Page 31 of A Family Affair: The Ring
“Thanks, Pop.”Harry reached for his plate, picked up a fork and stabbed penne and spinach, and he was inches from plopping it in his mouth when the man delivered the zinger.
“Now why don’t you tell me about your meeting with Delaney?”
The fork clattered onto Harry’s plate, splattered red sauce on his silk tie and white shirt.“Damn it, Pop!”
“What?Didn’t like that question, did you?Well, neither did I, or the answers you gave that girl.”
Crap, Harry should have known this whole impromptu visit had to do with Delaney Hall and his conversation with her.The whole “don’t give money away” was important, but it was only a warm-up for this conversation.Harry rubbed the back of his neck, tried to remember everything he’d said to Delaney when she came to see him three days ago.“Okay, I talked to her, and I thought I gave her some decent advice.”Hedidgive her good advice, even if his jumbled-up stomach that day made him question a few areas.“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is that you sent her on a hunt to get a ring on her finger by getting rid of the competition, a.k.a.Melanie.”
“Pop, she just asked me some questions.In fact, she did most of the talking.What she came up with sounded reasonable.”
Those words only made Pop’s scowl deepen.“Well, it isn’t reasonable, and from what I hear, she’s telling tales, stirring up the past and making Melanie look like a villain.I won’t have it, Harry, and you’re going to put a stop to it.”
19
Grandma Esther had taught Melanie cross-stitch patterns and told her the art of creating was in the details.Count carefully, don’t pull too tight, take your time.She’d been right about that, and when it came time to learn how to knit, crochet, and needlepoint, once again, she’d repeated the same lesson.Count carefully, don’t pull too tight, take your time.Not much different from navigating life, she’d say.
Melanie ran a finger along the pink stitches of a flower on an embroidered tablecloth.Why hadn’t she kept up with any of the crafts her Grandma Esther had taught her?She studied the flowers, the petals and leaves so dainty.When was the last time she’d created anything aside from baking, and why hadn’t she?The answers pinged her brain.She’d quit when she was fifteen and the reason had to do with her rush to grow up and only concentrate on achievements that would help her attain her “life goals.”
Yes, Melaniehadaccomplished success in the medical field, but what had that done?Prompted new goals, so many of them.But what about happiness and a future she could embrace?No, she hadn’t achieved that because she’d been too busy chasing after the next “best” and “must have”… And then there was the other truth.If a person barreled through one experience to the next, they never had to stop and think about where they were.Or where they should be.They just kept going and it became exhausting.There was no recharging, no reassessing.Why dothatwhen it would force her to take a hard look, maybe even admit she was heading down the wrong path, disillusioned, disappointed, dissatisfied.
Who wanted to do that?
Grandma Esther’s passing had forced her to stop and spending hours in this house, going through her things, touching them, remembering… That was changing her perspective on what she valued and what she wanted: purpose, friendships, peace… Love.
Her ex-boyfriend and almost fiancé, Alec Laurence, had only asked her to open up and show him who she really was and give them a chance.Open your heart and let’s find out what we can be together.But she hadn’t been able to do that, and he’d carried the relationship all the way to a proposal, which she refused.That’s when he admitted the truth.There was too much baggage between them, and until she addressed the reason behind it, she’d never find peace or happiness.My gut tells me there’s a guy behind your inability to share yourself, he’d said, his blue eyes sad.You’re going to have to deal with it and him one of these days...
Alec deserved someone who truly loved and accepted him for who he was, not because he was intelligent or had blue eyes or reminded her of someone else.If she were 100% honest, she’d admit she’d never be the person for him, but when he called one afternoon, she couldn’t deny how good it was to hear from him...how normal and relaxed it felt.“Alec, how are you?”
His deep voice filled the line, calmed her.“I’m working too many hours, but you know how it goes.”
“I do, but I hope you’re taking time to eat a decent meal once in a while.”She pictured him in the hospital cafeteria, grabbing a sandwich, chicken tacos, or a burger.
Another laugh.“Nobody’s fixing me home-cooked meals if that’s what you’re wondering.I haven’t had bucatini Bolognese since...”
And there it was, hanging between them.He’d been about to say,Since you leftorSince we split.“I’m sorry.”
The gentleness in his voice said he understood, and she didn’t miss the tiny bits of hopefulness buried in those words.“So, how’s it going with your grandma’s house?Are you getting through things?”
What he really wanted to know was if she were finding closure, which he believed was the reason she couldn’t commit to him.“It’s a slow go, but I’m piecing it all together.”
Several seconds and a quiet sigh filled the line before he spoke.“I know you weren’t ready for the next step and maybe I rushed things and…”
“Please don’t blame yourself.You were right about my issues and I’m working through them.”She pushed away images of Will Callahan; the blue eyes, the strong jaw, the confidence...
“Good.I’m glad.”There was the slightest hesitation as though he hoped she’d offer more and when she didn’t, he cleared his throat and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He knew there wasn’t, but it was his way of letting her know he was waiting for her.“Thanks, but this is something I have to do myself.”
“Do you mind if I call now and again?I don’t want to bother or confuse you and I certainly don’t want to overstep, but I care about you, Melanie.You know that and I’m not going to pretend I don’t.I want to work things out, and if you think there’s a chance you can get this closure and we can move forward… I’ll do anything to get that.”
Melanie clutched her grandmother’s tablecloth, closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the man who deserved a real partner.“I can’t answer that right now because I don’t know.”
“I’ll take that over a flat-out no.I guess you’re not sure when you’ll be back?”
She clutched the tablecloth tighter.“No.”
