The Matchmaker's Gift(68)
Abby was reminded of some of the evenings she and Hannah had spent with their father on “his” weekends. There was the time they had begged him to see E.T., but he had dragged them to An Officer and a Gentleman instead. “You can see E.T. anytime,” he’d told them. “Richard Gere is Tanja’s favorite.”
Victor’s voice pulled Abby back to the present. “The girls adore any kind of theater. Isobel has already announced that she is going to become an actress when she grows up.”
“Well in that case,” Abby said, smiling, “I suppose it’s best to learn about Shakespeare early.”
The girls ran over to their father, squealing. “Papa! Do you see the truck? Can we have some ice cream before the show?”
“Ice cream?” Victor said, patting his stomach. “Of course, we need ice cream! Wait one minute!” He turned back to Abby. “Would you like some, too?”
“No, thank you,” Abby said. “You go ahead, and I’ll wait here for my friend. We’ll meet you and the girls inside the theater.” Abby hadn’t had ice cream since she was twelve, since that awful day at Rumpelmayer’s. She watched Victor joking with his girls and thought about her own father again. Victor’s choice of outing for his daughters may have been unusual, but at least he seemed genuinely happy to spend time with them.
A moment later, Abby spotted Jessica approaching from the opposite direction. Abby’s shoulders relaxed when she saw that Jessica had left her ratty sneakers behind. Instead, she wore a floral print dress with a long, flowy skirt and leather sandals. Her newly highlighted hair swung just past her shoulders, and her lips were tinted with a pale mauve gloss. She lifted a foot and wiggled her toes. “See?” she said. “I’m wearing real shoes.”
“You look great,” Abby said approvingly.
Jessica smiled and flicked a stray hair off her forehead. “Thanks,” she said. “So, is he here? He’s coming, right? He didn’t cancel?”
“Of course he’s coming,” Abby said. “In fact, he already arrived. He took his daughters to get some ice cream. We’re going to meet him at the seats.”
“His daughters?” Jessica said, her mouth falling open. “You didn’t tell me he had kids!”
“I thought you like children,” Abby said, remembering the way Jessica had behaved at the bakery.
“I do. I do. I’m just … surprised.”
“All I ask is that you keep an open mind. I told you, I didn’t go looking for this match. I think it can work. I really do. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be straightforward. Love isn’t always a walk in the park.”
Jessica snorted. “We are literally walking in a park right now, Abby.”
“Fine, make jokes,” Abby huffed. “But don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean.”
* * *
When they entered the theater, Jessica nudged Abby’s arm. “Look at what they’ve done with the set,” she whispered. An elaborate “river,” complete with real water, had been built to wrap around the semicircular stage. There was also an enormous billboard featuring a half-naked supermodel. “I have no idea what that has to do with the play,” Jessica admitted, “but it certainly is provocative.”
As the audience members took their seats, there was a palpable excitement in the air—a combination of the crowd, the fantastical set, and the stunning fuchsia sky darkening softly overhead. “You were right,” Jessica said, her voice practically giddy. “Even if the guy doesn’t show, I’m already glad I came.”
“He’ll be here any minute,” Abby assured her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Victor and his girls make their way toward the seats. Isobel climbed the steps on her own, but Victor held an exhausted Chloé in his arms. As the three of them approached Abby’s row, Chloé lifted her head and spotted Jessica. “Papa,” she said. “It’s the bakery lady.”
“Don’t be silly,” Victor said. At the end of the row, people stood from their seats to allow Victor and the girls to pass. “Excuse me,” he murmured. “So sorry, excuse me.” It wasn’t until he was directly beside Jessica that he realized Chloé was correct. He froze in place. “It’s you,” he said.
Abby was sure that if Jessica hadn’t been seated, her legs would have given out from beneath her. The look on her face was shock and bewilderment, slowly giving way to wonder and delight. She reached for Abby’s hand to steady herself. “Hello” was all she could manage to say.
Luckily, Chloé broke the silence. “I ate all the macarons you gave me. Isobel was mad because I didn’t save her any.”
“She’s right. I was,” Isobel chimed in. “Do you have any macarons with you now?”
“I’m sorry, but no. I wasn’t expecting…”
“That’s okay,” Isobel said. “We just had ice-cream cones anyway.” She climbed onto the seat next to Jessica while Victor took the next chair over. “I didn’t introduce myself at the bakery,” he said, reaching out a slightly trembling hand. “Victor étoile. It’s wonderful to meet you.” He patted Isobel’s shoulder. “This is Isobel, my eldest. Of course, you and Chloé have already met.”