Reconnecting the Dots

Tears still pouring down his cheeks, he blurted the first thing to come to mind. "I...I...can't believe it's you."

She just stared back, drinking in his appearance. She also looked at a loss for words. The silence stretched on while tears continued to fall on both their faces. Jake decided to break the silence again. "It's so good to see you. You...you have no idea how long I've dreamed of this moment."

Her expression changed immediately when those words left his lips. Now she was angry. "Oh, you dreamed of this, did you? Then why didn't you ever come for me?"

That question caught him off guard. Surely she knew the truth? He looked into her eyes to see if there was any indication she was lying to him. There wasn't. All he could do was shake his head and sigh resignedly. This wasn't going to be fun. But he should have known. His ex-wife would have skewed things in her favor like she always did. He needed to decide where to start, but to do that he needed to know what she knew, or more importantly, what she thought she knew.

"Ashley, sweetheart," he said gently. "It seems that we have a lot to talk about. But I want to make one thing clear. I never in a million years would have willingly given you up."

Ashley glared at him suspiciously. It was very clear now she had been lied to her entire life. "I don't get it," she said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jake sighed. "It would be better if you told me what you were told. Then we can go from there."

She glared right back at him, a look her mother used to give him, sending chills down his spine.

God, she looks so much like her mother. Hopefully she doesn't have her personality.

Now that he knew her identity, he couldn't believe it took him this long to recognize who she was.

"Fine," she conceded. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Tell me what you've been told about me."

"I was told that you molested me, beat mom, then tried to kidnap me. So mom turned to Kevin for help and he suggested that she file for divorce and demand full custody of me."

It was obvious by her tone she didn't truly believe it all. Or rather, she was questioning everything she'd been told, and was trying to connect the dots to things that didn't make sense anymore. Jake found this interesting, and was more than willing to help her reconnect those dots, but he had to tread carefully. It was for the same reason he didn't stand up and grab her in a giant bear hug, which he so desperately wanted to do. She was in a fragile state and making the wrong move now could be catastrophic. She'd come to see him for a different reason than she was letting on—that much was obvious by the state of her wardrobe and hair. He wasn't going to blow it.

He looked her in the eye and gently said, "Sweetheart, from the way you're acting, it seems you don't truly believe everything you just said." He paused for a moment to gauge her reaction. He was right to do so. It seemed she didn't think she was being so transparent. Her eyes widened and her cheeks colored. He needed to do damage control. "Ashley, you're right to doubt all that stuff. It's all lies." He paused again, thinking back to what she just said. "Well, almost all lies. Kevin did suggest that your mom file for divorce and request full custody. But that's about it."

At that moment, Sophie arrived with the food and drinks. Putting them down, she quickly said, "Excuse me. Sorry for the interruption. Don't mind me," before hurrying away.

Jake looked down at his food and realized he had lost his appetite. However, when he looked across the table, Ashley was eyeing her burger. She looked like she was starving. That made him pause for a second. The messy hair, the less than clean clothes, and now the hunger in her eyes. Things were starting to add up and he didn't like where they were going. His little girl's situation was not good. Something was going on and he was going to make sure he got to the bottom of it.

"Why don't we put the talking on hold and eat. We can finish this conversation after. I'm starving," he lied.

Ashley nodded, gave a small smile of appreciation, then tucked in with gusto. However, something didn't make sense. She'd been in the restaurant for over two hours now. Surely she had eaten earlier, but the way she was eating didn't support that. There was only one way to find out without embarrassing her.

"You know what," he said, as if remembering something important, "I have to check on something. I'll be right back. You going to be OK?

Ashley just nodded, mouth too full to answer with words.

Jake walked towards the kitchen area where he found Sophie talking to Garrett and Joel—another server. When they noticed his approach, they stopped and stared at him for a moment.

"What's going on, man?" Garrett asked, breaking the silence. "Everything OK?"

Jake shrugged his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so. Look," he said, holding up his hand to interrupt Sophie who had just opened her mouth to speak, "I don't have time for the full story. That girl"—he pointed over his shoulder—"is my daughter, Ashley, who I haven't seen in thirteen years." Garrett's, Sophie's and Joel's jaws dropped in astonishment. Especially Garrett's. He knew the whole story of Jake's ex-wife; Sophie knew some. Garrett opened his mouth to speak, but Jake put his hand up again, halting the interruption. "I don't have time for chitchat, but I have a question for Sophie. Did she order any food earlier?" He nodded towards Ashley.

"Not much. Just an order of fries and a water."

"What's this all about, Jake?" asked Garrett.

But Jake wasn't listening. Fries were the cheapest item on the menu and water was free. With this bit of information, he was sure his hunch was correct, and it was breaking his heart.

"Earth to Jake."

"Huh." Jake snapped out of his reverie. He looked over at Garrett. "What'd you say, man?"

Garret chuckled. "Nothin'. You were lost there for a moment."

Jake sighed. "Yeah. I have a lot on my mind all of a sudden. Listen," he said, changing the subject, "I'm most likely going to be leaving early today. Can you brief Karen for me when she gets in?"

Garrett nodded. "Done"

"Thanks." Jake turned to walk away. "If I don't see you before I leave, I'll see you tomorrow."

"No problem, boss."

But then he thought of something, so he paused, looked over his shoulder, and said, "Oh, Sophie."

"Yeah."

"Can you bring a vanilla bacon sundae over to Ashley, please?" He didn't wait for an answer. He turned around and continued on towards his daughter.

She was finishing up the last of her burger by the time he arrived back at the table. Yep, she was definitely hungry. Sitting down, Jake watched her while she ate, still not fully believing this was Ashley sitting in front of him. He took in the face of his little girl and knew he had to help her. He didn't know her full situation, but had seen enough to know he had to do something.

She looked up and caught him staring, which caused her to blush. He grinned back. She looked much more content than she did a short while ago. She glanced down at his uneaten sandwich. "I thought you said you were starving."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Oh, don't worry. Half the time I'm too busy to eat anyway. I'm used to it," he lied. "You still hungry? You can have it if you want?"

"No, I'm full. You were right. The burger was good."

Jake smiled, causing her blush to deepen.

"But not too full to enjoy this," interrupted a grinning Sophie, placing the sundae on the table in front of Ashley. Her eyes bulged when she saw the pile of vanilla ice cream, topped with nuts, sprinkles, caramel sauce, and of course, bacon.

She looked up at a still grinning Sophie, looked down at the sundae, then smiled a smile that made Jake's heart sing. It was the first real genuine smile he'd seen on her face since she was a little girl. Then her smile vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Um...it looks really delicious, but I'm full," she said in a rush. But by the look in her eyes and by the tone of her voice, Jake could tell she didn't mean it. Acting on his earlier hunch, he concluded immediately she was most likely tight for cash and was afraid to voice it. He had to think fast. He didn't want to offend her. Yes, she was his daughter, and in an ordinary situation there was absolutely nothing wrong with a father paying for his daughter's meal, but this wasn't an ordinary situation.

"This is for both of you," interjected Sophie. "It's huge. I've never been able to finish one of these on my own."

Jake shot Sophie a thankful look. She was a sharp one. She was observant enough to know what was going on without knowing all the facts.

He turned his attention back to Ashley. When he met her eyes, they narrowed as if to say, I know the game you're playing, buddy. Jake stared back until a slight smirk formed on her face.

Sophie isn't the only sharp one.

They held each other's gazes for a moment more, then breaking eye contact, Jake grabbed a fork, since Sophie only brought one spoon, and dug in. Ashley followed a moment later.

"That was freaky," murmured Sophie.

Jake looked up with a quizzical expression, mouth too full to respond verbally.

Sophie looked back with an amused expression. "You have no idea, do you?"

Jake looked at Ashley to see if she had any idea what Sophie was talking about. Her expression was just as confused as his own.

"That smirk," Sophie said, nodding towards Ashley. "It's identical to yours, boss."

Jake turned to Ashley to find her with a shocked expression to match his own. And then almost at the same moment they both broke into identical grins.

Sophie chuckled. "Jeez! The grin, too!? You know, I can't believe it took you that long to realize who she was. Have you seen her eyes?"

That caused Jake to laugh outright and Ashley to chuckle, sending more chills down his spine.

Damn that chuckle sounds so much like my ex.

And then it hit him. Earlier, before he knew Ashley's true identity, he knew he'd seen that smirk somewhere. It just never occurred to him that it was his own. Now it was obvious. She not only had his eyes, but also shared a few of his signature facial expressions. Now that he thought back, it was kind of obvious they were related.

"Boss?"

"Thanks, Sophie," Jake said, coming back to himself. "We're all good here."

Sophie nodded, then turned to Ashley. "Well, it was nice to finally meet you, Ashley. We've heard lots about you over the years from your dad here."

That shocked Ashley. She looked wide-eyed back and forth between Sophie and Jake a few times. Finally coming to some conclusion, she nodded slightly. "Nice to meet you, too, Sophie."

Turning around to get back to work, Sophie said over her shoulder, "Hope we'll be seeing you around."

Ashley watched Sophie's retreating back for a few seconds, before turning her attention back to Jake. His heart dropped when he saw tears glistening in her eyes. He reached over to take her hand. At first she tensed and tried to pull back, but then thought better of it, and allowed the contact.

"Ashley, sweetheart. Are you all right?"

Eyes down and in a small voice, she asked, "You talked about me?"

Jake sighed. The eight hundred pound gorilla was back in the room. The last ten minutes or so were lighthearted, but they both knew they were just stalling the inevitable. "Ashley," he said, "I've never stopped talking or thinking about you."

She looked up with tear filled eyes. He could tell she wanted to believe him, but a lifetime of lies had led her to believe that her father was a child molesting, wife-beating, low-life. That there was a conflict going on in her head at the moment was obvious. The way she was acting, though, also led him to believe something had happened very recently to make her question everything she'd been told. The dots weren't connecting anymore and she was lost and confused. He was curious to find out what had led to this realization, but he didn't want to push too hard.

She held his gaze a few moments more, then the dam broke. "Bu...bu...but why would mom lie to me all these years?" She started shaking as sobs wracked her entire body.

Jake didn't think. He stood up, and in two short steps, wrapped his daughter in his big strong arms. He was a little surprised she had allowed it, but now that she was there, he wasn't letting go. He just let her cry into his chest, ignoring the stares of the few diners still left over from lunch.

"Why?" Ashley's muffled cries rang out over and over again. "Why would she lie to me?"

Stroking her back and whispering, "Sh...sh...it's OK, sweetheart, let it out," over and over again, Jake soon became overwhelmed with emotion himself. It felt so good to have his little girl in his arms after all these years. Tears filled his eyes. It broke his heart that she was manipulated and lied to by his bitch of an ex. It was unfair to take an innocent little girl and turn her against her father through lies and manipulation. The results of those actions were in the form of a broken and confused young lady who was at this very moment sobbing into his chest. He would do anything to take the pain away, but that wasn't possible. All he could do in this moment was to hold and comfort her.

It was the vibrating in his pocket that snapped them back to reality. His phone was ringing, and from the specific ring tone, he knew it was his wife. Not wanting the moment to end, he chose to ignore it.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" came Ashley's muffled question.

"No." It was a simple statement, but carried a lot of meaning behind it. What is said was: "You're the most important thing to me right now. Everything else can wait."

After a few more tear filled moments, Ashley pulled back, indicating she wanted to be let go. Jake didn't want to, but right now it wasn't about what he wanted. But before he opened his arms, he planted a kiss on top of her head. That made her pause. She hesitantly looked up with questioning, tear-filled eyes. Jake stared back. After a few moments she seemed to come to some decision. Instead of pulling back as she originally intended, she reversed course and pulled him in tighter, continuing the hug.

"Why did she lie to me?" Ashley's muffled voice was soft, but there was a hint of steel to it. She really wanted to know the answer. The way she put the question this time, though, made Jake take notice. At first it was: "Why wouldshe lie to me?", as if she didn't fully accept she'd been lied to. But now it was: "Why did she lie to me?" The question took on a whole new meaning with the switch of one little word.

Jake knew only the truth would suffice, but the problem was, he didn't really know the truth. He had his own thoughts on the matter, but his ex had never given him a clear-cut answer as to why she totally destroyed his life. Jake sighed. He'd done a lot of that today. "I'm going to be honest," he said. "I don't really know the answer to that. I've asked myself why she did what she did a million times."

Ashley pulled back indicating she wanted to be let go. Opening his arms, she sat down.

Returning to his seat, Jake looked down to see the table cleared, including the forgotten ice cream sundae. The only things left where their drinks and a stack of paper napkins that hadn't been there before. He glanced towards the bar to see Sophie and Joel watching with smiles on their faces. Sophie winked, then turned back to Joel, causing Jake to chuckle.

"Sophie's really nice," Ashley said. She had seen the exchange.

Jake picked up a napkin and handed it to her. "Yeah, she is. I'm lucky to have people like her working for me."

"Thanks," Ashley said, wiping her eyes the blowing her nose. "Can you tell me what happened, then? I really need to know?" There was a desperate tone to her voice.

Jake nodded. "I'll tell you everything I know. You deserve the truth." He took a sip of his drink and cleared his throat. He knew this was going to be difficult, but it had to be done. Steeling himself, he began: "Me and your mom met in high school—"

"I know that part," interrupted Ashley. "You, mom and Kevin all went to high school together. Mom dated Kevin, but they broke up, then you started dating her. You and mom got married after high school—she got pregnant with me." It was as if she was reciting the cliff notes version of everything she'd heard growing up. "It's what happened after that when things stop adding up."

Jake nodded. "Did she tell you I was a musician?"

"Yeah. She said you were a wannabe rock star loser who didn't know when to give up your dreams."

Jake chuckled. "Well, except for the loser part, she wasn't wrong there."

That made Ashley's eyebrows raise in surprise.

He cleared his throat. "When we were dating, your mother loved that I was a musician. I was in bands from the time I was fourteen. By the time I was in high school I was in a band that was making some good money playing gigs on the weekends. She came to every show. She was really into it. When we graduated, your mom wanted to get married, so we did."

"Did you love her?" asked Ashley.

"With all my heart. I worshiped the ground she walked on. I wanted to ask her to marry me, but it wasn't the cool thing to do." He grinned slightly. "Adults got married and adults were lame. But when she was the one to bring it up, I went out and got a ring the next day." Then his face turned serious. "And the thing that didn't make sense back then, and still doesn't now, was that she loved me, too." Ashley scowled at that. "And things were great once we got married. I was bartending during the week at this club on the beach making good money and playing gigs on the weekend. Your mom was working at a spa answering phones."

"What happened, then?" Ashley asked bitterly. Jake could see the wheels turning in her head. "How did it all go so wrong?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Things were going great. Your mom got pregnant; we were saving up to buy a house." Jake paused with a faraway look in his eyes. Sighing, he continued: "Once you were born, things got even better. She was so happy. We both were. Or so I thought."

Ashley stared back with a skeptical expression. He could tell she was having a difficult time reconciling his version from the version she'd been told.

"And then right before your third birthday, it all came crashing down," he said with a scowl. "One day I came home to find your mom and Kevin fuc...I mean in bed together." He blushed, realizing he was being a little too graphic.

Ashley ignored the slip. She had a scowl of her own on her face. She didn't like where this was going.

"Imagine how shocked I was to find the woman I loved in my bed with that asshole," he said. "I never really liked Kevin. We knew each other, but there was always something about him that turned me off. I knew they had dated sophomore year, but she never let on that they were still friendly." Jake paused for a moment trying to find the right words for what he was about to say next. Sighing, he continued: "In hindsight it's probably what I did next, I'm sorry to say, that set off the chain of events that led to this whole mess." Jake paused to gauge her reaction to this bit of information. Her face was blank. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, so he carried on: "I freaked. I grabbed him and beat the crap out of him—broke his nose and a few ribs. And what made the whole thing worse was that your mom was trying to protect him." His face took on a pained expression. Even after all these years that memory still hurt.

He snapped out of his reverie when he felt Ashley's hand take his own. He looked up to see anger in her eyes, but he knew it wasn't directed at him. He could tell she was angry over how they were both treated by a woman who claimed to have loved them both.