“Yes, you do. I’ll be right here.” He squeezes me reassuringly, but it doesn’t help. “Grant, have a seat. Clare has something she needs to tell you.”
“No I don’t.”
“Well we’ll sit here all night until you do.” Drew breaks out his big brother I-mean-business voice as Grant sits in an open chair on the other side of the room.
“He didn’t recognize me. Not a flicker,” I say into Drew’s shoulder. Another minute passes with no one speaking while I get my breathing under control enough to tell the story since it doesn’t seem like Drew is going to step up and help me out by telling it himself.
When I’m able to speak again, I walk Grant through my history. There isn’t much to tell. The concert, the love affair, the baby, William’s mother’s insistence he no longer see me. When he asks about my mother and what she thinks of the whole affair, I’m forced to give details. But keep her current location secret. I skim over the years of dirty crumbling apartments, abusive boyfriends, and most of the drug addiction years. But eventually Drew picks up the story and explains our fated meeting in foster care. Then he spends even more time chastising me for not telling Grant sooner.
Grant sits quietly as each of us delivers a part of the story. A few times he nods his head or his eyes get squinty in concentration, but he doesn’t talk. When it’s obvious we’ve run out of stories to share, he still hasn’t spoken. I brace, ready for him to walk out of the room. I’ve been rejected by one rich family in San Francisco. It’s only a matter of time until he figures out I’m not worthy too.
“You have to tell him.” Grant’s first words echo in the quiet room, but it doesn’t help their impact.
“Oh trust me, he knows. He was there for a few months.”
“But he doesn’t know who you are now.” Grant stands from his spot in the chair and paces back and forth.
“Why would he deserve to meet Clare now?” Drew jumps to my defense. About damn time too.
“I’ve known William my entire life. He wouldn’t forget a baby. He loves his kids.” His final words come at me like a knife. Grant sees me flinch but keeps going. “You need to give him a chance to get to know you.”
I laugh, but it sounds sickly and distorted around my tears. “He had a chance.”
Grant paces a few more times and then comes to an abrupt stop. “All his kids get a tenth of the business. It’s millions of dollars. You would be entitled to an inheritance, too.”
As expected Grant doesn’t get it. “You think it’s about money?”
How can such a smart man be so dumb? The last thing I want from my father is his dirty money.
“But he’s my business partner…” Grant’s words trail away.
“Well he’s my sperm donor and nothing more. He left my mother and me to our own devices and never once gave a shit what happened to us. I still live in San Francisco.” I throw my arms out wide. “He’s never bothered to look me up.”
For a man Grant swears cares, he’s sure done a bang-up job of not caring the last twenty-four years.
“I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do with this information.” Grant slouches back in the chair. His hand rubs a pattern back and forth on his jaw as he looks troubled.
“There’s nothing you can do with the information. It’s my life and I want nothing to do with him.”
Grant’s eyes spear me. “But I signed a five-year deal with him this week.”
Drew stands, bumping me in the process. “It’s obviously been a rough night on Clare and you have a lot of new information to work through, Grant. Why don’t we call it a night?”
In a stupor Grant follows Drew to the front door not stopping to say goodbye. “You don’t understand, Drew. I signed a five-year contract with the Cunningham companies.”
“No, I think Clare and I understand it well enough.” He opens the front door and quietly closes it when Grant is on the other side.
