Winner Takes All

by Sandra Kitt

  * * *

  “How did you find this place?” Diana Chambers asked her daughter once they were seated in the quiet, upscale restaurant in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. She looked around, appreciating the muted beige design and accessories. Almost plain, but elegant and simple. It was a Tuesday night and just before the dinner hour, so it wasn’t crowded or noisy. It was actually possible to have a conversation and not have to listen to anyone else’s.

  “My friend Annabelle told me about it.”

  Diana squinted through her glasses at Jean. “You mean that crazy lady you used to work for when you were in college?”

  Jean laughed. “Annabelle is not crazy. She’s just colorful and larger than life.”

  “Maybe not crazy. Just off the wall?”

  Jean shook her head. No point in arguing with her mother. “Annabelle says her goal is to eat at all the top places in Manhattan in five years.”

  “Then what happens?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe by then she’ll have no money? Or she’ll move out of the city before she gets halfway through her list?”

  “Maybe she’ll finally get married to someone…”

  “Who will appreciate her unique personality. Annabelle is a lot of fun. She’s stylish and original, and she’s been a really good friend to me.”

  “I hope that means she likes you just the way you are,” Diana commented. “You can tell her that I like her suggestion for this place. I hope the food fulfills the promise of the setting.”

  Jean chuckled again. She was happy she got the call suggesting that they meet for dinner in the city. In truth, Jean was happy to be rescued from a night of soup and salad…and too much introspection. She hadn’t been sleeping well and was struggling to stay positive and hopeful. Patrick was always on her mind…in her heart. He’d reached out to her, and she had opted not to respond, afraid that she would give in and agree to anything he wanted. Jean was determined that any further discussion, any decision, had to be on her terms. Maybe she was cutting off her nose to spite her face, but…

  Jean looked up from the menu to find her mother studying her. Her gaze displayed curiosity and concern. “What?” Jean asked.

  Diana shifted her gaze back to her own menu. “You look a little tired and restless. Is everything okay?”

  “Of course. I mean, the job has been kicking my butt this summer. It’s been super busy with not a lot of time off.”

  “But you did take that week to go away with Patrick.”

  Jean quietly sighed to herself. She didn’t want to go there. It was hard enough agonizing over her belief that she needed to regain perspective on Patrick and their relationship. The problem was, she couldn’t figure out to what purpose. Just so she could be right? Just so she could feel she was in control and not losing herself in Patrick and the soap opera that was currently his life? Just so that she’d stop feeling afraid?

  But if their relationship ended, would she really feel any better?

  “Yes, I did. It was a wonderful week, Mom. I had a great time.”

  Diana stared at her daughter. “And?”

  “What do you mean, and?”

  “You haven’t mentioned Patrick. Are you still seeing him?”

  “When we can,” Jean answered truthfully, although the admission made her feel empty and sad. “You know about his son. It’s taking a lot of lawyer time to figure out joint custody. His ex-wife is still being rather difficult. Like she still wants to punish Patrick. I don’t really understand why.”

  “What do you think will happen?”

  Jean shrugged, wanting to drop the subject. She could already feel her insides twisting into knots. “I don’t know, Mom.”

  “But you do love him?”

  Her mother’s voice was low, understanding, and maternal. It now had the kind of soothing undertone that could break her, make her want to curl up in her mother’s lap, like a wounded child, and cry her eyes out. Jean was not about to let that happen, as much as she could seriously use tender reassurance…and a good night’s sleep.

  “I don’t want to…”

  Jean looked up and over her mother’s shoulder. She stared at the man with the dark, graying hair and recognized her father.

  “Daddy? What are you doing here?” She looked with suspicion to her mother, who pretended as much surprise as herself. But there was no way her mom could pull off the subterfuge. Jean knew full well that the only way her father could have known where they’d be was through her mother.

  “Don’t I get a hug?” Seth Travis approached with his arms outspread and a happy, satisfied smile. He’d surprised his daughter, leaving her speechless.

  Jean got up from the table and fulfilled her father’s request. They hugged as if they had been apart for years. They hugged in the way Jean needed, to feel comforted and made whole.

  Could he feel her shaking and her despair?

  “Hey, I’m glad to see you, too, honey,” he chuckled quietly. He slowly pushed her away so he could peer into her face. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

  “I’m just so happy to see you. Mom too. But you’re not going to get away with trying to make me believe this was a coincidence. What’s going on?”

  Seth pushed her back toward her seat and took the empty one next to Diana. As Jean was settling into her chair, she would have to be blind not to have seen the warm, welcoming gestures and greetings that passed between her parents. Her father patted her mother’s shoulder. Her mother placed a hand over his, and they held tightly. Seth sat down and turned to Diana to kiss her a brief hello. But it was not just a friendly hello. What Jean was witnessing she knew was the simple and sweet expression of love.

  “So now that you’ve both gotten me here under false pretenses, I want to know what’s going on.”

  Seth smiled like a Cheshire cat. Diana appeared not only to be blushing under her warm brown countenance, but also appeared young, giddy, and content.

  Seth sat holding Diana’s hand. Before answering his daughter’s question, he took the time to gaze at Diana, and Jean felt like she was intruding on a very tender, private moment between the two of them.

  There was no question anymore that her parents were in love. Still in love with each other.

  Seth faced Jean, now that the hellos had been said between everyone. “I’m here to see you and to spend some time with Di. I’m planning to move back to New York.”

  “Seth is staying in Tarrytown with me while he’s here. He’ll be back and forth for a while during the transition.”

  Seth smiled at Diana. “I want your mom and me to spend more time together.”

  “Time together…to do what?” Jean asked.

  “To make sure about our feelings. To plan the rest of our lives, hopefully together. And to make sure you’re okay with our plans.”

  “I have no say in your plans. Anyway, you can’t make them based on what I want. I’ve thought for a long time that you two were in love. Maybe you’ve never stopped loving each other.”

  “We had to rebuild a lot,” Seth responded. “But I think it’s fair to say we feel like we have a second chance, and we have no intention of beating around the bush.” He reached across the table and took Jean’s hand. “I’ve always loved your mother. I’m not going to fight it any longer. She’s been far braver than I have about dealing with the bad timing we got caught up in all those years ago. Having you helped us a lot, because we loved you so much. You connected us forever. In a way you made it a lot easier for us to try again, Jean.”

  Jean looked back and forth between her parents, both of whom were practically glowing with joy and hope.

  “Well, to be honest I suspected this was happening. You two are like teenagers. It was impossible for you to hide your feelings, and I spotted the clues at the start of the summer. As a matter of fact, so did Patrick. He even asked me how I felt
about it.”

  Her mother looked suddenly apprehensive. “How do you feel about it? Are we being foolish? Are you angry that we want to get back together after all these years?”

  “I’m happy that my parents love each other. I’m lucky that they love me enough to come full circle and become the family I always wanted us to be. But I feel I have to ask, what took you so long?”

  Fortunately for Jean, her father laughed at her question before she could lose it and break down in front of them, spoiling their moment of glory. Her father leaned across the table to kiss her with paternal affection.

  “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  She rose from her seat to go to her mother, to hug and kiss her, and to say, again, how happy she was for both of them, and for herself.

  Diana Chambers cupped Jean’s face and kissed her forehead.

  “Don’t think I’m not aware that you’re going through something with Patrick. I’m so sorry I can’t help you, love. I hope everything will work out. I hope he’s worthy of you.”

  “He is, Mom. And I do love him.”

  “Be patient, honey. We guys don’t always get it right away. I’m betting on you and I’m betting on Patrick. I know you’ll figure it out.”

  “I hope you’re right, Daddy.” She hesitated, glancing back and forth between them. “Are you and Mom thinking of…you know, getting married?”

  The look exchanged between Seth and Diana was so magical it left Jean breathless. This was what true love looked like. No barriers, just believing in each other with their hearts and souls.

  “That was always our plan. There have been too many detours along the way, but it’s been written in the stars since before you were born. It just took time for our destiny to catch up to us.”

  Chapter 19

  I think we’re making progress. The custody agreement will be drawn up in its final form. You each can have your attorney review and direct any further questions to the judge in family court. I will continue to act as mediator, if you will.”

  The attorney at the head of the table closed a folder, and he signaled to the transcript reporter that he could leave the room.

  Patrick did not so much sit in his chair as begin to feel his body slump. Every time he had to meet with the lawyers and his ex-wife, Katie, his body became stiff and awkward, wired with stress and anger at the loss of five years in his life, robbed of the chance to bond immediately with his son.

  He glanced at Katie, seated two people away from him, on the other side of the table, making it possible to avoid chance eye contact. She had changed since their divorce. Her once-blond hair was now, more or less, its natural color of light brown. She no longer had the lean, taut body of an athlete, but she was slim, now an attractive adult who had come into her own. Watching her, one wouldn’t conceive that she was capable of being mean-spirited or plotting to get even with anyone for any reason. And that was one of the things Patrick had to deal with when it was revealed that he had a son.

  He sighed and momentarily closed his eyes as the lawyers continued to chat and pack up their briefcases. He’d begun to make peace with the situation. When he’d first met Nicholas, the appropriate professionals had been present to try to manage any anxiety on the child’s part, or of his parents, who initially faced each other with barely concealed, hostile glares, although each for very different reasons.

  Meeting his young son had vanquished Patrick’s tightly held anger against his ex and immediately softened his heart. Nicholas had been quiet, understandably, and wary at first. Thereafter, he seemed to accept readily that this man he’d met was his father. Together, the two of them had felt their way from being strangers to a comfortable place where Nicholas was okay being alone with Patrick and began to talk more openly with him. Patrick stopped trying so hard to figure out how to be a father in a few weeks.

  The only glitch had been Nicholas’s second weekend stay with Patrick at his mom’s house. Suddenly, just after they’d had dinner, the child had become weepy and cranky…and he wanted to go home to his mother.

  Patrick had panicked. What was he supposed to do? What if Nicholas didn’t stop crying and threw a fit and could not be consoled? Patrick spoke gently to his son as the boy buried his face in his hands and cried into a sofa pillow. His mother had not been much better at consoling the child.

  “Okay, if that will make you feel better, Nico, I’ll take you home. But we have to wait until tomorrow. It’s too late to drive you back tonight. It’s dark. I promise, after breakfast in the morning, I’ll take you to your mother. Okay?”

  Nico had begun to calm down at once, satisfied with the promise. “Okay,” he said in a shaky voice, wiping his tears on the sleeve of his shirt.

  But two things had happened. Patrick had awakened early to find that his son had made his way to his room again and climbed into bed with him to sleep. Then, after breakfast, when Patrick suggested they get ready for the ride back to Philadelphia, Nico had said with a vigorous shake of his head, “I don’t want to. Can I stay a little while longer?”

  From that moment, they were a father and son easing their way to a bond that was just a few years behind schedule.

  Patrick sighed and sat up in his chair. He wanted to leave and go home. He’d been thinking of Jean. He was filled with anxiety, not about Nicholas’s future but his own. He had become deathly afraid that he might still lose Jean, her love, and her presence in his life. He didn’t want to consider what that would be like if it happened. Patrick now knew it could happen.

  “Is there anything else anyone has to say before we close shop? Please remember that the official signing of all documents will take place ten days from now. Next time we’ll accommodate Mr. Bennett and meet in his lawyer’s office in Manhattan,” one of the attending attorney’s instructed.

  Patrick stood, picked up his portfolio, said a brief good night to the room at large, and checked if there was still enough time to catch the last flight back to New York…or if he wanted to go so far as to hire a private car to drive him, as opposed to staying overnight. He left the room and headed for the elevator, juggling his options. Which would be the fastest?

  “Patrick, can I talk to you?”

  Surprised and wary…and impatient to get going, Patrick nonetheless turned to Katie. She approached, equally wary, Patrick noticed, but also with determination. He didn’t say a word as they faced each other. But she met his gaze and didn’t avoid what she found there.

  “I know how you feel, and I don’t blame you. I know you must hate me for not being honest with you. To say I’m sorry won’t cut it.”

  Patrick let her talk. He was taken aback by his ex-wife’s sudden confession and mea culpa. He tried to look kindly on her, and he couldn’t. Not yet. Did she really understand the damage that had been done?

  “And…I also want to say I’ll cooperate with Nico being with you when you want. You and I can work out extra visitations not in the agreement. We can keep our attorneys informed.”

  “Okay.” He nodded, distant and cool.

  Katie seemed to struggle with her next words. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be gearing up for something was that really difficult for her to say. “I also want to thank you…really thank you, Patrick, for offering to rewrite the alimony settlement. What you’ve increased it to is…is… I can’t even say how generous you’ve—”

  He cut her off. “I can afford it. And I didn’t really earn it. The way I see it, you’re the mother of my son, and I want to make sure you have what you need to raise him well. We both need to be invested in that.”

  She nodded, again appearing contrite and accepting of his lack of warmth. “I agree.” She met his gaze again. “My parents never liked what I was doing, not letting you know I was pregnant. I couldn’t believe that I was, after the divorce. I was angry, immature… No excuse, I know.”

  Patrick pushed the button to summon the
elevator.

  “Let’s move on, Katie. No matter what, Nico is our son, together. He is going to be the glue that will help us work to do right by him. That’s all I care about.”

  “He likes you. He gets home and all he talks about is what his daddy did, and where you went, and what he eats. You should know that, the last time he came home to me after a weekend with you, Nico wanted to know right away when he could go back.”

  Patrick felt a constriction in his chest. It was squeezing out profound relief and hope.

  “Thanks for letting me know that. I’ve been…” Patrick stopped, afraid of how his confession might come across.

  Katie grinned knowingly. “Scared shitless. I think you’re doing great, considering. I hope that, maybe, someday you can forgive me.”

  “I’m working on it,” Patrick murmured, as the elevator arrived. He held the door. “Coming?”

  “You go on. I’m waiting for my lawyer.”

  “I’ll see you at the signing.”

  “Get home safe,” she added at the last moment as the door began to close.

  For the moment, Patrick didn’t have any particular feeling about Katie’s admission and wishes. He didn’t want to be bitter, but he wasn’t going to pretend that all’s well that ends well. No one owed him anything, and he could never get back the time lost with his son anyway. His life could hardly be said to be a tragedy. It could be stated fairly, however, that there had been a series of unfortunate incidents that had tested him. But all the good stuff far surpassed even that.

  The good stuff included Jean. It had all begun with Jean.

  He’d found out what a beautiful, caring, steady, amazing woman she was. He’d fallen in love with her. He wanted a life with her. His son was the ultimate surprise, but Nico would be his son forever no matter what. He couldn’t imagine life without Jean anymore.

  * * *

  Jean was just about to leave her office for the day when a brief item was announced on network news on the flat screen. She was stopped in her tracks when she caught the name Patrick Bennett spoken by the anchor. The news had been following the case of sports commentator Patrick Bennett and the legal complications he was currently engulfed in having discovered the existence of a son. A video piece showed Patrick leaving a law office. He was immediately surrounded by a bevy of eager reporters who were seeking salacious details to make the continuing story more interesting than it actually was. Jean was pleased to see Patrick remain cool and calm, true to the kind of man he was. He was gracious and answered reporter questions smoothly, not saying anything that amounted to a usable quote for the news at six and again at eleven.