Page 47 of Laying His Claim
Kaiya wasn’t having it. “You had your quirks, sure. But then, we all do. All you need to know is that the woman you were was fierce and loyal, a talented, confident woman, and a great friend. And you are all those things today. That will never change.”
Jalissa nodded slowly, grateful for Kaiya’s reassurance. But throughout the rest of the afternoon, even when the conversation turned to lighter topics, she couldn’t stop wondering. Did she really want all of her memories back? Did she really want to meet Old Jalissa face to face?
* * *
It seemed as though everything Justin and his family did, there was always food involved, Justin thought. It was food that brought their family together and, even when something else did, they celebrated the moment with food. From his office, he could hear the clatter of Jalissa, his mom and Violet in the kitchen, making dinner. Justin winced at the idea of what would happen when three great cooks got together and began arguing about who prepared what and how.
“Better in here than out there, huh, son?” his father joked, face crinkled with laughter at his own little joke.
Looking over at where his father sat, cradling Seb in his arms, Justin grinned. “You can say that again!”
His father had just been telling him the good news. The person behind the fire set in the Ottawa restaurant had been caught. An ex-employee of theirs, a sommelier who Justin’s father had fired for repeatedly sexually harassing other staff members. Without a reference, the man had been unable to find a job and had decided the Tremblay family was responsible for his predicament. The kitchen fire had been his way of getting even. Now, he was looking at jail time.
“I’m so relieved to know it’s all over,” Justin admitted. “It was really weighing on my conscience.”
“On yourconscience?”his dad asked, puzzled. “Why?”
“Since you’re semi-retired, it effectively happened under my watch. I’m the one responsible.”
His father tried to placate him. “You were two hundred kilometers away.”
Justin waved his hand. “Exactly. The buck stops with me. Even though,” he paused. Did he really want to bring up anything so painful?
“Even though what, Justin?” his father asked. He was a man who nobody could deny. Despite the fact that Justin was an adult, when his father spoke, he responded.
“Dad, I know you’ve always wanted Finn to take over the family business. I know you asked him, and he turned it down.”
The older man nodded. “Yes, but don’t you ever feel that was because I favor him over you. I was trying to be fair, doing things the old-fashioned way, and Finn is the elder. But you aren’t—and you will never be—second choice in my eyes. You’re both my sons and I love you with all my being. Just as you love this little tyke in my arms, and just as you’ll love any children that you and Jalissa will have in the future.”
The possibility of that warmed Justin’s heart. It also made warning bells go off. If she hadn’t wanted the first, would she want a second?
But his dad was still speaking. “And as for your management of the business, I have no doubt that you will do your duty with honor, fairness and skill, as befitting a Tremblay man. I have full faith in you. And please…” his father closed the gap between them and placed his hand on Justin’s arm. “Don’t feel as though you let me down over the incident with the fire. It’s over with and the culprit will be dealt with. We move forward.”
His father’s faith in him meant everything to Justin. It was as though a weight that had been pressing down on his heart was lifted. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you too, my boy.” He shifted Seb to the other arm. “You hungry?”
“Hungry enough.”
“You think those women have managed to get dinner ready without eating all of it?”
“Let’s go see.”
Chapter 18
Jalissa slowed down as she approached the house, enjoying the feeling of sweat rolling down her back. She’d recently taken to going outside for a brief jog every evening, as part of her daily workout, even though the home gym was more than adequate for her needs. But running on a treadmill got boring and, even though Justin was keen on the idea of her not over-exerting herself, she was sure that the cool fresh air would go a long way toward improving her overall health and helping her on her path to recovery.
“Miss Jalissa!”
Turning toward the sound, Jalissa wiped the sweat from her eyes to see Gwendolyn, the new nanny, hurrying toward her carrying Seb.
The older woman’s normally melodious Caribbean accent was harsh and ragged with panic. “Miss Jalissa! Is Seb! I feed him juice, he throw it up. I feed him oatmeal, he throw it up. And he running a fever. I real think he sick!”
Fine shards of glass prickled along Jalissa’s veins. She grabbed her baby from the older woman’s arms, examining his face. It was contorted and red from crying, little fists balled up and pounding on her shoulders. His onesie was damp from sweat that rolled down from his temples, as his curly hair clung to his scalp.
Naked fear clutched her as she began running to the front entrance. “I need to get Justin. We have to take him to the hospital!”
Gwendolyn was close on her heels. “I done tell him already. He coming.”
