A Family Reunion

by Jackson, Brenda

  “Mr. Garrison? What brings you here?” Rae’jean asked when she finally stood in front of him, only a breath away, eyeing him with quiet defiance. She decided that had been a stupid question when she saw the big envelope he was holding in his hand.

  “I thought I would drop this off with you myself, Ms. Bennett, since I was in the neighborhood,” Ryan responded, loving the way her mouth had tightened into a disapproving frown. Seeing him again bothered her as much as seeing her again bothered him. He watched as she lowered her eyes and fixed them on the package he held in his hand.

  “You’ve found something out about my father?” she asked in a voice that sounded anxious but fearful of what information the package contained.

  “Yes.”

  “Good or bad news?”

  “That’s for you to decide after you read the report,” he murmured softly.

  Rae’jean inhaled a slow, deep breath, then released it. She didn’t want to read the report. She wanted him to tell her what was in it. “Tell me, please.”

  “You should read it for yourself, Ms. Bennett.”

  A lump formed in her throat. “Yes, I’m sure I should,” she said, just a little shakily. “But I’m afraid to. I—I’ve waited so long for this moment and now I’m…”

  “Scared,” he finished for her when the word couldn’t come out. “I understand.” After a few moments he said, “If you really want me to, I could brief you on what I found out, but you still need to read the report in its entirety yourself.”

  Rae’jean expelled a sigh that sounded like relief before saying, “And I will, but I’m too tense to read it now. Thanks for your willingness to go over it with me.”

  Ryan’s heart began to hammer hard in his chest with the look of gratitude that shone on Rae’jean’s face. There was something about that look that was indefinable and held him enthralled. “All right,” he finally said. He glanced around the parking lot where various people were coming and going. “But not here. Is there somewhere we can go and talk privately?”

  Rae’jean lifted her shoulder and let it drop, knowing the one place where they would find absolute privacy. “Yes, my apartment.”

  Ryan wasn’t surprised by how the inside of Rae’jean’s apartment looked. The decor offered a telling glimpse into her character more than it should have. She had exquisite taste. Evidently she liked soft colors, and the leather furniture in her living room, that was covered with numerous large throw pillows, looked comfortable as well as stylish. There was a huge fireplace of marble on one side of the room, but what really set off the spacious room was the huge floor-to-ceiling window that took up an entire wall. The very first time he had laid eyes on her, she had been standing at that window looking at him. The immediate attraction between them had been overpowering. It still was, but they were both fighting like hell to control it.

  “You didn’t say how you liked your coffee, Mr. Garrison.”

  The sound of her voice floated in from the kitchen, where the aromas of freshly brewed coffee and frying bacon seeped out as well. At this very moment she was in her kitchen making them breakfast. He had followed her in his car from the hospital, and once they got to her apartment complex they had ridden the elevator up together in silence. As soon as she had opened the door to her apartment, she had surprised him by inviting him to join her for breakfast, although for most people it was actually time for lunch.

  Instead of turning down her invitation like he should have done, he had consented to join her. “Black!” he called back out to her.

  “And how do you like your eggs?” she called back.

  His brows rose, as he tried to remember the last time someone had cooked an egg for him or he had cooked one for himself. His day began with a visit to McDonald’s to get an Egg McMuffin. “Scrambled would be fine.”

  “Well done, medium, or light?”

  Ryan couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t know cooking an egg could be so much trouble. “Well done will be fine!” he called back out.

  “OK.” Then a few moments later she said, “You can set the table for us. Use the dishes from the china cabinet. Place mats and silverware are in the drawer.”

  He shook his head, thinking that using fancy, expensive china for breakfast didn’t make much sense, but who was he to argue? He would do as he’d been told. Besides, he was thankful for anything to do other than idly wander around her living room. He walked over to her dining room and took down the dishes and mugs from the cabinet. He pulled open a drawer and found the place mats and eating utensils.

  He had just completed the task of setting the table when she breezed into the room with two platters in her hand. One was filled with crisp bacon and the other with the fluffiest-looking eggs he’d ever seen.

  “I’ll be back in a minute with toast and coffee. What flavor jelly do you prefer?” she asked.

  He frowned. “I’m not sure. What flavor do you have?”

  “Umm, just about all flavors I could imagine. For the holidays, some of my relatives who know how much I enjoyed eating jelly as a child always send me those gift packs of miniature jars. They’re always good to have on hand.”

  He nodded. “Grape will do.”

  She smiled. “OK, I’ll be right back. You can go ahead and start filling your plate if you like.” Before he could say anything else, she had breezed back out of the room.

  Ryan’s brow lifted as he tried to wonder just what to make of Rae’jean Bennett. He glanced down at the platters she had set on the table. One thing was certain: the woman could throw down when it came to a meal, and he had to admit he was definitely hungry. Following her orders, he immediately sat down at the table. He was just about to reach for the platter of eggs when she returned with a percolator in one hand and a platter of toast and jelly in the other.

  “Now, we’re all set,” she said, placing the items on the table and then sitting down across from him. “First we say grace.”

  Following her lead, he bowed his head while she said a few words of thanks.

  “Amen.”

  “Amen.”

  She smiled over at him. “Don’t be shy; just dig in.”

  “Thanks,” he said as he began filling his plate, and not with meager rations, either. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had cooked for him. In fact, he doubted one ever had. His father had raised him after his mother had died before his first birthday of breast cancer, and his ex-wife, Cherise, had not been the domestic kind. The only thing she did in the kitchen was pass through it. With her hectic schedule as an attorney she normally would eat on the run, leaving him to his own devices.

  Rae’jean poured the both of them coffee. “I hope I didn’t make it too strong for you.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine.” Then after taking a sip he said, “It’s delicious.” And he meant every word of it. As impossible as it seemed, the woman even knew how to make good coffee. “Who taught you how to cook?” he asked after trying the eggs and bacon. Like the coffee, they were absolutely delicious.

  “My grandmother. I spent a lot of time with her while growing up, which meant I spent a lot of time in her kitchen. I enjoy cooking. In fact, I don’t do enough of it since it’s only me. Grady, being from the North, never appreciated a home-cooked meal.” She smiled. “His idea of a good breakfast was a bowl of Cream of Wheat, and dinner was a steak off the grill with a tossed salad. He was definitely not a meat-and-potatoes man.” After taking a sip of coffee, she asked, “Where are you originally from, Mr. Garrison?”

  Ryan’s coffee cup stopped midway to his lips and he met her eyes. “South Carolina.”

  She nodded. “I’ve visited there before. In college a group of friends and I rented a condo in Hilton Head during spring break one year. We had lots of fun. Do you still have family there?”

  “No. My mother was an only child. She died before I turned one, and I didn’t know any relatives on her side of the family. My father died while I was in college. He had a brother who passed away a few years back.
”

  Rae’jean nodded slowly. “So you don’t have any family?”

  “No.”

  She chuckled. “Well, I have a bunch, more than I can count, and I’m definitely into sharing.”

  Ryan nodded. He liked her voice, all soft and mellow. The sound of it was doing crazy things to his heart rate. He knew he needed to take his mind off her voice and get their conversation on course. There was information he needed to share with her about her father.

  He took a deep breath, wishing he didn’t have to tell her anything, especially not during breakfast. So he decided to delay it awhile. “Where did you go to school?” he asked her as he refilled his plate with more eggs.

  “I got my bachelor’s from the University of Georgia and got my medical degree from Meharry,” she replied.

  He nodded. “I got both my bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina before going to work for the FBI.”

  She found that interesting. “How did you like being an agent?”

  “It was OK, but I wanted to be my own boss. That’s why I started my investigative business.” He took another sip of coffee before asking, “Have you lived here in Boston long?”

  She shook her head as she chewed the last of her bacon. “I’ve been here for two years now. I was working at a hospital in Maryland before transferring here.”

  Rae’jean pushed her plate aside and studied Ryan. It was obvious he was trying to avoid discussing the report that was sitting on the table in her living room. That made her even more nervous about what it said. She took a deep breath and gave him a nervous glance. “Mr. Garrison, I’d like to know what the report says.”

  He held her gaze. “You don’t want to wait until after you finish breakfast to talk about it?”

  She shook her head as the anxiety within her began to rebuild. “No.”

  He smiled faintly and nodded. “All right then.” He leaned back in his chair. “Finding your father was not hard at all. In fact, it was as easy as I thought it would be. He’s been living and working in Texas for the past twenty-eight years. The insurance company his family owned went bankrupt around ten years ago. He’s been employed with another major insurance company as one of their top executives.”

  Rae’jean’s heart fluttered with the news. “What part of Texas?”

  “San Antonio.”

  She took a minute to concentrate on what he had said. Now that she knew where her father lived there was nothing that would stop her from going to see him and introducing herself to him. She would have to be strong enough to handle whatever his reaction would be to her. Even rejection. “I have some time coming that I can take off. Other than my cousin’s wedding next month, I don’t have anything planned. I think I’ll fly to San Antonio to meet him.”

  Ryan took another bite of his food, chewed, and swallowed before saying, “Ms. Bennett, there’s more.”

  She glanced up at Ryan. “What else is there?”

  Taking a deep breath and holding her gaze, he said softly, “You can’t go see him.”

  Her expression turned puzzled. “Why can’t I?” She felt a lump form in her throat when she felt the effort he was putting into making sure he said the next words carefully. He leaned forward. “I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you this,” he said tightly. “But your father passed away in January of this year.”

  Rae’jean’s breath caught. She met his gaze, not wanting to believe what he’d just said. It couldn’t be true. The man who had fathered her couldn’t be dead, not when she had finally found him and had planned on getting to know him.

  She took a deep calming breath. “How did he die?”

  Ryan looked at her, hating the thought that the news he was giving her was causing her pain. “He was killed in a car accident less than ten miles from his home while on his way from work.”

  Rae’jean took another deep calming breath, knowing she had to pull herself together. She reached over and began filling her plate with more eggs and bacon, enough for two people. “It doesn’t really matter, you know,” she said quickly, as if to convince herself and not him. “I didn’t even know him, so news of his death really doesn’t bother me.”

  Ryan watched as she absentmindedly sprinkled sugar on her eggs instead of salt. “I don’t understand what reason I have to feel bad about him dying,” she continued. “He knew I existed and never came to see me anyway. I can’t believe I’m letting myself get worked up over this for—”

  Ryan immediately stood and closed the distance between them. He was long past caring about the promise he’d made to her to keep things strictly business between them. He reached out and gently pulled her from her seat and into his arms, letting his chest absorb her tears. “It’s OK to cry. It’s OK. Whether you ever met him or not, he was still your father and you cared. You cared enough to want to find him. I’m just so sorry it was too late,” he said in a husky voice.

  She nodded her head as she smothered her face in his chest, appreciating the comfort she found there. “It’s so unfair. So unfair.”

  On that he had to agree with her. “There is something else I have to tell you that may be good news, though.”

  She lifted her tear-stained gaze to his. His expression was one of deep concern and compassion. “What?”

  “You have a sister.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “A sister?”

  “Yes,” he answered with hesitancy. “Your father got married shortly after leaving Macon, and he and his wife had a daughter. She’s only two years younger than you, and the two of you look so much alike it’s uncanny.”

  Rae’jean’s heart pounded. “You saw her?”

  “No, but the guy who works for me out of Texas did. In fact, he took pictures and they are included in his report. Do you want to see them?”

  “Yes.”

  Taking her hand in his, he led her over to the sofa, and they sat down. He opened the package and pulled out several pictures and handed them to her. He watched as she studied each one of them.

  “We do favor each other a lot, don’t we?” she asked quietly with utter amazement. No one could deny they were sisters.

  “Yes, probably because her mother was Hispanic, which accounts for the both of you having the same coloring. The two of you must have favored your father.”

  Rae’jean nodded. “Do you have any information on her? What’s her name? What does she do?”

  Ryan smiled. He was glad to hear the excitement return to her voice. “Her name is Danica, but she goes by ‘Dani.’ She’s twenty-eight and finished school at the University of Texas with a master’s degree in accounting. She works as an accountant for a large firm in San Antonio. She’s single; however, she’s been dating the same guy for over a year. He’s an attorney who works for the same firm that she does.”

  Rae’jean stared at Ryan, amazed. “You were able to get all that information?”

  “Yes.”

  Rae’jean smiled. “Is there any more?”

  “Yes. Her mother died when she was ten, and your father raised her. They were very close.”

  She nodded. “Does she know about me?”

  “My man was advised not to make contact of any kind, so I don’t know if your father ever told her about you. Under the circumstances, I doubt that he did, but who knows?”

  Rae’jean stood and began pacing the floor. “I’d like to go to Texas and meet her.”

  He nodded, not surprised. “All the information you need is inside that packet, including her address.” He stood and looked at her steadily. “Do you have any more questions about anything?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He nodded. “Then that concludes your business with my company. A bill will be sent to you within a week.”

  Rae’jean waited to see what else he would say, since it appeared he was getting things back on a business level with them. When he didn’t say anything, she stood, reached out, and presented him her hand. “Thanks for everything, Mr. Garrison
. I appreciate everything that you did.”

  He looked down at her hand for almost a second before taking it in his. He didn’t try fighting the warm feeling that settled in his chest from the feel of it encompassed in his. “Don’t mention it, Ms. Bennett, and thanks for breakfast.” He released her hand.

  She looked up at him and smiled wryly. “Anytime.”

  He smiled, hoping she actually meant that, as relief washed through him. Now that their business was concluded he had wondered what excuse he could come up with to see her again. “How about tomorrow?” he asked huskily.

  Rae’jean blinked. “Excuse me?”

  Ryan hesitated, wondering for the second time that day if he needed to have his head examined. He was totally forgetting his ironclad rule of not getting involved with a client. But then, he reasoned, she was no longer a client. “You said we could do breakfast again anytime, so I was wondering about tomorrow.”

  “All right,” she said, almost at a loss for words. “Tomorrow would be fine. Do you like pancakes?”

  He decided not to tell her that he always enjoyed the ones he got from McDonald’s, but he knew any she made would probably taste a lot better. “Yes, I like pancakes.”

  She smiled up at him. “Good. We’ll have pancakes, eggs, and sausage tomorrow.”

  That sounded mighty good to him. He glanced down at his watch. “I’d better go.”

  “OK.”

  “Is there anything I need to bring tomorrow?”

  She shook her head and grinned. “No, just a healthy appetite.”

  He glanced over at the table. “Do you need help cleaning up? I can call the office and—”

  “No, I can handle things here. Then I plan on going to bed and getting some sleep. I have to report back to work at ten tonight.”

  He nodded slowly. “But you’ll be getting off in the morning at ten just like today, right?”

  “Right.” She tipped her head to the side as she gazed up at him. “Just out of curiosity, how do you know the hours I work?”

  He smiled mischievously. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Turning, he headed for the door. He pulled it open and started through it, then turned back around. He smiled again, but this time his smile as well as the gaze was focused and intense. “Good-bye, Rae’jean.”