Taking Heart (17 page)

“I get it now,” Jolene said as she slid muffin pans into the
industrial-sized oven.

Padma balled cookie dough and dropped them onto baking sheets. “What do
you get?”

“Why I thought she had the just-got-laid glow yesterday.” Jolene turned
to Ren, who was piping cream cheese icing onto carrot cake muffins. “It was
because of Eric.”

“That’s crazy,” Lisa said. “You said that before she even knew Eric was
in town.”

Jolene threw her oven mitts onto the metal counter. “True. But did you
see the way she looked when she saw him? Our
sister here lit
up like
an over-decorated Christmas tree.”

“I believe that expression was called shock,” Ren said, though she knew
her sister’s words had hit the mark. Still, it didn’t hurt to deny something
that was never going to happen.

“Jolene’s right,” Lisa said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “And you
know I never say that willingly.”

Jolene flashed a triumphant smile. “And at dinner, you two kept looking at
each other slyly. It was so cute. It reminded me of the days when Paul and I
were dating.”

“Well, we’re not dating,”
Ren
said, finishing
the icing and wiping her hands on a rag. “He is actually in a serious
relationship right now. So there goes your theory.”

“A serious relationship?” Lisa asked, her voice dripping with skepticism.
“He flew all the way down here to supposedly fix that table, and you’re telling
me he is in a serious relationship? This guy is just unbelievable.”

Ren shook her head. “No, I mean, when we were talking, he was telling me
about a girl he was dating that could potentially turn into a serious
relationship.”

“And he came here why?” Lisa raised an eyebrow.

Padma spoke up. “Isn’t it obvious?” The woman, who was over ten years
older than the sisters, was never one to offer her opinion on their personal
lives without solicitation. So when she spoke, the sisters three paid
attention. “He came here to see if Renee could talk him out of that
relationship.”

Comprehension dawned on her sisters’ faces for something Ren already
knew. She had spent all last night thinking about Eric’s visit, and it was the
only conclusion she could draw.

“Well?” Jolene asked. “Did you?”

“Of course not,” Ren said hotly. “Why would I break up a relationship
that has the potential to be serious? What kind of a friend would I be to deny
him that?”

Jolene shook her head. “You didn’t see the way he looked at you. Like a
kid seeing chocolate cake.”

“I agree,” Lisa said. “You can’t deny a look like that.”

Ren shrugged, trying to ignore the little tingle of pleasure in her gut.
“It doesn’t matter anyway. We agreed to be friends.”

Jolene sighed. “Fine, fine. If you crazy kids are willing to ignore
attraction like that, then so be it.”

“So you’re ready to date?” Lisa asked. “You’re over Ben?”

“Not completely.”

“I have a nice boy I want to introduce to you,” Padma said, and once more
all three sisters stared at her. “Kam. He’s a very special boy.”

Jolene raised both eyebrows. “Special?”

Padma tsked her. “I meant he’s nice. Handsome too. Do you want to meet
him, Renee?”

“I… um…” Ren stammered, feeling everyone's eyes on her.

“That means yes,” Lisa said. “Ren would love to meet Kam.”

Padma quickly made good on her word and all too soon, Ren found herself
waiting for Kam to pick her up on their date. She was wearing her rose pink
dress with the pleated skirt and low blue heels, and since the Chicago nights
were beginning to get chilly, she wore a cream cardigan with gorgeous
embroidery on the neck. She looked ready. Now whether she felt ready for the
actual date was another question.

At two minutes to seven, the doorbell rang and Ren opened the door to a
guy of about 5’10” with short black hair, beautiful caramel skin, and a wide
smile. “Renee?” he said with a surprisingly deep voice. “I’m Kamal, but you can
call me Kam.”

“Nice to meet you, Kam,” she said, shaking his hand. “You can call me
Ren.”

When he smiled, two seemingly bottomless dimples appeared on his cheeks.
“Well, Ren, are you ready to go?”

Kam took her to Ellander’s, a high-end restaurant known for their fresh
seafood fare.

“You probably thought I was going take you to an Indian restaurant, huh?”
he asked as he held open the glass door.

She flashed him a sheepish smile before entering the restaurant. “Guilty
as charged. You’re probably tired of Indian food.”

He tapped his nose and showed those dimples again. She watched him
closely as he walked to the hostess and asked for a table for his date and
himself. Ren liked his easygoing nature, the way he made her feel at ease with
his smile, but he was a tad too confident for her taste.

Kam performed all of the gentlemanly tasks such as pulling out her chair
and telling her she looked beautiful. He asked her about work, her family, and
her likes and dislikes, all the while listening intently. But as they waited
for dessert, she slowly came to the realization that he hadn’t offered any
information about himself. Apart from his name, she knew next to nothing about
the man she’d been sitting with for the past hour.

“I’m sorry I’m talking too much,” she said, dabbing at the corners of her
mouth with a napkin. “What about you? Where do you work?”

He leaned back in his chair and smiled mysteriously. “I work for a
company that handles a major mover and shaker in Chicago.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“I work in Public Relations. But that doesn’t matter,” he said and made a
dismissive gesture with his hand. “So tell me about your past relationships?
Anything I should know upfront, like emotional baggage and such?”

“Tell me about your past relationships first.” Turnabout was fair play.

“I asked first,” he said with a wink.

She paused, trying to decide if it was worth continuing the date. He was
good looking enough, but the more he talked, the more she realized that he had
said nothing of value. Still, not many men were willing to listen to a girl
ramble on about herself nowadays—at least, not from what she’d
heard—so it was worth trying to salvage the rest of the night.

“I was with my first boyfriend for ten years, and right before he proposed,
he died in a skiing accident,” she said. “And that’s about the extent of my
love life.”

He looked at her with his dark eyebrows raised in shock, and for once,
the dimples were put away. “That is rough,” he said. “And that’s all? Nobody
else I would have to contend with?”

She nearly laughed but kept her cool. “Nope.” Eric, she decided, was not
someone she wanted to talk about, mainly because retelling the story made her
look like a fool. She leaned forward and said, “Now what about you?”

“I’d like to plead the fifth.”

Ren threw her hands up in frustration. “Seriously? I tell you about my
dead boyfriend and you plead the fifth? I don’t know anything about you!”

He put his fork down. “Well, what would you like to know?”

“What I’d really like to know is if you’re just affecting this persona of
a mysterious guy or if you’re actually this rude in real life,” she said,
surprised at her own moxie.

A visible change came over him, as if water had been thrown over his head,
washing away his outer shell of arrogance. His shoulders relaxed as he exhaled
through his nose. “I’m sorry if I’ve been rude. I thought women liked men who
were enigmatic. At least, that’s what I’ve found in the past.”

“Well, it’s not working with me. As much as I love talking about myself,
I’d also like to feel like I’m part of a dialogue.”

“Okay, yeah, again, I apologize. I can be who you want me to be.”

“How about you
be
yourself?”

“But my friends tell me I talk too much.”

“Honestly, that would be a welcome change.”

“Alright, you asked for it,” he said with a grin. “Don't say I didn't
warn you.”

An hour and a half later, they finally finished dinner and drove back to
Ren’s apartment. Kam talked her ear off and she enjoyed his company more
because of it. He confessed that his last girlfriend had dumped him because he
was too goofy, which directly led to his assuming the role of the slick
playboy. Ren assured him a few times that his personality was just fine, that
someday a girl would come along who would fully appreciate it.

“But not you, right?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove.

“I like you,” she said gently. “I just don’t think I’m the right girl.”

He nodded. “I hate to say it, because you’re really an awesome person,
but I agree. The chemistry is just not there.”

“It might also be because I’m still trying to get over my dead boyfriend,
plus confused about another guy who I thought was the recipient of his heart.”

Kam gave her a look of shock, and before she knew it, the story came
tumbling out of her mouth.

Kam gave a low whistle as they walked to her apartment door. “That’s
quite the predicament,” he said. “So even though you’re not entirely ready,
you’re starting to date again because this Eric guy is dating as well?”

Ren opened her mouth to issue a denial then changed her mind, pausing to
gather her thoughts. “I guess you’re right. That and because my sisters were
pressuring me to date again.”

Kam frowned. “So, since that guy doesn’t have the heart, do you know
where it is? I mean
,
have you tried to search for it?”

“I actually haven’t.” She stared off into space, her mouth agape. Why
hadn’t she continued the search? Had Ben's parents contacted any organ
recipients?

“Well, I will leave you alone with your thoughts,” Kam said and gave Ren
a peck on the cheek. “I had a good time tonight. Thank you for calling me out.”

She smiled in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I hope you don’t tell Padma that
I was rude.”

“Mrs. Padma loves you. Nothing I say will change her mind.” He took a few
steps backwards. “Goodnight.”

Once inside she looked at the clock, wondering if ten-thirty was too late
to call Ben’s parents, but she had to ask and sate her curiosity as soon as
possible. Wildly hoping that Linda and Brad were still night owls, she picked
up the phone and began to dial, having a hard time remembering the number that
she’d called so many times in the past.

Thankfully, someone picked up on the first ring. “Hello?” Linda’s soft
voice seemed alert.

“Hi Linda, it’s me, Ren.”

“Renee!” she said. “It’s been too long, child!”

Ren sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you’re still up, Linda. I was
worried I would wake you.”

“You know me, I’m always up late into the night writing.”

“What is your new novel about?”

“It’s about a woman’s search for meaning after her son dies in a freak
accident,” she said wryly. “So it’s purely fiction.”

Ren managed a weak chuckle. “That’s actually what I called about.”

“Oh?”

“I, uh, I wanted to know if you’ve contacted any of Ben’s organ
recipients.”

Linda paused for a length of time before saying, “I haven’t. I didn’t realize
that was possible.”

“Surely there’s a way.” Ren searched her memory and remembered something
she’d seen on television. “I think I saw a
60
Minutes
segment about it a few years ago.”

“Is that something you want to do, sweetheart?”

Ren
paused,
remembering those few moments of
bliss when she thought Eric was carrying around Ben’s heart in his chest. “I
think it could help us move on,” she said.

“Do you really think so? Because I’m afraid it would have the opposite
effect on me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if I can stand there and not resent this healthy human
being when my own son is dead,” Linda said with a trembling voice. “I would be
a saint to not feel that way.”

“What if it’s the opposite? What if meeting them fills you with joy to
know that Ben saved this person? Or to know that your son lives on in someone
else’s body?”

Her own grief was echoed in Linda’s soft sniffing. “My son lives on in my
heart.
And in yours.
That should be enough.”

“So you don’t even want to try?” Ren felt frustrated, but wondered deep
down if Linda was right. What if meeting these people filled her with
resentment?
That even if it hadn’t happened that way with
Eric, she might still be suddenly overcome
with the desire to rip open
the recipient’s chest to retrieve Ben’s heart? Because honestly, she felt that
it truly belonged to her.

Linda’s voice was firm. “I don’t, Renee. If you want to, go ahead. Just
please, leave Brad and me out of it.”

Ren let out a sigh. “I won’t bring it up again,” she said, vowing to
respect their wishes. “I’m sorry to upset you.”