Rescued

by Linda Rettstatt

  “Maybe you should sit down for a minute. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  She glared at him, then glanced away. “I have.”

  Evan nodded toward the back booth. “Who is he?”

  Alex picked up the plate of ruined food and made brief eye contact. “He says he’s my father.” She turned quickly, nearly tripping again over the same chair as she made her way back through the kitchen doors.

  “Alex? What happened?” Jack lifted a basket of wings from the deep fryer.

  “He’s back.”

  Jack peered through the double doors. “Who? Evan Whiting?”

  “No, in the booth.”

  “Oh.” He glanced at the plate she had set on the counter. “I gather you had a mishap? I’ll take Evan a new order and see what Lex wants. You stay here.”

  She gratefully nodded. “Be careful. I was about to get a mop and clean up the sauce that spilled.”

  “I’ll have Marcus take care of it.”

  Alex sat on one of the stools, slumped against the wall when a young black man walked by to get the bucket and mop. He’d obviously witnessed her performance, but didn’t ask any questions. Alex was too rattled to introduce herself at the moment. She knew Marcus was the grandson of a friend of Uncle Jack’s and needed a job after returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

  He wheeled the bucket and mop out to the dining room without comment or question.

  Jack came back into the kitchen, his expression unreadable.

  “Why is he back here?” Alex demanded.

  “Says he’s staying the night at the motel and needed dinner. He’s heading back to New Orleans in the morning.”

  “I think there’s more to it. He wants me to talk to him, to listen to him talk about my mother. I’m not interested.”

  Her uncle filled the deep fryer with more chicken wings and set it down into the bubbling oil. He stood in front of her, hands on his hips. “Family’s always been important to us, Alexandra. Always comes first. I’m not sayin’ what your mama did was right. Far from it. And I’m not sayin’ you have to let this guy into your life. But if he’s truly your father, you need to know more about him. If there’s one thing I do know, it’s that my baby sister, bless her heart, is one of the most irresponsible people who ever lived. I always thought she had some mental disorder.”

  Alex gasped. “You think she was crazy? I mean, in the clinical sense? Oh, God. What if she passed something on to me or Kellie?”

  He sat beside her and draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her close, kissing her temple. “You and Kellie are fine. I did worry about Kellie for a bit there, but discovered she was just being a normal teenager. And you, well, you’re responsibility personified.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know if your mama has something that drives her to do the things she does or not. I know that there will be a day when you’ll regret not knowing more about her, even if you don’t let her be a big part of your life. And that man out there seems to want to know you. He doesn’t want anything from you, near as I can tell. He seems to want to know his daughter. Maybe he feels the same way about family.”

  Alex nodded. “You think I should give him a chance?”

  “I don’t care about him so much. I think you should give yourself a chance.” He squeezed her shoulder, then stood and returned to the stove to lift the basket of sizzling wings and drop them into a bucket of hot sauce. “You want me to take his order?”

  Alex drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “No. I’ll take it. You can get Evan’s order first, though.”

  “Got it.” When he handed her the plate, Uncle Jack stared into her eyes. “I won’t let him hurt you. Him or Starlet. You know that, right?”

  “I know.” She leaned forward and kissed his stubbly cheek. “Thanks, Uncle Jack.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  *

  Evan watched as Alex approached the man in booth. She seemed to shrink into an awkward young girl. He hadn’t seen Alex get rattled like this once. Spitting fire, yes, but not shrinking or backing down. Her response to his question rang in his ears, “He says he’s my father.” Says? Which means she didn’t know. Wow, talk about having a bad day. No wonder she was so upset earlier. And now the guy’s still hanging around?

  Sipping his beer, Evan tried to watch their interaction without being obvious—a challenge since there were no patrons at any of the tables in his view. Alex paused and then slid into the seat on the other side of the booth. Her posture slumped as she seemed to sit back as far as possible. Was she afraid of this guy?

  Jack emerged from the kitchen, glancing toward the booth. He approached Evan’s table. “Brought you more wings. You need another beer?”

  “Thanks.” He nodded toward the booth. “Is she okay?”

  “She will be. Can I get you anything else?”

  “No. The wings are great, by the way. Spicy enough, but not burning my lips off.”

  Jack didn’t respond but cast another glance toward the booth.

  “She told me who he is, or says he is.”

  “Yeah, well.” Jack exhaled. “Let me know if you want anything else.”

  Evan finished his dinner and ripped open the packet to extract the moistened hand wipe. Alex suddenly slammed her hands on the table top in the booth, shot to her feet and strode toward the kitchen. Now that was the Alex he’d come to know. The guy, her supposed father, sat back looking defeated. He opened his wallet, dropped a few bills onto the table, and left the grill.

  A moment later, Alex reappeared and glanced around before walking to Evan’s table. “Do you care for dessert?”

  “No, thanks.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “Why do you keep asking me that?”

  He looked from her to the door and back at her. “I just wondered.”

  She set his ticket on the table and picked up his plate. “Will that be all?”

  “Yes.” He reached for his wallet and when he looked back at her, tears glistened in her eyes. “Alex?”

  She set down his plate and dropped into the chair opposite his. “I’m sorry.” She tugged a paper napkin from the metal dispenser and dabbed at her eyes. “This has been one of those days. You know, I woke up this morning thinking I’d save a few dogs, wait tables, and then go home and have a glass of wine and relax.” She sighed. “I did not wake up thinking, ‘today my father whom I never met will walk into my life and turn it upside down.’”

  “So he just showed up?”

  She nodded, blowing her nose. “I’m sorry. This is not appropriate. You came in here for dinner, not my personal drama.” She stood and picked up the plate again.

  Evan watched her walk away, the chip on her shoulder having crumbled. The vulnerable Alex stirred new feelings in him. He wanted to comfort her, to protect her. Damn. He dropped a twenty onto the table and left. Getting involved in Alex’s drama—or in anything else involving Alex—was not in his plan. He needed to get out of there before Alex returned and he did something stupid.

  When he approached his SUV, he noticed the man sitting in a car a few spaces away. The man was talking on a cell phone, but Evan couldn’t make out what he was saying. Was this guy waiting for Alex to leave and planning to follow her?

  Should he go back inside and tell Alex her father was waiting in the parking lot? He decided to stay put and watch to see what happened when Alex left.

  Before long, Alex’s car rounded the building and pulled onto the street. The man pulled out behind her. Evan started up his SUV and followed at a distance, completing the convoy. They reached the one stoplight in the middle of town and Alex sailed through, followed by her supposed father. Evan, still driving several car lengths behind, got stuck at the red light. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. There was not another car in sight, but the light took forever to change. He caught up with Alex as she pulled into the driveway at her house.

  Alex got out of her car a
nd stared at him.

  Evan rolled down the window and waved. “I was making sure you got home okay.”

  Her brows snapped together. “Why?”

  “That guy was following you.”

  She looked up and down the street. “Where?”

  “When you left the grill, he pulled out behind you. I thought maybe he was following you home.”

  “He turned onto 61 to head south. And I don’t recall asking you to serve as my body guard.”

  Evan grinned. “There’s the Alex I know.”

  “Know?” She stepped toward him. “You think you know me?”

  “I only meant….”

  “I know what you meant. Look, I’m sorry about my little meltdown earlier. I shouldn’t have told you anything about my—about him. It’s not your concern. In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t New York City. No stalkers, no muggings, no carjackings. As you can see, I’m safe at home now, so you can go. So far, the only one following me around in the dark is you.”

  He shook his head. “You try to do something nice. I don’t know why I bothered.”

  To his surprise, a flush colored her cheeks. “I’m sorry. That was rude. Thank you for being concerned, but I’m fine.”

  He stared at her for a moment. “You’re welcome. Was that so hard?”

  She stepped back from the SUV and stared down, arms crossed in front of her. “No.”

  Evan put the vehicle into gear and pulled away from the curb. The woman was exhausting. Exasperating. He needed to focus on his work and ignore Alex Ramsey. Which would be difficult since she spent a great deal of her time right next door to his new restaurant. At least for the time being. If he could get the shelter moved, he’d solve two problems at once—get distance from Alex and gain additional parking.

  Chapter Twelve

  Alex paced her living room with the phone in her hand. What would she say to Kellie? She knew her sister would find out about Lex Stanford’s visit soon enough. Uncle Jack wouldn’t likely be the one to tell her, but news in a small town had a way of leaking and spreading like spilled maple syrup.

  She punched in her sister’s number.

  “Hey, Alex. It’s late. What’s up?”

  “Can you come over to my place? There’s something we need to talk about.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  “It is. But I don’t want to discuss it on the phone. Where are you?”

  “Just came in the door and made a salad. I have a store-bought pizza in the oven. You eat dinner yet?”

  “No. I’m not very hungry.”

  “Well, I am, so I’ll bring it all with me. See you in about twenty.”

  While she waited, Alex changed out of her work clothes that smelled of grease and hot sauce and into jeans and an over-sized tee-shirt. From the time they’d been left with their grandfather, Alex had been protective of her baby sister. She didn’t know how to protect her from the hurt of learning that their mother had been living a few hours away and never bothered to look for them. Add to that the appearance of the man claiming to be Alex’s father. Not Kellie’s.

  She went to the kitchen and set the small dining table with plates, salad bowls and glasses. She turned the oven on to a low setting to get it warm. Checking the fridge, she found three bottles of beer and a couple of diet sodas. Even though she expected Kellie, she startled when the front door opened.

  “Hello?”

  “In the kitchen,” Alex called.

  “Hey. We might want to pop the pizza back into a warm oven for a few minutes.”

  “Already have it heating.” She took the plate and slid the slices onto a tray and placed it in the oven. “Have a seat.”

  Kellie frowned. “What’s going on? You look like hell.”

  Alex removed two beers from the fridge and handed her sister one. “I have to tell you something and I don’t know how you’re going to take it.”

  “Okay, now you’re scaring me. Spill.”

  Alex sighed. “A man came into the grill earlier today and asked to talk with me. He said he’s my father.”

  Kellie’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. And I believe him. We look alike. His name’s Lex—Alexander Stanford. Can you believe Mom named me after the man who fathered me, but never bothered to tell him or me that we both existed?”

  “So, he’s your father.”

  Alex noted the brief flicker of hurt in Kellie’s eyes. “That’s what he said. He also said Mom is living in New Orleans and that she’s sick. He said she contacted him a couple of weeks ago and told him about me.”

  “Wait. Mom’s been in New Orleans, a five hour drive away, and never bothered to contact us?”

  “I don’t know how long she’s been there but, yes, that would seem to be the case.”

  “How sick is she?”

  “She’s being treated for breast cancer. Lex says it doesn’t look good and that if we want to see her, to talk with her, we should do that soon.”

  The oven timer dinged. Kellie stood, removed an oven mitt from a drawer and withdrew the warm pizza, setting the tray on top of the stove. She slid two slices onto each of the plates and returned to the table. “We should be tested.”

  “Tested?”

  “For the breast cancer gene.”

  “Okay, but what about the rest?”

  Kellie shrugged. “What about it? If this guy’s your father, you have to decide if you want to get to know him or not. As for Mom, I don’t even remember her. I stopped wondering a long time ago. I grew up without her and I think I’ve done fine.” She blew on the pizza, took a dainty bite and chewed, then sipped her beer. “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I kind of feel the same way about a father as you do about Mom. I grew up with Grandad and Uncle Jack as fathers. But I always did wonder.”

  “So you should get to know him. He must want to know you, or he wouldn’t have come searching for you.”

  “Does the timing of this seem the least bit suspicious to you? I mean, I recently inherited a quarter of a million dollars and, out of the blue, a man shows up claiming to be my biological father and telling me Mom wants to see me because she’s possibly dying.”

  Kellie lowered her pizza. “I hadn’t thought about that. But, how will you know?”

  Sighing, Alex said, “There’s only one way to find out.” She looked up to lock eyes with her sister. “Will you go with me?”

  Kellie squirmed. “Alex….”

  “Please. I need you with me, Kel. I don’t want to do this alone.”

  It was Kellie’s turn to sigh. “Oh, all right. If for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity. Maybe with her dying breath, our mother will tell me who my father is.”

  Rounding the table, Alex pulled her sister to her feet and into a tight hug. “Thank you. I know this is hard for you, too, even if you won’t admit it. But it’s always been just the two of us, you know. Nothing’s going to change that. Nothing.”

  Kellie returned the hug. “I know. So, when do we leave? I need to make some arrangements at work.”

  “Let’s go day after tomorrow. Is that too soon?”

  “Nope. That’s fine.” Kellie took one stab of salad, then dropped her fork. “You sure know how to kill an appetite.”

  *

  Alex arranged with Ludean to take extra hours at the grill in her absence. She spent the following day at the shelter making sure there were enough volunteers on hand to cover and handle any emergencies.

  Susan stood in the open doorway to Alex’s office. “Will you relax? We’ve got things covered and I’ll be on call for emergencies. Go home and pack.”

  “It won’t take me long to pack. I’m only going for a few days.”

  “If you ask me, you should go for at least a week. You never take time off. I’m surprised you’re going now. Kellie must have a great gift for persuasion to get you to take an impromptu vacation.”

  Guilt at not confiding in her friend sent warmth into Al
ex’s face. But she wasn’t ready to tell anyone else about her reason for the sudden trip to New Orleans. “She has a gift, that’s for sure.” Alex glanced up. “You’ll keep an eye on Walter? You know what an escape artist he can be.”

  “Yeah. Hey, I thought that guy was going to take him. Miss Amy’s nephew?”

  “Apparently his offer was made in an unanticipated magnanimous moment. He rescinded the offer, though. For now. Amy’s Will stipulates that he takes Walter, so once he’s settled, he’ll be picking him up.”

  “I’ll take Walter home with me until you get back. He’ll enjoy being with Chloe again. Those two got along great when she was here at the shelter.”

  Alex smiled. “You big softie. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “We have our next adoption event coming up in two weeks. I’ve been thinking this might be a good time to look for a new van for transport. Do you think Charlie would do some research for us?”

  “I’m sure he will. He usually ends up coming to our rescue when the van we have breaks down.”

  Laughing, Alex said, “Good point. Remind him of that. If he finds something, I’ll take care of it as soon as I get back.”

  “Okay. God bless Miss Amy’s generosity. That had to be the best Board meeting ever.” Susan pushed off from the door frame. “I’m going to be in the back doing some laundry. Let me know before you leave.”

  “I’ll be here for a while yet. Thanks, Suze.”

  Alex sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. She had tried several times to recall her mother’s face. But without pulling out old family photos, it had been impossible. Did she really want to stir things up now, open a door her mother had closed a long time ago? The answer was an emphatic ‘no.’ But curiosity now had the best of her. So many questions pinged around in her brain—Why now? How could you just leave us? Where have you been for twenty-two years? Did you ever love me?

  The last question sent a sharp pain through her center. It was the one question that had haunted her since her mother’s leaving, or since she accepted her mother had left. For the first year, she kept waiting, expecting her mother to return. The year following, she would harbor the secret wish that her mother would show up at Christmas or on her birthday. She quit hoping or expecting at all, deciding she was too unlovable for her mother to want to return for her.