Page 38 of A Family Affair: The Ring
She massaged her temples as though she were trying to fend off a headache.“I’m sorry I hurt you.I have so many regrets, but the biggest one is you.”
He didn’t miss the sadness in her voice or the brightness in those hazel eyes that said the tears could start any second.Will didn’t want her to be sad or to cry, and he certainly didn’t want to hurt her.“Me, too.”They’d agreed to talk about the past, not as a punishment but as an attempt to gain much-needed closure.
“What did you do with the ring?I’ve wondered that for so long…”
“The ring.”Will shook his head, let the truth spill out.“Well, first I went back to the jeweler to see if he’d buy it back.And of course, he refused.Stupid kid that I was, I thought he might take pity on me when he heard about the broken engagement.Nope.”Will let out a long breath, remembered the old man’s shrewd gaze and the words that went with it.Bad luck, kid.Sorry to hear it but you’ve still got to pay.“It took me a year to pay off the damn thing and every once in a while I’d pull it out, look at it…” He slid his gaze to hers, shrugged.“Curse you, but then I stopped thinking about it and left it in the drawer.What was the point of looking at it when it would only remind me of the moment you put it on your finger and the day you returned it?”
“It was the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”She cleared her throat twice and her voice wobbled when she spoke.“Can we move on?”
“Sure.Boyfriends?”Yeah, he’d wondered about this one for a long time.
“There were a few.Nothing ever serious—” she took two more sips of wine “—until this last one.I tried, I really did, and I almost got there but…I couldn’t do it.”Another sip of wine, more truths.“He asked me to marry him, but I had to turn him down.”Her lips pulled into a sad smile.“He’s a good man and he deserves someone who can love him with an open heart, but I couldn’t do that.”
Relief spread through him as he processed her words.She hadn’t been able to say yes, and yet another completely irrational part of his brain filled with envy.Another man had gotten close enough to ask her to share a life together.That had never happened to him, no matter how much he wanted to pretend.It hadn’t and it wouldn’t, not yet, maybe not ever.Closure.Answers.That’s what they both needed.
“Girlfriends?”
“A few.”More than a few.Too many.
“You’re supposed to be telling the truth, right?”The raised eyebrow said someone had filled her in on his dating life.
“Fair point.After you, life became a blur and all I wanted to do was block outeverythingabout you.I refused to see a woman with dark hair or hazel eyes.Anyone over 5’5” was off limits, too.No quick wit either.That didn’t leave many desirable options, so I had to make do with the available choices.”That response didnotmake her happy.
“Had to make do?I’ve heard about some of those choices.”Disappointment filtered through her voice, shifted to her face.“Everybody knew about them in high school and then to think you...”She blinked, blinked again.“Not my business.Sorry.”
“It was a very difficult time, one I’m not proud of……but I have to own it.”He reached across the table, clutched her hand.“Just like I had to finally own that until you and I reach some sort of closure, we’ll never be through.”
23
Melanie and Will sat on a bench in the park, finishing off an éclair as the crisp air swirled about them.There’d been a heavy frost the other night and some said the first snowfall wasn’t far away.Melanie hadn’t come to Magdalena prepared for snow or freezing temperatures, but then she hadn’t planned to stay this long.In a few weeks, Thanksgiving would be here and then Christmas…
If someone had asked her a year ago where or with whom she’d spend her holidays this year, she’d never have mentioned Magdalena or Will Callahan as a possibility.But after the last few days, she’d begun to wonder.She and Will had spent quite a bit of time together, talking and eating since the night they’d shared Harry Blacksworth’s mushroom ravioli in Grandma Esther’s kitchen.It was the talking that gave her hope, made her believe that with patience and time, they could share so much more than a meal.Melanie cleared her throat, grabbed the first thought that landed in her brain.“Do you ever get tired of being an accountant and think about doing something else?”
“No, I don’t.I like the challenge and there’s always a new one.My boss plans to retire and once he does, he wants me to take over.That’s huge.”Will wiped a dab of frosting from his finger, smiled at her.“There’s so much opportunity there and I’ve also been working with Christine Blacksworth these past few years.She’s something else.Have you met her yet?”
There was no mistaking the admiration in his words.“Not yet, but Tess has invited me to one of their girls’ nights.She’s trying to coordinate with everyone.”
“You’ll like Christine.She’s total class, pearls, cashmere, and high society.”He laughed, slid her a look.“Doesn’t matter that Nate prefers flannel to cashmere or that Christine can’t cook.
Somehow, they just fit, which makes them perfect for each other.”
That comment sounded like Will believed love and happiness still existed.They’d done a little surface talk on those subjects, but nothing indicating whether they thought it could happen to them, and definitely not with each other.The more time they spent together, the more they talked about anything from nonsensical to serious, and the easier it became to share real feelings.“I look forward to meeting her.”
“Why wait for the girls’ night to meet her?”He paused as if considering the ramifications of what he was about to say and then continued.“You could swing by my office tomorrow, we’ll grab lunch at Lina’s and then head to Christine’s.”
“Sure.”It was Melanie’s turn to pause and attempt to figure out the nuances of accepting his invitation.Was it really about lunch and meeting Christine?Or was it the beginning of something, say a rekindling of their relationship?Before she could contemplate these questions, Will changed the subject.
“So, I’ve been meaning to ask…do you miss the ER?Sorting through your grandmother’s belongings and wandering around Magdalena aren’t exactly what you’re used to…”
“True, but I’m ready for a slower pace.I’m not sure what that would look like, but I want to explore other possibilities.”
He looked away, fixed his gaze on the box of goodies from Barbara’s Boutique & Bakery.“Would that be a change in location as well, or do you plan to stay in Pittsburgh?”
Melanie studied the strong hand resting on the bakery box.“City life has its benefits.You never have to worry about running out of restaurants, and it’s not all pizza and wings either.Plus, just about every place delivers.”
A laugh, and then “Yes, you have to consider access to food delivery.Very important when selecting your future home.”
We’ll live in the city, try different foods, go to concerts and ball games…That’s what they’d said when they were planning their future.“I can tell you where to order the best pasta dishes and which restaurant makes the roasted red-pepper hummus and fresh-baked bread.”She pictured him biting into a piece of sourdough bread slathered in butter.“You’d love the bakeries.”
