Fake Married to My Best Friend’s Daddy by Sofia T Summers
Adrian
Ididn’t know what else to tell her. Jessica didn’t look like the radiant woman I’d met in Nicole’s driveway. She was dressed to take on the world in her tailored red pantsuit and a crisp white blouse, yet her chocolate-brown eyes looked so… defeated.
Asking her to lunch was the only answer I had. She seemed like she needed a sympathetic ear and more time than a casual sidewalk conversation would allow. Walking down the block, we came to a bistro and wine bar - warm, quiet, and built into a renovated historic house.
Of course, the bar itself was empty on a Wednesday around one o’clock, but the forest-green dining room was half-full with patrons enjoying soup and sandwiches. A polite waitress sat us in a wide bay window before taking our orders.
Resting her gray coat on the back of her chair, she didn’t hesitate to tell the girl, “I’ll take a Bloody Mary.”
“Tea is fine for me,” I told the waitress.
“Will this be one bill or two?” The waitress asked, tugging at her black sleeves.
“One,” I answered.
“No,” Jessica insisted. “It will be two.”
I sighed, “It’s your birthday, and I asked you here. Please, just let me do this for you.”
“Happy birthday,” the waitress chimed in Jessica’s direction.
“Thank you,” she answered. “I guess it will be one check then.”
Once we had our drinks and put in our meal orders, I listened quietly as Jessica told me her story with much more clarity. The flustered bits and pieces she offered me on the sidewalk were all starting to make sense. I learned about the sheepish Mr. Noland, the history of her family, and the consequences of some bad timing twenty-eight years earlier.
Her situation was shocking to hear, but there were some interesting parts of her life as well. I’d never known she was born in Montreal or that her grandfather had been a Spanish translator for Latin-American ambassadors. It was the first time that I’d ever seen Jessica Cartier on my own.
It felt like I was seeing her for the first time, not just her devotion to Nicole or her obvious beauty. There was so much about her I would never have imagined. When she wasn’t in hysterics, Jessica was articulate and thoughtful. Her story painted such a vivid picture, but the conclusion startled me. I never would have guessed that anyone could have their citizenship revoked after so much time living in the country.
“How is that even possible?” I asked in shock.
Jessica took a long drink of her cocktail before sighing, “I don’t know, but it appears I might be getting deported soon.”
“No,” I insisted, feeling angry for her. “You need to fight this, Jessica. This is some stupid bureaucracy that shouldn’t be allowed to ruin your life.”
“I don't know what I can do though,” she admitted. “I think I need to find a lawyer who works on immigration cases, and I’ll do some research for myself. Still, there’s too much up in the air. I’m going to be living on pins and needles until they tell me if my case is going into a formal hearing process.”
“They gave you no options?” I considered aloud.
At that moment, the waitress came back with our food, setting down a Cuban sandwich in front of me and a gourmet grilled cheese in front of Jessica. We both picked at our truffle fries first.
“Well,” Jessica remarked with a lone laugh. “Mr. Noland suggested I should just get married.”
“Married?”
She nodded. “If I marry a U.S.-born citizen, I can’t be separated from them. I would just need to find one first. Do you know any, Adrian?”
With another small laugh, I realized she was being facetious. Jessica didn’t want to dwell too much on the emotions weighing on her shoulders. Otherwise, she might find herself knocked flat on her back for the second time today.
I didn’t know much about her, but it bewildered me to see her in such a frazzled state. Jessica had always been such a strong-willed person. I didn’t like that her warm light was being blocked by this ominous dark cloud. Over lunch, I did my best to keep things light and hopeful, even if I was still raging inside.
I served my country as a submarine officer. I knew people who had died serving their country, but they didn’t do it so our government could destroy the good lives of hardworking citizens like Jessica. This was idiotic and absurd, and it made me want to punch whatever bureaucrat was trying to ruin Jessica’s happiness.
As we finished the last of our food, I suggested, “Why don’t you get a dessert?”
“Oh no,” she insisted, shaking her head. “I’m fine, really.”
“They have key lime pie though,” I remarked. “Don’t you like citrus desserts?”
“Um, yes, but how do you know that?”
Jessica tilted her head to the side in curiosity. Her dark-eyed gazed wasn’t its usual vibrancy, but I noticed some of the light had returned. She wasn’t going to cry at a moment’s notice anymore.
“Nicole told me,” I explained. “When I was helping with the party, she had me fill some cupcake liners with batter, and she mentioned you like lemon and lime things.”
“It was nice of you to help with that,” Jessica offered with a soft smile.
“It was no trouble,” I assured her.
She still shook her head. “I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.”
“Yes, you can,” I chuckled. “If you really want to thank me, you can humor me and get a dessert.”
“Fine,” she relented, her expression brightening a little more.
It didn’t take long for her pie and my chocolate mousse to arrive. The dessert was delicious, but each bite came with a taste of melancholy. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Jessica, not just yet.
“You know,” she remarked, pulling her spoon slowly from her mouth. “After all that work, it would’ve been nice if you could’ve stayed at my birthday party. I know someone needed to watch Lottie and Ben, but still… you should get the chance to enjoy your hard work.”
It was hard to watch her eat. I’d never seen a woman make eating pie look like a sensual experience, and she wasn’t even trying. Jessica just slowly savored each bite and smiled in between them.
“Somebody needed to take one for the team,” I forced myself to say.
“I don’t think you suffered too much,” Jessica teased. “I might’ve skipped that party to spend time with Ben.”
I laughed along, “I did spend a good hour watching him breathe, and he smells… I don’t know. There’s nothing like a new baby smell.”
“I know,” Jessica agreed. “It’s hard to imagine how wonderful babies smell, yet their diapers can smell like something died in them.”
Her face was back to its full Chesire-cat grin as she laughed, and the bistro seemed brighter for it. It reflected the sunlight coming through the windows. As she took another bite of pie, her problems weren’t solved, but Jessica was done letting them bother her.
“It was nice of you to pay for the meal,” she offered graciously as we left. “I don’t remember the last time anyone offered to pay for my lunch. Wait, I take that back. Nicole did it last year as an apology.”
I chuckled, “That sounds like her.”
Stepping out into the afternoon sun, the day seemed a little bit brighter standing there on the street corner. Jessica put a manicured hand over her eyes before looking both ways.
“Are you parked nearby?”
“Oh, I’m just three blocks that way,” I explained, pointing down the road.
“That’s in the direction of the museum,” she realized happily. “I can walk with you to your car if you like.”
I nodded. “That would be nice.”
Keeping my cool, I didn’t reveal how much I meant those words. I just breathed in the cold afternoon air as we strolled down the tree-lined sidewalk. We passed by a historic cathedral and rows of fine old homes as we wandered toward the street where I’d managed to find a parking spot.
“This has always been a lovely neighborhood,” Jessica remarked, her suede heels clicking against the pavement. “But I don’t know if I’ve ever walked along the street and appreciated it. I just… kind of noticed it through my car windows.”
“I think you could say that about most of life,” I mused.
She laughed lightly, “That’s probably true.”
Pressing the crosswalk light, I could see the street sign in view. Some selfish part of me considered passing it by mistake. Even if it was under terrible circumstances, I enjoyed my lunch with Jessica, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
Jessica had to get back to work though, and I had to be at a meeting in an hour. We both had lives to lead. I couldn’t indulge myself in the pleasure of Jessica’s company.
“This is me,” I told her, gesturing to the blue truck parked halfway down the road.
“I guess this is where we say goodbye then, Adrian.”
There was a note of regret in her response. I might’ve imagined it, but her radiant smile also dimmed. A frozen gust of wind blew down the street, causing Jessica to shudder herself against the cold.
“Will you be alright, Jessica?” I asked her. “I… I know it’s been a trying day.”
Holding her head, she swore, “I know how to dust myself off. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Well,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “If you ever need someone to talk to, I… I’m always here.”
It didn’t feel like the right reply, but those were the only words I had. Still, something inside me wanted to say something else. They nagged me, pleading for more than a generic nicety.
“Thanks,” she told me. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Her eyes held mine for one brief moment. My mouth opened to speak, but the words still weren’t there. In a huff of frustration, I found my arms wrapping around Jessica and pulling her against my chest in a sudden hug. I didn’t imagine that it would shield her from all her trouble or the chilling February air, but that didn’t stop me from hugging her with all my best effort.
“I can stop if this makes you uncomfortable,” I told her quietly. “But it seemed like you might need a hug.”
Slowly, her arms wrapped around me as she assured me, “No, it’s kind of nice actually.”
I could smell Jessica’s perfume with her so close. There were notes of sweet orange and heady jasmine. It brought to mind visions of quiet summer nights and stolen moments. Jessica was much the same. She had so much life inside her, yet she talked like she’d been alive for a century.
Whoever got to love this young woman was going to be a very lucky man.
“I guess I should get going,” I realized, pulling away with some reluctance.
Jessica nodded, shoving her hands into her pockets. Her smile had softened with a look I didn’t entirely understand, but it wasn’t the pain I’d found. That was all that mattered. I didn’t need to have an explanation for the crinkling around the corners of her eyes or the new smile toying at the corners of her lips. I could just… admire it.
“Me too,” she told me softly. “I was due back from lunch twenty minutes ago.”
“Do you think the museum has burned down without you?” I joked, trying to forget the feelings twisting me up inside.
“Maybe.” She grinned. “We’ll see when I get there.”
“I could drive you over if you want,” I offered.
It would give me just five more minutes with her, but Jessica shook her head.
“I can’t impose on you anymore today, Adrian,” she insisted. “But thanks for offering. Besides, I don’t know if I’m ready to get back to work that quickly.”
“You think they’ll begrudge a birthday girl some extra time?” I considered with a grin.
“They better,” Jessica bantered back. “Thanks again, Adrian.”
“For what?”
She shrugged. “For everything.”
Shaking my head, I waved as I forced my feet to walk away, unable to stop myself from grinning. My chest still twisted with regret, but there was a lightness to my step. I felt… younger maybe?
There were so many things I didn’t understand about that moment on the sidewalk. All I could do was turn around and see Jessica standing there under the bare branches of an old tree. Her long dark ponytail blew in the wind, and, for a moment, I thought I could smell her perfume again.
Offering one final wave, I knew more than her perfume had pervaded my mind. I’d been steeped in her radiance. Her light spread to my smile, and I refused to let it fall.
The sensation was just too good to give up.
