Strawberry Wine (32 page)

Jason held the peas against his nose while Alli helped him out of his jacket and unfastened the studs on his bloodied shirt. She found a replacement shirt in his closet and helped him into it, refastening all the studs and cuff links.

“There. You look like a proper gallery owner now.” She assured him. He smiled around the bag of frozen peas.

Alli’s phone buzzed in her purse. “It’s from Margot.” She said. “My parents and Greg have gone. Let’s go give that speech of yours so we can put this night behind us.”

“Alli,” He said softly. “You know this isn’t over.”

“I know.” She answered. “But whatever we have to face in the way of opposition from our families, this time we face it together.”

“Jason, let us go with you.” Mary looked imploringly at her son.

“No, Mom, this is something I need to do alone.” He said gently.

“At least hold off for another day. Let Bill calm down some...”

“No Mom. Alli should be coming home soon, and I want this resolved before she does.”

Mary nodded her understanding, and gave her son a quick hug. “Alright. Call if you need us.”

Jason wasn’t looking forward to his talk with Alli’s father. Alli had made it more than clear to him how her father would react to the news of their relationship. He could only imagine how much worse it would be now that said relationship had nearly cost his daughter her life.

Alli’s gran, Evelyn, answered the door and shepherded him into the dining room.

“Bill will be down in a minute, dear. Can I get you some tea? Or something stronger?”

Jason couldn’t be sure but he thought Evelyn had winked at him as she said ‘stronger’.

“No, thank you Mrs. Larsen.”

“Oh, enough with this ‘Mrs. Larsen’ foolishness. I’ve told you a hundred times to call me Gran.”

Jason nodded meekly. “Sorry. Gran.”

The old woman beamed with satisfaction. She gave him an affectionate pat on the cheek. “That’s a good lad. Now you’re sure you don’t want anything for fortification purposes? God love him, my son-in-law can be a real horse’s ass.”

Jason rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. “Under the circumstances, I’d say he has every right to be.”

Gran snorted and smacked at the air in dismissal. “Pshaw. Nonsense. You didn’t stab the girl. You fell in love with her.” Gran put her bony fists onto her hips. “Do you know how old I was when I fell in love with my Darryl?” She didn’t give Jason the chance to answer. “
Fourteen
. And he a grown man of twenty two. No one thought a thing of it, neither.”

Jason didn’t know how to respond. He decided to go with a wordless nod, then, “Well, those were different times.”

Gran pursed her lips. “Gah! ‘Different times’ nuthin’!” Her face took on a serious expression. “You’re a good man, Jason Taylor. My granddaughter is lucky to know you. I’m just sorry you have to muddle your way through all this
noise
.”

Gran patted his arm in parting and motioned for him to sit. Jason took the seat offered to him and waited. And waited. The house was quiet. He could hear the steady ticking of a clock in the other room. Muffled noise from a television program was coming from the direction Gran had gone. Jason was becoming agitated. Was this some kind of power play? Was Bill intentionally making him wait? Jason felt a niggling of guilt at his inimical assumption.

Suddenly Bill entered the dining room, and judging from his face and demeanor, Jason hastily amended his feelings, all guilt washed aside. This man was definitely screwing with him on purpose.

Jason rose to offer Bill his hand, knowing full well he was setting himself up for another rejection, but making the gesture none the less. Bill stopped him with a wave of his hand. “Please, stay seated.”

So Bill could stand over him? Oldest power trick in the book. Jason had a decision to make. He could submit to this man, cower before him and beg his forgiveness, or meet him respectfully as an equal. Jason chose the latter.

“I’ll stand, thank you.” He answered.

Bill’s mouth snapped shut in a hard line, but he said nothing.

They stood like that for a beat, sizing each other up. Finally Bill spoke.

“Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you into the authorities, and have your teaching credentials revoked?”

So it was going to be like this. Jason had been expecting this, but still hoping somewhere in the back of his mind that it wouldn’t come to this.

He looked Bill in the eyes. Jason’s breath caught in his throat. Alli had her father’s eyes. Bill’s deep blue gaze bore into Jason, and it was as if Alli were here in the room with them.

“For myself, sir? No. You have every reason to do all that you say and more. My actions were unforgivable.”

Bill’s eyes widened the slightest bit in surprise. Jason went on.

“I would ask you to reconsider though, for Alli’s benefit. As reprehensible as we can both agree my actions were, and as undeserving as I am of her love, Alli cares for me. I think if you were to take action against me, it would be troubling for her to say the least.”

Bill narrowed his eyes. “So you’re using a father’s love of his daughter as black mail? That’s disgusting. Though, I can’t say I’m surprised in the least considering what I know of you so far.”

Jason swallowed an angry retort. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he met Bill’s gaze once again. “I don’t know what it is you think happened between your daughter and me sir, but judging from your low opinion of me, I’m thinking you’ve got it at least half wrong-”

Bill exploded with rage, effectively cutting off the rest of Jason’s explanation.

“What I think happened between you and my daughter?!” He roared. Margot came in from the side door, startled by the sudden screaming. Bill, in his rage, failed to notice her arrival. “I don’t
think
what happened between you and my daughter. I KNOW what happened. How dare you stand before me, begging me to let you off the hook and using my daughter’s misguided feelings for you as a reason.” Bill’s face was flushed with anger. A vein pulsed erratically in his neck. “You seduced an innocent girl, got her with child, and abandoned her to deal with it alone! You should be in prison, and I intend to do everything in my considerable power to make sure that’s just where you end up!”

“DADDY!” Margot screeched. She yanked at his arm to get his attention.

Bill seemed surprised to see her standing there, hanging off his arm.

“Daddy you’ve got it all wrong! Jason’s not a monster.”

Bill shook her off of his arm. “Stay out of this Margot.”

“No Dad. You’re making Jason out to be some sexual predator, and he’s not!”

Having calmed from his first tirade, Bill was now becoming frustrated again at his daughter’s impertinence.

“Men that rape seventeen year old girls ARE sexual predators.” He steamed.

“But he didn’t know!” Margot looked to Jason, frowning in confusion. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Tell me what?” Bill demanded.

Margot jumped in before Jason could answer. “Alli lied about her age. Jason thought she was nineteen.”

This information seemed to give Bill pause. “Alli lied? About her age? Why would she do that?”

“Because she liked Jason, and she didn’t want him to think she was a baby.”

“You knew about this?” He growled.

“I didn’t see any harm in it. It was just a summer fling. I didn’t count on them falling in love.” Margot looked at Jason then. “I’m sorry.” She said softly.

Jason looked down, unable to bear looking at Margot. The Wilson sisters really did look uncannily alike.

“Is this true?” Barked Bill. “My daughter lied to you?”

“Yes, sir.” Jason answered softly. “When I first met Alli I thought she was nineteen. But even after discovering her true age, it didn’t change my feelings for her.” Jason raised his head and looked Bill in the eye. “I love her. I love her and I have spent every second of the past twenty-four hours praying and begging that she would be alright.”

Bill stared at Jason, conflicted. Jason went on, “It was never my intention to abandon her, sir. I wanted to marry her. It all happened so suddenly, and it was faster than I would have liked, but I never hesitated when it came to taking responsibility for Alli.”

Bill’s hard demeanor was slowly softening as he listened to Jason’s words. They rang with sincerity.

Noting the change in Bill, Jason decided to keep going. Might as well lay it all out there. No sense holding anything back now.

“As to the lying? I’m glad she lied, because if she hadn’t, I never would have allowed myself to know what it was to love her.

“I never thought of Alli as a ‘fling’, to use your word, Margot.” He said, looking at Alli’s stunned elder sister.

“So there it is. I have stated my case, sir. I leave my fate in your hands, as to whether or not you want to press charges against me. If you choose to do so, know that I will fight the charges to the best of my abilities, because I intend to be around nine months from now when Alli turns eighteen.” Jason inclined his head. “If she’ll have me.” He added softly.

Bill was at a loss for words. Margot was not so afflicted. She snuffled loudly, and wiped at the tears sliding down her cheeks. “Why did I let my battery die?” She wailed. “That speech would have definitely gone viral. That was even better than ‘You had me at ‘hello’!”

Bill scowled and found his voice again. He ignored Margot’s exclamation and focused intently on Jason. “The hell you will.” He said coldly, and Jason felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. This man wanted blood.

Jason clutched a bouquet of multi-colored Gerber daisies and scanned the room numbers as he walked down the hall.

Linda had given him Alli’s new room number, and he was relieved and delighted to note she was no longer in the ICU. He knocked softly at her door, and entered before hearing a response. It was a double room, but the other bed was unoccupied.

Alli’s eyes were closed. Jason set the daisies on her bed side table, and pulled a chair up to her bed. He sat in silence, just taking her in. She was still pale, but her cheeks held a little more color than they had the last time he had seen her. She looked so dainty and fragile. He marveled at her seeming delicacy, but he knew she was made of tougher stuff.

There was no doubt in his mind any more that he wanted this girl. He didn’t know who he thought he had been fooling, telling himself he could stay away from her. Encouraging her to move on and date boys her own age. It took almost losing her for him to admit to himself that he no longer had a choice in the matter, whether she had been pregnant or not.

Jason couldn’t resist. He ran his fingers lightly down her cheek and over her bottom lip. Her mouth turned up in the ghost of a smile, and her eyes fluttered open. When she focused on Jason sitting beside her, her smile widened.

“Sorry. Did I wake you?” He asked.

“‘S okay.”

“How do you feel?”

“Tired.”

They were quiet for a minute, savoring each other’s company.

“My mom told me you talked to my father.” Jason could hear the worry in her voice.

“We had a few things to sort out. It’s okay.” He tried to sound reassuring. Jason changed the subject. “So, your mom says it’s looking like you’ll be released tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Yeah. And it’s a good thing too. I have an English paper due, and my English teacher is a real nazi about getting work in on time.”

“Oh?” Jason raised his brows. “He sounds like a real jerk.”

Alli shrugged. “He’s not so bad.”

An amused smile touched Jason’s lips. “You know, you weren’t the only source of excitement the other night.”

Alli perked up in interest. Jason thrilled at this sign of her feeling better. If she cared about gossip, she was most definitely on the mend.

“It would appear that our little friend Yvette got busted sneaking containers of pig blood into the gymnasium. She was apparently planing to take the Carrie reference a bit too far...” Jason shivered with relief that Yvette’s plan had never come to fruition. He couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t have wrung the little bitch’s neck - consequences be damned. As it was she had been suspended and banned from school functions for the rest of the year.