Unexpected Arrivals(70)
“I guess Dottie.”
He took the first step, and I followed behind him. My feet slowed when we hit the sand, but James always accommodated my shorter steps. If we’d been any place else under any other circumstances, he would have had me get on his back—however, it would be inappropriate here.
The closer we got to the woman, the more familiar she looked; although, her gray hair that whipped with the wind and her relaxed beach attire threw me off. Her gaucho pants swayed with the air, and her feet were bare, but when she moved her hair from her face to tuck it behind her ear, my heart stopped and so did my feet.
“What’s wrong?” James had continued to walk until my arm refused to follow. He turned to stare at me, wondering what was going on. He looked toward his target and back at me. “Cora?”
“That’s my grandmother.” When my heart started pumping again, it did so with a vengeance. The beat thumped loudly in my ears, drowning out the sounds of the waves and the giggles of the little boy on the playground. Not even the piercing cries of the seagulls could be heard.
“Baby, that’s Dottie. You heard him call her name.” His free hand took my jaw, and he kissed me sweetly on the lips “Come on. It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t; none of this was. I knew my grandmother. He’d never met her. In all the time we’d been together, even in high school, not once had I ever introduced them. And while I needed answers, now wasn’t the time to try to get them. I had no clue why my grandmother would have temporary custody of a five-year-old, nor why she would have been living with his mother—the woman who’d slept with James years ago.
The realization struck her the moment her attention pulled away from Legend to greet us.
Before she could speak, James stuck his hand out to introduce himself. “I’m James Carpenter, and this is my wife, Cora.”
Her eyes were glued to mine when I identified her first. “Gwendolyn Chase,” I spoke with malice and discontent. And refused to extend my hand as my husband had done.
“Cora.” It was a whisper the waves could have carried in with the wind. Her eyes were filled with something akin to remorse, while mine remained hardened.
“Dottie, watch!” Legend drew our attention toward him as he did a flip off the bar and landed on his feet in the sand just before he bottomed out.
The little boy was captivating and charming and a temporary reprieve from the woman behind me. His fiery-red mop was overgrown and a tad shaggy, and the way the sun reflected off the slightly curled ends made him appear angelic. I couldn’t help but notice his large, brown irises and the smattering of freckles that dotted his face and arms. And he was exceptionally tall. The only thing hinting at his younger age was the innocence in his sad eyes.
When he stood, he dusted the sand off the back of his shorts and then rubbed his hands together to remove the grit from them as well. It wasn’t until then that he realized he had an audience greater than one. He stopped, didn’t move an inch, and took his dad in from top to bottom before his eyes shifted to me. The grin that had fallen from his face when he first noticed us slowly appeared until the corners of his mouth tilted up in childlike innocence.
“Who’s your friends?” He ran over to us as he spoke and then grabbed my grandmother’s leg.
“This is your daddy and his wife, Cora.”
“I’m Legend, it’s very nice to make your acquaintance.” His little hand jutted out like a confident man. First to me, which I eagerly took and shook, and then to James.
“He’s been practicing that all afternoon.” Dottie’s eyes glimmered with pride, but I had a hard time not reaching up to gouge them out.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, buddy.” James had released my hand in order to squat and see his son at his level.
“You’re really tall. Will I be as tall as you?” He rambled like most kids did, and I could already see adoration for James in his eyes.
“Maybe, it sure looks like you’re well on your way.”
“You wanna see the tricks I can do?”
“Of course. Show me what you’ve got.” Legend took James by the hand, and with the first step they took, Gwendolyn was close on their heels.
I reached out, latching onto her forearm. Once the two of them got a few paces ahead, I whispered, “What are you doing here?” It was more like a hiss between clenched teeth, even though I tried to play nice.
She patted my fingers, and I jerked back, recoiling my arm. “Cora, sweetheart. Now isn’t the time.” And then she smiled at me in a way I’d never seen her do—as though she actually cared about someone other than herself. “Come on, don’t let our past shape his future.” She nodded toward Legend and James, but I wasn’t sure which she referred to.
***
I managed to keep my cool at the playground, although only by the grace of God. We had stayed for about two hours and then wandered down the street to grab an early dinner. I was shocked by how easily James and Legend had fallen into a groove. He’d never indicated a desire for children, yet seeing him with the little redhead made it obvious he was a natural.
Luckily, Gwendolyn—or Dottie, whatever her name was—focused on James and Legend and left me to myself to stew over her reappearance in my life. Legend monopolized the conversation, telling James everything he’d ever done, all his favorite foods, favorite color—blue, favorite superhero—Green Lantern, and anything else that came to mind. I interjected where I could without disrupting the flow of the conversation, but mostly, I watched in disbelief. I witnessed a side of my husband I’d never seen and met a version of my grandmother I wasn’t aware existed. And I wondered why she hadn’t been that loving with me when my parents had passed away.