They needed to talk, but couldn’t do it around Ashley. Once she had friends to play with, and was out of earshot, he could explain certain truths to Gabi. The reference to Bev had slipped out at the restaurant. Probably a Freudian slip, since he wanted Gabi to be apprised of all the facts, now that she’d met with her attorney.
Without hesitation he phoned Chase.
“Jeff? What are you doing calling me? I didn’t expect to hear from you this soon.”
“Plans have changed. I wanted you to know I’m back.”
“That was a fast trip.”
Alone for a minute, because the Raffertys had disappeared into another part of the house, he said, “Thanks for making it possible. I’ve brought Gabi and Ashley back with me. They’ll be staying at the house for a few weeks.”
“Nice. Another friend for the kids to play with.” Chase never pried and was always discreet.
“Exactly. Do you think Roberta will be upset if I drive over to pick up Sergei now?”
“Tell you what. We just finished eating and she’s out in front doing tricks with him. It might be better if I tell her you’re back, and let her decide to walk Sergei over to your house on her own. I’ll bring his stuff by in a little while.”
“Great. Thanks, Chase.”
After they hung up, he decided to phone the Rossiters. Rachel picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Jeff! What a surprise! We heard you’d be gone from the park for a few days.”
“My plans changed and I’m back with Gabi and Ashley. They’ll be here for a few weeks.”
“Bless you,” she whispered. “That news couldn’t make me happier. Ever since Gabi dropped Nicky off at the house, he’s been grumpy and difficult. Kind of like he was before Vance and I got together. I thought those days were over. My husband and I have been racking our brains trying to figure out what’s gotten into him.”
Jeff knew exactly what was wrong with Nicky. It was the effect Gabi and her daughter had on the male of the species, young or old.
“Is he there?”
“No. Vance took him to Wawona for a special father-and-son evening. I don’t expect them home before dark. I can’t wait till they get back so I can tell him. Ask Gabi to bring her daughter over in the morning with Sergei.”
“I will. Thanks, Rachel.”
“Hey—I’m the one who needs to thank you. This means peace around the house until your guests leave again. But I don’t want to think about that right now.”
Neither did Jeff. He hung up, realizing he was going to have to take this a day at a time.
When he walked through the house, he found his two favorite people in the spare bedroom containing Sergei’s crate and the cot. Ashley was helping her mother put clean sheets on the latter. He shot Gabi a questioning glance.
“Ashley wants to stay in here with Sergei. Is that all right with you? I’ll sleep in the living room on the pullout couch.”
“Whatever makes you happy. The couch is already made up.” Though he preferred she use his bed, he kept his mouth shut. As long as she was willing to sleep anywhere beneath his roof, he wasn’t going to question her choices. It was a miracle she was here at all.
“Do you want both suitcases in here?”
“Please. I’ll use this room to change.”
“I’ll get them.”
He went back to the kitchen to gather everything, including the bag holding Ashley’s art supplies. As he deposited them in the spare bedroom, they all heard the doorbell ring.
“I think that’s Roberta. Come and meet her,” Jeff suggested.”
The next few minutes passed in a blur as Chase’s brunette daughter came in the house with Sergei. The dog made a dive for Ashley, causing everyone to laugh. Soon their little group got acquainted.
Though five years older, Roberta didn’t seem to mind the age difference. Ashley acted perfectly comfortable with her, even showing her the drawings they’d made at the lawyer’s office. They were engrossed in conversation when Chase came by to deliver Sergei’s stuff and take his daughter home. He related more animal stories that had everyone laughing.
Several times Gabi flashed Jeff a look that told him she liked the intelligent girl and her father. That was a plus for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was Jeff’s hope that Gabi would find it difficult, if not impossible, to consider leaving the park when the time came.
After the Jarvises left, Gabi took Ashley to the bedroom to help her get ready for bed. A few minutes later the dark-haired pixie came out to the living room wearing Princess Aurora pajamas. Sergei trailed her.
Before Jeff understood her intentions, she ran over to him and gave him a hug. “I wish I could live here forever.”
“So do I, sweetheart.” His response came straight from his heart as he rocked her. Over her slender shoulder his eyes caught the haunted look in Gabi’s as she hesitated in the center of the room.
“Ashley?”
She turned to her mother while still pressed against Jeff. “What is it?”
“We’re just visiting for a little while.”
“I know.”
“Come to bed now, honey. I need to talk to you about something very important before you go to sleep.”
“Can Jeff come, too?”
He saw the struggle Gabi was having, trying to broach the subject of Ashley’s father, but knew she wanted to be alone.
“Guess what? I need to take Sergei out for a walk before he goes to bed. But I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.”
Jeff reached for the leash Roberta had left on the coffee table. “Come on, Sergei. Let’s go.”
GABI APPRECIATED Jeff’s sensitivity. She walked over to the couch and slipped off her heels before curling up on the end of it with her legs tucked beneath her. “Come here, honey.”
Ashley sat down next to her. “What is it?”
“We’ve never talked much about your father because he went away so long ago. I didn’t know if he would ever come back, but the other day I found out he’s no longer in the military. He got married and is living in Pasadena, not that far away from our apartment in Rosemead.”
Her daughter got to her feet, but didn’t say anything.
“The reason I had to go see Mr. Steel in Los Angeles today is because I found out your father wants to see you.”
“He does?” Ashley stared at her for the longest time, obviously shaken by the news. How much a seven-year-old could absorb about her absentee father was anyone’s guess.
“Yes.” By now Gabi was praying for inspiration. “The thing is, he’s been gone such a long time, he needs to get permission to see you.”
“How come?”
“Because we have rules in our country. He hasn’t been here all these years to help me take care of you while you’ve been growing up. Now that he wants to see you, he has to go through a judge who will decide if he can see you or not.
“The judge will want to talk to you and find out how you feel. Your father is supposed to wait until the judge tells him what he can or can’t do, but he might decide to try to see you anyway.”
Her blue eyes teared up. “Is my father nice like Jeff?”
Help.
“Do you know what? It’s been so many years since I last saw him, I have no idea what’s he’s like now. When I married him, I loved him very much, but our marriage didn’t last and we got a divorce.”
“Why did you get a divorce?”
“Because we wanted different things. He liked being a soldier. I wanted to be a mommy.”
“Oh.”
The famous oh.
“Before the judge decides anything, I wanted you to know the truth so you’re prepared in case your father comes to the apartment or to your school after we get back to Rosemead.”
“I don’t want to go back.”
“Honey—that’s where we live. I teach school there. Your friends are there, like Jessica. But we’ll enjoy our vacation here first.”
“I want to stay with Jeff.”
/>
In the next breath she ran out of the living room. Gabi realized her daughter was reacting to news she hadn’t had time to process yet. Jeff was the only man she’d ever been around for any length of time. A few hours at a movie or dinner with Greg or Don didn’t count.
Naturally, she would turn to Jeff. She couldn’t comprehend having another man in her life. Before Gabi had brought up the subject tonight, Ashley had already told Jeff she wanted to live here forever. Her father was a total stranger to her.
Only now did it occur to Gabi that Ashley had always been silent on the subject of her father. As far as she could tell, her daughter hadn’t been that curious about him. Maybe that was Gabi’s fault, because she hadn’t encouraged her to talk about him.
But not all children were the same. A certain percentage of Gabi’s students came from divorced families, and she’d noticed that some of them had more anxiety over or more natural interest in the parent they didn’t live with than others.
As she jumped up from the couch to follow Ashley, Jeff came through the front door with Sergei. He studied her expression. “I take it the talk with Ashley didn’t go well.”
“To be truthful, I have no idea how it went. I think she’s in shock, but I couldn’t put it off any longer.”
“You did the right thing. Forewarned is forearmed. Maybe Sergei can provide the comfort she needs tonight. Let’s go in to her and say good-night.”
Gabi nodded. Together they joined her daughter, who’d climbed under the covers of the cot, clutching Mr. Charles. Gabi hadn’t seen her to do that for quite a while. It meant she’d searched through her suitcase to find him.
Gabi walked to one side of the bed, Jeff to the other. He smiled down at the child. “I’ve brought you a friend.”
“Will Sergei climb up here with me?”
“Why don’t you find out? Pat the mattress and ask him.”
“Okay. Come here, Sergei. Come on.”
The dog immediately responded and found a spot at her feet.
“He came!”
“Of course. He’ll protect you all night.”
A sweet smile broke out on her face. She looked at Gabi. “Good night, Mommy. I love you.”
She leaned over to kiss her. “I love you, too, honey. I’ll leave the door open. If you need me during the night, just come into the living room.”
“Aren’t you going to bed?”
“In a few minutes. I want to talk to Jeff first.”
“Okay.” Ashley’s gaze switched to his. “Good night, Jeff. Thanks for letting Sergei sleep with me.”
“He wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Good night.”
Chapter Seven
Gabi followed Jeff out of the room and down the hall. On the way to the living room he pulled a pillow from the linen closet. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” he asked.
“Neither, thank you.”
He opened the couch bed for her and put the pillow on top.
She sank down on one of the chairs. “All you do is wait on me and Ashley. My debt to you is building. How did you know where to find us in L.A.?”
“By process of elimination. I knew your attorney’s name.”
Gabi sat forward, clasping her hands together. “Why did you get time off and follow us there? The truth now.”
He sat on the couch arm and looked down at her. In the semidarkness his rugged features stood out. “I’m glad you said that, because we not only have unfinished business between us, it’s time you knew the whole truth about the past.”
She pressed her lips together. “You said something about Bev no longer being a threat. How did she pose one?”
Jeff’s expression darkened. “It’s true Dad wanted to stop things before they went too far with you and me. But it was Bev who, along with Nora’s and Ellen’s help, did the real damage that made it impossible for me to go on living at home.”
Gabi smoothed the curls away from her cheeks. “What are you saying?”
“It’s going to hurt you, because you liked Bev better than the other foster parents you’d lived with.”
Gabi started to get a sick feeling inside. “What did she do?”
“After I left Alhambra, there’s only one reason I didn’t try to get in touch with you, Gabi. One afternoon before you got home from school, I was in the garage working on my motorcycle when Bev suddenly appeared. It was the day before my high-school graduation. Nora’s, too.”
“I remember. At lunch we wrote letters to each other in our yearbooks.”
He nodded. “Ellen must have let Bev in the house and told her where to find me. No one else was around. My dad hadn’t come home from work yet. I thought it was weird. Let’s face it—she never liked me.”
“That’s because Nora was her favorite.”
“Nora was jealous of you, Gabi. But I didn’t know how jealous until Bev told me Nora had seen you and me in bed together numerous times. Because you were a minor, Bev said she had enough evidence to send you back through the court system unless I moved out of my dad’s house.”
Pain drove Gabi to her feet. “No!”
“It’s true. I knew how you’d suffered over the years, being shuffled from one foster home to another. There was no way I was going to let her do that to you, so I left.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
“It got uglier,” he muttered. “Bev never was quite the same after Ron died.”
“Her husband’s death was very hard on her, but to threaten you…”
“She could see how close you and I were getting. I’d just turned eighteen. Nora’s eighteenth birthday would be coming up soon and she’d be long gone. I knew how Bev’s mind worked. She was afraid I’d talk you into running away with me. That meant she’d lose the best babysitter she ever had for Monte. It also meant she’d lose money.”
“I know. She counted on every penny.”
“Without the government payment she received once a month for the three of you, she couldn’t have made it. With Nora on the verge of leaving, she’d have to wait to get another foster child. In the meantime she depended on the money from you and Monte. In her fear, she convinced my dad and Ellen that I had to leave home, to put a permanent halt to things.”
“It’s so hard to believe.”
Jeff moved off the end of the couch and stood in front of her. “All you have to do is pick up the phone and ask Bev.”
Gabi looked away from him. “I—I know you’re telling me the truth. It’s just that I don’t want to believe it.”
“Neither did I at the time. Her final words to me were the coup de grace. If I as much as made one phone call, or tried to see you on the sly, or write you a postcard or send an email, then she’d carry out her threat and involve the police.
“My dad backed her because he didn’t want me being accused of rape and dragged into court over your case. You don’t mess with a juvenile. He told me I’d better move out fast before Bev made good on her threat.”
“But Nora lied!”
“That was her way of getting back at me for never being interested in her. In a court of law it would have been her word against yours. They all had their motives, Gabi. Your foster mother didn’t want to lose the money she would continue to receive as long as you stayed under her roof until you turned eighteen.
“Ellen was a selfish woman and jealous of the way Dad had felt about my mother. My stepmother didn’t like me and wanted me out of the house so she could have him to herself. She became a willing accomplice for Bev. Dad just wanted peace and believed my leaving home was the only solution.”
Hot tears rolled down Gabi’s cheeks. “I didn’t know Bev could be that cruel.” Bev…who’d supported her decision to divorce Ryan. Who’d phoned her the other day to tell her Ryan was back and looking for her. Did one person ever really know another?
“Not cruel, Gabi.” He put his arms around her and pulled her close against his hard body. “Desperate,” he whispered into her hair. “How else could she ho
ld on to the life she’d made for herself?”
“But it meant you had to leave home. I know how much you loved your father. I can’t bear it that you were forced to go away because of Bev.” Gabi couldn’t hold back any longer and sobbed quietly against his shoulder.
He smoothed his hands over her back to comfort her.
“Oh, Jeff… I can’t fathom that she would let me suffer like I did and never once let on she was the reason you left. No wonder she didn’t tell me you came back to see me when I turned eighteen. After what she’d done to us, she didn’t dare.” Gabi’s voice shook.
He clasped her tighter, kissing the top of her head. As she melted against him, she became aware she was enjoying being in his arms way too much. Fearing he knew it, Gabi eased away from him, not wanting him to think she was taking advantage of the situation. They weren’t the same two people anymore.
“It’s a fact she’d be in shock if she knew we were together now.”
Gabi wiped the tears away with the palms of her hands. “Finally, I have the truth. If it weren’t for your picture in the paper…”
He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture she’d seen him make before when he was pondering something important. “I believe we have Sergei to thank for his part in our reunion.”
“Yes,” Gabi murmured. “Ashley cried, ‘Look at his pointy ears!’ and suddenly there you were, providing the safety I’d instinctively sought. No one ever had a better friend.”
She heard Jeff’s deep intake of breath. “At least Bev couldn’t take that away from us.”
“No. Maybe sometime soon, before Ashley and I go home to Rosemead, you’ll tell me what you did in the intervening years before you ended up in Yosemite. I’d like to hear everything, but not tonight. After this long, draining day, we both need sleep. Good night.”
Gabi hurried to Ashley’s room to get ready for bed. Another few seconds and she would have melted into his arms, the way she’d once done. For old times’ sake it would have been easy enough to do, because he’d provided her a refuge.
But they’d lived apart from each other for many years. He’d been married and divorced, too. The painful adage that you could never go home again was in play here.
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