And if I didn’t get the answer I deserved, there would be hell to pay.
48
Camille
“Thanks for accepting my invitation.” Mr. Lindstrom sat to my right in a back corner of the swanky French restaurant, Freniere’s.
“It’s always hard for a teacher to turn down a free meal, Mr. Lindstrom.” I smiled and draped my napkin across my white skirt. “Especially from somewhere as fancy as this.”
“I’m glad, and call me Bill, please.”
The server poured wine for us as I perused the menu. “I’m afraid I’m not up on my French.”
“Neither am I.” Bill handed his menu back to the server. “I’ll have a ribeye, medium, with green beans and mashed potatoes.”
The server frowned, but nodded. “And for you?”
“I’ll have what he’s having.” I passed my menu and sat back in my chair as a string quartet began to play somewhere in the crowded restaurant.
Once the server disappeared, Bill leaned forward. “I’m sure you know why I invited you here tonight.”
“To discuss your son.”
“Yes.” He clasped his hands on the table. “As you know, I didn’t agree with his methods.”
“You didn’t do anything about it, either.”
He grimaced. “No, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I hoped he’d come around to the correct conclusion on his own.” His eyes brightened. “And he did.”
“I don’t appreciate being a teachable moment for your son.” I sort of liked my pointed tone, though it surprised me, perhaps even more than it did Bill.
“That’s not what you were.” He shook his head. “Not at all. You were so much more than I even knew. That day we talked in the library and I told you about how hard it had been to raise him, about his quirks, his lack of feeling. You took all that information and you solved the puzzle of Sebastian. The thing I’d worked for his entire life to do. You did it like—” He snapped his fingers. “Yes, you learned about him as you went, especially after our talk, but in the end, you’re the one who taught him.” His brow furrowed. “Don’t you see? You taught him love. He started at obsession—the moment he saw you, that switch flipped. Hell, it’s still flipped.” He shrugged. “You’re it for him. But after that, you found parts of him that I’ve never seen. Parts that I thought would stay locked away forever. You opened the most important door in anyone, but especially him. Love.”
“And you’re here to talk me into going back?” I tried to keep the emotion from my voice.
“No.” He paused as the server brought a basket of bread and two pats of butter. “I’m here to tell you that you are free. As free as you could ever wish to be. I’ve set up a trust for you. No ties to him whatsoever. This is between the two of us. To show my gratitude.” He opened his weathered hand on the table as tears pooled in his eyes. “To tell you how much what you’ve done has meant to me. I’d given up trying to get to him. But you did it. You gave me a gift that I can never repay. Hope.”
I slid my palm into his. He peered into my eyes. So much like his son, but not. He had a softness that I’d only seen in Sebastian when he was holding me.
“Thank you.” He squeezed my hand. “I mean it.”
I returned his warmth. “You’re welcome. But you didn’t have to set up a trust.”
“I did.” He smiled as a tear trickled down his wrinkled cheek. “You deserve that and more. I’ll have the paperwork sent over to your place next week. And I knew you’d say I didn’t have to do it, but I wanted to. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think of you as a daughter.”
I arched a brow. “You’re laying it on even thicker.”
He chuckled as the server set our plates down, the food sending delicious scents into the air. “I know, but I can’t help it. You’re a dream for my son. But you’re also a dream for me. A chance at family, a future, love. Everything I’ve wanted for him and for me.”
“It’s not that simple.” I couldn’t just overlook Sebastian’s sins against me.
“I know it isn’t. I understand.” He patted my hand and gestured to my plate. “Let’s eat, and I’ll see if I can quit crying like a nancy.”
I nodded and dug in. The awkward tension drained away as we ate and drank like old friends. Our conversation strayed away from Sebastian and into my interests in botany and the Amazon.
“If you’re into trees, I’m sure we’d love to have you on the Lindstrom team.”
I sat back and patted my full stomach. “I like trees as much as the next botanist, but the real discoveries are in smaller species, especially ones that haven’t been lab tested or otherwise investigated.”