Jamie's Encore
Chapter 25 Trust & Support
SAN DIEGO PD
Captain Espinoza's Office
"Jameson, come on in. What can I do for you?"
"Thanks, captain. My father arrived here in San Diego last evening."
"That's great, I bet you are relieved to have your dad and granddad with you, now!"
"I am, we are. We are having them over for a welcoming dinner this evening. I would like to take off about 1 PM, so I can help Caitlin prepare. We have no active cases on deck; would you approve that, sir?"
"I don't know of any reason not to approve that."
"Thank you, sir. I will try to keep the lid on things!"
"Ha, so will I!"
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TXT CHAIN:
J: Babe, I'm off at 13:00. What can I do to help 4 dinner?
C: rly?
J: yup, we need 2 talk
C: trouble?
J: potential
C: worry meter rising
J: trust me!
C: K
J: when U home?
C: 14:00
J: C U then 1-4-3
C: 1-4-3
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CORONADO CONDO J&C
Jamie is sitting at the kitchen table sipping some OJ when Caitlin arrives home. He rises, takes her in his arms and gives her a welcoming hug and kiss.
"Welcome home, sweetheart! I hope I didn't ruin your day."
"Says the bearer of cryptic news!" She scowls. She is tense in her love's arms.
"Can I get you some OJ? Something else?"
"OJ works. I'll be back in a minute." She disappears down the hall after hanging up her wrap.
He pours her a glass of OJ, sets it at her place and sits back down.
She reappears shortly, sits and takes a swallow of OJ, then looks at Jamie expectantly.
Jamie starts; "I stopped by dad's condo this morning while on my run. I reminded him of our dinner tonight, and he gave me some news."
He pauses, resting his elbows on the table.
"And?" Caitlin raises an eyebrow.
"Well, it seems that Pops plans on bringing some wine when they come. Apparently, several bottles. So, they have a supply here, when they come for dinners in the future." Jamie drops his eyes, letting out a big sigh.
"Are you serious, Jamie?" She begins to tremble noticeably. Her face blanches.
Jamie gets up, "This isn't going to work here. Come with me, love." He grasps her by the hand and leads her to the back balcony. He sits her in their double lounger, gets their glasses of OJ and places them on chair-side tables and joins her. He pulls her close to his side.
"Caitlin, sweetheart, I hope you trust me when I say: I AM NOT, NOR WILL I EVER GO BACK ON WHAT I SAID IN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION LAST CHRISTMAS IN NYC! I AM WITH YOU 100% ON AN ALCOHOL-FREE HOME!"
"Really?" She sniffles.
"Really! Will you let me handle things tonight?"
"Yes, I will let you handle this. Thank you, Jamie!"
"You are very welcome! Now, what can I do to help you prep for dinner?"
She gives him a honey-do list, and they get to work.
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DINNER TIME
Nicky and Jack have already arrived, and are making themselves scarce on the back balcony. They have been warned regarding the possibility of fireworks.
RING RING
Jamie gets the door; it is Pops and his dad.
"Henry is holding a box and asks, "Where can I put this? I brought some wine for us."
"Back in the golf cart, Pops. Our home is an alcohol-free zone. I thought you knew that?" Jamie replies.
"Jameson, be reasonable," his voice is rising.
"Sorry, grand-dad. We will not serve alcohol here. I can have Jack take that box down for you, then you and dad can come in. I believe dinner is almost ready. Jack, little help here!"
Jack appears; but Henry turns, protecting his box.
Frank looks down, chagrined. He knows how stubborn his dad can be.
Caitlin continues to work n the kitchen; a lone tear trickles down her cheek.
"How disrespectful," Henry huffs. "I will just take this home. Coming Francis?" He turns and heads for the elevator.
"No, dad. I'm staying for dinner. Something smells delicious. I'll see you later." He enters the condo; Jamie closes the door.
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Caitlin has prepared her grand-Mother's meatloaf recipe with scratch mashed potatoes, thin sliced zucchini in a white sauce, hummus with warm pita bread and your beverage of choice (non-alcoholic)
Nicky has again provided flan for dessert; the consensus is that she is getting better each time she serves it. She feels good about that!
The discussion centers around Henry. All are worried, nobody has an easy solution to his stubborn stance regarding alcohol and his grandson's home. Caitlin is quite concerned that she will be blamed for alienating Jamie from parts of his family. However, everyone at the table stands firm in support of her and Jamie! Jamie knows that he has some work to do to get her to believe in the support she is hearing. He feels that he is up to the task.
As they leave, Frank and Nicky make it a point to warmly embrace Caitlin; reassuring her of their firm support and their familial love. She is grateful and reassured.
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NYC
Erin and Linda haven't heard from the west coast family in a few days. They are concerned about the plan to coordinate family dinners and phone calls. They decide to call Frank and see what the status is.
RING RING
"Hi Erin, what's up back in the big apple?"
"Hi, dad. Linda is with me n the call."
"Hello, Lin. What can I do for you two lovely ladies?"
"We are wondering where plans stand regarding coordinating family dinners and phone calls?"
"I hadn't heard of this. Please fill me in." Frank is puzzled.
"Well, we talked with Caitlin about doing that. She seemed supportive; do you know what happened?"
"Oh, dear. We had a kerfuffle at our first family get together. Pops tried to bring a case of wine over to Jamie and Caitlin's condo. He wanted to leave it there for future dinners. Jamie refused to let him bring it in the condo. Pops was incensed; he walked out. Wouldn't stay for dinner."
"Oh, dear is right! What was Jamie thinking?" Erin is flabbergasted!
"It turns out that Jamie & Caitlin have instituted an alcohol-free home policy." Frank explains.
"DAMN! That is going too far! It's all that woman's fault! We must do something, dad!"
Linda listens, attentively. She cringes at what she sees coming down the pike!
"Erin, settle down. I haven't spoken to Jamie about this yet. Give me a chance to ferret out some information, please. And, I would advise you two to not mention this to Danny. It seems that his already short fuse is even shorter now."
"I agree," Linda says.
Erin nods in agreement.
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TBC