When Wishes Collide (22 page)

"My fear has not been logical."

"Fear usually isn't," he said quietly. "How does it feel to be here?"

"Surprisingly great."

He met her gaze. "Sounds like you're getting better."

"The fog in my brain is lifting. It started when I ran into you at the fountain. Ever since then, I feel like you're this whirlwind tornado that I've gotten caught up in. Every day I get spun in a new direction. Look where I am today – back where I started."

"I feel like I'm caught up in the same tornado," he said. "Maybe that's why we feel the need to hang on to each other."

"Maybe that's why," she agreed.

As his gaze clung to hers, something deeper passed between them. It wasn't just circumstances that were keeping them together, she realized, it was emotion, feelings … desire. The thought shook her again, the memory of the kisses they'd shared making her lips tingle and sending a shiver down her spine.

Wyatt was remembering, too. She could see it in the sensual shadows that darkened his blue eyes.
 

"Adrianna," he began, only to be interrupted by Josephine's arrival.

She set down two salads and a stack of her famous onion rings with three kinds of dipping sauces.

"These smell wonderful," Adrianna said.

"They taste even better," Josephine replied.

"Can you sit for a minute?" Adrianna asked, sliding over on the seat.

"Let me clear a few orders, and I'll be right with you," Josephine replied.

"Okay."

"These are great," Wyatt said, dipping one of the onion rings into ranch dressing. "So far I like your favorites. What else is coming our way?"

"Probably cheeseburgers with grilled onions, mushrooms and pepper jack cheese," she said, grateful that their conversation had turned to food.

"I can live with that."

"I don't eat like that anymore, but I guess Josephine still thinks of me like I'm a hungry sixteen-year-old."

"Well, I still eat like that, so I'm good."

As Wyatt dug into the onion rings, she said, "Speaking of teenagers, where do you think Ben went?"

"I have no idea."

"I'm surprised you're not more upset. You're handling it quite well."

He shrugged as he popped another onion ring into his mouth. "I think Ben told us everything he knew. He gave us the lead on his mom, which tied to Jen, which has led us here. We just have to keep following the trail."
 

While Wyatt took care of the onion rings, she dove into her salad, loving the freshness of the dressing. Josephine had never been one for bottled dressings. Even serving up food at a diner, she liked to use the best ingredients, organic and locally grown whenever possible.

"You're thinking about food, aren't you?" Wyatt asked.

She started. "How did you know?"

"I'm beginning to recognize the look on your face," he said with a grin. "You gaze at lettuce the same way I might look at a '79 Trans Am."

"Really? You're into cars?"

"Is that bad?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, just interesting. Actually, why would I be surprised? You drive pretty fast around the city."

"Because I've been in a hurry."

"I don't think that's the whole story."

"Well, I do like to drive," he admitted. "I took a road trip across county when I was eighteen with one of my friends. It was one of the best summers of my life. We would stop whenever we wanted. Total freedom, a ton of junk food –"

"A girl in every town," she finished.

He acknowledged her comment with a tip of the head. "Not quite that many, but we met a few along the way."

"It sounds like fun. I would love to do that some day. I'd like to see the Rockies and the Grand Canyon, go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, visit the Big Apple at Christmas, see the tree at Rockefeller Center."

"So what's stopping you?" he asked.

"Myself. I've been holding so tight to my dream of running my own restaurant that I refused to take one second to do anything else. I've been obsessed. That obsession has hurt most of my relationships, including the one with Will. He had to take a back seat, and even though he was supportive, I think it bothered him, too. I've probably been lucky that Lindsay hasn't given up on me. I just haven't had time to be the best friend or the best girlfriend. I need to do better in the future. I need to work at relationships." She paused, thinking of how much she'd learned about herself since Will's death. "The last two months, as I hid in my apartment, it became glaringly obvious to me how little I had in my life besides my work. It shook me up to realize how quickly life can change. I should have known that, because my childhood was certainly unpredictable, but I think I had forgotten that just when you think every thing is going great, something will usually go wrong."

"That doesn't always have to happen."

"It doesn't have to – but it seems to," she said. "I need to accept that and be ready for anything. I also need to expand my circle of friends."

"Am I in the circle now?"

She gave him a wry smile. "You're taking up a large part of it."

He rested his arms on the table as he leaned forward. "I think your friends understand your obsession, Adrianna. And from what you've told me about Will, he supported your career. He wanted the best for you."

"He did. He was good for me, too. He helped me take life less seriously. I'm not sure I helped him though. I called his mother earlier."

"Why?"

"My unanswered questions. She said that she and her husband had spoken to Will several times the night he was murdered. They wanted him to work at the law firm, reconsider law school. She thought it was time he had a grown-up job."

"It doesn't sound like they knew him very well," Wyatt commented.

"I don't think they knew him at all. Will didn't have a lot of ambition. He just wanted a job where he could have fun and make enough money to live on. He supported me, but I don't think he ever really understood my desire to have a big career. The irony is that now I'm being offered exactly what I always wanted, and I can't seem to take it."

"Because you're scared." He sat back in his seat, tilting his head, as his gaze settled on hers. "Maybe your fear of being in the kitchen has nothing to do with what happened that night."

"Of course it does," she said, surprised by his words. "What else would it be?"

"Maybe it has to do with the fear that you won't be able to do what you always thought you could do -- be the chef of your dreams."

"I'm a good chef," she defended. "I know that."

"But you don't have to prove it if you don't go back to work."

"I've already proven it. That's why Stephan is giving me the job."

"And that's why you should take it," he said. "Because you're good and you deserve it." He paused. "I think your mom would be very proud of you."

Her eyes blurred with unexpected tears. Very few people knew anything about her mom. She still couldn't quite believe she'd shared so much of her life story with Wyatt.

 
"She did the best she could for me. I don't blame her for not giving me some idyllic childhood. She was sick. She gave me all she had."

"She gave you heart, drive, determination. I bet she was a fighter, wasn't she?"

"For a long time, and then she just got too tired. A couple of days before she died, she told me that she was sorry. She didn't have anything left, and I remember stroking her forehead and saying, it's okay, you can go. But inside, I was screaming, don't go." She took a breath and blew it out. "I didn't mean to go back there. Let's talk about you."

"I think you know way too much about me."

"No, I'm still learning. Today, I found out you like muscle cars. And that you're a really fast eater." She grabbed the last onion ring. "At least you saved me one."

"You snooze you lose."

"I wasn't snoozing. I was talking to you."

He laughed and the sound warmed her soul.

"You should do that more often," she told him.

At her words, he caught himself.

"Don't," she said quickly. "Don't stop. You deserve to laugh once in a while."

"I'll laugh my ass off when I get Steph back," he said.

"I can't wait to see her again," she said.

He frowned. "I forget that you've actually seen her, talked to her…"

"She didn't talk back. But she did look at me with your sharp, piercing blue eyes. She's a tough little girl, Wyatt. I suspect she takes after you, and I know she's going to come through this."

"I hope so. I can't believe I've missed so much of her life already."

"There's a lot more to come. She's only eight."

"That's what I keep telling myself." He paused as Josephine came over to their table.

"You'll still have to deal with her first date and getting her driver's license, falling in love, getting her heart broken –"

Wyatt put up his hand. "Stop, that's way too much for me to think about. I'm still working on the easy things like learning how to make a French braid. Although, it's been so long, I've forgotten."

She smiled. "I can't quite picture you braiding your daughter's hair."

"It really was just me and Stephanie for a long time, even before Jen took off."

"Your burgers will be up shortly," Josephine interrupted, sliding into the booth next to Adrianna. "Now, let's talk. Why do I have the feeling this visit isn't purely social?"

"Because you could always see right through me," Adrianna said. "First, can I say that I feel badly that I haven't been back in a while?"
 

Josephine patted her hand. "Oh, don't give it another thought. I know why you stayed away."

"Because I'm inconsiderate and thoughtless?"

"Because you've made a life for yourself, and you don't want to look back. It's like when you're climbing a ladder, Adrianna. It's a good idea never to look down. You can freeze when you realize how high you are. It's better to just keep looking up, then you don't lose your momentum or get scared."

"That's remarkably right on the mark," she said, not sure why she was surprised. Josephine had always been able to read her so well. "But it was stupid to think that coming back here would derail me in any way. Seeing you isn't going to knock me off the ladder. It's only going to make me want to keep on going, make you proud of me."

"Oh, I already am." She glanced over at Wyatt. "What brings you here, Officer?"

"Actually, it's Inspector," he said. "But good guess."

She shot Adrianna a quick look. "I am surprised to find you hanging out with a police officer."

"I'm helping Wyatt look for his daughter. His ex-wife took her a couple of years ago, and his little girl needs to be rescued."

"Oh, dear, that doesn't sound good."

"We're hoping you can help," Adrianna continued. "His ex-wife was working at Ricky's as a stripper. She called herself Carly. One of her friends said she used to come in here."

"This is a photo of her and also my daughter from a few years ago," Wyatt said, pulling out two photographs and placing them on the table. "They've dyed their hair brown."

Josephine studied the pictures. "Sure, I've seen them, more than a few times."

"Did you talk to them?" Wyatt asked.

"I talk to everyone," Josephine said. "The little girl loved my tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich."

At her words, Wyatt turned pale. "She ordered that?" he asked, his voice choked with emotion.

"Every single time," she said, her tone softening as she looked at him. "You used to make it for her, didn't you?"

He nodded, his lips tightening. "At least she hasn't forgotten everything I did for her."

"How long has it been since you've seen her?" Josephine asked Wyatt.

"Two years."

She shook her head, pursing her lips at the thought. "I knew there was something off with those two, but I couldn't get the woman to talk. She always sat facing the door as if she was used to looking over her shoulder. Now I know why."

"She told people that I hurt her, but that was a lie."

Josephine gave him a long hard look. "I believe you. Adrianna wouldn't be with you if she didn't trust you. She's a good judge of character, and she doesn't trust easily, so if she's invested in you, than you're all right in my book."
 

Adrianna was touched that Josephine had such faith in her.

"Do you have any idea where I could find my daughter?" Wyatt asked.

"I think she was living at the Graceland Apartments, a few blocks from here. I can't remember the last time I saw her, but I think it was a few weeks ago. She had Becky's daughter with her."

"So you knew Becky?" Adrianna asked.

"She was sweeter than Carly, a lot more trusting. That little boy of hers seemed to take care of her instead of the other way around. I think she got involved with some call girl service. I tried to help her, but when those girls get offered big money, it's hard for them to turn it down." She paused for breath. "I wish I could be of more help." She got to her feet. "I'll get your food, so you can be on your way."