Unexpected Arrivals(78)
“Why didn’t you tell me you moved?” I didn’t give her a chance to lead into whatever she hoped to discuss, and I had no idea why that one tidbit was so important.
She sighed. “I tried, Cora. You haven’t exactly been receptive to communication.”
“So it’s my fault?”
“No, it’s not.” She poured cream and sugar into the mug the waitress set in front of her. “I made a lot of mistakes along the way, especially when you were younger, but I’ve tried to stay in touch with you since you went to college.”
“With monthly e-mails and bi-weekly calls?” My question was snotty and disrespectful.
“How else would you have had me reach you? If it hadn’t been for occasional withdrawals from your trust fund, I wouldn’t have had a clue what city you were in.”
“You could have found a way,” I spat my self-righteous opinion her direction.
“I suppose I could have. But I didn’t know what else to do, Cora. I tried all through your childhood to reach out, to get your parents to visit or let me and your grandfather come see you. I mailed cards and presents, all of which were refused. Every attempt I made was turned down or returned to sender.”
“I don’t believe you. My dad never would have kept me from you.” I didn’t recognize my own voice it was so sinister and unforgiving. This was not who I was as a person and not someone I cared to become. Somehow, my mind justified my snarly disposition with years of hurt by the woman seated across from me.
“There’s a lot you weren’t privy to. Things I’d like to share with you. But you have to be in a place to open your eyes to the truth, and it might not be what you’re expecting.”
“If the version paints you as a saint and my dad as a sinner, you’re right, it won’t be what I’m expecting nor anything I’m interested in.”
“I’m no saint, but your father wasn’t, either. We both made mistakes—some I regret and others I cherish.”
“Just tell me why you sold the house.” I wasn’t ready for a frontal attack on my father. It was the last thing I’d expected, and I couldn’t defend against it. This was a safe place to start, one where I might begin to understand her better.
She stirred her coffee with a spoon and let out a long sigh. “The house was never important to me. Your grandfather was driven by image and how we were viewed, in this community and the business world as well. Everything always had to appear a certain way. How we dressed, the cars we drove, the house we lived in—in his mind, they all said something about our success. He worked hard to maintain that picture, and as his wife, I did my best to help him—that was my role. But when he passed away, it wasn’t who I wanted to be or how I chose to live.”
“Would you guys like to order anything for breakfast?” The waitress smiled, completely unaware she’d interrupted anything.
“I’d like a bowl of fruit. Cora, would you like anything?”
I shook my head. “Coffee’s fine for now, thank you.”
When she retreated, Gwendolyn returned to her story without skipping a beat. “The house was too much for one person, and I wasn’t interested in managing a staff. When I sold it, I bought the cottage I live in now. I downsized just about everything in my life. The only traveling I did was in support of the Huntington Foundation and their fundraisers.”
“Is that how you met Chelsea and her mom?”
“It’s how I got to know them.” Her eyes smiled at the memory, even if her lips didn’t. “I dropped the designer suits in favor of more comfortable clothing I could breathe in and stopped wearing my hair so tight that it looked like I’d had a facelift. All in all, I just relaxed and began to enjoy the slower pace of life in Geneva Key.”
“I didn’t even know you’d moved, Gwendolyn.”
“Please, call me Dottie. Maybe if I had been invited to your wedding, I could have told you then.”
“Would you have come?”
“Of course. But in fairness, you didn’t know that. Which is one of many things I regret. There was little I could do when your father refused to let me see you, then when you came here, after he passed away, I should have done something to bridge that gap.”
“You could have started by not taking off the day after I got here,” I muttered under my breath, although I didn’t try to keep her from hearing what I’d said.
“Yes, that would have been a good place to start. I wish I could go back and change those days, Cora. I truly do. At this point, all I can do is move forward and learn from them. And that’s what I’ve tried to do. I hope you’ll find it in your heart to hear the whole story and find a way to forgive me.”
“We’re basically strangers, Gwe—Dottie. I’m not sure there’s need.”
“I can tell you the only reason that matters, and what you do with it is up to you.”
“What’s that?”
“Legend.”
“He’ll adjust to New York just like I was forced to adjust here.”
“If I had it to do over again, I would have let you stay with Faith. But if I had, you never would have met your husband, and your life would be totally different. I hope you’ll remember what it was like to be ripped away from the only person you felt safe with when your parents died as you and James consider taking Legend away from Geneva Key.”