by Tina Martin
“It’s been great thanks to your brother.”
Regal smirked. “I know. He was so excited to find Gianna.”
“And she was so nervous and excited about him, too. I was the one worried about them getting together.”
“Why?”
“Because Ramsey has such a strong personality and Gianna’s so shy and sweet.”
“Like I said—opposites attract. I couldn’t picture Ramsey with a woman who had a personality as strong as his. The two would clash all the time. But then, there’s Gianna, and she’s a sweetheart. Don’t you think that’s why you two make good friends? She’s quiet and soft-spoken and you’re loud and snappy.”
Felicity giggled. “That’s how you describe me? Loud and snappy?”
“Hey, I’m just going off of what I’ve witnessed.”
“I’m not loud or snappy. I just have a strong mind and I don’t take crap from anyone.”
“I see.” He sipped more wine and watched her eat for a moment. Her hands were still unsteady. Several times he’d wanted to reach over and comfort her, but how do you comfort someone who weren’t aware they needed comforting? Who thought they had everything under control? Who’s never been dependent on anyone for anything?
“Felicity.”
“Yes?” she asked, looking up at him.
“I hope you don’t think I’m being intrusive but who was that guy?”
“I told you who he was—”
“No, you didn’t. Who is he Felicity?” he asked, his tone more trained than before. More demanding.
Felicity finished off her wine and asked, “What is it to you? He’s my problem, Regal. Not yours.”
“That’s what you think, huh?”
“Regal—”
“Let me ask you something. Would you consider me a friend?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Somewhat.”
“Well, I consider you a friend and as your friend, I don’t like seeing a man in your face trying to intimidate you. I don’t like it when I see the same exact man waiting for you outside of your job and I really dislike the way your hands have been shaking all throughout dinner. What’s going on with you, Felicity?” he asked like he had a right to know. He felt like he did.
She sighed and looked exasperated.
He continued, “And I’m not talking about the business, Danella or anything else related to your job. I’m talking about you.”
“There’s nothing going on with me. I’m fine.”
“Then how do you know that guy?”
“He’s a—” Her hesitancy turned into frustration. “His name is Donald McConnell. He’s a private investigator,” she finally answered, exasperated. She picked up a bottle of wine to pour herself another glass. Looked like it was going to be a long night.
“Is he investigating you? Is that why he was sitting out in front of your building?”
“No, he’s not investigating me. I hired him.”
“For what purpose?”
Felicity stood to collect their plates. She set them in the sink, then walked back to the table and sat down again debating whether she would finally let go of the secret that had been eating away at her for so long. She stared down at the table picturing her little girl in her mind.
“Felicity?”
She saw the confusion on his face and said, “I hired him to find my daughter.”
He flinched his head back. “Your daughter?”
“Yes,” Felicity said. In his eyes, she was already a failure – a woman who didn’t have a relationship with either of her divorced parents. What difference would it make if he knew about her illegitimate child?
“You have a daughter?” he asked.
“Yes. I have a daughter and I gave her up when she was born.”
“Wha—why?” he asked, his bewilderment obvious.
“Don’t judge me, Regal.”
“I’m not judging you. I just want to know why you would do that?”
“I couldn’t raise her. I was in college and trying to work to take care of myself. Plus, when my boyfriend at the time found out I was pregnant, he took off. It’s no excuse, I know, and I’ve regretted it ever since.”
“Did your family know about the pregnancy?”
“My parents knew, but I couldn’t rely on my mother for any kind of support. She was so busy feuding with my father that she didn’t have much time for me.”
“What about brothers and sisters?”
“Don’t have any. It was just me growing up.”
“Wow,” Regal said. He couldn’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her to go through all of that alone. And what kind of man walks out on a pregnant woman?
“How long ago did all of this happen?”
“Four years ago.”
“What did Gianna have to say about it? I know she gave you some advice.”
“She probably would have given me some good advice if she knew anything about it.”
“Gianna, your best friend, doesn’t know you have a daughter?”
Felicity shook her head. “I could never bring myself to tell her.”
“But you’re telling me.”
“Yes. I’m telling you. If you weren’t on my case about Donald, I wouldn’t have said a word.”
Regal took a moment to process the information. Then he said, “So, you hired Donald to help you find your daughter.”
“Yes.”
“Did he find out anything?”
“He claimed he did, but now I think it was all a lie. He would call me to say he had some information about her and when we would meet, it wasn’t super important stuff—just simple things he could have told me over the phone. Then there was one time when he tried to hold my hand and he had this really weird look in his eyes. I never gave him my home address, but he showed up here this evening to confront me about not returning his phone calls. I told him I no longer needed his services, and he went berserk.”
“You fired him?”
“Yes. Now I’m back to the drawing board—starting over again and looking for another private detective. I hate that I wasted time with that puffy-eyed idiot.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You couldn’t have known that guy was off his rocker.”
“I know, but—I should’ve taken the time to do more research instead of rushing.”
“You have enough to worry about with finding your daughter.”
Felicity drew in a deep breath.
“And I would be glad to help—”
“No. That’s very kind of you, Regal, but this is my battle.”
“I can’t believe you have a four-year-old daughter.”
“I know. I, um…” she fought back a bit of sadness. “I’m good at making people think I’m a success and that my life is ideal. I’m the single, professional, independent woman without a care in the world, but the truth is, my world is crumbling. I gave birth to a child and I don’t know where she is.”
Tears glistened in her eyes – the saddest thing Regal had ever seen. He could actually feel her pain as he glanced across the table at her.
He stood up, moved his chair close to hers and took her hands into his. “I know it seems like a lot, but you’re trying to find her now. That has to count for something.”
“But it’s not just my daughter. It’s everything. Outside of my job of matching people and ensuring their happiness, I have no life.”
“That’s not true.”
She sniffled. “It is true.”
“No, it’s not. You’ve accomplished a lot in a relatively short period of time. Look at me,” he told her.
With sad eyes, she held his gaze.
“You are a smart, accomplished, beautiful woman, Felicity. Your past mistakes don’t define who you are or who you’ll become. But guess what? Learning from them will and you’re making an effort to find your daughter. You’re trying to right your wrongs. I say that’s learning.”
“I guess you’re right.” She smiled weakly.
He released her hands and stood up, moving his chair back to its position at the table. Feeling like she needed breathing room, he said, “I suppose I’ve taken up enough of your time tonight. I appreciate you letting me drop in.”
She stood up. “You’re welcome. I’m kinda glad you did now. Oh, and please don’t say a word about my daughter to anyone. I want to tell Gianna before she hears about it from someone else.”
“I won’t say a word.”
She followed him to the door. “I’ll contact Danella on Monday to ask about her family situation and relay that information to you as soon as I get it.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He embraced her warmly in his arms and admitted, “I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone right now.”
When he released her, she responded, “I’m always alone—no need to worry about me.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine.”
“Alright.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her temple.
“I hope you have a good night, Felicity.”
“You, too.”
With that, he walked on to his car and Felicity closed the door, locked it and released another breath. She couldn’t believe she’d confided in Regal of all people but it felt good, and he gave her a sense of comfort that she hadn’t expect.
Chapter 15
She didn’t have any in-person appointments today – only phone calls. That left her with a flexible schedule and plenty of time to stop by The Boardwalk Bakery this morning to talk to Gianna. To have the hard conversation she could no longer put off.
“Where are you, Little Miss Cupcake?” Felicity asked as she walked past the register and on to the back where she saw Gianna filling a cupcake pan while Beth was busy doing some frosting.
“Hey, Beth,” Felicity said.
“Hi, there. How are you today?” Beth asked.
“I’ll live, I think.”
Beth chuckled.
“Hey, what are you doing here, girl?” Gianna asked.
“What? I can’t just pop in to see my flour-dusted bestie? Girl you’re covered in so much flour, you may as well throw yourself in the oven.”
Gianna chuckled as she slid a batch of cupcakes in the oven. Afterward, she looked at her friend. She was dressed sharp, wearing a royal blue pantsuit with a white blouse and a pair of white wedges that had to be at least six inches high. “You usually pop-in on Fridays. Today is Monday, right?”
“It is.”
“Are you not working today?”
“I am, but I came by here because I need to talk to you about something important.”
“Oh. What’s on your mind?”
“Can you sit down with me for a moment?”
“Oh, God…you want me to sit down. Is it bad?” Gianna panicked. “Please say it’s not bad.”
“It’s not bad, girl. Calm down.”
“Good.” Gianna followed Felicity to the front. There were no customers inside the bakery this early in the morning which gave them a few minutes to talk in private. “So, what’s crack-a-lackin’?” Gianna asked as they settled at the table.
“Um...I—I don’t know how to say this and just know in advance that this isn’t easy for me to say or admit, but—”
“What is it, Felicity?”
Felicity closed her eyes, paced herself then said, “I have a daughter.”
Gianna’s eyes grew big then she laughed. “Girl, what are you talking about?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I have a daughter.”
Gianna shook her head in disbelief. The smile had since fallen off of her face.
Felicity went on to explain what had happened – how she had made the decision to give the baby up when she felt like she couldn’t take care of her. A selfish yet selfless decision. One that caused her much heartache.
When Gianna knew she was serious and wasn’t making this up, tears formed in her eyes. Felicity had expected Gianna to be shocked, but she didn’t know she would be disturbed to the point of a faucet of tears.
“I can’t believe this,” Gianna sniffled. “You kept this to yourself all this time?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” Gianna cried. “I could’ve helped you.”
Felicity blinked the mist away from her eyes. “You were going through everything with Gemma at the time and there is no way I was going to burden you with my problems so when I started showing, I stayed away from you.”
Gianna stood up to walk near the coffee station to get a napkin. She dried her eyes as best as she could, but it broke her heart to know that Felicity had given up her daughter. Gianna had a daughter of her own – little Rianne – and she couldn’t imagine letting her go for anything.
“You’re right. I did have a lot on my plate with Gemma,” she sniffled, “But I would’ve done whatever I could for you. You know that.”
Felicity nodded in agreement.
After catching a few more breaths and processing her friend’s secret, Gianna poured them both a cup of coffee, added a couple packs of sugar and a little Half-and-Half to both, then walked back to the table.
“Thanks,” Felicity said, taking a long sip. She wrapped her fingers around the cup and glanced up at Gianna, shamefaced.
Gianna had a million and one questions brewing, the first being, “Do you know where she is?”
“No. I’ve been trying to locate her, but the private detective I hired turned out to be a flake, so I’m back to square one.”
“What happened with that detective?”
“It’s a long story. I don’t want to get into it. I just want to locate my daughter.”
“What’s your plan when you locate her?”
Felicity released the coffee cup to scrub her hands down her face. “I’m not certain, but I do know I want to be a part of her life.”
“A part of her life how? Do you want to visit her or get her back?”
“I want her back. I’ve always wanted her. The years just went by so fast. Every year, I told myself this would be the year I would make an attempt to locate her, but then the doubt settled in. Besides, no one can label you as a bad mother if they don’t know you have hidden children.”
Gianna listened, not sure of what to say.
Felicity continued, “Now, I see you and your daughter together and my heart melts at how good you are with her. I didn’t get to experience my daughter’s first words, first steps—first anything. There is so much I missed that I can never get back.”
“That’s true but there’s also a lot you can still experience. You just need to take it one step at a time Felicity. Try to find her first. I can check with Ramsey to see if he knows any good investigators.”
“No. I want to do this on my own.”
“That’s part of your problem—you want to do everything on your own. It’s okay to let people help you sometimes.”
“I know.” Felicity stood up. “I just—” she sighed, her thoughts jumbled. She didn’t know what she wanted to do. “I need to get back to the office. I know Zandra is looking for me.”
Gianna stood and embrace her friend warmly, squeezing her. “Let me know how I can help, okay?”
“I will. We’ll talk more later.”
“Yes, definitely.”
Chapter 16
The office was a wreck Regal observed as he entered County Investigative Services. It smelled stale – like old cigarette smoke and goat cheese. Somebody must’ve forgotten to empty the trash over the weekend. And where was Donald McConnell? No one was at the front desk.
“Hello?”
“Give me a minute!” he heard the man say loudly from the back. A few seconds later Regal saw Donald emerge from a back office.
“What do you want?” Donald asked. “I haven’t had any communication with your little friend,” he griped.
“Good. I’m here to make sure you never contact her
again. I want the file and all of your notes about her case.”
“Why should I give you anything? You think you can walk up in my place of business with your fancy suit and tell me what I’m going to do?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m telling you to hand over the file.”
Donald chuckled. “And if I don’t?”
“You will,” Regal said, “Or I’ll make sure the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department knows about your most recent case of stalking. See, I’ve done my research Mr. McConnell. I know about the other women you’ve harassed.” Regal shook his head. “The restraining order, the jail time—the way I see it is if someone reported you for stalking Ms. James, that would be your third strike wouldn’t it?”
“You ain’t got nothing on me. Get out of my office.”
“I have date-stamped pictures of you outside of her job on different occasions and I took some of you outside of her apartment—weird considering she never gave you her address. So, the choice is yours. Jail time or hand over the file.”
Donald snatched the coffee-stained folder from a small stack on his desk and said, “Take it!”
“Good choice,” Regal said, taking the file from the man’s grasp. “And if you contact her again by phone, text or email, come to her house, her job—if I get wind that you’ve been bothering her in any way, I promise you’re going to wish you were in jail so I couldn’t get my hands on you.”
“That sounds like a threat to me. Maybe I’m the one who should be calling the authorities.”
An uncanny chuckle left Regal’s mouth. “Oh, you think it’s a threat. Try me. You’ll find out what’s up.” With the file in his hand, he left the rundown office and drove to University City.
Upon arriving at work, he headed straight for Royal’s office. “Hey what’s up boy?” he asked as he stepped inside. He still had the file with him.
“What’s up with you? I don’t recall you being late for work so frequently.”
“Yeah, well I got girl problems.”
Royal leaned back in his chair. “You’re still after Felicity, huh?”
