Page 15 of A Family Affair: The Ring
Maybe so.
Esther said Melanie was seeing some doctor, and thought it was serious.
Humph.I hope he breaks her heart.I hope she ends up miserable and alone after what she did to that poor boy.
Pop heard the rumblings the second Melanie Russell drove into town.Some people just loved to retell a tragic tale, stir it around like a pot of minestrone, add sprinkles of doubt and chunks of judgment until you couldn’t separate fact, fiction, or possibility.There was a lot of contemplation and guessing going on right now and most of it had to do with Melanie Russell’s return.
Of course, it wasn’t just a simpleShe’s backandHow dare she?No, the gossips wanted to know when she was leaving as inGet her out of our town.She’s not welcome here.
Pop waited until Melanie had been in Magdalena seven days before visiting her.No sense bombarding her with her grandmother’s letter before she had time to settle in.Nope.Better to wait until she’d walked into town, sorted through a few of her grandmother’s belongings, maybe run into Will Callahan.He’d wondered if Melanie would approach the boy if she spotted him, but his source told him she’d gone to his house, and it hadn’t ended well.Pop heard this from Cash who’d pieced it together from the conversation he’d had with Will at O’Reilly’s the other night.Talk about a predicament with no good or easy way out.
Pop zipped his jacket and began the trek to Esther’s place.It was a long walk, and he might need to ask for a ride back, but the journey there would be a good one.The leaves had begun shifting from green to red and gold, the air crisp, the gravel crunching under his feet.And the birds?That chirping filled his soul.Who knew how many more autumns he had left to enjoy?His ticker was still good, his joints achy but tolerable.His brain?Still working, but the good Lord could shake things up and decide at any moment that Angelo Benito’s work on this earth was done.That’s why he had to get Harry in training for the Godfather of Magdalena role.
Harry was well-suited for it; all he needed was a bit more confidence and a little less fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants solutions.Like Lucy said,Once you put sound to thought, you can’t take it back, so make sure what comes out of your mouth is what you want to come out...Lucy had been the smart one, the true guiding light, the Godmother of Magdalena.Pop wouldn’t involve Harry in the current situation between Melanie Russell and Will Callahan until he understood a bit more, like what was really going on between those two and where, if anywhere, was this couple headed.
Eight years of trying to move past heartache and betrayal was difficult, but situations changed when truths were revealed and who knew what might happen once Pop delivered the letter to Melanie?Cash told him about her attempted apology a few days ago and Will’s refusal to even acknowledge it…making some nonsensical comments about moving on and not living in the past.Ha, who did the boy think he was kidding?
He might be playing footsie and everything else with Delaney Hall, but that girl was never going to crawl her way into his heart.Nope.Not when someone else already lived there.According to Esther, her granddaughter had a few dances of her own, one ending in a proposal which she refused.Now, wasn’t that interesting?
Pop walked along the edge of the road toward Esther’s house, hoped he didn’t run into anyone who might relay his “jaunt” to Nate or Christine or Miriam or anyone else… Not Harry either.They’d all have something to say about it and then they’d start accusing him of not using good judgment, risking a fall or getting run over like poor Leah Darlington had in Florida.Not going to happen.Pop was alert, he knew how to scoot out of the way…
But two-thirds of the hike in, he realized that maybe he should have asked someone for a ride.Harry had offered him acall me whenever you need to go somewhereyears ago.Had he taken the man up on it?Maybe once, no more than twice.Same with Christine… Ditto with Tess, Nate, Vic...and several of the other residents in town.As he trudged up Esther’s driveway, he admitted a few things to himself: his legs were tired, his throat parched, he hadn’t gotten out of traffic’s way as quickly as he used to...
Okay, he’d ask for a ride back into town.He pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his forehead and made his way to the front door, the letter from Esther resting against his chest.When Melanie opened the door, Pop took an extra-long look at the young woman standing before him.If he changed out the jeans and sweater for a frilly blouse, skirt, high heels and lots of jewelry, she could be the spitting image of her mother.Dark hair, hazel eyes, perfect complexion.And the extra height gave her an I-know-what-I’m-about air.But Pop recalled the kindness and the gentle nature of the young woman—two traits her mother did not possess.“Melanie, you sure are a sight.”
A smile spread across her face as her expression burst with happiness.“It’s so good to see you, Pop.”She stepped aside to let him enter, hugged him.A real hug, too, not one of those feeble pats on the back or side hugs.
“It’s been too long.”He stepped back, held her gaze.“I sure am sorry Esther couldn’t be with us.”
Those hazel eyes filled with tears.“Me, too.”
Oh, but there was some pure misery in that voice and a look that said she was about to spill a bucket of tears.Pop laid a hand on her arm, said in a gentle voice, “She loved you, Melanie.Your grandma never blamed you for leaving, and she didn’t hold it against you that you never made it back.When you called her a few months ago to tell her you were coming for a visit, you lit up her world.”
“I should have done it sooner.I should have…”
Pop shrugged out of his jacket, draped it over his arm.“Why don’t we sit while we talk?I just finished traipsing back roads to get here, and my legs are a bit tired.”
“Pop, why didn’t you tell me you needed a ride?Are you still driving, or did you give it up?”
Now there was a question.“You mean because I’m not a young pup anymore?Icandrive, but I’ve promised certain people not to get behind the wheel.”
“They just want to keep you safe.”
She motioned toward the living room and the couch where Pop and Esther had shared many a conversation over a cup of tea and a sweet treat.Pop sank onto the couch, settled in.“I know they mean well, and it’s not just my son.”He blew out a sigh, started rattling off the names.“There’s Nate and Christine Desantro… Nate’s mother, Miriam… Harry Blacksworth…” He pointed to his left.“Cash and Tess next door… I could keep going but I think I’ll stop now.”
“It’s wonderful that so many people care about you, but I’m not surprised.You’ve done so much for everyone, and when you’re ready, I’ll be happy to drive you home.”
Pop grinned, offered a nod.“That’s a mighty fancy car you have out there.I see it’s one of those foreign jobs?”
“It is.”She smiled.“And it’s a lot of fun to drive.”
“Hmm.I’ve never driven a car like that before.Mine are usually slowpokes with questionable get-up-and-go and no frills.”He rubbed his jaw again, asked the question before common sense got the better of him.“Do you think I could sit behind the wheel?Just to get a feel for it?”
“If you get the okay, I’ll take you to the school parking lot and let you drive it.”Her voice dipped, turned softer than melted caramel.“What do you think about that?”
He raised a brow, snorted.“The okay?Who’s going to give me the okay and who’s not going to give me the okay?”The shrug said she had a few ideas, but the opportunity to drive her car made Pop agree.“How about if I ask somebody who’s most likely to say no?Would that make you happy?”
“Yes, it would.And who would that be?”She tapped a finger against her chin, studied him.“If I’m guessing, I think Nate would be the hardest sell, but it could his mother.And Cash seems easy-going, but I wouldn’t want to cross him… And then there’s—”
