Fancy Dancer Read Online Free Page A

just about to get up when he saw a yellow butterfly perch on the angel’s wing. A sign? He reached out a trembling hand, and the butterfly settled itself on his index finger. “Thanks, Mom!” He held his hand up, and the butterfly took wing. “That’s good enough for me!” He blew a kiss in the direction of the angel, stood, and turned to leave. “I’ll be back soon, Mom.”
    He saw him then, walking among the stones, weaving his way toward Jake.
    “I thought I’d find you here,” was all he said by way of a greeting.
    “I’m sorry I can’t say the same thing about you. This is the last place I ever expected to see you .”
    The two men, one old, one young, locked eyeballs. They were an even match, inch for inch, pound for pound. Jonah St. Cloud reached for his son’s arm. Jake shook him free. “You don’t want to do that again, and if you do, I’ll forget who you are and deck your ass so that you can’t walk for a month.”
    Jonah St. Cloud ignored his son’s words. “I need to talk to you, Jake.”
    Jake walked away.
    “Did you hear me, boy ?”
    Jake clenched his fists at his sides. He could feel his body start to shake, and he couldn’t stop the tremors. He knew right that minute that he was capable of killing. He jammed his hands into his pockets. He turned around. “How did you know I would be here?”
    “Simple. Today is your birthday. You turned thirty-five. You were born at seven twenty in the morning. You were bald as a cue ball and weighed seven pounds eight ounces, normal size back then. You were twenty-one inches long and had big feet. It was the proudest day of my life. You’re in town to sign the papers so you can inherit your mother’s estate. I figured it stood to reason you’d find your way here at some point today. I was prepared to wait all day if necessary.”
    “Why now? Why today? You want Mom’s money, is that it? You figure you’re going to throw a guilt trip on me and I’ll just... what? Hand it over? Man, you are one sick, sorry son of a bitch if that’s what you’re thinking.”
    “That’s not what I’m thinking, and it’s not what I want. I need your help, Jake.”
    “Well, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. I wouldn’t lift a finger to help you if you were dying. How’s that grab you? Why would you ask me, of all people, to help you?” Jake asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.
    “It doesn’t grab me too well. And the reason I’m asking you is because you’re my son.”
    “Oops! Guess you missed that part about your being my sperm donor. Sperm donors have no rights. Kiss my ass, Dad .”
    Jonah St. Cloud flinched. “Name your price.” “Did I hear you right? Name my price? Well, you know what, I do have a price. If you’re willing to pay it, then I’ll be willing to listen to you, and maybe—I said maybe—help you out of whatever jam you’ve gotten yourself into.”
    “Name it, and it’s yours. If you agree to help me.”
    Jake took all of two seconds to come up with his response. “Last name, address, phone number, and name of the child belonging to Sophia.”
    Jonah St. Cloud’s face drained, but he didn’t miss a beat when he said, “Sophia Rosario. The address is four twenty-two Aspen Lane in Slidell and the phone number is in the book. The boy’s name is Alexander Luther Rosario. He was born on the Fourth of July. He’s four years younger than you, which makes him thirty-one.”
    Jake lost whatever control he had thought he had. His fist shot out, and his father toppled to the ground. Right then, he wanted nothing more than to pummel the man till he was a bleeding, hulking mess. Instead, he turned and went to his car. When he got in, the thick, heady scent of the roses he’d brought, mixed with the heavy humidity, lingered on the leather seat, making him gag.
    “You gave me your word,” Jonah shouted as he struggled to his feet.
    “I lied!” Jake shot back as he gunned the horsepower under the hood. He