“You’re welcome. You’ll always be my little angel, darlin’. Do you have a hug for daddy?” Stephen probed.
It was odd seeing the awkward way her ex acted around his own flesh and blood, the hug he exchanged with his daughter brief and stiff. It was a far cry from the hug Julia just shared with Tim, the obvious love the two had for each other comforting.
“Come on, little one. Let’s go find a quick snack while your mama and daddy catch up.” Mrs. Southers held her hand out for Julia to take and the two of them exited the room.
“Goodbye, sweetheart. It was sure good seeing you!” Stephen stood tall with his hands on his hips and watched them leave. When the door closed, he sighed.
“That was a very nice thing to do,” Jessica admitted.
Stephen’s mouth curled up into a smile. “Thank you, Jessie. I’m gonna try harder from now on.” He held his hand out toward a chair. “Can you sit for a minute?”
She nodded, and the two sat next to each other, the silence becoming uncomfortable. Jessica couldn’t help but notice the wrinkles around Stephen’s eyes, as if he hadn’t slept much in the past week. The quick pat on her knee made her flinch.
“How is he? How’s Tim?”
“He’s… healing.”
“That’s good. He did a very heroic thing saving our daughter. It’s all over the news.”
Jessica swallowed and nodded again, wishing Stephen would get to the point. He always had a point to make and would often draw things out, which made her uneasy.
“I’m not gonna beat around the bush, Jessie. I didn’t like the guy hanging out at the house with you and my daughters—”
“Excuse me?” she interrupted, her voice peaking with annoyance. Of all the nerve. “Well, now you know how it feels, don’t you? I didn’t like you hanging out at your office or on those business trips all those months with yourmistress,” Jessica ridiculed. The fighting between them was familiar, her tone escalating with each word.
Stephen shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds. “That’s not what I meant,” he replied, his voice low and controlled. Turning toward her, his face sagged as if he had aged a decade. “Why didn’t you tell me who he was, Jessie?”
“Would that have made a difference?”
“Yes. I mean… I don’t know.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor. “When your mama called and told me what happened the morning after the storm, I was paralyzed with fear. I didn’t know what to do. The entire neighborhood was blocked off, and I couldn’t get to you and the girls. It was agonizing…”
Jessica could feel her forehead furrow, the thought of her ex-husband fearful a preposterous notion. He never showed any feeling toward his family all the years they were together. To hear him say he felt fear was out of the ordinary coming from the cut-throat, tough, businessman she had once been married to.
“I texted to let you know we were okay—”
“I know,” he interrupted, sitting up straight. “But when I saw the big news story about our gardener, Tim Ryan and what he did for us, I felt like such a fool. I never gave the guy a chance. In the beginning, I assumed he was up to no good, trying to cash in on a beautiful divorcee. I judged him from the get-go.”
Jessica couldn’t help it and squeezed his arm. “If it’s any consolation, nobody knew, Stephen. Tim’s been incognito, trying to live a quiet life in Atlanta. He asked me not to tell anyone who he was. I had to respect his request.”
Stephen let out a humph. “I guess that’s all shot to hell now. Everyone in this town knows who he is and what he’s done. I can guarantee you his days as a gardener are officially over.” He paused, turned and looked her in the eye. “Can you tell him, ‘thank you’ for me? Please? I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to Julia.”
Jessica could feel a lump in her throat. “Of course.” She patted his arm again and couldn’t believe what was about to come out of her mouth.
“You could always thank him yourself. The doctor said they might discharge him soon, so we’re planning a little homecoming for him and a birthday party for Jo-Jo. We’ll be staying at Mama’s while he continues to recover for the next month or so. Why don’t you come?”
Stephen raised his eyebrows significantly as if he were caught off guard by the invitation.
“And Traci is welcome too.” Jessica wanted to clamp her hand over her mouth as those words flew off her tongue, but it was too late. Why she added that comment, she wasn’t sure. Perhaps Stu was right; it was time to let bygones be bygones and call a truce. She wanted peace in their lives after everything they’d been through.
“God, I can’t believe she’s turning one already. Seems like yesterday you were pregnant.”
Jessica laughed. “Stephen, I was pregnant for most of our marriage.”
The two chuckled and stood. “Yes, you were.” He looked at the floor briefly. When he looked back up, his eyes glistened with what looked like gratitude. “I’d love to be there. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll text you when we have a date.” She watched him walk toward the door before he quickly turned around.
“What’s a good gift for a one-year-old, anyway?” The expression on his face conveyed resolve. For Stephen Kaufman to finally give a damn about Joanne was an answered prayer.
