She smiled. “An example of strong genes.”
Matt returned her smile. “You’re right. I don’t recall seeing Dare and Shelly here tonight.”
“They aren’t. Dare took Shelly on a cruise to Italy for their wedding anniversary. It had been planned for a while.”
Matt nodded. “And what do you do for a living, Iris?”
“I’m the CEO of the Knight Group, a PR firm in downtown LA.”
He nodded. “I’ve heard of your company. It has a very impressive reputation. My firm has recommended a few clients there.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome. Why the Knight Group and not the Michaels Group?”
“My husband selected the name for me. Since his stage name was Garlan Knight, we decided to go with that.”
“Stage name? Was he an actor?”
“No. A stuntman. Typically, stuntmen don’t need stage names, but when he started in the business, there was a group of brothers who acted under the last name of Michaels. It was suggested he use a different last name to avoid confusion. He chose his mother’s maiden name of Knight.”
They paused to look at another painting. “That makes sense. How long ago did he pass away?” Matt asked.
“Close to twenty years ago.” She gave a small smile and said, “To help with the calculations that usually start working in most people’s heads, my husband did indeed father my sixteen-year-old child, but there is a story behind that.”
“Is there?”
“Yes. A very special story,” she said, smiling wider.
“Would you share it with me?” he asked, returning her smile.
“Sure. Because of my husband’s profession, some of his most dangerous stunts, those dealing with extreme physical conditions such as air stunts and heat exposure, potentially decreased a man’s sperm count. Garlan wanted to avoid that, as he planned to marry and have kids one day. So, he deposited his sperm in a bank for future use.”
“I see.”
“And if you’re wondering how I can tell you that with a straight face without any embarrassment, it’s because I’m glad he did. For me, it was a blessing. A very special gift. Garlan, who was seven years older than me, had been a stuntman ten years before we married, so the sperm bank donation wasn’t anything he thought to tell me about. He had been dead almost five years when I finally went through a filing cabinet in his office. It was there I found information about the sperm bank. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted Garlan’s baby. Like I said, I thought of it as a special gift he left to me.”
“You’re right. Your son is a special gift, and I can understand why you feel that way.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling again. “My son is the spitting image of his father. And from what I’m hearing, so are you.”
Matt nodded. “More examples of strong genes.”
“I agree. Now tell me more about you, Matt.”
They began strolling again. “I’ve been divorced for over twenty years. I was able to prove to the court that I would be the better parent and was awarded custody of my daughter, who was barely a year old at the time. The last time Deena saw her mother was when she packed up and left. She’s now married to some Frenchman and lives in the port city of Marseille. I discovered that she never told her husband about her prior husband or child.”
“How did you find that out?”
“I ran into Rhonda a few years ago while in France with Dominic, visiting his grandfather. She was with her wealthy husband at a polo match. She saw me, and the first chance Rhonda got, she pulled me aside and asked me not to mention our marriage to anyone. Deena was ten at the time.”
“Wow.”
“I started to not do what she requested, out of spite, but then I decided to comply, because it meant she would not show up one day wanting custody of Deena.”
“Smart thinking.”
He glanced at his watch. “I guess we need to head back before those Westmorelands send out a posse, or those Outlaws, looking for us.”