Callahan pressed the hold button on her phone and swallowed hard as she pressed the intercom button.

"Mr. Goldman, uhm, there's a call for you on line one."

"Callahan, I asked not to be disturbed right now," Goldman's irritated voice responded through the small box.

"Yes sir, I'm sorry, but I think you might want to take this one. It's Susan Wilson."

There was a long moment of silence, then he finally answered, "Uh, yes, Callahan, thank you. Put her through."

Callahan pressed the appropriate buttons and chewed on her lower lip: she hoped he would be okay.

******************

Oscar pressed the blinking button on his phone with a shaking hand.

"Hello, Oscar Goldman speaking…"

"Mr. Goldman, my name is Susan Wilson…… I'm, I'm sorry to be calling you like this, but I wasn't sure how else to get in touch with you. You see, my mother passed away recently, and she—"

"—Uh, yes, Miss Wilson, yes, I'm aware of that, and I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Did she…. Did she contact you?"

"Yes, Miss Wilson, yes she did."

Goldman heard the slightly relieved sigh on the other end of the line. "I'm glad, I wasn't sure how I was going to broach this subject."

Oscar gripped the phone hard, causing his knuckles to turn white. "Yeah, I was wondering if you knew…."

"I didn't until I read the letter she left for me." There was an awkward moment of silence. "Have you known, Mr. Goldman?"

"No Miss Wilson, no. Your mother never told me about you—" Emotion caught in his voice and he had to clear his throat. "I, uhm, well, if I'd have known….."

"It's all right, Mr. Goldman, this is awkward for both of us. I've grown up thinking that my father was dead."

"I'm sorry, Miss Wilson. I'm so very sorry." He swallowed hard. "I don't know why Elizabeth chose to handle it this way, there was no explanation in her letter to me. I just don't know what to say."

"I was wondering, Mr. Goldman, is there was any chance that we might meet. I'm… well, I'm sort of anxious to meet my ……father after all of these years."

He smiled slightly despite his swirling emotions. "I'd like that too, Miss Wilson. I'd like that very much."

"I'm in Washington D.C. this week on business. Is there any chance that we might meet somewhere for a drink? Or possibly dinner?"

Oscar grabbed his appointment book, and despite knowing that Callahan would be upset with him for making changes himself, he opened it. He was booked solid. But he didn't care. He put a line through his dinner engagement with Jaime and Rudy that evening.

"Miss Wilson, how would you feel about meeting tonight?"

"Tonight would be just fine, thank you."

"There's a restaurant right in town, McCormick & Schmick's…."

"I know right where that is, Mr. Goldman."

"Fine, fine, shall we say 7pm then?"

"That will be perfect."

"Fine."

"Uh, Mr. Goldman….how will I know you?"

"I'll get there a little early and get a table, so you just ask the maitre'd to take you to my table."

"Terrific. I'll see you tonight then."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it."

"Good-bye, Mr. Goldman."

"Good-bye, Susan."

He hung up the phone and a moment later there was a knock on the door.

Sighing he said, "Come in."

The door opened and Callahan walked in. "Everything okay?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes, Callahan, everything's fine. You don't need to worry."

Her cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment. "I can't really help it, Mr. Goldman."

He chuckled slightly. "I know. Listen, can you call down to Rudy's office and tell both him and Jaime that I have to cancel our dinner tonight?"

"Sure," Callahan said heading back out the door. And then it hit her. "Are you having dinner with your daughter?"

He smiled at her. "Yes, Callahan, I am. And I think I like the sound of it… my daughter."

"I'll let them know right away. Can I make a reservation for you?"

"Yes, McCormick's for two at 7pm."

"I'll take care of it."

"Thanks Callahan; and Callahan, let's keep this between us, okay? Just tell Rudy and Jaime that something came up. I don't want to have to deal with the scrutiny of either one of them just yet."

"Okay."

She closed the door and Oscar couldn't wipe the goofy smile off his face: his daughter. He didn't just like the sound of it; he loved it.

*****************

"It's my last night in DC, Rudy, what could have come up that would make Oscar cancel our dinner?"

"Didn't the two of you just have dinner?"

She smiled at him. "Well yes, but this was going to be the three of us."

He smiled. "I'll take you to dinner, don't you worry."

She reached over and ran a hand through his hair sweetly. "And I love you for that, but you know what I mean…." Her face took on a far away look. "What do you suppose is going on?"

"Jaime," Rudy scolded slightly, "Oscar's a pretty important guy you know, and he does have the peace conference coming up – it could be almost anything from the secretary on down." He pat her arm. "Look, I'm sure it's government business or Oscar wouldn't have canceled especially since it's your last night here, so stop pouting and let's get these tests finished. Besides," he kissed her forehead, "I'll take you anywhere your little heart desires."

"How about McCormick and Schmick's then…. They always have the best fish in DC."

"McCormick's it is. Now get on that treadmill, Miss Sommers or we won't be finished in time to even have dinner!"

*****************

Oscar sat at a table for two in the back of the restaurant, facing the entrance so that he could see any young woman approaching the table. For the twentieth time he wiped his palms on his napkin, trying to stamp out the nerves that were making his hands sweat. He felt like some kind of anxious bridegroom; only this was worse, he had missed her birth, all of her schooling, the little things like scraped knees and homework, and what must have been traumatic for her, the death of her mother. He had missed it all and now that the girl was twenty-six years old, father and daughter were meeting for the first time. It seemed surreal to him. And Oscar never liked the unpredictable unknown.

He glanced at his watch: 7:10. He took another gulp of his martini in the hopes that the gin might calm his nerves. And then he saw a young woman in her mid-twenties enter the restaurant and speak to the host. She was dressed in a smart navy blue suit, her dark hair styled neatly to her shoulders. She was fairly tall and somewhat lanky and carried herself with an elegance that couldn't be learned. He felt his chest swell with pride as she made her way toward him, and he stood when she was a few feet away, extending his hand.

"Miss Wilson?"

"Yes, Mr. Goldman, I'm Susan Wilson." She took his hand in greeting. "It's very nice to get to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine."

He held her hand for a moment, smiling at her, then he held out her chair and seated her. After sitting down he motioned for the waiter.

"Yes sir?"

"Miss Wilson, what would you like to drink?"

She glanced down and saw his martini. "Gin martini is fine, thank you."

"One for the lady then," Goldman said to the waiter. He smiled at her. "Well Miss Wilson, I have to say you have every bit of your mother's beauty and then some."

She smiled at the compliment. "Is there nothing of my father in me?"

He looked down for a moment then met her dark brown eyes. "I don't know; if I'm lucky then perhaps I can claim i had something to do with it."

She laughed – a purely pleasant sound to Oscar's ears. "I'm a lot taller than my mother, and I have dark hair and eyes unlike her; I always assumed it was from my father, but since she said she had no pictures of him and he was supposedly dead, I could only guess." She reached across the table and impulsively took his hand. "But I can see now that these are indeed traits of my father."

Oscar felt his eyes rushing with moisture and he looked away momentarily before looking back at her. "You flatter me, Miss Wilson."

"Please, call me Susan."

"Okay, if you'll call me…. Oscar."

"It's a deal."

******************

Jaime was famished by the time she and Rudy got to McCormick's. They were seated at a table in the front and it wasn't until halfway through their meal that she noticed the couple sitting in the back of the restaurant.

"Rudy, Rudy, look back there…."

"What?"

"Look back at that table. It's Oscar and…. A date?"

Rudy looked back and saw the young woman holding his hand tightly. "Hmmm, that dog. Where's he been keeping her?"

Jaime swatted Wells on the arm. "Rudy! He canceled our dinner for a date?"

Wells looked at her with incredulity. "Well Jaime, take a good look at the lady; after all, the man is only human, you know."

"So you've been telling us all lately. But this doesn't seem like Oscar."

Rudy thought about it for a moment, and then it struck him. "No, it doesn't… you don't suppose… I mean, it can't be…."

"Susan Wilson?"

"Yeah, you don't suppose he called her, do you?"

"He said he wanted to wait until after Geneva."

"Maybe he changed his mind," Rudy commented.

"Or maybe she called him." Rudy looked at her sharply. "Well there's no reason to assume that she didn't know about Oscar or that her mother didn't let her know right before her death, or like Oscar, right after."

"Good point." Rudy looked back at the couple again. "They are holding hands, but it doesn't look like it's, you know…."

Jaime's eyebrow raised. "Sexual, Rudy?"

"Uh, yeah." Jaime seemed slightly deflated, and Rudy's voice took on a soft quality. "What is it, honey?"

She smiled at him, although he could see it was for his benefit. "Nothing, Rudy."

"Jaime…."

"Really, it's nothing."

She glanced again at the table and tried to shove down the feeling of jealousy that was flooding her. It was ridiculous and she knew it: Oscar, for all that he was to her, was not her father, and she had no right to keep all of his affection just for herself. She wondered if she wouldn't be happier if it was a date and not potentially his progeny. Feeling Rudy's stare she met his eyes, and took his hand.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just feeling a little…."

"Left out?"

"Yeah, a little. Silly, isn't it?"

"Not really, honey. You've been the center of his emotional world for a long time and now you might have to share him a little bit. But Jaime, Oscar loves you, you know that, and that's not going to change no matter what. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do. It's just going to take a little getting used to, I guess."

But Rudy could see in her eyes that it wasn't over. There was something behind them that looked like suspicion. Yet for now, Rudy knew he would have to just let it go; until Jaime was ready to deal with it, there was no point in needling her.