Page 45 of A Night To Remember

“It’s not just any present. She doesn’t draw pictures for just anyone. I appreciate you inviting us to your parents’ for dinner tonight. Kristy has been looking forward to this visit all week. She couldn’t stop talking about you,” Charlie explained. “Thanks for calling every night while you were away. Kristy enjoyed talking to you. She’s at the stage where she loves talking on the phone.”

“No problem. I missed her.” He smiled.

“I never realized that she knew she didn’t have a father, but I guess most of the kids at daycare talk about their fathers and Kristy is so smart… I just never thought… I mean she never mentioned it. I should have known.” She made a clumsy attempt at explaining her predicament.

“Don’t worry about it, Charlie. It’s the past. I’m here now, so we won’t talk about it again.”

“But—”

Jake placed a finger over her lips.

“We won’t talk about it again,” he repeated.

“Daddy, look at my picture.” Kristy returned, tugging on Jake’s pant leg to gain his attention.

Jake took her drawing and scrutinized it as if he were a die-hard art critic. Charlie appreciated that Jake was making such a big deal over the picture although she knew it was just a bunch of squiggles on a piece of paper. She could tell Kristy was thrilled.

“It’s beautiful, sweetheart. Can I keep it?”

“Sure. I drawed it for you.” Kristy rolled her eyes.

Jake chuckled, making eye contact with Charlie. “I was right. She’s definitely a thirty-year-old trapped in a two-year-old’s body.

Charlie smiled at the picture father and daughter made. “Don’t I know it,” she replied.

He turned his gaze back to Kristy, smiling indulgently at her. “You look pretty today, sweetie. Did you pick out your outfit yourself?”

“Mommy did, but I helped.” Kristy seemed quite proud of herself.

She looked adorable in a mini jean skirt and a pink T-shirt. Her two curly pigtails were tied with little pink ribbons. Charlie was usually very diligent about how Kristy looked when she left the house, but she was extra careful dressing her child tonight. The last thing she wanted was for Jake’s family to find fault in anything concerning Kristy.

“I brought something for you, too, sweetie,” Jake said to the two-year-old.

Kristy’s eyes widened at all the gifts before her. Jake had brought several stuffed animals and a doll.

“If she didn’t love you before, she’ll love you forever now. She already has so many toys, though,” Charlie pointed out.

“Not from her father. Look at this one.” Jake handed Charlie a doll with café au lait skin and blue eyes like Kristy’s.

“I didn’t realize they made dolls like this.” Charlie examined the obviously expensive toy. The quality of the toy shouted money.

“They have a shop in San Diego, that’s where I was, by the way, that specializes in making dolls. You can have them customized to your specification.”

“You must have spent a lot of money.”

“That’s inconsequential where my daughter is concerned.”

He sounded so proprietary already. Charlie knew it was wrong, but she felt a slight twinge of jealousy at Jake’s lack of concern for finances. She bit it back. She was happy that Jake could give Kristy the things that she couldn’t. “She’ll really like this doll. You’re going to spoil her with all this stuff.” Charlie sighed.

He shrugged. “So what? I have two and a half years of gift giving to make up for.” At the mention of Jake’s two year absence from their daughter’s life, Charlie clammed up.

Jake squeezed her hand. “It wasn’t meant as a criticism, Charlie. I passed the toyshop and I wanted to buy her something. By the time I finished, I had a shopping cart full of things. As a matter of fact there are more toys at my place, but I thought I’d keep them there, for when she visits me.”

“I know you didn’t mean to criticize, Jake. Here, give her the doll.” She handed the toy back to him.

Just as Charlie predicted, Kristy was enthralled by the doll that “looked like her”.

“So are you ready to go?”

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