Authors' Note: Okay, so this story, in normal html format, has links dispersed through it to give you a glimpse at what we see as we write this. Be it a hand-drawn floor plan of the townhouse, or a picture of the Lexus, or a picture of the actor/actress we think should be one of our original characters, we wanted to give the readers something to envision while they were reading. Unfortunately, ff.net doesn't link things, so if you want to see the links that would normally be there, email us at evil_sister_2@yahoo.com and we'll hook you up with the links. ~ Evil Sisters
CJ looked himself once over in the mirror, straightening out his clothes. As he walked down the stairs of his townhouse, he double checked that he had everything ready. He smiled thinking about Jen, picking up the keys from the counter. He hoped that tonight would go off without a hitch. He smiled even more as he pulled up outside of Jen's house. He parked the car, that David had been brought back the previous night, and quickly grabbed the single red and yellow rose before walking up to the door. He rung the bell shivering just a little at the cold wind.
"Hey," greeted Jack, opening the door. "Come on in."
"Thanks."
"She's just finishing up," said Jack as CJ followed him into the living room.
"Okay, thanks," replied CJ as he sat down on the couch.
"Hi," said Jen softly as she came down the stairs.
CJ stood up as he heard her voice. She looked magnificent in a red bateau necked sweater and a black fitted ankle length skirt.
"Hey," he said, handing her the rose. "This is for you."
"Thank you," she replied taking the rose from him.
Jen was stunned at how good he looked. He wore a simple blue silk shirt and black slacks; despite the simplicity, he still looked gorgeous.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yup."
"Then let's go," he said after shrugging on his black, polo styled cashmere jacket.
"Ok."
CJ held out Jen's black cashmere blazer, helping her shrug into it without jarring her shoulder.
"Thank you," she said as he took his elbow. "Bye guys. Don't wait up."
"We won't," replied David and Jack simultaneously, smiling to each other.
After stepping outside, Jen gasped at the sight before her. On the curb was a beautifully white Lexus IS300. "Is this yours?" she asked, turning to CJ.
"Yes," he said, leading her down the walk.
She smiled at him as he opened her door. "A perfect gentleman."
"Why, of course."
She managed to wait until they had pulled away from the curb, still fingering her rose, before asking the question she was dying to ask. "So, spill. Tell me how you got the car."
"A little present from my absentee father last Christmas," replied CJ.
"And you kept it?" she asked, surprised that he had accepted a gift from his father.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? Saves me the trouble of purchasing my own."
"Smart decision."
"Let's not talk about my family right now. So how was your day?" he asked taking her hand into his.
"It was quite uneventful. The guys pampered me while we watched all the great daytime soaps and I took a nap. The pills made me sleepy again."
"No wonder you looked so rested," he teased. "Having two guys at your beck and call."
"They were annoying actually. I would much rather have gotten my own glass of water, but I couldn't say no to them. They were only trying to help."
CJ chuckled at the mental image of an annoyed Jen being served by those two rascals. "We're here," said CJ as he pulled into a parking spot on the curb.
"Aspasia!" She laughed. "We did make it here. Oh, and they're supposed to have exquisite food."
"They indeed do have exquisite food," said CJ while helping Jen out of the car, the rose forgotten in the back seat.
"It's also rumored to be really expensive," Jen said, her brows knitted together. "Are you sure about eating here?"
CJ held out his arm for her. "Of course I'm sure," he chuckled. "This way, milady."
"Milady? You'd better be careful; I might just get used to this." Jen smiled.
"Oh. I don't think I'll mind," CJ replied as the duo stepped into the restaurant. Addressing the hostess, "CJ Anderson Party".
"Mr. Anderson, it's nice to see you again."
"Likewise, Angela."
"Please give me a minute to set your table."
"No problem."
While CJ was handling their reservations, Jen took in the ambiance of the restaurant. The mood was incredibly romantic in the small dining establishment where the linen tablecloths were crisp and white, soft jazz was playing the background and flowers were decorated beautifully around the room as if they were meant to be there. The atmosphere was astonishingly elegant yet comfortable, and not stifling like many other high end restaurants.
"Angela, huh?" Jen raised an eyebrow at him.
"So I come here sometimes," CJ shrugged.
"Uh-huh," she replied in disbelief, but allowed the subject to drop for now.
"Anderson Party?" asked Angela, looking as though she was addressing someone else.
CJ moved to step forward but he caught some movement in his peripheral vision. He turned his head and groaned at who he saw. He tried to turn away, but it was obvious that the other man had seen him.
"What's wrong?" Jen asked, hearing his groan.
"Oh, nothing," CJ grumbled.
"Christopher," said the approaching man.
"Christopher?" Jen whispered.
"I'll explain later," CJ replied in a whisper to Jen. Raising his voice to a normal level, he turned toward the man and unhappily said, "Geoffrey."
"Chris, how are you?" Geoff asked politely.
"I'm all right, and you?"
"Not bad. Lots to do since we don't nearly have enough help at the firm."
"Just hire more people. I'm sure it's affordable."
"Of course. But you know the old man, he'd much prefer to keep it in the family."
"The answer is still 'no'."
"I know. I've told him a million times already, but you know how he is since he's getting older," replied Geoff. "So, who's the pretty gal you have with you?"
"Geoff, this is my girlfriend, Jennifer Lindley. Jen, this is my brother, Geoffrey Michael Anderson, boy genius of Anderson and Associates."
"It's nice to meet you," said Geoff, shaking hands.
"Nice to meet you too," she replied politely not knowing what to make of this new information. Jen looked more closely at the man CJ claimed to be his brother. They showed no resemblance whatsoever. Geoff was about 5'8" with jet black hair and dark brown eyes and was slimly built. He also spook with a slight British accent, which Jen found weird. He was the complete opposite of CJ.
"And who's this with you?" asked CJ gesturing to the lady next to his brother, his arm slung possessively over Jen's shoulder.
"I'm sure you remember my secretary, Jessica Haley. Jessica, my brother Chris and his girlfriend Jen."
"Nice to see you again Chris," she said sweetly. "Jen," Jess nodded.
"Mr. Anderson," Angela interrupted turning to CJ. "Your usual table is ready. If you'll follow me."
"Well, it seems my table is ready," said CJ to his brother. "It's been nice talking to you." CJ took Jen's hand and followed the hostess to their table.
"Your usual table?" Jen inquired.
CJ shrugged.
"Your server will be with you shortly," said Angela as CJ helped Jen into her seat after having rid themselves of their jackets.
"Thank you Angela."
"CJ," Jen nearly squealed as Angela walked away, "why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"
"It wasn't all that important," CJ shrugged.
"Mr Anderson," said the server. "What can I get the two of you to drink?"
"Two glasses of my usual non-alcoholic Peach Chardonnay, Alan," replied CJ.
"Of course," he said. "Your orders have been prepared and they'll be out shortly. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
"Nope, that's fine. Thank you."
"Ordered already?"
"Yes, I wanted this to be perfect," he said taking her hand into his.
Alan promptly returned with their Chardonnay in beautiful crystal flutes and after he'd left, Jen decided it was time to ask more questions.
"Seriously, CJ, why didn't you mention that you had a brother before?"
"Because it wasn't all that important."
"You keep saying that," she said, glaring at him, upset that he hadn't told her about Geoffrey.
"Because it's the truth," CJ said. "Dear old dad didn't think that he'd get a son out of his cheating wife, so when he reached forty hitting a mid-life crisis, he went and adopted Geoff. Low and behold, there I was, Christopher James Anderson III, less than nine months after."
"So that's your full name," Jen said, pausing. "Hmmm, doesn't sound like a very good family environment."
"Oh, it wasn't. After I was born, everything went downhill, or so I'm told. First, they did a paternity test to make sure I was an 'Anderson'. And of course I was; Mom always took the right precautions. Then, instead of divorcing like normal families would, my parents just went on with their separate adulteress activities especially since they were too stingy to pay the cheating settlement, which would've been in the millions sector. And of course, it didn't help that Geoff was a boy genius who could do no wrong."
"That's awful, CJ." She said, sympathetically, gripping his hand from across the table.
"Yes, well. So I got shipped from one boarding school to the next," CJ said holding onto Jen's hand.
Just as Jen was about to say something, the server came back with their appetizers.
"Mussels for the lady, please," CJ said. "And the Buffalo Mozzarella for me."
Alan set down the plates as ordered. "Is there anything else you'd like Mr. Anderson?"
"Nope, that'll be all. And thank Chris for me."
"Will do sir."
"Chris?" asked Jen.
"Christos Tsardounis. He's the owner and chef here."
"Ah."
"I thought you might like to try a little of everything," CJ suggested.
Jen frowned, mentally noting the subject change. "Thanks. I think that will be nice. So what's in front of me right now?"
"Mussels steamed in ginger tomato lobster broth."
"And you?"
"Italian Buffalo Mozzarella with marinated tomatoes and basil."
"Looks yummy."
"Here, try some," CJ offered holding up his fork wanting to give her the first bite.
She glanced around at the nearly occupied restaurant before looking back at the fork that he was still holding out to her. She laughed a little, leaning forward to take the morsel.
"It's delicious."
"Glad you like it."
The dinner progressed fairly well throughout the evening. The appetizers came and went. The entrees were even more scrumptious than the appetizers with CJ having Sea Scallops, baby artichokes, and pea greens, while Jen having Niman Ranch Pork Chops with fingerling potatoes, and corn bacon relish. Of course, each had a fair share of the others dish. Just as the evening was settling down, an unforseen incident occurred.
CJ rolled his eyes when he saw Geoff and Jessica approaching their table. Geoff stopped beside Jen's chair and smiled politely while CJ scowled at him. Jessica attached herself to Geoff's side and looked disinterested in the entire situation.
"Excuse me, but I was wondering if I could borrow Chris for a few minutes," Geoff smiled courteously at Jen.
"Uh," she murmured, unsure of what to say. It was obvious that CJ didn't want to talk with him.
"Not tonight, Geoff," CJ interrupted. "We haven't even finished our dinner. I'll see you in, oh, five, ten years. That is our average, isn't it?"
Geoff glared at CJ, saying, "I'm sorry, but I have a plane to catch tonight and..."
"Don't let me stop you," CJ interrupted.
"It's important, Chris."
CJ sighed and sent an apologetic look to Jen. She smiled to let him know that it was okay for him to go talk to his brother. CJ stood up, tossing his cloth napkin onto the table and muttering, "this had better not be about joining the firm," as he followed Geoff to his brother's corner table.
Jessica smiled patronizingly at Jen, sitting in CJ's seat and taking a drink from his glass. "Ewww," she said, crinkling her nose. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. Chris doesn't drink anymore."
Jen scowled, "No, but you're obviously the office drunkard."
Jessica's jaw dropped at Jen's statement, but she couldn't think of anything to say back. She merely stood up and walked off holding her nose high in the air.
Jen smiled to herself, sneaking a glance at CJ and Geoff over her shoulder. She was concerned about what they were talking about. She couldn't see CJ as his back was turned to her, but Geoff looked nervous and a little upset.
CJ waited a minute for Geoff to speak before staring to stand. "If you're not going to say anything, I'm going to go back to my date."
"Chris, Mom's sick," Geoff finally said, looking up from the napkin that he was twisting nervously in his hands. "She's dying."
CJ stared at him, trying to determine if Geoff was lying to him. Finally he smirked, saying, "Why bother with telling me? She doesn't care about me; she never has. Why should I care about her?"
"Chris..."
"No, Geoff. I haven't seen 'Mom' since Grandmother's funeral. She barely spoke two words to me then. Hell, she didn't even tell me good-bye."
"You were upset. Mom didn't think that you wanted her around."
"I was all alone, Geoff. No one else tried to comfort me either. I had lost the one and only person who had cared about me."
Geoff sighed, "We all care about you ..."
"Oh sure. That's why my parents have said a total of twenty words to me in the last fifteen years. I don't see them during the holidays. I only see you once every handful of years only because 'he' wants me at the firm." CJ threw his hands up in the air. "Did you know I was in the hospital two weeks ago? No, because I'm not important to you or 'Mom' or 'Dad'."
"That's enough, Christopher!" Geoff said, anger taking over his emotions for a moment. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry to hear that you were hospitalized. If I had known, I would have come to see you." CJ snorted and Geoff ignored it. "Look, I promised Mom that I would tell you that she wanted to see you. I was planning on going by your house tonight before my plane left."
"You can go back and tell her that I don't want to see her," CJ replied, furiously pushing his chair away from the table and standing up.
Geoff also stood, pulling an envelope out of his pocket. "She wanted me to give this to you." He held up it up so CJ could see his name, Christopher James Anderson III, scrawled across the front in their mother's flowing script. She always had pretty writing.
An unwanted memory flashed before his eyes of the time when he was four years old and his mother was trying to teach him how to write his name on a piece of construction paper. He clearly remembered being unable to correctly form the 'h' and she had jerked him up by his arm, dragging him toward the closet of the playroom. Her vodka was spilling out of the glass in her other hand as she shut the door, leaving him in the dark.
He shook his head to clear it. "I don't want it," he growled.
Geoff looked at him strangely, before replying. "I thought you'd say that, so I'm going to give it to your girlfriend. I doubt she'll destroy it like I'm sure that you would."
"Leave Jen out of this," CJ gritted.
"I'm just going to give it to her to keep for you. Maybe one day, you'll want to know what it's in it."
"Are we done here?" CJ had already turned and started back toward Jen.
She looked up when he laid a hand on her right shoulder. Immediately she could tell that something was wrong.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Uh, Alan took our plates and said that he was going to bring our dessert out shortly. He seemed really excited about it."
"Shit," CJ muttered. "I forgot. I'm going to take care of it. I'll have them box it for later."
Geoff was standing beside CJ, looking for Jessica, but he heard their conversation. His eyes widened when he realized what day it was. CJ walked away in search of the hostess as Geoff cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.
"I completely forgot," he mumbled.
"What? I'm sorry. I didn't catch what you just said." Jen looked up at him taking a sip of her Chardonnay.
"I forgot that it was Chris' birthday."
Surprised, Jen nearly spit out her drink. "What?"
"Today is... well, actually, the twenty-ninth is his birthday, but he celebrates it on the twenty-eighth most years. Didn't you know?"
She looked around quickly, seeing CJ still speaking with Angela. "No, he didn't tell me."
"How long have you two been going out?" Geoff was curious now.
"Not long," she replied dismissively and stood up.
Geoff reached out, placing a hand on her injured shoulder to stop her. She winced but he seemed oblivious to it. "I tried to give this to Chris, but he wouldn't take it. So, I'm giving it to you in case he ever wants to see it."
She nodded slowly, taking the envelope from his hand and looking at the name on the front. She tilted her head, "Who wrote this?"
"Our mother," Geoff replied. "She's ..."
"Are you ready?" CJ asked, approaching them carrying a box and their coats. He lay the box and his coat down to help Jen with hers. She placed the note in her purse while he put his coat on.
"I can't say that it was a pleasure, Geoff," CJ said, facing his brother.
"All I'm asking is that you think about it."
CJ only nodded, not wanting to get into another argument tonight. He turned, taking Jen's hand and starting to lead her away.
"It was nice to meet you, Geoff." Jen said, resisting CJ's hurried exit for a moment.
"It was nice to meet you too, Jen." Geoff frowned as they left the restaurant. His little brother had been hurt so many times by their parents and he knew that he had turned his back to it, preferring to pretend that Chris hadn't been treated any differently than he had. He sighed, shaking his head at his parents' actions toward his brother. But there was nothing he could do about it while Chris was being so antagonistic.
"Chris has changed," Jessica said, her voice dripping with disdain. She slid her arms around him from behind, allowing her palms to rest on his chest.
"Yes, he has," Geoff replied absently, still lost in thought.
She scowled at his lack of attention and pulled away, walking toward the exit. He sighed, wondering why he put up with Jessica, but followed her to the door nonetheless.
Later, CJ unlocked the door to his home and held it open for Jen to enter. He tossed his keys onto the table by the door, taking both their jackets and hung them in the closet. As CJ had taken their jackets, Jen shifted her shoulder lightly trying to alleviate the pain while hiding it from CJ. His mind so occupied with thoughts of his conversation with his brother, CJ didn't notice Jen's small movements of discomfort. In fact, CJ had been quiet and occupied for the short ride back to his place, more so because he didn't want to snap at Jen than anything. Seeing any member of his family always put him into a bad mood.
He noticed that Jen had placed his mother's note on the kitchen counter but said nothing about it.
Jen watched him, concerned about his reserved demeanor. "Are you okay?" she asked, walking up to him and laying a hand on his shoulder.
He smiled quickly taking her hand into his. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting to see Geoff. I wanted tonight to be special, about us."
She smiled at him, holding on to his hand. "Dinner was great, CJ. I loved it. Thanks for taking me."
"You're very welcome," he replied, focusing on her lips. He slowly dipped his head, giving her enough time to pull away if she wanted to. He placed a soft kiss on her lips, smiling as he pulled away.
She smiled up at him, "Hmmm, that was nice."
He granted her a more open smile as he opened the dessert box to reveal his birthday cake. Inside was a simple New York style cheesecake with a twist - it was decorated with a few simple words of Best Wishes and some chocolate swirls. It looked gorgeous, traditional yet utterly original at the same time.
"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Jen asked while he got two saucers and two forks and a knife to cut the cake with. He sliced two small pieces and placed them on the plates.
"I didn't want you to feel like you had to get me a gift or anything." He looked up at her where she sat on one of the bar stools, watching him. "Why don't we eat this in the living room?"
"Can we turn on the fireplace?"
"That sounds like a great idea." He smiled, nodding his head to indicate that she should follow him. She sat on the couch while he retrieved the remote for the fireplace and sat down beside her. "Ah, modern technology," he said, pressing the button and watching the fire spring to life. "And of course, a little music," he added, pressing another button and turning on the entertainment system. The room filled with soft classical music.
She giggled at his flourish, picking up her plate and settling back against the couch. "This is really good," she said, a moment later once she had savored her first bite.
"Yeah. Kathleen, Chris' wife, found out it was my favorite. So they makes sure I get one every year for my birthday."
"That's so sweet of them." She nodded, snuggling closer to him on the couch and wincing when her wounded shoulder accidentally made unnecessary contact with the sofa.
"Are you okay?" he asked, finally noticing her discomfort.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Geoff got my attention by grabbing my shoulder earlier so it's a little sore now."
"He did what?" CJ asked, immediately sitting up a little straighter, placing his plate on the coffee table while he tried to pull her shirt away from her shoulder to see if there was any damage done.
"CJ, calm down. It's okay. It just sore," Jen reassured, setting her plate on the coffee table.
After seeing it for himself, he sat back and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "Did you bring your painkillers with you?"
"No. It's fine." She said, resting her head on his chest.
They were silent for a long time just listening to the music before CJ finally spoke. "I don't know what to do, Jen."
"About your mother?" she asked, looking up at him, knowing that was the only thing he could be talking about.
"Yeah. I'm still so angry with her for everything she's done to me."
"What did your brother tell you tonight?" She asked, curiously.
"Uh," CJ ran a hand through his hair. "He said that she was dying and that she wants to see me one more time."
"Oh, CJ, I'm so sorry." Jen didn't know what to say. He obviously had issues with his mother, but the woman was dying.
He waved a hand. "She was never really a mother to me." He sighed, "But I still don't know what to do."
"There's a part of you that thinks you should see her one more time, isn't there?"
"Yeah," he replied hesitantly.
"So, what are you going to do?"
CJ didn't answer. Instead, he rested his cheek on top of her head, entwining their hands together, enjoying the comfort that she provided. Together, they stared into the fire, enjoying the rest of the evening, happy to have found each other.
The End
Authors' Note: The Evil Sisters (that's right, there are two of us who write this ;)) would like to thank Ferg and Dani, who helped by giving CJ a full name and Infie for coming up with Geoff's name. In other news, this chapter brings an end to A Further Understanding, but not to the Understandings series. (hint, HINT!)