Chapter 9

I called Chelsea, still sputtering, and let it all out. She seemed horrified. “I had no idea. She called yesterday, happy and bubbling one minute, scared to death the next. I was sure one look at each other and the healing would begin. I guess I was wrong.”

Calming down, I spoke, letting the pain come through. “I’d say we all were. I guess once she achieved success and fame, we were just bit players in the drama of her life. You’ll excuse me, but I won’t be coming to dinner tomorrow night. Tell Katie I love her, but I fear if I’m in the same room with her mother I’d say something that would damage Katies’ opinion of me forever. I have to think of a way to tell her. In my opinion her mother is too much of a coward, so I’ll be the one breaking her heart.”

“None of what you told me matches what she’s been telling me for the last two months. I have a hard time believing she could have a change of heart so quickly. She was almost crying with happiness at the thought of seeing you this week. I’m going to ask you to leave your options open, and promise me that if I call, you’ll come. If it really is over, it might give you some closure. If not, well, we’ll see where it goes.”

“Chelsea,” I said, “Promise me you don’t have an agenda here. If I feel the least bit of pressure or the slightest hint of manipulation, I’ll be gone, and I won’t ever come back.”

She laughed sadly. “Of course, I have an agenda here. I want to make sure the man who considers me his adopted grandmother is happy. That being said, it is your life. All I intend to do is provide a neutral meeting ground. If it goes south, if you don’t like her answers to your questions, I’ll support you completely if you walk away. I have no idea how you’re going to handle breaking the news to Katie. She’s a happy little girl, but the strain is starting to show. She showed me a painting she’d finished and pointed out her signature. Katie O’Mallory-Dawes. If you guys do part, I’ll be keeping her as much as her mother will allow. We’ve bonded to each other and I think of her as a real granddaughter.”