Page 68 of The Clause in Christmas
Frank still hadn’t made a move toward it, his knuckles whitening as he gripped his mug.
“Frank,” Cassie said gently. “What happened between you and my grandmother?”
Cassie waited in patient silence as Frank stared intently into his coffee as though he’d lost something.
When he finally spoke, he sounded miles away. “You two are a lot alike, you know. Passionate. Strong-willed. Full of life and adventure.” He traced the rim of the mug with his finger, pausing at a small chip. “Your grandmother liked to pave her own way in life. It was one of the things I loved about her.” He paused, the creases in his brow deepening.
Cassie leaned forward, enrapt with every word.
“But then I was deployed overseas, and I called off the engagement.”
“Why?”
Frank shut his eyes against the painful memory, and when they finally drifted open, they gleamed with unshed tears. “Fear can make a person do foolish things.”
“Fear of dying?”
With a look of sadness, he shook his head. “Fear of pain.”
With bated breath, Cassie waited for Frank to explain.
“Your grandmother was like an exotic creature.” The creases in his forehead diminished as he gazed into the distance. “Beautiful and wild. I didn’t know if…”
The faint tapping of a branch against the kitchen window finished his thought.
Cassie scooted toward the edge of the chair. “If she would wait for you?” she concluded, the pieces finally coming together in her mind.
With an anguished expression, Frank nodded. “I didn’t know if I could survive the war only to die of a broken heart.”
They sat in silence, the howl of the wind echoing Frank’s sorrow.
As she mulled over his words, Cassie realized that, in a way, Frank had fulfilled his own prophecy. And now he lived each day with regret wrapped around him like Jacob Marley’s chains.
Fear can make a person do foolish things… like not living their life.
Reaching across the table, Cassie opened the box, revealing the note tucked inside with the ring. “Neither of us can go back in time,” she said softly. “But wecango forward.”
Her own eyes shimmering with tears, Cassie placed a hand on Frank’s forearm and gently squeezed. “I really hope you come tonight.”
With that, Cassie left Frank alone with his thoughts.
And the note.
* * *
Luke gazed at Cassie with fondness as she scanned the church parking lot.
“I don’t think he’s coming,” Cassie said with a disappointed sigh.
“There’s still time.” Luke joined her in surveying the crowd of carolers.
Eliza and his mom passed out baked goods while Penny and Dolores helped Sadie serve her famous hot chocolate. Ben and a group of friends played a rambunctious game of tag, their shouts and laughter carrying into the crisp night air.
Soon, another sound joined the cacophony. The thundering rumble of a car engine.
Dumbfounded, Luke gawked as a mint-condition 1951 Chevy convertible crested the hill. The deep, glittering purple color reminded him of sunlight shimmering through a glass bottle of grape soda.
Luke admired the smooth lines and gentle curves of the stunning classic as it parked at the end of a long line of less impressive vehicles.
