Chapter Twenty-One

On his way to his father’s house, Franklin reflected on his argument with Kira. It was one of the hardest conversations he’d had in his life. It wasn’t his intention to get into such a heated debate, but he wanted Kira to see that he’d been watching her moves the entire time.

They’d worked together all day, and in retrospect, maybe that was his first mistake. He should have spoken to her earlier, because he’d had too much time to stew and think about the things that had happened over the course of the last several months.

He also replayed the conversation he’d had with his father. It all came down to her actions and her stubbornness and not listening.

He understood well that he was adamant about working at the inn. He felt that if his father saw that he could get along with the Davises, he’d be more willing to share his history with him. Franklin hadn’t even had the chance to tell Kira that he was staying in Clover Creek. That didn’t matter now anyway. There were no more ties to the inn, since he’d done everything he could to help. He was sure that between Kira, her cousin Gail, and Ben, they could complete the Sip and See without him.

He pulled up to the house, thankful that neither of his siblings’ cars were there. This would be a great time to talk to his father without interruption. He sat in the driveway for several minutes to pull his emotions together before getting out.

Things had spiraled out of control quickly. He was more than angry about the situation—he was hurt to his core. But walking away seemed like the only solution at this point.

Staring at the house he grew up in, he was grateful that he had someplace to go. As much as he hated hearing “I told you so,” his father would have a right to say it.

He got out of the car and went into the house. He found his father sitting in his recliner, reading the newspaper.

Franklin pushed his hands down in his jean pockets and leaned against the post. “Well, you won’t have to worry about me going to the inn anymore.”

His father put down the paper and sat up straight in his chair. “What happened?”

“Kira and I are no longer seeing each other.”

“She must have told her family what I said,” he replied before hitting his fist on the tray table nearby.

Franklin could see the squint in his father’s eyes. He waved his hand to avoid a rise in his father’s blood pressure. “Oh, no, no, Pop. At least I don’t think so.”

“Sit down and tell me what happened.”

Franklin sat on the ottoman near his father’s chair. “I went over there so that we could straighten things out and…” Franklin got up and walked over to the window.

“And what? Tell me.”

“I said something, then she said something back. And one thing led to another, and we concluded that if we didn’t trust each other, we didn’t have anything.”

“This is my fault,” his father said, shaking his head. “I should have never gone over there to talk to her.”

“Kira and I made a promise to each other, Pop. We were in this together.”

“And what makes you think that you’re not anymore?”

Franklin stopped a minute and stared at his father before answering. “I don’t think I can trust her.”

“Frankie, no. I just knew you and she were solid. I kept thinking about how down you were, so I put my pride aside and went to talk to her.”

“It’s done and I want to leave it that way.”

“No, you don’t. I know that can’t be true.” His father went over to him.

“But, Pop—”

“Oh no. Not the man who brought that beautiful girl to meet his family. I don’t believe it.”

“Are you saying that because she looks like her aunt Sophia?”

His father hesitated before sighing. “She does look like Sophie, but that’s not the reason I said it. I believe you two belong together.”

Franklin dropped his head. “I don’t know, Pop.”

“It’s hard to find a true love. I mean someone who you want to wake up with in the morning and can’t wait to experience life.”

Franklin turned in his father’s direction, and their eyes connected. For the first time in his life, Franklin saw softness around his father’s eyes. His facial features were relaxed, and it was as if he was thinking back on a memory.

“I’ve been blessed to have it happen to me twice, but that’s not the norm.” He patted Franklin gently on the back. “I just knew that feisty young lady was the one for you.”

“Pop, she’s stubborn and flies off doing stuff even after I’ve warned her.”

“Her aunt was the exact same way.” He chuckled, then cleared his throat. “But, son, I’ve never seen you happier. Even when I was angry about you working at that inn.”

“But, Pop, she said that her aunt Sophia’s death must have been your fault.”

“Frankie, don’t let something that is older than both of you cause you to lose out on a true love.” He went back to his seat. “I’m not going to get involved or get between you and Kira. You need to work this out yourselves, but I don’t want that feud to be the cause of your breakup.”

“It’s done now,” Franklin muttered.

“It can be undone.” His father sighed. “Don’t be stubborn like the rest of us. Both me and the Davises could have put this feud to rest, but none of us want to bend or budge.”

“It’s not your fault, Pop, so it’s on them.”

“I’m not playing the blame game here. Sometimes we must look at ourselves, too, even when it hurts. Now, if you just can’t mend the relationship based on the two of you, that’s one thing.”

Franklin stared out the window, letting his father’s words penetrate. There was still nothing he could do—he’d walked out and she hadn’t stopped him.

“What about the apology the Davises owe you? They’ve demonized and villainized you for decades.”

“Yes, this is true, but like I told you, I’m not looking for anything from them. I know what I had with Sophia, and I hold on to that memory. I’ve moved on with my life, and I think you and Kira should, too.”

Was it even possible? “I’m just so upset with her.”

“So does this mean you’re not going back to the inn?”

“Why would I? I’m not an employee.”

“No, but you’re a man of your word. Are you going back on your word now?”

Franklin stared at his father for several moments. He always knew that he was a good man. It was just that he wanted to know more about him. Understand his movements in life and his thought processes. He now knew that a lot of his father’s outbursts and warnings came from hurt.

The heart was a delicate organ, and when it hurt, it didn’t heal easily. It sometimes took work. The first thing Franklin needed to do was work on himself.

“I hear you, Pop.”

“It will be difficult, but I know you can do it,” he said, standing to his feet. “It will be so worth it in the end. I promise.”

Franklin went to his father’s waiting arms, and they embraced.

“I love you, son. I want you to have joy. You’ve got to trust someone…why not Kira?”

Franklin took a few steps back and nodded. He would take all the advice and think about it. He just didn’t know how to move forward.

…

Kira was still reeling from her fight with Franklin. She was a bit dazed and confused as to how a simple meeting turned into a breakup. She had been so sure that when he came over, they were going to make up for what happened in the attic and move on. She’d been excited about seeing him so she could tell him about some new ideas she had for the Sip and See.

Now all of that was swirling down the proverbial drain.

She went into the kitchen and rinsed out the glasses that were in the sink. She opened and closed the cabinet doors, looking for nothing. Finally, she turned around and leaned against the counter and sighed. It all went wrong. Straight to the left.

Her whole world blew up after that conversation, and now she was left with remnants of what had been shaping up to be a beautiful relationship. She replayed the words they’d spoken to each other over and over again, but all she could hear was his final words to her. “We don’t have anything.”

Is that how he really feels? How long has he been feeling that way?

She needed to sort through this because she had more than just feelings involved. Her heart had been served, and Franklin sliced it to pieces.

Kira moped into her bedroom and threw herself across the bed. Her mind had jumbled so much that she didn’t know what to concentrate on first. They had some important things coming up at the inn, but she couldn’t do them without Franklin.

Flipping over as she stared at the ceiling, she reflected on their words to each other yet again. Terse, sometimes loud, hurtful, accusatory words had been spoken.

The whole time Franklin had worked at the inn, he never threw in her face any negativity regarding her family. He only wanted his father’s side of the story to be told, and on top of that, he wanted to know the truth and to help her. She understood all of that, which was why his accusations were so confusing.

The situation was so fragile that she should have followed her first mind and called him. All these years of heartache, hate, and blame. It now felt like it was weighing on her shoulders. She certainly was sacrificing one of the most important things in her life because of it—her relationship with Franklin.

But then his statement about her bullheadedness and doing things without thought of the consequences of others made her angry. Partly because they might be valid.

Kira threw her arm across her face and closed her eyes. Too much had happened. She wanted so badly to fix it. But how? Would her trying to fix it hurt more than heal? Would this repair her relationship with Franklin? Show him that her intentions were good and that she cared for him?

Kira blew out a big breath. I don’t know anything except that I need to move forward.

…

Franklin couldn’t sleep a wink, and he kept closing his eyes but then turning over to look at the clock. It was as if time stood still, and he knew why—every time he closed his eyes, Kira’s face popped up. He couldn’t get her out of his mind as hard as he tried. There was a connection between the two of them that couldn’t be denied. He had to decide whether he was going to finish what he’d started.

Could he face her after all the things he said? “We don’t have anything,” rang in his head. What a lie. She was important, and he recognized that trust was a factor in their blowup. Namely, his lack of it.

Pulling the sheet over his shoulders, he tried to get comfortable, knowing that when the sun came up, he needed to head over to the Red Rose Inn and face the woman he couldn’t get out of his mind. What would happen after that, he had no idea.