Chapter 8
Just as he’d promised, Ivy’s father arrived bright and early. He came bearing gifts: Starbucks coffee and bagels from Pine City’s only bakery, aptly known as The Bakery. Pine City’s business establishments were nothing if not ground-breakingly original.
“I still know how to make coffee,” she said when she opened the front door for him. She was not one for breakfast, but whatever he had in the brown paper bag smelled yeasty and divine.
“I’m sure you do,” he said, bypassing her and heading for the kitchen. He wore khaki slacks and a perfectly ironed chambray shirt. His reddish-brown hair had not thinned at all or contained a single strand of gray or silver. Ivy thought that he appeared much younger than his sixty-six years.
Making himself at home, he took two plates and two coffee mugs from the cupboard, then located a bread knife and a butter knife in the drawer where she kept the kitchen utensils. He sliced both bagels and dropped them in the toaster. All this, and he had yet to say exactly why he was here. Ivy remained silent as she sat at the kitchen bar, watching him. He was quite efficient, she thought, as she observed his neat, capable movements. When the bagels were done to his satisfaction, he put one on each plate, then took the mini containers of cream cheese from the paper bag the bagels had come in, expertly slathering the cream cheese on top. He placed both cups of coffee in the microwave and punched the buttons. When the microwave gave its usual beep beep beep, he removed them and filled both mugs with the strong-smelling brew.
She so wanted to ask him what he was up to, but did not. It was his idea to visit, so she would let him take the lead at his own pace.
He set a mug of coffee and a bagel in front of her, then sat on the bar stool across from her. “So I guess you’re wondering why I’m here,” he announced after taking a sip from his mug.
Ivy also took a drink of coffee. “Well, now it is obvious why. To make sure I have breakfast?” she replied, her tone sarcastic.
Her father took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Please do not insult me, Ivy. You’re perfectly capable of feeding yourself.”
“Yes, I suppose that at thirty-six I’m quite capable of feeding myself, among other things.” She was in no mood for this, but she would play his guessing game. They had played this when she was a child. And, to be sure, it had been fun thirty years ago. Now it was simply irritating.
A shadow of what she knew to be annoyance crossed his face. She knew her father quite well.
“After what I have to say, I’m not so sure about that.”
Ivy furrowed her brows and took another sip of coffee before answering. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He took a deep breath, brushed invisible crumbs from his chambray shirt. “It’s been eight years, Ivy—”
“Do not even go—”
“Hear me out.” He paused, holding out his palm while he spoke. “Do not interrupt me. Please, just give me a minute.”
She nodded.
“As I was saying, it’s been eight years. I cannot even put into words the hurt we, you, have experienced. I can only equate it with losing your mother. While that was one of the worst times in my life, it does not compare to your losing Elizabeth, James, and John. I cannot even begin to imagine your loss. It’s just not in the natural order of life. I rarely wake up a day when I do not think about the enormity of your loss . . . what you lost, what the world lost.”
Tears streamed down his face. He brushed them away with his thumb. “But it’s time for you to live again. Would John want you to give up on life? You have got so much to offer the world.” He met her gaze.
Ivy did not know what to say. While she had expected something along these lines, she had not counted on his being so direct. “I do not have anything without my family, Dad.” And this was true. The day their lives ended, hers had, too. “What do you want me to say? To do?” Her eyes filled with tears, too.
“Just live, Ivy. Move on with your life. You’re still a vibrant woman. You’re still young.” He stared at her. “You could have a family again.”
Ivy jumped up so fast, she knocked over the stool she had been sitting on. “How can you be so cruel? Do you think I can replace my family like . . . like the airplanes you replace? Just build another? A bigger and better model? I hope to God that is not what you’re implying. Because if it is, you’re not the man I think you are. Or the father.” She stomped away, heading to the living room.
“Ivy, stop!”
She dropped down onto the sofa, tears blurring her vision. “What do you want from me?”
He sat beside her, taking her hand in his. “In no way am I suggesting you can replace your family. You know me better than that. Frankly, I’m surprised those words came from your mouth. Think how much you love Elizabeth and James. I have those same feelings for you, and as I have said before, it does not matter if you’re six years old or thirty-six. One child can never replace one that is gone, Ivy. For God’s sake, that’s such an awful thought!”
He took a deep breath, squeezed her hand, then let it go. “I’m stunned you would even say that.”
“Then why are you here? I know you did not come here to tell me I need to live my life. I have heard that from you dozens of times. What is so different today? I know you, Dad. There is a reason for your early-morning visit.”
He sighed, and nodded. “You’re right, there is. I have just decided now is not the time, so let’s just forget this. Can we?”
Ivy looked at her father. He was hurting. She knew him well. “Is it my drinking?”
“No. Though I wish you’d stop drowning your loss in alcohol before it becomes a real problem. You have enough to deal with as it is.”
She silently agreed, but would not give him the satisfaction of verbalizing this. “Whatever it is you came here to say, go ahead. Really, I’m okay with whatever it is.” At least she hoped she was.
“No, I do not think you are, and I have just realized one of the issues I wanted to talk to you about is not the right thing to do. It was silly of me to give it a second thought, and the timing is not right. Maybe it will never be right.”
“Dad, do not do this to me.”
He looked down, then met her gaze. “All right. I was going to tell you I’m retiring. I thought about asking you to take over the reins, but I just now realized that’s never going to happen.” He did not mention the financial ultimatum, which was really useless when he thought about it. Ivy was on more than solid financial ground.
“You’re right about that. It’s not going to happen. Ever.”
“Then I’m putting Macintosh Air up for sale.”
Ivy’s face paled. “You’re serious?”
“I have never been more serious in my life. Like any entrepreneur, it has always been my hope that you would take over the business someday, but I understand why you do not want that.”
“You of all people should,” Ivy said.
It was the last profession on Earth she wanted to work in. An airline company. Managing those silver instruments of death. The nuts and bolts, the wires, the cables that had ruined her life, taken the lives of her family. She had not flown since and doubted that she ever would again. Just the thought of boarding an airplane made her nauseous. This should not be a problem, since she never planned to travel far from North Carolina ever again. And if she chose to travel, she had a perfectly good vehicle to take her anywhere she decided to go. But she opted to stay home, and that was that.
“I suppose you’re right, but you know the story, Ivy. I guess there is not anything I can say to convince you to change your mind. However, as sole owner of the airline, if I sell, there will no longer be a guaranteed income for you in the future. I could not add that into the terms of the sale.”
“You know I don’t care about your money. Besides, I have enough of my own. I guess I’m pretty darned lucky in the dollar department. John took out a hefty life insurance policy on both of us right after the twins were born. You know that.”
She remembered the trip to Asheville when they’d met with their insurance agent. The twins were only three months old at the time. She had left them with Rebecca and could not wait to return to Pine City, as that was the first time she had been away from them since they were born. She had signed the required documents and agreed to whatever John and the agent discussed. She remembered thinking how she did not give a hoot about term life, whole life, and a laundry list of other policies. She just wanted to get home to her babies. And now, all these years later, his sound financial planning, as well as her father’s generous continuation of her salary and a death benefit for John, allowed her to do exactly as she pleased. Which was absolutely nothing. At least nothing of value, but she pushed this thought aside, trying to focus on her father’s words.
“I guess I’m on another level, Ivy. I had always hoped to keep the company in the family. I guess I’m just a foolish old man, huh?” He offered up a halfhearted smile.
Sighing, she shook her head. “You’re not foolish. We both know that’s not true. If you’re trying to make me feel sorry for you by implying that you’re old and feeble, it’s not going to work.” Ivy gave a slight smile.
Her father caught her eye, winked at her, then said, “And I could say the same for you, minus the old and feeble part.”
“So I’m foolish, and you think I want you to feel sorry for me?” Ivy drew in a deep breath, blowing it out so fast her hair flew away from the sides of her face.
“Let’s just stop this. We’re not accomplishing anything, Ivy. I’m not calling you anything, and, certainly, if anyone is deserving of sympathy, it’s you. I’m not trying to make light of this disaster that your life has become. I just want you to be happy. If staying here all alone, all day, every single day of the week, letting the months and the years pass by, makes you happy, then I believe it’s time I kept my thoughts to myself. When you’re ready, you’ll make a change on your own without any prompting from me.”
He stood up and crammed his hands in his pockets, jingling his keys as he’d been doing for as long as she could remember. He headed for the door, then stopped and turned. “Just so you know, I’m going to sell the house. I hope you’re okay with that?” he asked.
Ivy managed a small, tentative smile. “Of course I’m fine with that. It’s not my house.”
“No, it is not, but it was your childhood home. If you want me to hang on to it, I will.” His smile held a touch of sadness that she had only witnessed a few times in her life. “There’s really no reason to sell the place. It’s not like I need the money.”
The gloom was getting to her. “I think it would be a great place to start a new life. Some lucky family might figure out how to turn the place into a real home.” She gazed up at him. “Again.”
A corner of his mouth twisted upward. “Thanks, Ivy. For the again. I think we were pretty happy, once we got used to your mother’s death. Don’t you?”
Ivy hated emotions, especially this early in the day, and did not want to talk about anything connected to her mother. She was sad about her childhood home and knew all she had to do was say the word, and it would remain as it was forever, but her dad needed to enjoy his golden years. Besides, the place was too big for one person. All the land, the apple trees, the leaves in the fall. It took a lot of work to maintain a house that size.
“Dad, I think you need to sell the house. We were both happy there. Those times are gone, of course, so there’s no point in hanging on to a piece of property because you have an emotional attachment to it.”
He raised his brows. “Really?” A trace of his old humor could be heard in that one single word.
Ivy suddenly realized what she had implied. “Do not say a word.”
“I do not believe it’s necessary. Now I have places to go and things to do.” He walked outside, then turned around to stare back at her before getting into his car. “The Upside is having their Christmas musical again this year. I’d love it if you’d be my guest.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. This was the third year in a row he’d invited her. She hated anything remotely connected to the upcoming holidays, but for some reason, she felt compelled to say, “I’ll think about it.”