Moments In Time: The Complete Novella Collection (17 page)

“Go talk to her. Just the two of you.”

“Would she let me?”

“You won’t know unless you try again.”

I was quiet for a long time as I recalled
the fire in Leonor’s eyes. “I’ll try.”

“Then my job here is done. It was really
nice to meet you, Carlene. I can see why my son fell in love with
you. Welcome to the family.” He stretched out his hand to shake
mine.

I smiled and pumped his warm, firm hand.
“Thank you. I appreciate you coming by.”

“I’m sure you and Leonor will smooth things
out. Then we’ll have dinner together as a family, to celebrate your
engagement.” He smiled and laughter lines crinkled around his
eyes.

“I’d like that very much.”

After Bill left, I sank down onto the box
labeled
Books
with my head in my hands. It helped to know
someone in Nick’s family was on my side, but I dreaded seeing
Leonor again. What if we couldn’t mend the broken bridge between
us?

But from the look of things, I had to take
the first step. And I’d do so before Nick returned home. I just
needed to figure out exactly what I was going to tell her so as not
to hurt her even more.

***

All packed, sealed, and labeled boxes were
moved to one side of the door, ready to be picked up by the moving
truck later in the afternoon. Only three of my old boxes were left;
I planned to go through them to get rid of things I no longer
needed. I opened one of them, which turned out to be filled with
books and CDs. I sealed it again. I never got rid of my books, and
CDs were slowly becoming extinct, so I held on to the few I
had.

I pulled the second box toward me and froze.
Scrolled across its top were the words
Chris’s Belongings
,
written in green marker pen. After his death, I’d found the box
under our bed with a Post-it Note that said “Things to remember me
by.”

Holding my breath, I slowly opened it. I’d
never looked inside it before. It would have been unbearable. But I
was moving on to a new life with Nick. Chris was no longer a part
of my life. But could I really throw his things away—the only proof
he had ever lived?

Inside was Chris’s favorite cap with a
lightning symbol across the front. I’d won it for him at a darts
festival we had attended a year after we started dating.

I reached deeper into the box and lifted out
a stack of movie tickets held together with an elastic band. All
the movies we’d gone to see together. I sniffled and placed them
next to me. Maybe I’d keep those. Next, I lifted out a stack of
white envelopes, also held together with an elastic band. At least
fifty of them, with no names or addresses at the front. I pulled
off the band. Frowning, I opened one, and when I saw the first
words, my heart swelled—and broke.

Dear Leonor (Mother)
.

I refused to read on. The letter was not
meant for me.

The first time Chris opened up to me about
being adopted and how he felt his mother had discarded him, I’d
advised him to write to her, to tell her how he felt, lash out if
he must, so he could lighten the weight on his shoulders. He never
told me he had followed my advice.

I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand,
then slipped the letter back into its envelope. These letters
belonged to Leonor, and they were probably the missing link—the
best way I could reach her. Offering her an opportunity to hear
from her son would be priceless, surely.

The rest of the things in the box of Chris’s
favorite belongings were a Rolling Stones CD and a journal. Except
for the movie tickets, I’d give everything to Leonor.

Even though Leonor had agreed over the phone
that she would meet me, I expected her not to show up. But her back
was ramrod straight as she strode toward the table I had reserved
at Delucia. We’d gotten off on a bad foot the last time we were
here; maybe it would be the right place to start over. I stood up
and forced a smile. “Thanks for coming, Leonor.”

She nodded and pulled out a chair. “You have
something you want to say to me?”

“No, not me,” I said. “Someone else.”

“Miss Adams, I understand you’ve called me
here to convince me of your innocence in my son’s death, but I’d
like you to know that to me, you’ll always be guilty. We can never
be friends. But since my husband persuaded me to come, please say
what you have to say.” She folded her hands in front of her.

“Should we order first? I thought it might
be nice to talk over lunch.”

“I’ve already eaten.”

I sighed and reached into my bag. “If I only
wanted to talk, I’d have told you what I wanted to say over the
phone. I wanted to give you something.”

Leonor narrowed her eyes.

I pulled out the stack of envelopes that I
had tied with a Stalford ribbon. “These are from Chris. Years ago,
I encouraged him to write to you. I didn’t know he had.”

Leonor’s hands shook as she almost snatched
them from my hand. She blinked a few times and brought them up to
her face, pressed them to her lips and closed her eyes.

It was almost as if she’d forgotten I was
there.

“If you want to talk, please give me a
call.” I picked up my purse and stood. “I have more things that
Chris cherished. Let me know if you want them.”

***

“Did my mother call?” Nick asked over the
phone two days after I’d met up with Leonor. I’d told him about
Chris’s belongings and the letters, and my plans to give them to
her.

“No. Maybe the cut is too deep and I won’t
be able to fix it.”

“I’m sure she’ll call, sweetheart. Keep me
posted.”

“You know I will. I can’t wait for you to
come home.”

“Just one more day. How does our new home
look?”

“It’s really beautiful. The interior
decorator went beyond my expectations.”

Before Nick had left for China, we’d
discussed the décor of our home and jotted down our thoughts. The
day he flew, he hired an interior decorator and several contractors
to put the pieces of our vision together in the shortest time
possible. I didn’t have to lift a finger, which was a relief. All
the packing and worrying about my relationship with Leonor had worn
me out.

“Perfect. I can’t wait to get back so we can
warm it up. Every room, if you know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean.” I laughed. “You
naughty boy.”

“Sweetheart, I have to go. I’ll give you a
call tomorrow. I love you so much, Carlene. Never ever forget that.
I look forward to starting our life together. Don’t worry about my
mom. I’ll talk to her again when I get back.”

“Okay. Your dad is great, by the way. He
invited me for a drink yesterday to ask how it went with your
mom.”

“I’m glad you two are bonding.”

“Me too. Now go and do your job so you can
get back here fast.”

“I’ve always dreamt of looking like a
princess on my wedding day.” I lay on my stomach on our queen-sized
bed, flipping through one of the glossy magazines strewn around
Melisa and me.

“What girl doesn’t?” Melisa thumbed through
another magazine. “Our wedding was on a cruise ship. It was so
romantic.” Melisa’s face darkened.

“I’m so sorry you and Scott didn’t get the
chance to spend the rest of your lives together.”

Melisa sighed. “At least I got a few years
with him. There are people who never get that chance.”

“You’re right.” I squeezed her shoulder.

“Now let’s get back to planning your happy
day.”

“I really think I should follow Nick’s
advice and hire a wedding planner. There’s so much to do.”

“Why in the world don’t you?”

“At first I wanted to be involved in every
little detail, but I’ve been so exhausted these days. I admit I’m
overwhelmed. Invites, flowers, food, clothes… it’s too much. I
can’t believe some brides do it all alone.”

The doorbell rang, and Melisa cocked an
eyebrow. “You expecting someone?”

“Not that I know of.” I shrugged, slid to
the edge of the bed, and slipped on my slippers. “Maybe the
interior decorator has some last-minute details to discuss with me.
Find me the perfect dress. I’ll be right back.”

“You got it.”

I glided along the wide marble corridor and
down the sweeping staircase to the front door. I twisted the handle
and pulled the door open. A gasp escaped my lips.

Leonor stood in front of me, hair in a tight
bun, heavy makeup on in an attempt to hide the dark circles under
her eyes and diminish the puffiness. It didn’t quite work. “I’m
sorry I didn’t call first,” she said.

What a transformation. Could the letters
have changed something inside of her? Better not to raise my hopes
just yet. “No problem. Do you want to come in?”

“Yes, please.” She surveyed her hands, and I
noticed she carried a white silk–covered, crystal-encrusted box. “I
brought you something.”

I stepped aside and she entered, her eyes
flitting from side to side as she studied the interior of our
house. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you.” Was her sudden kindness here to
stay?

“Can we talk?”

“Sure.” I led her to the living room and
offered her a seat. I sat on the opposite end of the couch, out of
her reach. Just on the off chance she was here to attack me.

She placed the box on the cushion between us
and crossed her legs. “Carlene, I came to thank you for the
kindness you’ve shown me, despite the way I’ve treated you.”

I blinked. Was I hearing things?

“It was unfair of me to blame you for
Chris’s death, even if there is sufficient evidence that you were
not responsible.”

“I understand why you did it.”

“I needed a scapegoat, I guess.” She clasped
her hands. “I’d never stopped blaming myself for giving away my
child. I couldn’t live with the guilt of having lost him, so it was
easy to place it on your shoulders.”

“I really did love Chris.”

“I know that now. He mentioned you in every
one of the letters.” She paused. “Thank you for giving them to me.
He told me about his depression and how you tried to get him
through it. He seemed to have loved you so much. Thank you for
having been there for my son and showing him love.”

A tear slid down Leonor’s cheek, making a
streak in her makeup. “I’m glad you came into our lives so I could
get to know my son.” She wiped her cheeks. “He told me all about
himself, what he loved and hated, and that he loved me, even if he
didn’t know me.”

“He really did. You gave him life. He
believed you must have had a good reason for giving him away, and
he so wanted to meet you one day.”

“But it didn’t work out that way.”

I shook my head. “The depression got too
heavy for him to carry. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Leonor nodded and stood. To my surprise, she
came over and hugged me. “And for yours. I’m sorry for what you had
to go through. You’re a good person. I can understand why both my
sons fell in love with you.” She released me again, and this time
my eyes were misty, too.

She went back to the couch and picked up the
box. “This is for you.” She removed the lid to reveal a gorgeous
ruby necklace that must have cost a fortune. “An engagement gift,”
she said, lifting it out of the box and placing it in my hands.
“Welcome to the family.”

I had all but given up hoping Leonor and I
would ever have a relationship. I was glad I gave her another
chance to come around. “This means a lot. Thank you.” I wrapped my
hands around the necklace, which was cool against my skin.

“No problem.” She smiled, revealing the
whitest teeth I’d ever seen and a dimple on each cheek. “I’m also
here to offer my help.”

“Help?”

“I spoke to Nick, and he said your wedding
is coming up soon. You must have a great deal to accomplish in such
a short time. I’d like to help.”

“No, you don’t have to. I plan on hiring a
wedding planner.”

She clasped her hands together. “I’m a
wedding planner by profession. It’s what I used to do for a living
before I started up my cosmetics company.”

“Really?” My eyes widened. “That’s
amazing.”

“It would really mean a lot to me if you let
me help. It would give us a chance to get to know each other.”

Joy radiated through my chest. “I’d love
that. Thank you, Leonor.”

“Call me
Mom
,” she said.

A moment passed as I allowed her words to
sink in. Then I beamed. “Mom.”

As a small child, I’d dreamt of a princess
wedding with a horse carriage and doves released into the air when
my prince and I said
I do
. And Nick was prepared to give me
the wedding of my dreams, no expenses spared. At first, he’d
written down an amount I could spend on the wedding that blew me
away. But after everything that had happened, all I wanted was
Nick. In the end, I agreed to a quarter of that amount for an
elegant and intimate ceremony and asked him to donate the rest to
the Oasis Shelter. Nick happily agreed. In addition, he was now in
the process of having a second Oasis Shelter built, with enough
beds to fit a hundred people, and was hiring staff members to care
for them. He was also renovating the original shelter and replacing
all the old appliances and equipment.

I settled for a breathtaking ivory wedding
gown of tulle, lace, and silk, and a romantic evening wedding in
the garden of our home, with a sea of sweet-smelling flowers and
lanterns hanging from tree branches. The pond and fountain were
illuminated with hundreds of tiny lights to create a magical
ambience.

People from all walks of life attended our
wedding. My foster parents, Tim and Cora, flew in from Germany, and
I was overjoyed to welcome Sam, Lilliana and her husband, plus my
other colleagues from Stalford—who had finally welcomed me into
their circle of friendship. My friends from Oasis—both staff and a
few residents—were also present, wearing new clothes Nick had
chipped in for. Then, of course, Nick’s family, friends, and
business partners were there as well.