Page 51 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster)
A jolt of shock shot through Iris.
“Mom told us what happened,” Krista continued, not looking at Iris. “She told us that you wanted to open your marriage. You wanted to sleep with other women.”
Krik’s mouth twisted angrily. “That’s a damn lie.”
“No, it’s not,” Jamie said. “I heard you, right over there”—he pointed across the dining room, ignoring the audience Kirk had drawn—“that very night. That’s what you wanted, what you asked of your wife, and now you have to live with the consequences.”
“I believe Mom,” Krista said. “And you know who else I believe?” She pointed to Jamie. “Him. Because he’s been better to Mom than you ever were the last few years. I’ve watched it with my own eyes, and I haven’t wanted to believe it because I wanted our family back together, but it’s true. He loves her, in a way that you don’t anymore. So no, you don’t get to come in here and ruin our night.”
Kirk deflated, all the anger and spite giving way to defeat if the slump of his body told Iris’s anything. She breathed a sigh of relief.
A commotion across the dining room had Iris glancing over. Cops appeared at the front door. Adam saw them too, as well as two men lingering close to the dais—Francisco and Brian, Iris assumed. “Let’s go, Dad,” he said.
As Adam pulled on his arm to get him off the floor, Kirk stumbled. Michael stepped forward and grabbed Kirk’s other arm, looping it over his shoulder to mimic Adam, and they escorted Kirk’s swaying, stumbling body back to the front door.
Jamie silently left Iris’s side, leaving her feeling cold as he moved around the table to stand at the front of the dais and address the dining room. “I apologize,” he said loudly, clearly, “to all of you for the interruption to your meal. Please forgive us, and continue to have a good time. Dessert is on the house tonight.”
A smattering of applause came from across the dining area. Jamie turned and rounded the table, gesturing for all of them to sit back down.
“Are you all right, beautiful?” He gathered her against his chest, practically pulling her into his seat to get her close enough to comfort. She tucked her face into his neck and nodded without verbally responding. Warmth seeped in to take the place of the chill holding her body captive.
“Mom?” The word was tentative, shaking, as if Krista was afraid her mother wouldn’t acknowledge her. Iris wondered for the briefest moment if she should, but she couldn’t leave her daughter hanging out to dry. With a sigh she turned her face the slightest bit, still keeping contact with Jamie’s skin, to meet her daughter’s eyes.
“I’m so sorry.” Krista’s gaze flitted to Jamie, then back to Iris. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted. I understand now.” She stopped to wipe fresh tears from her cheeks. “I was looking for things to go back to the way they were, but they can’t, not after what Dad put you through. I won’t keep standing in the way of you being happy. You deserve it.” She faced Jamie squarely. “You make her happy. Thank you.”
Jamie’s grin was only half-formed. “I hadn’t expected the first time your mother hears that I love her to be from her daughter.”
Iris’s eyes went wide. Krista had said that, hadn’t she? And Jamie wasn’t denying it.
Krista gave a hiccuping laugh. “Sorry about that.”
Jamie’s grin appeared fully this time. “Oh, don’t worry. I intend to talk to her about it again later.”
“Well”—Krista wiped at her face again, her smile watery—“good luck with that.”
“I’m right here, you know.” And yes, she sounded cranky, but good grief, they were talking about her, after all.
Jamie and Krista both laughed, and in that moment Iris caught a glimpse of a future she had doubted could ever exist.
When Adam and Michael returned, Iris stood and walked over to her son. Gripping his broad shoulders, she pulled him in for a tight hug. “Are you all right?”
“I think we are all, all right now.” He returned her hug for a long moment, then moved to sit next to Chloe and took her hand, giving her a comforting kiss.
Iris turned to Michael. “I can’t thank you enough for your help.”
“It’s what we do for our friends,” Michael said and reached down to place a small peck on her cheek. “Thanks for making my dad happy,” he whispered for only her to hear.
Iris’s tears returned, but she fought them down as she walked back to her seat. The waitstaff approached the table and quietly began to take drink orders. She leaned close and whispered to Jamie, “So do we have a chat planned for later?”
Jamie winked. “A chat…and more.”
Her laughter was genuine this time, tears disappearing beneath the sweetness of the moment.
Twenty-Four
“That is not how I expected this night to go.” Iris breathed deep of the night air, eyes on the stars twinkling in the sky as Jamie walked her to her car.
His warm hand rubbed up and down her back. “Me neither.”
