Friday, April 10
Two-and-a-half years later
Jason Rodgers was about to implement the mission to finally bury his ghosts.
The carefully laid plans had been in place for weeks. Tonight marked their beginning. The first step to making his life whole again. And in the days to follow, he would put his past behind him —and keep it there.
He leaned back, satisfied, pleased with himself. Everything he planned was going perfectly. Almost perfectly, anyway.
The meal had been fantastic, the service exemplary. Everything went off without a hitch. Except, that is, for Chrissie’s demeanor.
“Are you okay?” he asked Christine Pettigrew. “You seem tired.”
Chrissie sat across from him on the balcony level of the restaurant, looking uninspired and melancholy for most of the evening. Jason had noticed a change in her in the last few weeks and sensed her frustration mounting. She had been working very hard lately. She had achieved a level of success in her career that both Jason and Chrissie were extremely proud of. But tonight she seemed particularly bothered. Jason had a plan to change that, too.
She has no idea, he thought, sipping his coffee. She will be pleased and surprised. That will change her mood! It will change everything.
They completed an exquisite dinner capped off by a mountainous dessert of chocolate cake dripping in thick fudge. The Freemason Abbey in downtown Norfolk, Virginia, had been one of the premier dining establishments for decades. Nearly a century and half old, it began, as the name suggests, as a church, changed hands numerous times throughout its history, and was finally converted into a beacon of fine dining, sating the appetites of Hampton Roads inhabitants ever since. Jason had chosen it because they had never eaten there together. It was a special occasion, and the ambiance was perfect.
Chrissie looked over the half-eaten dessert they had shared, pressing her lips into a thin line. Jason had scarfed down most of it. Chrissie had only tried a small forkful, maybe two.
“Yeah, I am,” she replied in a lifeless tone.
“Chrissie, something’s been bothering you all night. I can tell. You should be excited. You finally got the partnership you’ve been shooting for. The firm is exploding with business. The Colonial ownership has transferred back to you. That process is finally over with. And we are filling more prescriptions than we did last year. This year is going to be a very lucrative one. And I’m talking about more than just dollars.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Jason turned to look for their waitress. She was standing off to the side, waiting for his signal. He made eye contact with her and winked so Chrissie couldn’t see it.
“I said,” Chrissie asked again, “what’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll see.”
The waitress appeared, pushing a narrow cart on which sat a large bottle of champagne and two flutes. She showed the bottle to Jason and began uncorking it.
“Jason, I’ve already had three glasses of wine. I don’t need any more.”
“Just a small taste,” he replied. “Just take a sip.”
The waitress poured a small sample into Jason’s glass. He placed his nose over the glass and inhaled, pretending he knew something about champagne. He sipped it and nodded his approval. Then the server poured two glasses and placed before both of them.
“A toast,” Jason said, lifting his glass. “I love you, Chrissie. To you and me, we are a great team.”
The waitress had turned her back to them. Just as Jason finished making his toast, she turned around to face them. She placed a round white bread plate on the table between them.
On it rested a small velvet box.
“You’ve been acting like an ass all day, Michael,” Jenny told her son. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She was sitting on the edge of Michael’s bed. Michael was lying on his back staring at the ceiling. His face was a palate of frustration and worry.
“My life sucks,” he hissed.
“I know it seems that way,” Jenny counseled. “But your father getting remarried isn’t the end of the world.”
Michael rolled on his side and propped himself up on an elbow. “You knew and you didn’t tell me?”
“I’m your mother, Michael. Your father told me that he was going to tell you yesterday. It was the proper thing to do. You should feel good that he gave you a head’s up that he was going to propose.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it wasn’t my place.”
“I don’t like her.”
“Chrissie? I’ve met her several times. She seems like a nice person. Why do you say you don’t like her?”
“Because she’s making him move. When they get married they’re going to live at her house.”
“I know your father. She’s not making him do anything. If he’s moving, it’s because he thinks that’s what’s best for them.”
“I didn’t like it when you and Mark moved us out here to the Salt Ponds. What was wrong with the house in York County?”
“There was nothing wrong with it.”
“Then why did we move?”
“It was just time,” Jenny replied, looking away.
“Bullshit!”
“Watch your mouth!” Jenny slapped his leg as he lay there. “I don’t want to hear language like that again.”
“You and Mark put the house up for sale a week after whatever happened to dad. What happened that night?”
Jenny sighed.
“I know it was something bad. And don’t tell me it was a car accident. Because I know you’re lying.”
Jenny looked out the window into the darkness shrouding their oceanfront home.
“Aren’t you going to tell me?”
“I’m not having this conversation now,” Jenny declared. “Your father loves you very much. You’re still going to see him, Michael. He has a right to live his life. These are the types of issues we all deal with as adults.”
Michael got up from the bed and walked to the window. It looked out on the waves of Chesapeake Bay crashing in the dim wash of light. He studied the line of rotting pilings disappearing into the water.
“I still don’t like it!”
“You can visit Pity City, Michael. But you can’t live there. You will have to get past this.”
Michael’s response was a frustrated grunt. Jenny continued speaking without acknowledging Michael.
“Your father told me that you really haven’t given Christine a chance. You’ve been distant since the first day you’ve met her. Has she treated you badly?”
Michael stared into the darkness as his mind wafted back to that night. He’d heard her voice before he’d met her, and the words he’d heard spoken that night between his father and that woman had stung him to his core.