“Do you need me to send a car to pick you up?” Skylar asked.
“No, I have a rental. I just need the address.”
“I’ll text it to you. Goodnight, Logan.”
“Good night, Skylar.” After he ended the call, a glow of hope filled him. Tomorrow, he would be dining with his brother. And with any luck, it wouldn’t be the last time.
CHAPTER 22
Logan and Skylar
Skylar saw Logan the moment he entered the restaurant and stood as the maître d’ escorted him to his table. Extending his hand, he said, “Thanks for joining me.”
“Thanks for the invite,” Logan said, accepting the handshake and then taking the chair the maître d’ pulled out for him. “This is a nice restaurant.”
“Thanks. I find the food here excellent. I hope that you do, too.”
“I’m sure I will.” The conversation was paused briefly when a waiter came to take their drink orders and hand out menus. “How long have you lived in San Francisco?” Logan asked.
“All my life. I was born here. So was my father. My grandfather left Italy to attend Harvard, where he met my grandmother, an American woman from Ohio. After college, they married and moved here. My grandfather chose this city because of its large Italian community at the time - North Beach or Little Italy, as it is called.”
He paused, then added, “They opened their first business. Less than three years later, my father was born. Silas was their only child.”
The conversation was paused again when the waiter returned to pour their drinks and take their dinner orders.
“I feel the need to be totally upfront with you, Logan. Dante is my godbrother, that’s true. However, he is also the general manager of my hotels, as well as the person in charge of my security team.” After taking a drink, he said, “He made me aware the moment someone attempted to get into databases for information regarding my father. I surmised you were behind that, which is how you were aware my father had died.”
Logan leaned back in his chair. “Yes. We have a PI in the family - Carrie’s husband, Connor.”
Skylar nodded. “Just so you know, when I received a call that you wanted to meet with me, Dante pulled an extensive report on the Montgomery family. There is very little about you, your siblings, and your father that I don’t know.”
Logan shrugged. “We have nothing to hide.”
“No, you don’t. Congratulations on your recent marriage, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
“I find your family dynamics remarkable. You are blessed to have a father like Jeremiah Montgomery. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of Silas. Strong, honorable, trustworthy, and full of love.”
Logan chuckled. “That definitely describes Pop, alright.”
“Pop?”
“Yes, that’s what we call our dad.”
Skylar nodded. “Reading the report also provided me with a clearer understanding of why none of you have a relationship with Edwina. What she put Carrie through was horrible. Now I understand what my father meant when he said that one of his greatestregrets was that when he gave Edwina the money she demanded for me, he didn’t push harder on his counter-offer to include custody of the little girl. He could not see her having a good future with a conniving and manipulating mother like Edwina.”
“I’m sure, after reading the report, you are aware of some of the things Carrie went through,” Logan said.
“Yes, I am even aware of the blackmail scheme from a few years ago. I was right when I told my father that Dante’s father Mario, who was to Dad everything Dante is to me now, and then some, did the right thing in putting the fear of God into Edwina so she would never be a part of my life.”
Skylar took a deep breath and released it. He then said, “But she has managed to do so anyway, by sending those letters and asking for my father’s and my forgiveness. It’s too late to ask for Dad’s. He truly loved her. She put on a good act, but it wasn’t sincere. When he discovered her duplicity and realized he’d been nothing more than a mark, it crushed him to the point where he could never trust his heart again.”
Logan nodded. “My siblings and I thought the same thing about Pop. We were so glad that after twenty-plus years, he met someone and fell in love.” He leaned in closer. “I guess you’re now facing the same decision we Montgomerys are. Can you give Edwina the forgiveness she is asking for?”
Before Skylar could respond, their food was served. “I hope you enjoy your steak, Logan.”
He smiled at Skylar. “I’m sure I will.”
