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“Unfinished business?” Cassidy frowned. She didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.
Her father raised an eyebrow. “Your mother told me you think I’m ashamed of you.”
The accusation was thrown out there like a stick of dynamite. Although she’d felt that way for years now and she’d said as much to her mother, she hadn’t expected to be hashing out the issue with her father. The topic had been avoided like a live grenade for all these years—she didn’t know how to tackle it. All she had were her truths.
“That’s what it seems like,” she admitted in a quiet voice.
He reached out to her, patting her hand in a comforting gesture. “That’s not possible. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. And you’ve always made me proud.”
“Until the accident,” she said bluntly.
“The accident—” He let out a deep sigh. “It was a low point in all our lives. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in what happened that night, mainly because you had no business driving your friends around as a newly licensed driver. What I’ve learned most from that time is that we’re all human, we all stumble.”
Tears pooled in her eyes and she let out a shaky laugh. “All this time I thought you were ashamed of me.”
He gazed into her eyes and what she saw there was regret. “I haven’t communicated with you very well since the accident, but I suppose I’ve been dealing with my own shame.”
She wrinkled her brow. “What do you have to be ashamed about?”
“Cass, you’re not a parent, but trust me, when the time comes you’ll do anything to protect your child. Coming up with the plan to send you to Phoenix was born out of fear. It had nothing to do with shame or disappointment. It had to do with protecting my only child.” Tears misted in his eyes. “On a daily basis I tell my parishioners to face things in their life head on, but when it mattered most I did the very opposite.” Her father hung his head. “If it hadn’t been for me, you and Tate would be settled down into a nice life right about now.”
Her father’s words stunned her. All this time he’d been beating himself up about
the decisions he’d made on her behalf, ones that had been motivated by love. Much like herself, he’d been mired in guilt.
“You can’t blame yourself for choices I made, especially about Tate. I wanted to leave. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I felt relieved when I got to Phoenix. I was so afraid in the days after the accident. Leaving West Falls allowed me to have a fresh start.”
“And now? Are you at peace, Cass?”
“Not completely,” she acknowledged. “To borrow your expression, I still have some unfinished business with Tate. And I want to show the people here in town that I’ve done my best to make amends. Maybe then I’ll be at peace.”
He reached out and touched her cheek. “I’m here if you want to tell me about it. I’m a pretty good listener. And so is God. Don’t forget to lean on him in times of trouble. He’s always there for us.”
“I know. I’ve said so many prayers I think God might be sick of me.”
He smiled down at her, his gaze filled with compassion. “He’ll never get tired of hearing from you.” Like she’d done so many times since she was a child, she threw herself against his chest and found herself surrounded by his strong, loving arms. For a few moments her father gently rocked her in his arms, providing a safe harbor amidst all the uncertainty.
After their heart-to-heart, they got straight down to business. They talked with the insurance company by phone, met with a contractor and made dozens of phone calls to spread the word about the gathering. The contracting company was owned by Jim Tuggles, her high school classmate. Jim put in a reasonable bid and vowed to get the new roof put up in record time. They spoke by phone with a steeplejack—a craftsman who repaired steeples—and made an appointment for him to come see the steeple and give them a quote for its repair. Based on his comments, they soon realized that the restoration of the steeple was not a quick fix. It might take years and a great deal of money to restore it to its former glory.
By the time lunch rolled around, they’d both earned a little reprieve. They’d been working nonstop all morning. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind for Cassidy and it was all beginning to catch up with her.
“Daddy, would you mind if I went out for a bit? I think I might call Regina and see if she can meet me for lunch.” She and Regina were way overdue for a get-together. Regina was also on her list of people she wanted to volunteer to help with the gathering. With her professional contacts and client base, Regina could really help get the word out about restoring the church.
He smiled down at her. “Of course I don’t mind. There’s nothing that would make me happier than if you and Regina became close again.” He glanced at his watch. “Matter of fact, I think I’ll scoot over to the house and have lunch with your mother.”
Within five minutes she’d made plans to meet her cousin for lunch at the Falls diner.
Twenty minutes later when she entered the diner she was greeted once again by Robin. This time the waitress greeted her like an old friend.
“Cassidy, welcome back,” she said with a huge smile. “Booth or table?”
“Hi, Robin. I’m actually meeting my cousin—”
“Yeah, she’s here already. She’s sitting right over there.” Robin jerked her thumb in Regina’s direction. Cassidy’s gaze shifted toward the back of the diner. Regina was seated at a booth—the same one by the jukebox where the four roses had always held court. Seeing her cousin sitting there was like taking a step back into the past. Memories as sweet as a light summer rain washed over her, making her feel like a teenager again. It put an extra spring in her step.
As she sat down at the booth, Robin placed two menus on the table, popping her gum as she recited the lunch specials and took their order. A few minutes later she returned, bringing with her two tall glasses of lemonade.
As Robin headed back to the kitchen, Regina said, “God bless Doc for giving his granddaughter a job at his diner. She’s something else.”
