“If it’s in the cards, it will all work out,” Angie said. “Just like if it’s meant for me and Michael to be together, then that will work out too. I can’t drive myself crazy over it. I’ll just give him some space and if he doesn’t call me, I’ll call him. I can’t go back to work Monday with this hanging over us.”
“I’m proud of you, girlfriend.” Lizzie got up and gave her friend a hug.
“Ditto,” Marianne offered as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat back down to relax. “What’s on the agenda for today? Katy is going to see Chloe. So what are the rest of us going to do?”
“If you don’t mind, I really don’t feel like going out. You two can do whatever you want to. I’ll be fine. I just need to get my head together,” Angie answered.
“Let’s hit the mall again, Marianne. I need to pick up some things for the twins.”
“That’s fine by me. You know I love to shop. I’ll jump in the shower as soon as Katy is finished in the bedroom.” Marianne welcomed a chance to get her mind off her own troubles for a few more hours. The time was soon coming when she would have to face them head on.
It was not long before Katy returned, and she looked relieved.
“You look like that went well,” Lizzie ventured.
“He’s a great kid. The best son any mother could ask for. He was fine with the whole thing. He agrees that Ryan is not to blame for anything that happened. It’s just a freaky coincidence that he happens to be the husband of the woman in the other car. He can’t understand why Ryan would even feel guilty about the accident. He said that he was happy I had finally found someone that I thought I could be interested in. He advised me to tell Ryan the truth soon though. I called Chloe and she agreed to meet me. She mentioned that Ryan was in an exceptionally good mood this morning. I hope I don’t ruin that mood when I tell him what I have to tell him. But we all know that, in all likelihood, I will,” Katy replied with a touch of sadness in her tone.
Lizzie wished her friend luck, as did the other two.
I am certainly going to need it, she told herself sadly.
A short time later, Katy was out the door to meet Chloe, with Lizzie and Marianne right behind her, leaving Angie alone in the suite for the day. She soaked in a long, hot, lavender-scented bubble bath, her favorite, allowing herself to relax. After drying herself with an oversized, fluffy, white towel, she slipped into her robe, combed out her long, brown hair and fell onto the bed, exhausted. She was asleep within minutes, oblivious to the problems in her world for a few short hours.
As they got onto the elevator, Lizzie turned to Marianne and said, “We’re going to make a stop on the fourth floor. Are you with me on this?”
“You read my mind.”
The two friends got off on the appointed floor, found Michael’s room and nervously knocked on his door.
“Who is it?” a male voice asked wearily from within.
“Michael, it’s Lizzie and Marianne. May we come in?” They looked at each other and waited for his reply.
He opened the door and ushered them into the room. He looked about as bad as Angie did. With dark circles under his eyes, he looked like he had been up most of the night.
“Michael, we know what happened. She told us the whole story after she got back to the room last night,” Lizzie began.
“So, you all were in the dark as well. It should make me feel better that at least she kept it from you also,” he said.
Lizzie gave it to him straight, “Michael, I know you’re hurt and angry. You have every right to be. But please, do yourself a favor. Don’t let that anger destroy your chance for happiness. You and Angie belong together. It may not seem like it right now, but you have always belonged together. Angie is suffering too. She has suffered for fifteen years with this secret. You have to find a way to work through this and forgive her, for both your sakes.”
“Do you still love Angie?” Marianne asked.
“I do,” Michael answered.
“Then please don’t make any rash decisions,” Lizzie added.
“I know you two think you’re helping. But I am so confused right now, I don’t know which way is up. I just cannot face Angie right now. I’m too angry. I’m devastated, still in shock, grieving for a loss that I should have shared with her fifteen years ago. Instead, she shut me out of her life at a time when she needed me the most. I’m going to call Jackie in a little while and talk to her about it. Angie said that Jackie begged her to tell me before.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Jackie may be able to give you some insight as to how Angie was feeling at the time. Maybe it will give you a different perspective on the matter,” Lizzie agreed with Michael. “The one person in the world who would know how Angie felt at the time would be Jackie. Angie and her mother have always been close.”
“Thank you both for stopping by. I appreciate your concern and I love you both for caring. But if you’ll excuse me, I just need to sort this out, before I have to face Angie at dinner tomorrow night. I am still going to go, because it’s business as well as pleasure, but I don’t think it will be a very festive occasion for Angie and me.”
Marianne said, as she glanced at Lizzie, “We’ll leave you alone, now, Michael,”
“I will give it some thought, believe me.” With that, he ushered them out the door, closing it behind them, and sat down on the couch. He picked up the phone and dialed Angie’s mother’s number in Indiana. It rang four times before Jackie finally answered.
“Hello.” The familiar voice of his ex-mother–in-law came on the line.
Michael hesitated for a moment before he began, “Jackie, hello, this is Michael Gray.”
There was silence until, finally, she spoke, “Michael, dear, it’s so good to hear from you. What can I do for you, son?”
“I don’t really know where to begin. Jackie, I need your help. I recently ran into Angie. We’re going to be working together on a project at her hotel.” The words jumbled together as he spoke shakily.
“I see. And how is that going?” Jackie asked, thinking it must not be going well, from the state the boy seemed to be in.
“It was going great until last night. Oh, Jackie, this is so hard for me.” He broke down. After regaining his composure, he told Jackie the story from beginning to end, from last week when he had walked into Angie’s office to the gruesome way last night’s date had ended. He felt a great relief afterward, as if a giant burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
“My dear boy, I am so relieved that you finally know the truth. I tried so hard to reason with her back then. She was so devastated; nothing I could say eased her pain. She didn’t eat, didn’t sleep. She cried for days. She sat in the rocking chair she’d bought, for hours on end, just staring into space. I honestly thought I was going to have to take her back to the hospital. She wouldn’t let me call you, even though I knew she needed you with her. I worried myself sick about her. I couldn’t leave her side because I was afraid of what she might do. I practically had to force her to eat and when she did, it was very little. Her emotions were all over the place. I’m not sure she’s ever completely recovered from it. I think that’s why she’s thrown herself into her work for all these years. It’s all she has left. But she never discusses it, so I don’t bring it up for fear of opening up the old wounds. She moved away shortly after the divorce and then so did you. I always hoped the two of you would find your way back to each other, but when you both left town, I eventually gave up on that. She really thought she was doing the best thing for you by not telling you. She thought you would move on, marry again, and have the family that she couldn’t give you. She was in a very dark place for a good many years. She never got over it, or you, for that matter. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive her. Obviously, you never remarried, never had a family?” Angie’s mother asked hopefully.
“No, Jackie, I could never marry anyone else. My heart has always belonged to Angie. You know that. You have known all along. I just
don’t know how to forgive her. I don’t know how to make it right between us. I am grieving for her and for our little baby.”
“And she has grieved for fifteen years, for you, for that little baby, and for all the other babies that she will never have. I hope you can get past this, for both your sakes. But you will have to do it in your own time and in your own way.”
“Thank you, Jackie. I need to hang up now. I have a lot to think about. This is not going to be easy, but I have to make some decisions about my future, with or without Angie.”
“Well, I hope it is with Angie, but I understand your reluctance. Best of luck.”
“Goodbye, Jackie.”
“Goodbye, Michael. I hope to see you sitting around my dinner table with the family very soon. That’s where you belong.”
He hung up the phone and sat on the couch thinking for a very long time. He had all day today, tonight, and all day tomorrow before he had to face Angie at the dinner with all their friends and the O’Gradys. Maybe by then, he could bring himself to tolerate being in the same room with her. It will be torture for both of us. If they did have a chance to work this out, they would have to eventually have another very long and serious talk. And right at this moment, he knew neither one of them was up to it. Last night had taken its toll. He lay back on the couch, deep in thought.
Chloe drove to the Prava to pick Katy up. Katy had called and asked her to meet her for coffee. She had readily agreed. She liked Katy and was looking forward to the chance to get to know her better. Chloe had begun to give up hope that Ryan would ever be able to find happiness in his life. Now he had met a lovely woman and they would also be working together.
Katy was waiting when Chloe drove up. She walked toward the car and waved. She is a lovely creature, Chloe thought as she watched her. No wonder Ryan was so taken with her.
“Good morning,” Chloe said as Katy got into the car. “I trust y’all had a nice time last night.”
“I had a wonderful evening, for the most part. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Katy began.
Chloe sighed, hoping there was not going to be a problem. She did not know if Ryan could handle a rejection from Katy at this point. That would surely send him right back to the dark place where he had been for the last ten years. Chloe began to worry as she cast a sideways glance at her new friend.
“Anything wrong, Katy?” she finally asked her.
“Something happened last night that really threw me for a loop. I have to tell you I was not expecting it and I really need to get your opinion. I know you are the one person who knows Ryan really well. Don’t get me wrong, Ryan is wonderful. I really would love for our relationship to eventually develop into something more, but I really need your advice about something he said last night.”
They pulled into the parking lot of Chloe’s favorite little coffee shop and got out of the car. Her curiosity was certainly piqued. What on earth could Ryan have said that had Katy so worried?
“I thought you would like this place. It’s where I come for a quick getaway when I can take time from work. Let’s get a table in the back and then we can talk.”
“That would be great,” Katy answered gratefully.
They walked into the cutest little coffee shop that Katy had ever seen. She admired the design. Someone had really been thinking when he or she opened this place. It had such a calming effect. Chloe was right. It seemed like the perfect place for them to talk.
After they were seated and had ordered their coffee, Katy began, “Chloe, what I’m about to tell you is probably going to be a shock. I know it was for me. Last night was perfect from the moment Ryan picked me up at the hotel. He did all the right things, said all the right things. We really clicked. I had decided that if the conversation headed into the right direction, I was going to try and draw Ryan out, get him to talk about his wife and the accident. Get him to talk about all of the events of that awful time. I felt that if we stood any kind of a chance at moving on together, the past needed to be laid to rest. You know that I also suffered a loss. My circumstances were different than Ryan’s. My marriage was good, and I lost a daughter also. I was prepared to discuss that with him too.”
Chloe asked, “And I take it, the conversation did go down that path?”
“Yes, it did. And everything was going fine. Ryan really opened up to me. He told me everything. He told me about his bitterness and his grief. He told me about how he had never been able to move on, how he had sworn off women, because he thought they were all basically like Marnie. He told me how meeting me had changed his mind. He feels he could move forward with me. He feels we have a special connection. I felt it too, from the first moment I laid eyes on him. It should have been a dream come true to hear those words from him. It was exactly what I had been hoping to hear. But now I think I know why I felt that connection.”
Confused, Chloe looked at Katy’s distraught face. “Katy, I’m afraid I don’t see the problem here. It sounds to me as if the evening turned out exactly the way we had all hoped it would. Shane and I were rooting for you, you know. And judging from the way Ryan was acting this morning at the restaurant, he is on cloud nine and not going to come down off it anytime soon.”
Katy smiled at Chloe. “Thank you for the vote of confidence. It was something that Ryan said at the end of the conversation that really threw me. I tried not to let on to him when I realized the implications of the details he was telling me. Chloe, the car that Marnie and her lover hit head on that night was the car that my husband and daughter were in. Ryan has no idea that I am the widow named Kathryn that he tried to contact ten years ago to offer his condolences to. He talked about how guilty he felt for their deaths and how he had never gotten over the fact that Marnie and her lover had not only taken their own lives that night, but also the lives of two innocent people, a husband and father, and most of all, a little girl in a Girl Scout uniform.” Katy wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at her new friend with sadness in her eyes. “The man was my Bill and the little girl in the Girl Scout uniform was my Bree.”
Shock registered on Chloe’s face. After several minutes of silence, she said, “Oh, my God, Katy, I just don’t know what to say. You must have been stunned when you realized. Do you blame Ryan? How do you feel about him now? Surely, you realize it was not his fault?”
“Of course I don’t blame him. I came to terms with what happened years ago. I will love and miss Bill and Bree every day of my life, but that doesn’t mean I could in any way blame Ryan. I feel a very strong connection to him, especially now. I feel, as my friend Marianne would say, it was fate that brought us together at this time of our lives.”
“Then what is the problem?”
“I need to tell Ryan who I am. I’m not sure he will be able to handle it, with all the guilt he feels. I don’t want to lose him, Chloe, but he needs to know the truth and soon, before we move any further in this relationship. Maybe we weren’t meant to be lovers. Maybe we were just meant to meet each other.”
“Honey, he is already in way over his head with you. But you are right about one thing. You need to tell him, get everything out in the open. And if you can let him know that you don’t blame him for any of it and be honest about your feelings for him, it should be all right. I know he will be shocked, like you and I were, at hearing this news. But, knowing Ryan as I do, I think that once he is over the shock, and he is sure of your feelings, he will come around. He cares so much about you already. But I think you’re wrong thinking that you were only meant to meet to deal with the past. I think there’s more there. And I really don’t think Ryan could handle it if he lost you now.”
“Wish me luck, then, my friend. I will tell him soon.” Katy sighed as she stirred her coffee that the waitress had brought, and took a sip of the hot, rich liquid.
“When are you seeing my handsome bro again?” Chloe queried.
“I’m not sure. Dinner with everyone, if not sooner, I suppose. Roses arrived with a card this mornin
g, so I’m expecting a call from him.”
“Wow, he really can be a romantic, who would have thought it?” Chloe laughed at the thought of Ryan sending roses to a woman. Silently, she wondered how he would take the news Katy was going to give him.
They finished their coffee and Chloe drove Katy back to the hotel. Chloe needed to get back to work and Katy needed to figure out how she was going to break the news to Ryan in the gentlest way she could.
“Goodbye, Katy. I wish you all the best,” Chloe said as Katy got out of the car.
“Thank you, Chloe, you’ve been a good listener. Keep in touch.” Katy walked into the lobby of the hotel and headed up to the suite. Her heart was heavy with dread at having to tell Ryan who she really was, but she knew it was the only way the two of them stood a chance at happiness, or at the very least, closure.
CHAPTER 18
Dr. Jon Jacobi sat at his desk in his plush downtown Dallas office, looking wearily over the last patient’s chart. He had just finished his schedule for the day. Wednesday was his day in the office and Thursday was his day off. He did surgeries the other three days of the week. It had been a hectic schedule today and he was glad to have tonight to look forward to and tomorrow off. Tonight he was planning to surprise the ‘Fab Four’ and take them out for dinner.
Thank God I finally have the Jennifer situation taken care of. Jennifer was a lab tech who had set her sights on the married Dr. Jacobi. Nothing had ever happened between them beyond a kiss, and it never would. He would never cheat on Marianne and certainly not with someone like Jennifer, who chased anything in pants from what he’d heard. She had cornered him in the lab one night and pulled him into an embrace that had later repulsed him. He had quickly broken it off and in no uncertain terms had made it clear to the girl that he was not interested. He had even gone a step further, reporting her behavior to the human resources department at the hospital. It had resulted in training for Jennifer and had gotten her transferred to one of the other facilities across town, owned by the hospital. He had hoped that would be the end of it, but he had had a few emails from her at the office since she’d transferred. She just won’t give up. Hopefully, she’ll find someone else to harass soon enough and leave me alone. He had debated about whether or not to tell Mari and had decided against it. It’s better that she never know. She doesn’t need to be concerned with it.
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