“…My son’s birthday.” He stroked her shoulder with his thumb, back and forth, then kissed the top of her head.
“Chad was your only child, right?”
“Yeah… Chad. My one and only child…”
Those were the last words she heard him speak before she fell into a deep, warm sleep…
Chapter Ten
…Two weeks later
Breakfast with Kim was a perfect way to start his day. They’d been practically inseparable, and oddly enough, she wasn’t getting on his last nerves as most people did after a while—no matter how pleasant they may have been or assumed themselves to be.
Jack found himself looking forward to their phone conversations and dates. He learned a lot about her—she opened up a bit more each day. For instance, she’d explained the devastation she’d felt when her father passed away. He’d been in a tragic boating accident. He’d been with a few friends of his at the time, all of whom had survived, with the exception of him. She lit up when speaking of her days on stage, but then always tempered her exuberance with a, ‘But I’m blessed to have new experiences,’ or another similar statement—a mere Band-Aid to cover her pain.
She still refused to speak much about what she had going on with her mother, the rift that had propelled her toward her supposed ‘fresh start’ in Alaska—a state she believed her mother would never step foot in again. He could all but see and hear the mixed emotions whirling inside of her regarding her adoptive mother, and he also realized how much Kim loved that woman, despite her not talking about it.
On the plus side, Kim’s sharing and blossoming before his eyes compelled him to do the same. Now that she was providing a little more disclosure, he trusted her more to return the favor.
He talked more about Chad, sharing personal, loving things… such as his son’s favorite foods, travel spots, and a few funny stories that kept him sustained when the dark nights spent alone with his racing thoughts and bitter taste for revenge was all he had. Kim was a good listener, and he found that therapeutic. He wondered a time or two why she’d never married or had children. She was thirty-eight after all, but he left that on the table for later. He relished the rhythmic flow of their talks. The conversations were never forced—sincerely organic in every way. She’d awakened something in him. He wasn’t sure what it was, or how to describe it, but he was at a place where he hadn’t been in ages: open to new possibilities.
They’d been out to dinner a few times, even to a Chinese spot in a different neighborhood that wasn’t too bad, and one evening he slept at her house. It was strange waking up in someone else’s bed, and even got some back pain to show for it, but everything else made up for it. Especially the morning lovemaking that made his toes curl. She was a beautiful goddess with soft cocoa skin, thick dark curls, and a smile that lit up the place. Funny. Resilient. Endearing. A bit naïve, but fully capable. What was there not to love? Well… there was one thing…
She’d been working longer hours at Gus’s in the past week, saving all her pennies to follow what she called her dream of opening a hotel. He had an inkling that she was more financially stable than she let on but wanted to somehow earn her way. Expensive perfumes. Jewelry. He had an ex-wife and his fair share of ex-girlfriends to know a name brand girly item when he saw it. Regardless, it was apparent to him that Kim had something to prove to herself. All of that withstanding, it wasn’t that he didn’t want her to succeed in her goals.
In fact, he encouraged her to do whatever made her happy. Yet, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she’d do anything to be able to get up on a stage and perform again. It might seem odd that this thought tore at him, but that’s what he did for a living: He educated. He hunted for the truth. He learned the land. He found things, people, and solutions. He wasn’t sure how to help her make that happen, get her back on her dancing feet, but he figured he still had some time to find out.
Although now was not the time to dwell on such things. He was on a mission…
Jack tugged at his black and white snow gloves as he made his way over to the abandoned, dilapidated cabin. It looked just as it had that fateful day his son was lying against it. He stood in that very spot, staring at where Chad had rested his head to take his final breath. The blood was long gone, and many seasons had come and gone, too. Walking around the cabin, he didn’t notice anything spectacular, or out of the ordinary. It appeared the same way as it always did during his visits. He was wrong. He paused in front of the structure and noticed a lock this time around. He dropped his duffle bag onto the snow and removed his bolt cutters. This time he’d do a unhurried investigation.