Breakfast for Two (Peakview series Book 2) Page 5

  Melanie got back in the old truck that Violet had so graciously been letting her use, and drove the short distance to the café before she could lose her nerve.

  ***

  “Melanie, I didn’t expect to see you back here this evening. Is everything alright?” Violet looked up from giving the counter one last scrub for the night.

  “Yeah, fine. Sophie’s over saying goodbye to Haley and Chase. I wondered if we could talk for a few minutes. I need some advice.”

  “Sure, honey. What’s on your mind?” Violet took off her apron and poured them each a cup of coffee and carried the hot mugs over to one of the booths. “Have a seat and tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “First of all, I want to say thanks for all the kindness you’ve shown to me and Sophie this week. You’ll never know how much it meant to us.” Melanie took a deep breath and another swig of coffee. “I’m afraid I wasn’t totally honest with you about why we’re here.”

  “No need to apologize. It’s really none of my business. I figured if and when you were ready to share, you would.”

  “That first night when I came in here looking for Howard, it wasn’t to fix my car.” Melanie paused and looked down at the table. “It was because I thought he might be my dad.”

  “Your dad?” Violet struggled to keep the shock out of her voice and off her face.

  “I never met my dad. He left before I was born. My mother always told me he was a rat and never wanted either of us—that we were better off without him. But after she died, I became overwhelmed by the desire to know if he was still alive and to find why he never wanted me. So I went to the hospital where I was born, and all they gave me was a name. Howard Crandall. I searched the internet for months, going through thousands of Howard Crandall’s and finally narrowed it down to the few who appeared to be the right age. I’d always wanted to see Colorado, so I decided to try the one here first. I loaded Sophie in the car and we took off on an adventure. She doesn’t know anything about the real reason we’re here.”

  Violet reached across the table and took the younger woman’s hand in hers. “I don’t know who your father is or why he left you or your mom, but I do know Howard Crandall, and I can guarantee you he isn’t the kind of man who’d ever knowingly walk out on his child. Have you talked to him about this?”

  “No. When I met him on Christmas, he seemed nice. I decided I’d like to get to know him a little bit, see what kind of man he was, before springing this on him or Sophie. People tell me that I look just like my mom did when she was my age, and so does Sophie, for that matter. That first night at Christmas dinner, he looked at me like he was seeing a ghost.”

  “Now that you mention it, I did notice that he had a strange look on his face.”

  “Then this morning while he drove with Sophie up to Peaktop, he asked her grandmother’s name. If he didn’t know before, I’m sure he does now. I don’t know what to do! We need to leave tomorrow as soon as my car is fixed and head back to Ohio. Sophie has to be back in school on Monday. Maybe I should leave well enough alone and forget all of this. He seems to like his life the way it is.”

  “Do you want my advice?” Violet asked ad she got up and refilled their coffee mugs.

  “Definitely, that’s why I came. I trust you.”

  “You need to talk to him. Hear his side of the story. If you don’t, you’ll never be at peace about this. He’s one of the good ones, honestly.”

  “I hope you’re right. Thanks for listening. I don’t know if I can risk it. Maybe the past is best left alone. I need to sleep on it. See how I feel in the morning.”

  Violet watched Melanie get back in the truck and headed toward the cabins. This really was none of her business, but when had she ever let that stop her? She’d heard the stories of almost everyone in Peakview at one time or the other. But Howard walking out on his child? That was hard to believe. Surely he would have been a part of her life. She knew him better than that. And lately, she found herself wanting to know him even more. Maybe he’s not the man she thought he was? As she walked out to her vehicle, she glanced next door at the shop, but everything looked dark and locked up for the night. She’d talk to him in the morning.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Violet awoke at 5:00 the following morning to find her kids and grandkids already up and enjoying some cereal.

  “Sorry Mom. Did we wake you? I told the kids to be quiet.”

  “Oh goodness, no. I always get up around this time. Besides, I needed a little more time with my gorgeous grandkids before you snatch them away!”

  She missed them terribly every time they left. She considered, more than once, packing up and moving back to the Midwest to be close to them. But Peakview was home—she loved everything about the little mountain town. Even if it meant living the rest of her life alone, she knew she’d never leave. So she plastered on her best smile and hugged each one of them tightly before they headed out the door into the dark, cold morning air.

  “Have a safe trip and let me know when you make it home. I want to see you here again soon. Love you all.”

  “We love you, grandma!”

  She watched until their taillights faded in the distance, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. It was always sad when they left. A wave of loneliness swept over her. Enough. She just needed to get back to work, and she’d be fine. She quickly loaded the few belongings she brought to the cabin into the back of her SUV. Last, but not least, the cat carrier with an unhappy Lucky trapped inside. He let out a plaintive yowl.

  “Don’t worry, boy. It’s only a ten minute drive, and you’ll be back in your comfort zone.”

  She, too, felt ready to return to her nice, cozy apartment. Leaving now, would give her time to get her and Lucky settled in before opening the café for breakfast.

  She backed her vehicle up as close to the rear door of the café as she could and grabbed the cat carrier and her suitcase. Juggling her load, she turned the knob of the door and pushed hard with her shoulder, only to almost fall to the ground when the door swung open from the inside.

  Stumbling to regain her balance Violet exclaimed, “Howard, I didn’t know you were here.”

  “Yup, coffee’s on. Here, let me carry that stuff upstairs for you.”

  Violet sprung Lucky from his temporary prison and set out a fresh bowl of food and water, she dropped her belonging on her bed, and hurried down the stairs to get ready for the breakfast rush. Howard, seated at the counter, stared down into his cup of coffee.

  “Howard, you okay?”

  “No, not really. Violet can we talk? There’s no one I trust more than you.”

  Violet wiped her hands on her apron and came around the counter to sit on the stool next to Howard. She couldn’t betray what Melanie had told her in confidence, but she had a good idea what it was that he wanted to discuss.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. “What’s on your mind?”

  Howard looked up at her—his kind blue eyes starting to fill with tears. “I think Melanie is my daughter. I didn’t know—I swear I didn’t. I never would have deserted my own child. But now, I believe she came here to find me. I’m afraid that she hates me. She has the right to hate me. Over thirty years and I’ve never been there for her. Her car is ready, and I don’t want her and my granddaughter to walk back out of my life. What should I do?”

  “Oh Howard.” Violet wiped at the tears filling her own eyes. “I’ve known you for many years, and you’re a kind and decent man. Talk to her from your heart. That’s all she needs right now. The truth—whatever it is.”

  “The truth is maybe I did know, but I just chose not to believe it. Connie, Melanie’s mother, and I had such a toxic relationship. I’m here in Peakview because I ran to save my life. I didn’t want to ever look back. But one day, after I’d been here about three months my sister called. ‘Connie showed up at my house today,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry sis, what did she want?’ I’d asked. ‘Money. She said she was brok
e, and that you’d deserted her and she demanded I tell her where you were and get her some money. Howard, she said she’s pregnant.’ I asked my sister if she believed her and she answered, ‘not for a second.’ She said Connie sure didn’t look pregnant and she appeared to be high on something. She just kept demanding money. ‘You didn’t give her any, did you?’ I remember asking. “Of course not. She’s getting no money from us. I asked her to leave and not come back. She left in a huff.’

  “Neither of us ever heard from Connie again. In time I relaxed, believing that surely if she’d been pregnant, she’d have shown back up with the child. Over the years, I convinced myself that she had either lied or gotten an abortion.”

  Violet’s heart ached for her dear friend. He was telling the truth. She had never known him to lie about anything. Unconsciously, she shifted closer to his stool and put her arms around his neck, engulfing him in a comforting hug. He laid his head against her shoulder as his arms circled her back clinging to her like a drowning man to a life raft.

  A jolt of electricity raced through her body, awakened long dormant sensations. She was being foolish. This was not the time to be feeling romantic. Howard was a friend who needed comforting, that’s all. Still, she selfishly didn’t want the embrace to end. She closed her eyes and pulled him closer, letting her hands caress the hairs at the nape of his neck. She breathed in his woodsy cologne and felt his warm arms surrounding her.

  Slowly, Howard raised his head and looked deep into her eyes as his ample lips found hers. He kissed her softly, tentatively at first. She responded exploring his lips with hers. He deepened the kiss, as his hold on her tightened. His hands rose to caress the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair and pulling her off of her stool and even closer. Molding her body to his, need surged through her entire being. She opened her mouth, her tongue tangling with his. He responded with the same urgency.

  A bell, signaling the oven was heated for her morning muffins, dinged and bought Violet sharply back to reality. She slowly pulled herself from his embrace. “I, I need to get the muffins in the oven,” she stammered.

  “Violet, I’m….”

  “Shhh,” she said, placing her finger gently to his lips. She stood smoothing her apron with her sweaty palms. “I’ve got a breakfast crowd due any minute, and you need to figure out what you’re going to say to your daughter. I’ll say a prayer for you. It’s going to be alright.”

  Placing one last light kiss on his forehead, she headed to the kitchen. The heat from the oven hit her in the face as she put in the tray of muffins, but it was nothing compared to the heat that smoldered a few seconds earlier in Howard’s arms. She turned back around, to hear the tinkle of the bell on the entrance door, as Howard let himself out.

  ***

  Howard trudged through the snow to his shop and plopped down in his chair which squeaked across the floor. What was he thinking? He leaned his elbows on the cluttered desk, and covered his eyes with his hands. That was a dumb move. In all probability, now he was not only not only about to lose his daughter, but he might have also destroyed the best friendship he had in Peakview. That was the problem, his usual logical thought processes had completely abandoned him ever since yesterday when he learned that he had a daughter and granddaughter. He sat horrified by the way he almost attacked poor Violet. What must she think of him right now? He’d not acted like a gentleman. And, yet…she appeared to return his sudden embrace with equal intensity. Could there be a possibility of something more than friendship between them?

  Howard stood up shaking his head and taking a good long swig of the strong coffee. He put Violet out of his head for now. All his concentration focused on Melanie and the conversation that must take place soon—very soon. Although shaken to his core, he admitted he found comfort in the fact that Violet believed in him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Silence filled the car as Melanie and Sophie drove into the sleepy town of Peakview—Sophie barely coherent after her mom woke her up at an ungodly early hour, and Melanie deep in her own thoughts. This was it. She needed to confront the father she’d never known as dad, and then leave him behind—probably for good. They stumbled into the café and scooted into the first booth, returning the smiles and waves of a few friendly folks already seated at the counter. Violet immediately appeared with a steaming cup of coffee for her and a similar one of hot chocolate for Sophie.

  “Breakfast?” she asked cheerfully.

  “No, thanks. Neither of us is awake enough for that yet. Do you mind if Sophie waits here while I run next door and get my car?”

  “Take your time. She’ll be fine.”

  Melanie stood up watching Sophie slouch farther into the booth and lay her hand on the table. She had put off the inevitable long enough. She shivered, walking the short distance to Howard’s shop. Now or never. She pushed open the door to see Howard sitting at his desk frowning at some paperwork.

  Howard looked up at her and he removed his reading glasses. “Your car’s ready to go—good as new.”

  “How much do I owe you?”

  “Have a seat. We need to talk about that.” Howard motioned to a chair at the side of his desk.

  Melanie complied and looked into his kind eyes. She wanted to trust him. Before she changed her mind she blurted out, “Mr. Crandall, I think you may be my father.”

  “Please, call me Howard.” He hadn’t earned the right to be called Dad, but at least they could use first names. “I think you’re right. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know about you—I swear.” His eyes filled with tears. “Have you always known about me?”

  “No, all my mom ever said was that you didn’t want either one of us. I guess I just accepted her word. That is, until she died, and Sophie and I had no family left. That’s when I decided it was past time to find you—good or bad—and get some answers, some closure. My year long search brought me here. Can you tell me about you and my mom? What happened?”

  Howard slowly recounted the story of his time with Connie. A part of him wanted to sugar coat it, but that didn’t seem fair. His daughter came here for the truth. So he told her about their volatile relationship, careful to not throw all of the blame on Connie. He blew out a deep breath and paused.

  Melanie asked, “So when you left, you had no idea she was pregnant?”

  “None,” he said. “I would have stayed if I’d known. I wouldn’t have left you.” He felt the salty tears start to run down his cheek and he wiped at them with his flannel sleeve.

  “How did you end up in Peakview?”

  “Somehow after a few days of driving away from Pennsylvania, I found myself in Colorado, heading through the mountains and looking for a new life. I stayed off the main roads, not heading anywhere in particular. As my head cleared, I didn’t know where to go and what to do with the rest of my life. Besides my sister, nothing to tie me to Pennsylvania, and there was so much I wanted to leave behind. Why not start over? A few days later, I happened upon Peakview, and since my gas tank was close to empty, I looked around for a station. Unfortunately the only gas pumps in town stood in front of a dilapidated, falling down garage, boarded tightly shut. I stopped at the only open business—the small café that’s now Violet’s.

  ‘Hello, welcome to Peakview,’ an elderly woman called out from behind the counter. ‘Want some coffee?’

  ‘Thanks, but I really need some gas. Is there a station in town?’

  ‘Not for several years, since old Clarence passed on. You’ll have to go on to Aspen Ridge, it’s about 20 miles further down the main road.’

  ‘I might as well have some breakfast then.’ I sat at the end of the counter and enjoyed some delicious bacon and eggs, watching townsfolk come and go. It seemed like a nice, friendly town in a beautiful setting. There were worse places to lay low for a while.

  ‘Say,’ I said to the waitress as she handed me the check, ‘Who owns that garage?’

  ‘Can’t say that I really know. Clarence owned it. When he died, it was probabl
y passed on to one of his relatives. No one from around here. I haven’t seen anyone near the place since. Wish someone’d just tear it down. It’s an eyesore. Not good for our tourist business.’

  ‘Is there anyone around who’d know?’ I asked.

  The old lady laughed. ‘Why? You want to buy it? You might ask Sam Phillips, only lawyer in town, his house slash office is the yellow colonial about a block down on the right. He takes care of most folks’ legal matters.’

  The rest is history. I found the owner in California and soon made a deal to take it off his hands for next to nothing. For the last thirty odd years, I’ve built a business and a home here.

  The only person from my former life that I stay in contact with is my sister and her family. I impressed her with the need for secrecy and asked her not to tell anyone else where I had gone. She complied.

  “I’m sorry I blamed you all these years,” Melanie gave him a weak smile. “You really had no idea about me, did you?”

  Howard’s entire being wanted to leave it at that. No one to tell his daughter any different. He’d be totally innocent in her eyes. “NO,” he said to himself. “If we’re going to start an open and honest relationship, it can’t be with half-truths.” He took a deep breath and continued by telling her about the call from his sister. To his dismay, her hesitant smile turned to a frown.

  “I’m so sorry, honey. I really didn’t believe her, or maybe in hind sight didn’t want to believe her. I just convinced myself over the years that it wasn’t true. That’s until you walked into Violet’s cabin on Christmas Day. Do you know how much you look like Connie at your age? I thought that I was seeing a ghost.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Melanie looked down at her hands shaking in her lap.

  “I should have made an effort to find out the truth. There’s no excuse for that.”

  “You’ve never married or had any other children? Any siblings I don’t know about?”