction rolled through him at her gratitude. “Now do you mind if I ask you some questions, about my son?”
“I don’t think this is the time—”
“We’re alone, with no one to overhear us, Caroline. Plus I don’t think it’s asking too much to get a little information about my son.”
“He’s my son. I’m the one who’s raised him, on my own.”
“And whose fault was that?” Dirk stopped himself and tried to reign in his emotions. “Caroline, what did I ever do to you to deserve this? That boy is my first born, only child.”
She took in a deep breath before responding. “When you didn’t call or write after leaving, I kind of lost it. I couldn’t believe you’d just pick up and not look back.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you didn’t get the note I left for you that night or any of the other letters I sent from California.”
Her head whipped around and he had to grab hold of the wheel to keep the car from running up on the curb. “You did what?”
“I came into town earlier than I planned, to say goodbye.” And try to convince you to go with me. “When I got to your house, I called your cell, and actually heard it ringing inside your bedroom, but you didn’t pick up.”
“I was probably at Franny’s and left the phone at home. I was a mess, you know, because of you leaving, the pregnancy and my dad’s medical condition.”
Dirk nodded and let out a loud sigh. “Well, I wrote a quick note and put it in an envelope. I placed it in the mailbox then left for LA.”
“I never got it,” she whispered, her eyes widening. “What did you write?”
“It doesn’t matter now,” he said.
“Yes, it d
oes. To me. So tell me.”
Dirk closed his eyes and let his head fall back. “I, um, I told you that I was sorry for everything that had happened. And that I still loved you and wanted us to be together. I wanted you to come to California with me.”
He heard her gasp and slap her hand over her mouth. Now a stream of tears ran down her face and she made no effort to stem them. Slowly, he reached over and began to dry them with the pad of his thumb, happy that she didn’t push him away. She took a quick glance in the rearview mirror and widened her eyes. “I forgot the cameras were following us!” She hurriedly composed herself and allowed a neutral expression to settle on her face.
Dirk smiled to himself and turned his head to look out the window once more. He’d made some progress. Slow and steady.
Caroline couldn’t stop shaking after she parked her car and walked into the municipal building for the welcome gathering. That little bit of time she spent with Dirk had put her over the edge. And now she had to spend a couple more hours in his company. Nervous didn’t begin to describe how she felt right now.
The party was in full swing when they entered the large room. The volunteers had done a great job decorating, with large posters of Dirk in uniform adorning the walls. Helium balloons with “Welcome Home” in Devinne team colors were tied to little weights and strategically placed around the room. A large table in the front of the room was laden with a variety of dishes whipped up by volunteers. Everyone had a plate in hand as they mingled with the other guests.
Standing on the edge of the action, she thought back to her time with Dirk in the car. There was so much she wanted to talk to him about, but didn’t get the chance to do so. Although they had discussed him not getting too close to JJ while he was in town, she failed to warn him to stay away from him tomorrow at the school assembly. Her father had ask her if she was going to keep him out of school, to ensure the two didn’t cross paths, but she told him no. JJ would be in school and at the assembly. She had a long talk with him and let him know he was not to be in the same vicinity as his father. He seemed to understand the need for them to stay apart for now, but pressed her for a date when he could see him. She put him off, but with both of them wanting to get to know the other, she had no clue how long she could put it off.