Capturing Forever

by Erin Dutton

  This morning, Jacqueline had made her father’s breakfast and stayed while he showered and dressed for the day. Now she had him settled on the couch in the living room.

  “Okay, so the aide’s going to be here in a couple of hours. Do you need anything before I go?”

  “I don’t want a babysitter.”

  “Well, I don’t want to come home in two days and find that you’ve been lying on the floor the whole time I was gone. Since you won’t agree to around-the-clock care, you’re going to let an aide come for a bit each day. She’ll help you get lunch and anything else you need. Then someone else will be here in the evening.”

  Jacqueline had done as much work as she could do from home last week. But she couldn’t put off her trip to Kentucky any longer. She’d scheduled her meetings as tightly as possible. She’d spend the rest of today and most of the evening at the Louisville office. Tonight, she’d drive to Lexington, grab some sleep at a hotel, then hit the office there early enough to catch the overnight road drivers before they went home, followed by a full day of meetings. If everything went smoothly, she’d be home by midday Wednesday.

  She crossed to him and bent to kiss his cheek. “Dad, please, go along with this for now. I don’t want to worry about you while I’m gone.”

  “Be safe,” he grumbled.

  “I’ll call you tonight.” Jacqueline grabbed her purse and left, closing the door decisively behind her. She hated leaving him like this, but she didn’t have a choice.

  As she backed her car into the street, she slipped on her sunglasses. She hadn’t felt this heartsick leaving since the days when she used to have to leave Casey and Sean. Back then she’d told herself that she just had to get used to traveling. So many of the other guys seemed happy to be away from home, commenting on how free they felt being away from their wives. If she complained, she’d be labeled the emotional woman who couldn’t hack it on the road.

  In recent years, she hadn’t minded being away as much. Sean was busy with school, sports, and his friends during the week, and she had no one else to come home to. Today, leaving her dad felt lonely. But she didn’t have a choice, so she drove on, forcing her mind to the meetings she’d be stepping right into at the end of her three-hour drive.

  *

  Casey poured her third cup of coffee for the day and hoped it gave her the punch she needed to get through yet another new-client consultation. She wouldn’t complain about new business, but she usually tried not to schedule more than a couple of newcomers in one day. She had shoots at several different locations later this week, so when three new clients had called last week, she’d put them all down for today. Typically, she liked a little variety in her day—a nice mix of client interaction, editing, and busywork that included answering emails and sending out contracts.

  When the doorbell rang, she took another big swig of coffee, then set her mug in the sink. But instead of the expected client, Teddy stood there, flanked by a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties. The butterflies adorning her scrub top clashed with her irritated expression.

  “Ms. Meadows?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is rather unorthodox, but I’m Mr. Knight’s home aide. He said you were his daughter.”

  “Really?” She glanced at Teddy and tried not to laugh at the pleading look in his eyes.

  “He insisted I leave his house. We can’t force ourselves on our clients.” She didn’t seem eager to question Teddy’s assertion of their relationship. “Ms. Knight didn’t answer her phone.” Teddy mumbled something that sounded like “too busy for me,” but the woman went on as if she didn’t hear him. “You aren’t listed on his emergency contacts, but I didn’t feel right leaving him alone. He said you’d be home.”

  “It’s okay.” She stepped out of the way. “Come in, Teddy.”

  “And Ms. Knight?”

  “I’ll contact her. Thank you.” Casey closed the door before the woman could reconsider. She wasn’t certain what level of care Jacqueline had requested for Teddy, but this poor girl obviously didn’t have a clue what to do in the face of Teddy’s resistance.

  “What’s going on?” she asked him.

  “I don’t need someone to follow me around the house waiting to wipe my ass.” He plopped down on her couch. She sat in a chair adjacent to him, angled forward, and rested her arms on her thighs.

  Casey laughed. “I’m guessing those weren’t her instructions, so if that’s what she was doing, you definitely need to complain to the company.”

  “Jacq thinks she can just run off and leave me with a complete stranger.”

  “She didn’t exactly run off. She’s working—”

  “I didn’t expect you to defend her after she basically abandoned you for years.”

  “Teddy!” Casey sat up straighter, shocked both by his words and by the angry scowl on his face. “I’m sure she’s doing the best she can.”

  “I’m a grown man. When I need help, I’ll ask for it.”

  Casey nodded, not necessarily in agreement but to let him know she’d heard him. She understood his reluctance, but she had to give Jacqueline credit for trying to solve a problem that Casey herself had been bringing to her for some time now.

  “When’s she coming home?”

  “Tonight.”

  “Okay. I’m expecting a client for a consultation any minute now. But you can hang out here for a while. I’ll talk to Jacqueline, and we’ll come up with a better solution.”

  “The solution is to leave me the hell alone.”

  Casey stood. “I’ll be in the studio if you need anything.”

  She grabbed her cell and sent a quick text, letting Jacqueline know Teddy was at her house and asking if they could speak later. Teddy’s attitude concerned her. Certainly, he’d had his grumpy days, but given his recent head injury, she wanted to double-check if the doctor had said to watch out for mood changes.

  *

  “I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have involved you,” Jacqueline said, in place of a greeting, as Casey answered the phone. She could tell by the sound quality that Jacqueline had called from her car. She hunched her shoulder to hold the phone while she arranged seasoned, bone-in chicken breasts in a glass baking dish for dinner.

  Casey held back an instinctive argument. She didn’t mind being involved. She felt like family—Teddy’s family, at least. She wouldn’t shut him out because things had gotten tense with Jacqueline last week. She’d stayed away over the weekend, even though she knew Sean was over there. Based on past experience, she expected Jacqueline would want some distance from their near confrontation over Elle and that she probably wouldn’t be talking to her now if it weren’t for Teddy.

  “I’ll make sure the service knows to call me next time.”

  “They tried.” She flipped on the faucet, washed her hands, then swiped them with a towel. She shifted the phone into one hand and put the dish in the oven with the other.

  “I can’t always answer right away. It wasn’t an emergency. She could have waited for me to call back.”

  “It’s fine. I was close by. He knew I’d likely be here.” She leaned against the counter, listening for movement in the living room. Teddy had fallen asleep in front of the television.

  “Did he? I can’t decide if he’s been confused or just downright stubborn, lately.” She sighed. “Either way, clearly, I have to have another talk with him about the sitter.”

  “Maybe start by not calling her a sitter,” she said without thinking and braced herself for Jacqueline’s response.

  But instead of the biting comment she expected, Jacqueline spoke with a softness Casey hadn’t heard from her in some time. “I just left Lexington. Traffic permitting, it’ll be about four hours. Can he stay with you and I’ll deal with him when I get home?”

  “Of course. We’ll be waiting for you.”

  “That sounds—um, thank you.”

  She paused, certain Jacqueline had cut off a thought and replaced it with the sentiment o
f gratitude instead. “I’m making dinner for him. It’s baked chicken. Do you want me to save you a plate?”

  “That would be amazing, thanks.”

  “Amazing? It’s just baked chicken. Don’t build it up too much.”

  “I’ve been eating salads alone in a hotel room for two days. Home cooking is amazing.” Jacqueline’s smile came through in her voice. “I guess I should be happy he made it two days with those poor ladies. I haven’t actually talked to the service yet. Has he given any indication of what he put them through?”

  “No. I’ll let you question him further when you get here. Be safe.”

  Casey hung up with Jacqueline and dialed Nina’s number. They’d had dinner plans, but she’d texted after Teddy showed up to let her know she had to change them. Yet now she wanted to explain the complicated turn her evening had taken in a more personable way.

  “Hey, I wasn’t sure I was going to hear from you,” Nina said when she answered.

  “I’m so sorry about dinner. You know I hate texting stuff like that.”

  “I know. But you can’t fight tech progress. And you’re a busy, busy girl.” Nina’s teasing tone warmed Casey.

  “Come have dinner with Teddy and me. I know it’s not the evening we’d planned, but we can still salvage it.”

  “I think I’ll take a rain check.”

  “I want to see you.”

  “It sounds like you’re going to have a full house.”

  “It’s just Teddy. Jacqueline won’t be here for a couple of hours yet.”

  “He’s her father. It’s uncomfortable.”

  Casey sighed, but she didn’t argue. She’d understood Nina’s aversion to being around Teddy and Jacqueline when they first started dating. Who wanted to hang out with their new girlfriend’s long-time ex? But any lingering insecurity surely should have dissipated by now. Casey had always kind of hoped they would reach a point where they could all spend a holiday or occasion together, for Sean’s sake.

  Certainly, she eventually wanted to see him get married and start having children of his own. She would be a grandmother someday. And she’d expect that she and Jacqueline might both attend their grandchildren’s milestones. What would her life be like years from now if she was committed to someone who refused to be around while Casey was involved in that aspect of her family?

  Chapter Seven

  “I can’t believe you did this, especially after I went to the trouble of arranging everything. I’ll probably have to try to find another service now.” Jacqueline paced Casey’s living room, pausing only long enough to glare at her father occasionally. He’d been sitting on the couch when she arrived, looking completely unbothered, which, given her mood, only fired her up more. Casey had answered the door, then disappeared down the hall, presumably to her bedroom, so Jacqueline could talk to her father. “Are you just trying to make my life harder? The whole time I’ve been gone, I worried about you. Then, after working all day and driving for four hours, I have to come over here and pick you up because you can’t accept a little help.”

  “You didn’t hear the way those sitters were talking to me. I’m not a child.”

  “Then why are you acting like a damn toddler?” She knew as soon as she’d said it that she’d gone too far.

  Her mother had often said she only had to look at his face to know what he was feeling. In fact, it was one of the reasons her mother had fallen for him—one thing that set him apart from the other men she’d dated. Now, anger dominated his features. Jacqueline had seen him this mad only a couple of times in her life.

  He rose and came to stand directly in front of her. “It seems you’ve wasted your time coming here. I am your father. And until you decide to treat me with the respect I deserve, I’m not going anywhere with you.” He turned and strode down the hallway toward the bedrooms. Seconds later, he slammed the door to Sean’s bedroom with such force that the sound echoed through the house.

  “Fuck!” She spun around, her fists clenched, and found Casey standing in the doorway leading to the same hall her father had stalked down.

  “Jacq—”

  “No. No.” Jacqueline tilted her head back and raised her eyes to the ceiling, trying like hell to control her emotions. Her anger churned against the fear that she wouldn’t be able to figure out how to help him and keep her job and her sanity. She couldn’t handle all of that and the heartbreaking sympathy in Casey’s expression as well.

  “He can stay here tonight,” Casey said.

  She shook her head. “I—I can’t—”

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Casey grasped her arm and steered her toward the couch. “Sit down and breathe.” Casey sat beside her.

  “I’m sorry. This isn’t your problem.” She inhaled deeply, her body still singing with adrenaline. “If you don’t mind, I’ll let him stay here tonight. But tomorrow morning, he and I are having a come-to-Jesus. He’s going to start cooperating or—”

  “Or what?” Casey’s quick smile didn’t help Jacqueline’s mood. “He’s not an employee that you can explain an action plan to and expect him to fall in line. He’s your father.”

  “He’s got to listen to reason. Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”

  “I hate when you get like this,” Casey said.

  The familiarity in her tone irritated Jacqueline. “Like what?” When she started to surge to her feet, Casey touched her forearm, urging her back down.

  “Closed off. Like you don’t need anything from anyone. Everyone needs help sometimes.”

  “This is my responsibility.”

  “I care about him, too. He’s Sean’s grandfather, and—”

  “He worked two jobs.” Jacqueline cleared her throat in an attempt to remove the edge of desperation from her voice. “From the time I was a baby until I graduated high school, he worked two jobs so my mother wouldn’t have to.”

  “Jacq—”

  “I never went to day care. I had family around. He doesn’t want the aides in his house, so I’ll have to figure something else out.”

  “Okay.” Casey’s quiet acceptance took some of the fight out of her. “Then let me be family again.”

  She barely held back a whimper as Casey’s words ripped her open. She touched her thumb and two fingers against her eyes, willing the burning behind her lids not to turn into tears.

  “Let me help you.” Casey grasped her wrist and guided her hand down. “Please. He’s not just the most important man in our son’s life. He’s been there for me, too—these past eight years.”

  She didn’t want to need Casey. Not to help with her father. Not to help hold herself together. And when Casey wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she didn’t want to collapse against her and give in to the sobs that threatened to push past her lips. But her body betrayed her brain and slumped into the comfort of Casey’s arms. She closed her eyes and soaked in Casey’s strong embrace and the way she shushed gently while she stroked her hair. She let herself feel protected for just a moment longer before she eased back and composed herself.

  She sniffed and swiped her fingers under her eyes. “Wow. I’m sorry. It’s been a long week already and I—um—”

  “It’s okay.” Casey released her and shuffled to the side, putting a few more inches of couch cushion between them. She laced her fingers together in her lap. “You had the aides coming to the house a couple of times a day to check on him, right?”

  She nodded, appreciating Casey’s smooth shift into business mode. “And to help with meals, laundry, and anything else he needed.”

  “Okay. No problem. I should be able to look in on him at lunchtime so you don’t have to leave the office. If you’ll send me your schedule for the next couple of weeks, I’ll compare it to mine. When you’re out of town, or if you’re busy in the evening, I can go over for a bit each night, then come home once he’s settled in.”

  Jacqueline shook her head. It sounded like a lot of extra work on Casey. “You don’t have to—”

  “Let’s no
t go over that again.” Casey stood and said, “We’re doing this together.”

  She recognized the tone Casey had used when she was managing their lives and the complex schedules that involved Jacqueline’s job, Sean’s activities, and Casey’s own burgeoning career. She’d made it all work, for years, and Jacqueline wasn’t sure she’d ever fully stopped to appreciate that fact.

  *

  Thursday, just before noon, Casey knocked on Teddy’s door. When she heard him summon her inside, she turned the knob and found it unlocked. After she closed the door, she flipped the dead bolt.

  “Do I need to tell Jacqueline to start locking the door behind her when she leaves in the morning?” she called as she walked through the house. She paused at the threshold of the dining room.

  He glanced up from the checkerboard he’d been setting up and waved a hand in her direction. “Maybe. Apparently any riff-raff off the street can just walk in here.”

  She laughed.

  “If you two are going to keep ganging up on me, I’ll put another chain on the door to keep you both out.”

  “Seriously, Teddy. This neighborhood isn’t like it used to be.”

  He grunted, and she chose to take that as a positive acknowledgement. “Do you have time for a quick game while we eat lunch?”

  “Sure.” After Jacqueline left the night before, she’d sent over her schedule, and Casey had spent an hour that morning making sure, for the foreseeable future, she had a little extra time each day around lunchtime to stop by Teddy’s between appointments.

  Jacqueline planned to stay in town for the remainder of this week. In the next two weeks, she’d managed to limit her travel to a couple of overnight trips.

  Casey raided Teddy’s fridge and pantry for lunch supplies, putting together a couple of ham sandwiches on bakery rolls with a side of leftover pasta salad. She set his plate in front of him and took her spot across the table.

  “Did you and Jacqueline make up?” she asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.