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“She never had to face problems. I thought Malcom’s death would finish her.”
I thought back to my childhood. Everything was fine till my father died. And then… “You’re right. When father died, I had to toughen up. I often felt like I was the mother and she was the child. I did everything I could to avoid worrying her or making her upset.” My mother had lived in a perpetual fog of sorrow for a long time.
“Aye, she handed the responsibilities of an adult over to you when you were far too young. I can’t forgive her for that, but she had no coping mechanisms.”
“I love her, regardless. I don’t always like her, but I love her. I’m glad her sister lives nearby—that helps.”
Grams smiled. “I love your mother, too. We don’t always agree, but I think she was good for your father. He was as headstrong as Terrance was.”
“How did my father die? Nobody ever told me. My mother won’t talk about him, and nobody ever came out and told me what happened. I tried looking it up—I checked the records for his obituary, but no reason for death was given.”
Grams started to speak, but then held her tongue as Honey brought our drinks.
“Now, what can I get you?”
“I’ll have the waffle with berries, and three sides of bacon, along with a side of sausage.”
Honey turned to Grams. “And for you?”
“Oatmeal, with brown sugar and raisins. I’ll also have a ham steak on the side.” Grams handed him her menu and we waited for him to leave. After he had headed back into the kitchen, she leaned across the table and took my hands. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“I hate not knowing. My mother hinted he was sick, but I have no idea if she was right.”
“Your father had too many pressures on his shoulders, my dear. He was well off, but his business partners weren’t happy with him.”
I realized that I didn’t know what my father’s profession had been. “What did he do?”
“He was on the Witch’s Council for Port Townsend, high up the ranks. I’m not sure what went down—I was in Scotland, remember—but one night, he was found dead in his office with no apparent cause. The Witch’s Council hushed it up, but there were conflicting reports as to whether he committed suicide or whether he was murdered, possibly by magic.” Grams’ eyes grew dark, and she pursed her lips together when she finished speaking. I had the impression she was trying to avoid crying.
As Honey brought our food, I settled back in my seat. Grams was done talking about it, I could tell. I quietly turned the topic towards my shop and Grams followed suit. But in the back of my mind, I wondered: did my mother know anything about this? And why hadn’t she told me about it? And did my father kill himself, or was he killed?
* * *
After we finished breakfast,I asked Honey when his next show was going to be, and then Gran and I headed out into the town. It was nine, so we had time to poke around. I’d left a note that I would be opening an hour late, which gave us nearly two hours to explore downtown Starlight Hollow.
As we strolled along the main drag, I did my best to ignore thoughts of my father and his death. “Over there’s one of the best bakeries in town—Marline’s Sweetshop. And next to it is a vintage shop that always has something gorgeous on the racks.”
“Let’s go take a look,” Grams said.
We waited until traffic had cleared—which took all of five minutes—and then crossed the street. While Starlight Hollow had a rush-hour of sorts, it didn’t last long. And traffic the rest of the day was scattered, ever-present in a slow trickle.
As we entered Vintage Romance, my phone rang. It was Faron. I tapped Grams on the shoulder. “I’m going to step outside and take this,” I said, pointing to the ‘no cellphone use’ sign.
“All right. I’ll poke around until you’re done,” she said, disappearing down one of the aisles.
I popped back outside and answered. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Have you thought more about introducing me to your great-grandmother?” Faron didn’t bother with a hello.
“Well, hello to you, too. What is this fixation you have with meeting Grams?” I couldn’t understand his enthusiasm. It wasn’t like we were exclusive. It wasn’t time to ‘meet the parents.’
“I want to see what she’s like,” he said. “Anyway, what I really called about was to suggest dinner Friday night—just us.” His voice curled around me, making me shiver. He had one of those voices that conjured up cold wintery nights under the stars, watching the aurora shimmer across the sky.
I hesitated, then figured that Grams wouldn’t mind an evening or two alone. I could invite May over if she wanted company. “All right. Friday night, seven o’clock?”
“See you then,” he said. “And wear that red dress. The one I saw in your closet the other day.” Faron had helped me drag a heavy box off the top shelf of my closet a few days back. I hadn’t realized he had been eying my wardrobe while he’d been at it.
I knew exactly what dress he was talking about but decided to play with him a bit. “You mean that long maxi-dress? The one that looks like it’s out of the Woodstock generation?”
