Against his father’s protests, Jack got up from the booth and made his way across the crowded room. Every time he took a step, someone stopped him to congratulate him on being the owner of the bistro. He excused himself and tried to get away. Finally, he burst into the kitchen, but Eden wasn’t there.
Alfredo looked at him from the stoves. “Looking for something, Señor Jack?”
“Did you see Eden come through here?”
“Si. She rushed out of here into the back yard a minute ago. I called to her, but she just ignored me. She seemed pretty upset.”
“Damn!” Jack shouldn’t have left her to go talk with his father. He should have just made his father wait. And why was his father coming home early and unannounced, anyway? Jack hadn’t had time to prepare for this situation. He had hoped that when the time came to introduce Eden to his father, he could introduce her as his fiancée.
He ran out the back door and caught a glimpse of Missy’s car – the car that was once his, as it sped down the alley with Missy and Eden in it. He called after them, but they didn’t seem to hear him.
He stood there for a moment and listened to the night. Tuning out the sounds of the city with squealing tires, beeping horns, and all-around noise, all he heard was the sound of crickets as they chirped. The moon was full, and the beautiful garden was in bloom. He could smell the sweet fragrance of the roses on the trellis over his head. The whole garden screamed Eden. The once pitiful patch of dying grass now rose up to the sky with life, all because of Eden. It was an Incan empire calling out to him, telling him its hidden treasure had just rode out of his life forever.
Gaspar the cat slinked out of the shadows and rubbed its body against Jack’s legs, purring softly.
“What do you want?” grumbled Jack. “If you’re looking for food, I don’t have any.”
The sounds of the fiesta echoed in the background; the laughing voices, the clatter of dishes, the Peruvian panpipe music. It made him feel so empty. Without Eden, none of this mattered. He felt in his heart that he’d done something terribly wrong, but he didn’t know what it was. Eden had left without telling him where she was going. She had left in her native clothes and with her filled manta on her back. There was only one place she could be going and the thought horrified him.
He tore through the back door and raced through the kitchen, almost knocking Tisha down in the process. The sleeping baby wrapped in the manta on her back woke up and started crying. Her kids got under his feet, and he jumped over them as he made his way through the crowd and into his office.
Sure enough, the Bible lay open on his desk. He searched for the ticket in the lining but it was gone.
“Damn!” He pounded his fist against the desk, sinking into his chair, and cursing himself for not taking Eden to the table with his father and Ginny in the first place.
Then his father stepped into the office with a look of concern upon his brow.
“Jack? Is everything all right, Son? I’ve never seen you so upset.”
“It’s Eden,” he said. “She’s gone. She left without even a goodbye.”
“Eden?” Alastair took a seat across from his son. “The hired help? That girl you introduced me to?”
“She wasn’t the hired help, Dad. She was my girlfriend. No, she’s more than my girlfriend. I was going to ask her tonight at the party to marry me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Jack?” Surprisingly enough, his father didn’t even sound angry about it.
“I was trying to but I didn’t have a chance with the way you waltzed in here causing a scene and announcing to everyone I was going to marry Ginny.” Jack rose before his father could respond. “I need a car, Dad. Can I use your rental?”
“I took a limo from the airport.”
“Shit!”
“Where’s the Mercedes I gave you?”
“There’s a lot I need to fill you in on,” said Jack. “But before I do all that, I need to find some wheels.”
He brushed past Ginny as he bolted out of the office.
“What’s wrong, Jacky?” she cooed.
“Goodbye, Ginny,” he ground out, making his way to the floor, flagging down Ruthie.
“What’s the matter, Jack?” Ruthie rushed over to his side.
“Ruthie, I need to borrow your car,” he told her.
“Sure,” she said, “but I think it’s wedged in. The lot’s double parked with the crowd we’ve got tonight.”
“Forget it,” he said, hurrying over to the bar where Nathan was mixing drinks. “I need the keys to your Harley,” he told him, holding out his palm. “Fast.”
“Like hell,” growled Nathan, putting the garnish on the drink and handing it to the waitress. “What’s up?”
“It’s Eden. She’s gone to the airport and I’ve got to stop her before she gets on that plane.”
“Let’s go,” said Nathan, throwing down the bar rag and heading for the back exit at a near run. “I’ll give you a lift, but I’m not handing over my keys to you.
Chapter 24
Jack ran up to the gate at Midway Airport with Nathan right on his heels. “There’s Missy,” he said, making his way through the crowd like a quarterback dodging across a football field.
“Missy! Missy!” Jack called, as she walked away from a window. When he came to a halt next to her, he realized that she was watching a plane just taking off.
“No!” shouted Jack and grabbed Missy by the shoulders. “Don’t tell me that was Eden’s plane?”
“She’s gone,” said Missy.
Jack closed his eyes and leaned against the window. He’d failed again. He was too late, and now Eden was gone from his life forever. He turned to watch the plane lift off into the sky. With it went his hopes and dreams for the future.
“Come on, Jack.” Nathan laid a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.”
“No. I’ve got to catch another flight and meet up with her,” said Jack. “This plane is probably going to have a layover in Florida. Maybe I can meet up with her there. I’ve got to find her.”
He ran to talk to the woman behind the desk, but when the woman punched the information into the computer and shook her head, he knew it was over.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said. “The plane isn’t stopping until it gets to Jamaica. It’s only stopping for a short time to load passengers before it continues on to Lima.”
“Then get me a flight to Jamaica, fast,” Jack commanded. “I’ve got to try to catch someone.”
The woman shook her head again. “The next flight to Jamaica isn’t until late tomorrow night, and it’s already full. Did you want to fly stand by?”
“There’s got to be some way for me to catch her,” Jack told the woman. “Anything. Isn’t there another flight that –”
The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to be able to help you. Did you try O’Hare Airport?”
Jack never felt so miserable in his life. He saw the lights from the plane out the window as it disappeared into the dark sky. Eden was gone without even a goodbye and there was nothing he could do about it. By the time they made their way to O’Hare and fought the massive crowds, it would most likely be tomorrow before he could get to Jamaica and, by then, it would be too late.
“Let’s go,” said Nathan with his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I’ll take you home.”
* * *
Jack sat alone with his feet on his desk, finishing off the last of the bottle of bourbon, trying to drown his sorrows. He’d given the apartment to his father to stay in while he was here and since Tisha and her kids were living above the garage, he had nowhere else to go.
It didn’t matter, he told himself. He couldn’t bear to lie in the bed again if Eden wasn’t next to him. Ginny had taken the hint and left the bistro before he even returned from the airport. The restaurant was closed now and all was quiet. The grand opening had been a huge success, and that should have made Jack happy. But right now, he really didn’t care.
“Goodnight, Jack.” Ruthie popped her head in the office on her way out. “Everyone’s gone. Should I lock up the back door on my way out?”
“Don’t bother, I’ll get it, Ruthie.” Jack downed the contents of his glass and tried to squeeze a last drop out of the bottle.
Ruthie came in and laid a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear Eden left you,” she said. “This place won’t be the same without her.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jack stared at the glass and ran his finger around the rim. “Nothing’s for sure, Ruthie. That’s why you’ve got to just live each day to the fullest as if it were the last.”
“That’s what Eden always used to say,” Ruthie agreed. “Hey, did you know Tisha’s husband showed up here tonight?”
“No. What did the bum want? To drive the knife deeper into the poor girl’s heart? I didn’t figure he’d ever come back after he left her and the kids for the bottle.”
Jack noticed Ruthie staring at his own empty bottle.
“Just the opposite, Jack. He wants her back. He told her he wants a second chance. The kids were happy to see him.”
“That’s wonderful.” Jack really couldn’t care less at the moment because he decided he couldn’t find happiness in someone else’s dreams anymore.
“He’s staying at Tisha’s place above the garage tonight, but he’s going to go out in the morning and look for a job. It seems he gave up drinking and wants to start his life over.”
“Don’t we all,” mumbled Jack.
“I was wondering, Jack –”
“Have him start tomorrow,” he mumbled, staring at his empty glass. “We could use another bartender. Since the guy is so familiar with alcohol, he ought to know how to make the damned drinks.”
“Thanks, Jack,” said Ruthie with a smile. “And would you mind if he –”
“He can stay with Tisha and the kids above the garage for now. But once they’re back on their feet, I’m going to have to start charging them rent.”
“Great. I’ll tell them on the way out.”
“You do that.” Jack brought the bottle to his lips, realizing it was empty, and tossed it into the trash.
“You know, Jack. That’s not going to bring Eden back to you,” Ruthie told him.
“She doesn’t want to come back,” he said. “Why would she want a failure like me? If she did, she wouldn’t have left here in the first place.”
“You’re not a failure,” Ruthie assured him. “Just look what you’ve done to this place. Your father was so impressed he gave you the restaurant.”
“She made the restaurant a success, not me. If Eden hadn’t come along, I would have run it into the ground. I don’t belong here, Ruthie, and you know it.”
“What are you saying? I don’t like to hear you talking this way. Now, you just stop feeling sorry for yourself right now, Jack Talon. That kind of attitude never helped anyone.”
“You’re probably right,” agreed Jack. “You’re always right, Ruthie. I’m just lucky I’ve had you to talk to about all my problems. I miss talking to my mother about things, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done that.” Even though Jack’s mother had died when he was a baby, he used to always go to the cemetery and talk to her as if she were alive. He stopped doing that when his father told him one day that he was acting like a fool.
Ruthie squeezed his shoulder gently. “You know you can always come to me with your troubles.”
“I love Eden,” he blurted out. “Without her, I’m not even sure I have the will to go on.”
Jack rubbed his face tiredly, then reached in his pocket and pulled out a golden wedding band, holding it up for Ruthie to see.
“This was for Eden?” Ruthie’s eyes opened wide in surprise as she took the ring from Jack to examine it.
“It was the damned big surprise I was going to give her for her birthday. That and this.” He pulled open the desk drawer to get the ticket and realized the box was lying open inside.
Ruthie put the ring on the desk and looked at the ticket over Jack’s shoulder. “I don’t understand, Jack. You were going to propose to her and then send her home?”
“No, just the opposite. I had another ticket coming, Ruthie. One for me to go with her.” Jack stared at the ticket in the open box. There was only one person who would open a present that was addressed to Eden. “Damn it!” He slammed the drawer shut, and Ruthie looked at him oddly. “She must have found the ticket and thought I was sending her home – by herself. She couldn’t have known I had another ticket for me coming in the mail.”
“Jack, you need to go after her.”
“I already tried that earlier, but now I’m not so sure. What if I get to her and she doesn’t want me, Ruthie?”
“Do you love her?”
“I told you I do!”
“Then that’s just the chance you’re going to have to take. If you don’t go after her, you’ll never know if she loves you. And I’d hate to see you living in misery for the rest of your life for not even trying.”
Jack barely heard Ruthie saying goodbye as she walked out the door.
He picked up the ring, studying it. It was a plain ring, but it was all he could afford right now. Would Eden want it? Would she agree to be his wife and move away from the mountains of Cuzco to come live by his side and help him run his bistro? He wondered. She said the Quechuas didn’t have much but they were happy people. Jack had just about everything now – except Eden – and he was miserable.
He didn’t know how long he sat there staring at the ring before he got up, put the ring in his pocket, and headed out into Eden’s garden.
He sat down in the middle of a patch of flowers and breathed in the sweet scent. It was her scent. Eden was the land and everything that grew on it. She was sunshine and joy and brought vibrant life to everything she did and everywhere she went. She was the happiness in Jack’s life and he could kick himself for not telling her all this.
“Jack? Is that you?” Tisha came down the stairs from the garage apartment. She was in her housecoat and bare feet. She held the sleeping baby in her arms.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said with a defeated sigh.
“I just wanted to thank you for giving my husband a job. Ruthie told me all about it. And thank you once again for letting us stay here until we can afford a place of our own.”
“No problem, Tisha. I’m glad I could help you and your family.”
She turned to go, then stopped. He could see the whites of her eyes in the moonlight against her dark skin. “I have something to tell you, Jack. Something I think you should know. I promised Eden I wouldn’t say anything, but it’s important.”
Jack looked up, wondering what she was talking about. She almost sounded as if Eden had told her some sort of secret.
“Tell me, Tisha. If it has to do with Eden, I want to know.”
“She’s pregnant, Jack. With your baby.”
Jack’s mouth opened wide and he found himself dumbstruck. How could he not have known? He jumped to his feet and grabbed Tisha by the shoulders. The motion woke her baby – Baby Eden, and the little girl started crying.
“Are you sure, Tisha? I’ve got to know for sure.”
“Positive,” she said, trying to hush the baby. “Eden was so excited about it and she was going to tell you tonight when she got you alone.”
“Oh, no!” Jack felt sick. “That was the surprise she was talking about. And she thought my surprise was sending her home. She had no idea I was going to ask her to marry me.”
“I’m sorry,” said Tisha as she started to head back to her place.
“Wait!” Jack called. “Tisha, did she seem happy she was pregnant?”
“Yes, of course. She was looking forward to being a mother,” Tisha said, bouncing her crying baby. “She just wasn’t sure you’d be happy about it, Jack. She was a little nervous to tell you because she said she had nothing to offer.”
“Nothing to offer? Didn’t she realize she’s the best thing that ev
er happened to me?”
“I guess not.” The baby cried louder, and Tisha excused herself. “I hope everything works out for you,” she said as she left.
Jack felt his blood pumping through him with a newfound energy. He was going to be a father! He and Eden were going to be parents together.
He sat down in the flower patch again and lay back to think things over. He was surprised to see so many tiny stars winking at him from the city-lit sky. It was such a vast sky. Such a huge world. And he was just a speck on the surface. He wondered if Eden was looking at these same stars right now. The stars spanned the universe and beyond. He wondered why, in all his years, he had never even noticed them before now.
Jack was suddenly seeing things he had never seen before. Eden was right when she told him money wouldn’t bring him happiness. He had everything he ever wished for and he was still miserable. Without Eden, he’d always be miserable.
Jumping up to his feet, he took one last look at Eden’s garden. His love for her had grown just like the seeds she’d planted. He would go to her, find her, if it took him the rest of his life to track her down. He would tell her he loved her and hope she loved him, too. And most of all, he would be the best damned father to that baby that he could.
Chapter 25
Peru
It had been weeks now since Eden left Chicago. With each and every passing day, she was more convinced she had done the wrong thing. She took one last look at Jack’s photo in her locket and clicked it shut. She missed him so much that it hurt. But still, it felt good to be back in the mountains of Peru.
She worked the fields next to her mother and the other women of the village and watched her half-brother, Cirilo, and her half-sister, Isidora, chasing each other, rousing up the alpacas. The alpacas looked at them through their curious eyes and darted out of the way in an attempt to escape the confusion.
Eden laughed. It felt good to be back home with her family. She carried little Pia on her back in her manta. Her baby half-sister was getting older now and she wouldn’t carry her much longer. Soon, Pia would be running around and playing with Eden’s own child.
Bistro Bachelor: Working Man Series - Book 2 Page 20
