In a Book Club Far Away(57)
So she plowed right into her prepared speech. “But I have a friend here in New York who isn’t okay. Her father died. The funeral is in Nassau. Her husband is deployed, as is mine, and she’s alone with two twin girls. I thought that maybe, with your pilot and airline benefits, you could…”
“Oh.” The dip in his voice was evident, and a sure sign of his disappointment that this was not a social call. Beats of silence passed.
Regina hung on like she was climbing a rope in training. All arms and legs even if her heart screamed, Just forget it! Why are you doing this to yourself?
Because this was the man who had disappointed her, time and again, despite a piece of her that would always wish for the quintessential father-daughter relationship. That she could get back the good times and purge all the bad.
Sometimes, hope hurt the most.
After a long pause, he said, “When does she need to fly out? Three tickets or for just her?”
She croaked an answer, taken aback. “Um… as soon as possible, and for three, if you can swing it.”
He mumbled something indistinguishable, which indicated he was working out a few things in his head. She imagined him sorting through a pile of paperwork, perhaps looking at his calendar on when he needed to fly next.
Her father had been an adventurer. Add the pilot’s license, and he had lived his best life, amassing pictures on film he’d develop when he returned, showing her mother all he’d seen while she stayed at home to take care of Reggie and her brothers. None of those pictures depicted him with the other woman he ended up settling with, or other women prior to that, whom he had brief affairs with. Of him exploring this hidden other life he thought he was missing out on.
“Iha, give me the day to work this out.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll call around to see the best way to get this done and how many tickets I can get. Since she’s under a tight time frame, and it’s the peak season for travel, I can’t make any promises.”
“Okay. Great.” Regina said, gratefulness rushing out, though hindered somewhat by pride. “I didn’t expect this.”
“I’m sorry that you thought that. Because all I ever wanted was to be your dad. Your mom and I didn’t work out, but you can always come to me—you and your brothers. I want to take care of you.”
“And yet—” she began, and then stopped. She shut her eyes. Now was not the time to rehash years of anger, because it was never about money. It was about him stepping up, about him running away.
She couldn’t mess this up for her friend. She tried her words again. “Thank you. Will you call me back and let me know, soon?”
“Yes, of course. But, Regina—”
“Bye, Dad,” she said quickly, and hung up. She pressed her hand against her belly, against the baby that was growing in it. She apologized to its spirit for her rush of emotions, for the anger and the disappointment.
She also promised it that she would do everything in her power to keep it from heartbreak.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Adelaide
“Promise me you won’t worry about the girls. Reggie and I have them,” Adelaide said to Sophie, while standing at the restricted boarding area of Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The airport was bright, airy, and modern, but among them was the feeling of urgency. She handed Sophie a lunch bag. “From Reggie. A sandwich and brownies.”
Sophie’s face crumpled. “You guys are just so good to me.”
She smiled lightheartedly. The last thirty-six hours had been a whirlwind for all of them. With the help of Regina’s father, Sophie was registered as his guest and could fly at a discounted fare. To their surprise, Sophie chose not to take her kids with her, since the experience could potentially be more traumatic than helpful.
Since Jasper’s parents were on a cruise, Adelaide had jumped at the opportunity to care for the girls, and Regina followed suit. Despite their short friendship, Adelaide considered Sophie every bit her family.
But leaving the girls with Adelaide and Regina required paperwork, a medical authorization for care in case of emergency, arranging for both ladies to stay at Sophie’s apartment so the girls could be as comfortable as possible.
“We’re good to you because you’re good to us, and because I think you, too, forget to activate the SOS. It’s what friends are for.” Adelaide pushed a book against her chest. “And to start, here’s part of your SOS plan.”
“You and your plans.” She scanned the cover and raised both eyebrows. “His at Night. Historical romance?”
“Yes. It’s amazing, and perfect for this trip. It’s about faking it till you make it. It’s the third book in the series, and the author, Sherry Thomas? She’s a talent.”
“The almost kiss on the cover’s telling me that this will be a good distraction.”
“More than, Soph. There’s love. And well, sometimes it’s all you need. I promise it will make you smile. That’s what happily-ever-afters will do for you.”
“Is there sex?”
“More than we’ve all had the last few months, that’s for sure.”
Sophie threw her head back in a laugh; Adelaide softened at the sound. They’d had such little laughter the last three days. Longer than that, really, from the lingering tension after New York City, mostly coming from herself. Adelaide had had to take a hard look at her expectations of herself and of her body, and at what she’d assumed people expected of her. Thank goodness for the new therapist she started seeing last week—she’d found another outlet where she didn’t feel like she was burdening anyone. Speaking to a stranger had its own comfort; she didn’t feel judged.