“It’s much like here, just a bit cooler and not so humid.”
“I have half the mind to tell you to pound sand and to forget about Jamie and Evelyn, but I know that’s not what my daughter wants. Tell me, does she know you’re here?”
“No, sir. There are a few things I need to take care of before I see her and Evelyn, but I plan to tell her. I don’t want to keep secrets from her. I love her too much.”
The sound of a door opening and closing has us turning around. Mrs. Foster is walking toward us with her arms crossed over her chest. “Dinner is ready. Are you joining us, Ajay?”
I look from her to the Sheriff who nods slightly. “It’d be my pleasure.”
She smiles and tells us not to be long. Once she’s out of ear shot, Mr. Foster speaks, “if I were to tell you no, that I don’t forgive you or that I don’t want Jamie to take Evelyn away, I’d lose my daughter. She loves you and only she knows why. It pains me to know my girls are leaving, that they’ll be three thousand miles away.”
“It’s more like two thousand six hundred but who’s counting?” I shrug, realizing I should probably keep my comments to a minimum.
Foster smirks and shakes his head. “Some things never change.”
“A couple of things have, sir. I’m more responsible, I’m better off financially, and I’ve grown up a lot. I’m also more in love with Whiskey than I ever have been. This ninety-day sentence was a blessing in disguise. If it weren’t for Harvey being a tool, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. I should thank him, but Whiskey would have my balls.”
Her father laughs and places his hand on my shoulder. “All I ask is that you don’t hurt either of them and when you and Jamie have your own child, you don’t forget about Evelyn.”
“Never… I plan to adopt her. She’s going to know what it’s like to have a father and mother, something I’ve never known. And more importantly, when someone asks where her dad is, she can tell them instead of saying she doesn’t know. Believe me, it’s the worst feeling in the world when someone asks if my parents are proud of me or if they’ll be at a show. I don’t want Evelyn to ever experience that feeling again.”
James Foster, the man who arrested me months ago, pulls me into his arms and squeezes me tightly. When he releases me, he steps away. “We best get inside, or the missus will have our heads for letting our food get cold.”
“Does this mean you forgive me?” I hedge.
“Hell no, it just means I’m giving you a second chance. And you better not screw it up this time, son,” he slaps the back of my shoulder and laughs as he walks toward the house.
It’s a start. That’s what I tell myself.
32
Jamie
Evelyn and I only spent a week in California, which was enough to realize that wherever Ajay is, is home, at least for me. Evelyn’s still on the fence about it all, but she’s giving up a lot leaving her grandparents behind. I wish I could tell her that moving is easy, but I’ve never had to pack up my stuff and move across country. I can’t promise her that she’ll make new friends, although I’m confident she will, or assure her that her teacher next year will be as nice as her kindergarten teacher. I can only hope and convey those feelings when we talk about our new adventure. She’s scared, but so am I. I’m scared that I’m making the wrong decision about moving forward with Ajay even though it feels right. I wish I could go back to the beginning of our ninety-day sentence and start all over. I’d force myself to spend every waking minute with him, to tell him the truth about Evelyn from the onset, to make sure that he understood what staying together meant. I’d use those beginning days to get to know him, understand his life and immerse myself in it. Right now, I’m getting the crash course of what it’s like to be with someone in a full-time band, and not a garage band that plays for a case of beer on a Saturday night. Those days of sitting on a milk crate and watching Ajay play were pretty amazing — I’m proud of what he’s accomplished, though part of me would give anything to go back and beg him not to leave for Nashville. Our lives would be different, but I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.
The sound of someone clearing their voice brings me back to my reality. I’m about to leave a job that has kept me financially afloat and the thought of being dependent on someone else has my stomach in knots. I look up to find my boss in the doorway. He’s come back from Florida to hire my replacement.
“You look deep in thought, any chance you’re changing your mind?” he asks as he comes in and sits in the chair across from my desk, which is now technically his. He’s tan, probably from his many hours out on the golf course, making me look like a ghost compared to him.
“I wish I could find a way to stay here and move.”
“Me too, Jamie. I hate the idea of losing you.”
I nod and choke back the lump in my throat. Everything about this job has been great and my boss has treated me fairly. He’s taught me a lot about being an adult and was there when Evelyn was born. He felt responsible, in a small way, since it was a convention he had taken me to where I met her sperm donor.
“I have everything in order,” I hand him a manila folder containing my day-to-day activities, schedules for the staff, time off requests, and delivery schedules. “I hope my notes are detailed enough but if not, you, or whoever you have coming in to replace me, can always call me.”
“What are you going to do when he goes on tour and leaves you home for months on end?”
Worry my ass off for no reason because I know Ajay won’t do anything stupid. He won’t mess up what we’re trying to build. “Explore California, lay in the sun, and help take care of Chandler.”
“His son from another relationship?”
“No,” I tell him while shaking my head. “Chandler is the daughter of one of Ajay’s bandmates. They live next door and I told Keane that she can stay with Evelyn and me when they go on tour next or have a late night in the studio.”
“And you’re okay being a stay at home wife?”
“And mother,” I point out. “I can work if I want to but I don’t have to. Ajay said the decision is up to me. I think if I do, I’ll find something part-time because I want to make sure that Evelyn is adapting well and our life there isn’t about school and work. Besides, it’ll be a bit before the band goes on tour. Keane doesn’t want to tour during the school year because of Chandler and the band is going to start work on a new album soon.”