Chapter Twenty-four

AJ was in the pool, splashing around with Amanda when the phone rang. He quickly swam to the edge and jumped out to answer it.

“’Lo?”

“AJ!” Howie cried, sounding hysterical. “Oh God, you’ve gotta help me. I fucked up, man, I fucked up bad!”

“Howie? What happened?”

“Lori . . . she found out. . . she’s mad as hell! She drove off, left me here! I can’t even catch a fucking cab to go after her!”

He was outright sobbing now, and it broke AJ’s heart to hear him like that.

“Where are you, D? I’ll come get you.”

Howie told him which mall and then added, “There’s a hotel right across the street from the main entrance. I’ll be hiding out in the lobby, okay?”

AJ was already drying himself with a towel. “Okay, just stay there. I’ll be there real soon.”

“Thanks, AJ.”

The phone clicked off just as Amanda was climbing the steps out of the pool.

“What’s wrong?”

“Lori found out the truth.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly. Howie’s a mess. He was swearing! He hardly ever swears!”

“Want me to go with you?”

AJ started for the house. “Would you?”

Amanda followed him to the master bedroom. “Sure. Howie’s in trouble, and he’s my friend too.”

They dressed in record time and were soon in AJ’s truck, on their way to get Howie.

“Here’s the mall,” AJ said, slowing down as they passed it.

Amanda looked out her window. “Then that’s the hotel.”

AJ parked and they ran inside, scanning the lobby, but not seeing Howie anywhere.

“AJ, in there,” Amanda said softly, pointing to the hotel dining room.

He turned and saw Howie sitting at the bar. When they reached him, AJ groaned.

Howie was half sloshed!

“J! Manda! Nice to see ya!” Howie slurred, holding up his glass.

AJ shook his head and gently pried the glass from his hands and set it aside.

“How many of these have you had, man?”

Howie tilted his head, thinking. Then he slowly raised three fingers, frowned and added another, shook his head and lowered it.

“Forget it, let’s go,” AJ muttered, taking hold of Howie’s arm.

“But I wannanother drink!”

AJ glared down at his best friend. “Look, you messed up with Lori. Now you can either go after her and try to fix things, or you can sit here and drink yourself silly and lose her. Your choice.”

Howie gulped, stood up and looked at AJ and Amanda with clear eyes.

“Fix things,” he said, and started for the door.

"So what’s your plan of action?” AJ asked as he parked in front of Lori’s house.

Howie chewed on his nails. “I don’t have one.”

"Well she must be home,” Amanda said. “Her car is here, and lights are on upstairs.”

“She’s not gonna let me in.”

“You’ve got to talk to her though,” AJ pointed out.

“I know! But how?”

AJ drummed his fingers on the sterring wheel. “Got it. Follow me, D. Amanda, you wait here.”

“What do you have in mind?” she asked suspiciously.

“Just stay here, we’ll be back.”

The two men walked to the side of the house and looked up, searching for the source of the light.

“She’s in there! She’s in the bedroom,” Howie said excitedly.

AJ wiggled his fingers. “Hand me a rock.”

“A what?”

“A rock!”

“What for?”

“To throw at the window, genius. To get her attention.”

Howie passed him a tiny pebble and said, “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

AJ pulled his arm back and threw. The pebble bounced off with barely a sound. “Gimme something bigger.”

Howie did so and stepped back as AJ pitched it with more force this time. They watched in horror as the rock hit the window and then went right through, leaving behind a nice sized hole.

“Shit!” they yelled, diving behind some bushes.

A moment later, the window was pushed open and Lori yelled, “Who’s out there? Show yourself before I call the police!”

AJ nudged Howie with his elbow. He stood up on shaking legs..

“Lori?”

“Tony!” A pause and then, “No, it’s Howie, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s Howie.”

“What the hell do you want?”

“I want to talk to you, please?”

“You are talking to me.”

“No, I mean in private, not like this.”

Lori squinted down at him. “Is there someone with you? Who is it?”

AJ stood up and waved sheepishly. “Sorry about the window.”

Lori snorted and focused on Howie again.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Tony, Howie, whatever the hell your name is. I don’t ever want to see you again, it’s over between us. Good-bye. Now get off my lawn before I call the police!”

The window slammed shut and the curtain was drawn. AJ put an arm around Howie’s slumped shoulders and guided him back to the truck.

“I’m sorry, D. I know how you feel about her.”

Howie was silent.

“What happened? Did I hear glass break?” Amanda asked. “How did it go?”

“It went bad,” AJ answered softly. “Hey, How, we’ll take you home and stay with you for awhile, okay?”

“No, you guys go on home. I need to be alone.”

“Is that such a good idea?”

“I’m not going to hurt myself, AJ, if that’s what you’re afraid of. I just need some time to think.”

AJ and Amanda exchanged uneasy glances but decided to give him some space.

Lori zipped up her suitcase and took one last look around her bedroom, checking to make sure she had everything she needed. Satisfied that the rest of the stuff could be left behind, she picked up the huge suitcase by the handles and lugged it downstairs. Next she went to her office and began emptying it of all her important papers, tossing them haphazardly into her briefcase. She cleared out her filing cabinet, surprised when she came across the manila envelope Ivan had given to her a few weeks before.

“The day of the barbecue,” she muttered.

She’d forgotten all about it. Curious now, she sat down in her desk chair and pried open the metal prong at the top and dumped the contents onto the desk. Immediately, she recognized her father’s gold and diamond wristwatch, the one she’d sent him as a birthday present the year after she’d been sent away. Along with that were several photographs of her mother, a pearl brooch and earring set, and a letter from her father.

Her hands trembled as she slowly unfolded it and smoothed it out in front of her. It consisted of a single page, written in her father’s swirled penmanship on his personal stationary. She swallowed the lump in her throat and began to read.

My Dearest Lori,

If you’re reading this, than the inevitable has happened and I’ve gone to join your mother. Please don’t hate me for sending you away all those years ago. I only did what I thought was best for my only daughter. I wanted you to have all the possible privilege my money could buy. I didn’t believe you could fall in love with any boy who was a dreamer because I didn’t think he was worthy of you.

It wasn’t until after you’d left that I realized I had once been that dreamer, not worthy of your mother’s love. I had made the mistake of judging him not for his personality, but for what he wanted to be, just as your grandfather had judged me. I’m so sorry. Sorry for the wasted years we didn’t have together, and sorry for denying you what your heart wanted.

I know it’s too late for apologies, but I hope I can somehow set things right between us. I kept tabs on the boy you fell in love with. I watched him become a man, a tremendously talented and good man. His name wasn’t Tony Donetti, but Howard Dwaine Dorough. Donetti had been his stage name. He joined a group named the Backstreet Boys, and they became very successful. When he lost his sister to Lupus, I contributed money to his foundation. He is truly someone I deem worthy of your love.

If it’s not too late, perhaps you can meet up with him again. He still resides here in Orlando. He runs a real estate business with his brother and as of this time, he hasn’t yet married. Please don’t let me keep you from him any longer.

I hope you’ll forgive me for my foolishness, and know that I loved you.

Tears were pouring down her face as she finished the letter.

“Oh, Daddy,” she whispered, clutching the letter to her chest. “I forgive you.”

She carefully placed the letter and the other items back in the envelope and put it in her briefcase, snapping it shut.

“If only I’d read it sooner,” she sighed. “I would have saved myself a lot of trouble.”

She picked up the briefcase and left the office, not bothering to go into the kitchen or any of the other rooms. She needed nothing more than what she came with.

With her purse slung over her shoulder, she carried her things to the front door where she stopped at the closet to retrieve her jacket. As she turned towards the door, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror on the wall and stopped to look.

She didn’t like what she saw.

Instead of the happy, carefree woman in love she’d become during her stay in Orlando, she saw the vulnerable and frightened 17 year old girl that left there eight years before. It appeared she was about to leave again, only this time with no intention of ever returning.