“For my birthday in January, my eldest grandchildren bought me a premium membership to the Golden Years app. They thought it might be the best way to get me out of my funk, and they were right. I had a hoot and a holler scrolling through different profiles, but it was Rich’s cheeky profile photo that spoke to me. I loved that it was in black and white, and that he was winking while holding a rose between his teeth.”
Frankie blanched. “I thought we had removed that one?”
“You did, but I added it back to my account after I saw how many more profile views it generated,” her dad said.
Gemma high-fived him.
Frankie pinched the bridge of her nose.
Her dad stroked his chin. “I picked up the idea from the episode of Cupid’s Arrowwhere the contestants were asked to participate in a vintage photoshoot.”
“Zach won the challenge, didn’t he?” Suzy let out a sigh. “I’m so happy he ended up being declared the winner. Johnny was a nice young man, but he didn’t have the same spark to his personality as Yvonne.”
“You watch reality TV?” Frankie questioned.
Her dad shook with laughter. “Suzy-kins is just like our Gemma. She lives for them. Her DVR is full of not justCupid’s Arrow, but also travel shows, survival shows, cooking shows. You name it, and Suzy probably watches it.”
Gemma sat forward in her seat. “Have you heard the announcement about the next season ofCupid’s Arrow?”
“Have I?!” Suzy exclaimed. “I can’t wait for Johnny to be in the hot seat. From the trailer that dropped this morning, his friends look like they’ll be just as much fun as Selena and McKenzie were for Yvonne.”
The table erupted into a spirited debate over dinner.
An hour and a half later, just as the Dutch apple pie slices were being eaten, the front door opened and closed. A man spoke in a soft, muffled tone to the housekeeper in the kitchen.
“About time one of my wayward grandchildren arrived.” Suzy patted her mouth with a napkin and scooted her chair back. “Excuse me.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
Frankie’s father leaned back in his seat and pushed his plate away. “I can’t eat another bite. Would either of you two ladies care for my piece?”
“If you felt that way Dad, why didn’t you refuse it?” Frankie tilted her head to the side.
“I can’t say no to that woman.” He glanced toward the kitchen with a faraway look in his eye.
Gemma reached for the plate and offered to eat the remnants.
“Dad, you really like her, don’t you?”
“I do.” He ran a hand over his hair. “She makes me feel young and energetic again. I never thought I’d be this happy. I always thought I’d end up being an old bachelor.”
Frankie stared at her plate. “I’ve always wondered . . . your first marriage . . .”
“You want to know why it broke down.” Dad’s shoulders slumped. “The short answer is that my ex-wife and I were both too young and inexperienced at life. When I married Shirley, I was eighteen and she was seventeen. We’d been neighbors growing up, and I’d always had a crush on her. The evening before I was about to ship out for my first deployment, I’d intended to ask her out on a date, but instead, I asked her to marry me. To my shock, she said yes.”
Frankie and Gemma hung on to his words. He’d always been tight-lipped about the past.
“The first two years of our marriage, I was gone more than I was home. We exchanged letters, but I can count on one hand the number of times we saw one another in person. Everything changed the day I received orders to return Stateside. I learned I was to be based in Hawaii. Shirley was over the moon and jumped at the opportunity to live in an island paradise. We moved in together.”
“That must have been awwwwwwwwwwwwwkard,” Frankie said.
Her dad snapped his fingers and pointed to her. “You called it. We realized almost instantaneously that we had nothing in common. Adding to that, Shirley found out the hard way that living on an island thousands of miles from the mainland is isolating. She grew to resent me for it. We fought constantly. She might have loved the idea of being a wife, but she didn’t enjoy having a husband. So I did the only sensible thing. I offered her a way out and she took it.”
Gemma frowned. “I’m sorry, Mr. T.”
“Don’t be. It was a valuable learning experience. I enjoyed being a bachelor.” He shrugged. “Yet one of the most important lessons I learned was that I didn’t have to conform to the norms of society. When I was ready to become a father, I had no qualms about taking the adoption route.”
“And I’m all the more grateful for it.” Frankie walked over and hugged her dad.
“You were the most perfect baby I’d ever laid eyes on.” He sighed deeply. “I only wish I had been able to take both you and your sister home. I’ve always wondered about the family that adopted her.”
