When Sparks Fly (45 page)

“It appears that she and a friend went out one night and she met a young soldier named Brock. According to her, she fell in love that night and spent the night with him. Nine months later she gave birth to a daughter. She told her parents that she didn’t know the name of the young man. She and her daughter lived with her parents and sister. According to what I have been told by my girlfriend, they had a happy home, and she had a good childhood. Her grandfather died, and for a while it was just the four women in the home.”

Rob had been staring at Brock during his tale hoping for some facial recognition, but so far Brock simply sat and listened quietly. “When my friend was twelve years old, her mother and grandmother were killed in a car accident. She was raised by her aunt. They’re very close, and again, she and her aunt were happy together. When she was eighteen, there was a gift that her mother had left boxed up for her to open when she became an adult. Inside, it contained an Army T-shirt, with the name-tag
Brock T. Sinclair
. Her mother’s letter said that she kept the shirt because she wanted a memory of the man she fell in love with, but that she knew she was only a one-night stand to him.”

Brock stood suddenly. “What was the girl’s name?” he asked shakily.

Rob pulled out the photograph that Laurie had placed on their end table. Turning it around to face Brock, he said simply, “Sarah.”

Brock fell back heavily in the chair, his hand reaching out for the picture. “Sarah,” he whispered.

Rob sat quietly, letting Brock absorb the information that had avalanched onto him. Brock stared at the picture for a long time, his fingers slowly tracing the faces in front of him. Finally he spoke. “We had a daughter. A daughter. I never knew.” He looked up into Rob’s face, seeing compassion.

Rob gently said, “Her name is Laurie. Laurie Dodd. She’s a first grade teacher in Fairfield.” Smiling, he continued, “She’s smart, funny, beautiful, hardworkin’, compassionate—everything that’s good and loving.”

Brock looked over at Rob with interest. “And you’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

Rob stared back, eye to eye, man to man and responded, “Yes sir, I am. That’s why I’m here. She has no idea I’m doin’ this. She always claimed that there was no need to find someone who considered her mother a fling. She said she didn’t miss what she never had.”

Brock hung his head at this. Looking back up at Rob he said, “I assure you that she was not a fling.” He spent the next half hour telling Rob the story of meeting Sarah, falling in love with her in one night and then losing her the next morning.

Rob listened attentively, knowing that Laurie would want to know this.
Her dad loved her mom. This completely changes her life story. This could change her life.

Finally Brock asked, “Why now, Rob? Why did you decide to search me out now?”

“She’s become ill. She goes to the rheumatologist next week, and I know they want a family history. Maybe there isn’t one thing you can tell us, but I had to try to find out.” He hesitated again. “Mr. Sinclair, she’ll not be happy at all that I’ve found you. I went behind her back, but I’d do anything to help her.”

“Then you’re a good man. And she’ll recognize that even if she’s upset at first.” Grey eyes meeting blue ones, Brock said, “And call me Brock. It looks as though we’re going to be getting to know quite a lot about each other. So what now?”

“Well, if you just happen to make a visit down to Fairfield sometime, then I guess we’ll figure out how you can meet. I just don’t know how in the hell I’m going to bring this together.”

Brock and Rob exchanged phone numbers and email addresses before Rob headed back home. At the door, Brock shook his hand, thanking him.

“Brock, I know this information changes everything for you, but it can make all the difference to Laurie as well.” With a final handshake, he headed back to his truck.

Brock shut the door, his hands as unsteady as his heartbeat.
A daughter. I have a daughter.
He could not decide if he wanted to rail at the heavens for taking away the one woman he loved, or praise them for finding out he had family.
Maybe both
, he thought. But one way or the other, Rob had been right…this changed everything.

*

Jean Roberts made her way up the stairs of the elementary school where she worked as the school social worker, heading to her friend’s classroom. Laurie Dodd was a new first grade teacher this year, but the two women had become fast friends. That was unusual for Jean…she loved working with people but tended to hold them at arm’s length when it came to personal relationships. She was older than Laurie, but it did not seem to matter to their blossoming friendship.

Entering the brightly decorated room, she saw Laurie moving around the room picking up while her students were in the music room. Laurie looked up with a smile as her friend moved over to give her a hug.

Laurie pulled her desk chair over next to another adult-sized chair and motioned for Jean to have a seat. The two friends chatted for a while about several of the students, and then the topic rolled to Laurie.

“How are you doing? Your limp is almost gone,” Jean remarked. Laurie had been dealing with the symptoms of Lupus for several months and finally seemed to be having some relief.

Laurie laughed ruefully. “Yeah, the Prednisone takes away the swelling, but now I want to eat all the time and I have to fight the urge to constantly snack. I don’t think I can stay on it indefinitely, but it’s good for now. When I go in on Friday, I’ll learn about the other meds for Lupus.” Rolling her eyes, she added, “And I get to once again explain why I don’t have a father’s medical family history.”

Jean remembered when Laurie had confided her family history to her. A teen mother. A father who never knew her. Then her aunt Emma who had to raise Laurie when her mother and grandmother were killed. Jean was amazed at how resilient Laurie had been and knew that was because her family had been so supportive of her mother and that her aunt had been an amazing guardian.

“You okay with all of that?”

“You know what’s weird? My whole life, it was just Mom’s family. I never really worried about what my father’s family was like. It was as though they simply didn’t exist. Not in reality and not in my imagination. Now, I find myself thinking about them. Or him. Or… oh, I don’t know,” Laurie said in frustration. Looking up, she said, “I find myself thinking about a grandmother that I never knew. What was her medical history? Did someone else have Lupus? Or any other condition or disease? Were there aunts or uncles? All of the things that never meant anything to me, now I think about.”

“Do you think that as a child you were given one story, then as a young woman you found out a different story, so it was just easier to pretend your father didn’t exist? But now that you’re an adult, you are starting to see things like an adult.”

Laurie looked at her friend with a curious look, so Jean continued. “Look, here are the hard facts. No one knows exactly what happened but your mom and your dad. Your mom was a scared sixteen-year-old girl thrust in a situation that she wasn’t prepared for. I think as young people, we see the world as very black or white. Your mom may have done this. You did this. But as adults we realize that there are all shades of grey in between.”

Reaching over to hold Laurie’s hands, she finished, “I think that now you’re realizing that it’s okay to think about him, and you’re not dishonoring your mother in any way. After all, she did tell you that she fell in love.”

“What about you?” Laurie asked. “You once told me that you had not given up on love. Are you still waiting?”

Jean thought back to the conversation that she had with Laurie a few weeks earlier in the town’s bakery.

Jean had looked up from devouring the scrumptious treat, laughing about the calories she would need to work off.

“Can I ask you a question, Jean?” Laurie asked. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Sure, fire away,” Jean replied. “I honestly don’t have any secrets.”

“I was just wondering if you were seeing someone. You never talk about dating anyone, so I was just curious.”

“I was married once, many years ago,” Jean answered thoughtfully.

“What happened?”

“We were young, early twenties, just out of college. I was working in a school system and he was a contractor, building houses. We were happy, saving money and hoped to start a family soon. But life has a way of sometimes changing your plans.”

Laurie, having told Jean her own story, was well versed in how life can throw all your plans into a tailspin.

“He was killed on a job. One morning I kissed him goodbye, and the next thing I know I get the phone call to go to the hospital. A truck filled with wooden beams was being unloaded at the job site, and a cable snapped. The beams landed on him, crushing him.” Jean looked into the distance, as though the memory from fifteen years ago was as fresh as if it had just happened. “At least I was told that he would have died instantly and not suffered.”

“Oh Jean, I’m so sorry. I should have never asked.”

Jean patted Laurie’s hand. “Don’t be silly, Laurie. Talking about Rick allows me to remember him. I’ve moved on but will always remember. And no, I’m not dating anyone now. I have occasionally gone on dates, but just never found anyone that interested me for longer than a few dinner dates.” Grinning at Laurie, she joked, “But who knows? My handsome prince may come riding up someday!”

Jean smiled as she stood, hugging Laurie. “The same still goes for me. Perhaps, one day another handsome prince will walk in my door.”

‡
Chapter Two

Brock set his suitcase down inside the older, but clean hotel room.
The Fairfield Hotel. What the hell am I doing here?
Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his cell and sent Rob a text to let him know he was there. He had sent an email last night, but now that he was there he could feel his anxiety rising.
How’s Rob going to set up a meeting with Laurie? What will she think? What will she do?

Rubbing his hand over his face, he sat down on the bed resisting the desire to head back out to his truck and leave.
Get a grip. If she hates my guts, then I’ll just have to prove to her that I want to know her.

He unpacked his suitcase, placing his clothes neatly inside the drawers of the dresser. Afterwards, he knew that staying inside would make him crazy so he decided to go for a walk. Grabbing his jacket, he was startled by a knock on the door.
Maybe Rob’s here to plan our meeting.

When he opened the door, he stared into grey eyes that mirrored his own.

“Sarah?”

Laurie was startled by the man standing in the doorway who called her by her mother’s name. Slowly shaking her head back and forth, her eyes never leaving his, she heard a whispered voice say, “I’m Laurie,” before recognizing that the utterance came from her.

“Of course. I’m sorry. It’s just…you look like…her. Do you want to come in?” he asked softly.

She looked around hesitantly. Normally cautious, she would never consider going into an unknown man’s hotel room. Brock, noticing her hesitation but wanting to move her out of the cold, quickly said, “Or we could go somewhere public to talk.”