One Wish Left

CHAPTER 12: HOTFLASH

Jesse took a cab to the modern apartment building in Hyde Park. As he walked up to the front doors, he shuddered against the cold breeze. October had brought autumn around in full force, and he decided to warm up by taking the stairs to Laura's apartment on the 4th floor.

A petite brunette woman in her late fifties opened the door with a welcoming smile. "You must be Jesse. Please come in." She swept her hand into the apartment, gesturing for him to follow.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Gibson," he said.

"Please. Call me Donna," she replied, reaching up to take his jacket.

"Alright. Thank you, Donna." Jesse scanned the apartment for other faces, but saw no one else.

Donna noticed and said, "Laura's getting ready. Putting on the finishing touches, I'm sure. And Kieran is hiding on the couch there." She pointed to the living room where Jesse noticed an inch of dark brown locks peeking up over the cushions. Just that hair alone was giving him flashbacks.

His visual sweep of the area revealed simple, yet colorful decor. Whoever had done the design had chosen cool gray and blue hues, offset by pops of jewel tones and hints of yellow. A huge painting on the far wall of the living room beyond the couch caught his eye. With overtones of charcoal and silver, the moments of yellow and green stood out hopefully on the abstract piece. Admiring it, Jesse's heart echoed with the strange mix of suffering and love that defines grief.

Tearing his eyes away, he said, "It smells lovely, Donna. Laura said you are the chef tonight?"

Donna waved off the compliment and led him toward the kitchen. "It's nothing. Just a casserole, but I'm glad it at least smells appetizing. Can I get you something to drink? Wine, perhaps?" she offered, grabbing her own glass off the breakfast bar.

"That would be fine, thank you." Jesse put his hands in his pockets but quickly removed them. Then he placed his hands on the granite countertop, drumming his fingers. His arms suddenly seemed like very useless and bothersome appendages, and he didn't know what to do with them.

"I hope you like chardonnay," she said, handing him a glass.

He nodded with a smile, and as he took a sip, he heard footsteps approaching behind him. He turned and nearly choked before loudly gulping the wine down his throat.

Was he ever not going to be stunned by that face?

Laura had curled her hair elegantly and wore an emerald sweater that made a spectacle of her bright, green eyes. When she smiled, it was a crooked smile with a dimple on one side, just like Brodie had described.

Jesse had seen her smile before of course, but just now, she was doing it with a mischievous glint in her eye that made him realize he'd been gawking at her for a socially unacceptable amount of time without saying anything.

"Uh... hi," he finally managed.

"Hello, Jesse," she grinned. "I see you've met Ma."

"I have." He thought he should maybe keep his responses short in order to avoid sounding like an idiot, though he was sure he already looked like one.

Donna busied herself putting the casserole and salad on the dinner table, leaving them to their stilted conversation.

"It's a beautiful home, Laura. Did you decorate it yourself?" Jesse asked.

She looked around her apartment with pleasure. "I did, yes. I've enjoyed the creative outlet." When her eyes landed on the painting that Jesse had admired, she frowned slightly, lowered her eyes, and started picking at her nails. Jesse sensed that somehow it pained her to look at it now.