Running From Fate by Rose Connelly Read Free Book Online

“That’s the reason that I kept Kevin’s name. He was a young man with no family. He died too young. If I hadn’t kept his name, there would have been nothing to remember him by.”
    “You’re no still pining away for love of him, are you?  You’re s t ill a woman and much t oo young to lock yourself up like that.” He clasped her shoulders and shook her.
    “Where did you get such a ridiculous notion?” She reached up and pulled his hands away.  “I kept his name as a sign of respect and a reminder that he mattered to someone .  Yes there are times when I still mourn the potential that we never had the chance to realize, but I’m not the kind of person who would pine away for a man.”  Except for James Kelly, she added silently.  Of course, she had finally gotten over him.  Thinking of him, however, reminded her of their original topic.
    She narrowed her eyes and glared at Pat. “ But y ou still haven’t answer ed my question. Does James know who I am ?”
    He cleared his throat and looked away.
    “Oh my God. He doesn’t know, does he? What can you be thinking? This will never work.  James hasn’t spoken to me in almost 15 years.  He never answered my letters or calls and he stayed away from your house when I visited from school, even before Fiona died. For some reason he decided to cut me entirely out of his life. W hat makes you think he’s changed his mind?”
    “He never dislike d you, honey, ” Patrick reassured her. “Y ou just made him feel more deep ly then he was comfortable with and it wasn’t you James avoided. He stayed away because of me and tis nae something that I’m willing to talk about yet. There was much more going on than you were aware of.”
    She felt a small spark of hope. “ How do you know that? Did he say something?”
    “No , but I’m his fa ther, I could tell . ”
    “ Perhaps, but, tell me truthfully.  D id he ever ask about me when you did talk ?”
    “No exactly , but the fact that he made an effort not to mention you must mean something.”
    “Yeah, it means that he didn’t think of me.”  She sighed, defeated.  “It was a nice thought, but I guess I’ll start looking for work tomorrow.”
    He stood and placed a twenty on the table. “Don’t give up so easily girl.”
    “What do you mean,” she said as they walked outside and waited for the cab that the bartender had called . “What else can I do?”
    “He hasn’t seen you in years and you r name has changed. You ’d no have to tell him who you are.”
    A cab pulled up and he ushered he r in.
    “Why is it so important to you?” Mira asked curiously as they headed back to Boston.
    He gave her a sad- eyed look. “You’re l ike a daughter to me and I’m no getting any younger.  I’d like to see my children speaking to each other before I die.”   His eyes turned misty and faraway, as if he was looking into the future and liked what he saw.  “You’d m ake me beautiful grandbabies . ”
    “What?”
    Pat waved his hand.  “Oh tis nothing but the ramblings of an old man.”  He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper .   “ I’ve already spoken to his secretary .  She’ll be expecting to hear from you. It’ll no hurt to give them a call.”
    “This is ridiculous,” she said, but she took the paper anyway.
     
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    God this is so stupid, Mira thought as she headed toward the assigned gate. She glanced franticly around the crowded terminal at Logan Airport and tried to make sense of a world that seemed to have gone crazy .   Parents stood by chairs, clutching the hands of sleepy looking children. Young couples sat on benches resting against each other.  Men and woman in wrinkled business suits clutched briefcases or talked on cell phones.  A beautiful young woman walked by holding the hand of a dark haired toddler .  They spoke to each other in rapid Italian. It was a sight that she had seen