Secrets from the Heart, page 3
Franklin only hoped that Kira wasn’t trying to make a fool out of him. Bringing embarrassment on his family wasn’t the goal. There was a lot he had to consider. He could possibly help his father get past a horrible time in his life. At least he hoped so.
Knowing that his father was being held responsible for the accident in the Davis family’s eyes was disturbing, though. If he only knew what really happened… But asking his father to open up would be like prying the jaws of a lion open with his bare hands.
Pulling his late-model Ford Mustang into the driveway of his parents’ cottage-style home, Franklin sat looking at the house and around the neighborhood. They’d lived here for more than thirty years, as did most of the people on their block. Now, all were retired teachers, seamstresses, cooks, and business owners. Lawns were meticulously manicured, houses in pristine condition, but that wasn’t so surprising. They’d had a block club since he was a young boy. They took pride in their homes and even had a contest every year for the best curb appeal.
Thinking about the simplicities of life made Franklin smile as he imagined having a home and family of his own someday. It was something he hadn’t thought about in a long time.
After his tumultuous breakup with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Sylvie, he just couldn’t take another chance on his heart. Even though she was in the military with him, he made sure that he buckled down and concentrated on his responsibilities.
The honk of a car horn pulled him out of his thoughts.
His father hadn’t returned from work yet, he noticed, which gave him an opportunity to talk to his mother first. He got out of the car, grabbed the supplies to fix the sink from the backseat, then headed for the front door. Once inside, he dropped off the supplies in the laundry room and went up to the loft.
His mother, Shirley Bennett, was the sweetest woman he’d ever known in his life. She was a soft-spoken, petite woman who was always in his corner. It didn’t matter what he, his brother Aaron, and sister Charlotte wanted to do, their mother was always there in support. She was an excellent seamstress and had made a lot of clothes for the women of Clover Creek.
“Hey, Momma, what are you making now?” he asked, looking around the room that had been remodeled last year just for her. It was done to perfection; his father wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love the room. No more sewing at the kitchen table?”
She smiled. “It’s really a mess in here, but I like to be able to spread out and not have to put all my supplies away so that I can use the table for dinner.”
The room was spacious enough for her to have nice equipment, two dressmaker’s forms presented nicely. One was draped with white satin and had pins sticking through it, shaped like a wedding gown. There were two tall cases, almost to the ceiling in height, with colorful materials stacked neatly on the shelves. She had an embroidery machine, an ironing board with a fancy iron, and bins with patterns, thread, buttons, and other sewing supplies.
“Wow, are you making a wedding dress?” Franklin asked as he moved over to the dressmaker’s form. When he reached out to touch the beautifully crafted workmanship, his mom yelled and he quickly withdrew.
“Yes, I’m making it for the Wesleys’ daughter’s wedding in a few months. I hope your hands are clean.”
Her “mom sense” was always right. He hadn’t washed his hands when he came inside. “Sorry.”
She laughed. “That fabric is delicate, and everything shows up on it.”
Franklin grabbed the chair nearby and sat down. “I’m proud of you, Mom. You don’t let anything stop you.”
“Baby, it’s best that you use every gift God gives you.” She smiled in return as she ran a stitch through some fabric. Franklin watched her foot move as she worked on the material.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I got a job at the Red Rose Inn today,” he replied, watching her reaction carefully.
His mother stopped her task and turned toward him. “Come again?”
Franklin had no idea how much his mother knew about the feud, since her family wasn’t from Clover. She was a friend of one his father’s aunts and came along with her to Nashville to a Bennett family reunion. That’s where Franklin’s mother and father met. She probably wouldn’t be able to give him any insight on the past, but he was curious what she knew.
“I just had a meeting with Kira Davis about becoming their inn manager,” he said.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Mrs. Potter went to help her son with his children. But Franklin, you know how your father feels about the Davises.”
“That was eons ago,” he said. “Shouldn’t we squash that?”
“You can’t just ignore something like this. A lot of people were hurt.” She shook her head. “I wish you hadn’t done that, son.”
“I…” Franklin’s voice trailed off. He hadn’t expected his mother to respond in that way. Now he understood what Kira was probably dealing with, but he still believed that it wouldn’t hurt. “It’s only for three months, and I’d live at the inn.”
A loud sigh came from his mother before she turned back to her sewing machine. “I’m going to leave this alone. You are a grown man and can do what you want. I’ll let you and your father deal with it. But you know that he will not be happy about this.”
Franklin had to admit he was concerned, but if he and Kira were successful, maybe they could end the feud once and for all. “I’m going to go and fix the sink.”
“Thank you.”
Franklin turned to leave the room.
“Son…”
He went back over to his mother, and she just stared at him for a few seconds. “Please be careful,” she said before turning her attention back to her work.
There was no need to respond, but it did tell him that his conversation with his father was going to be more confrontational. He’d have to prepare himself. His father wasn’t easily swayed.
…
While Franklin worked on the sink, he replayed the conversation with his mother in his mind. He didn’t come back to Clover to stir up the feud. He hadn’t even thought of it for years. How his father had been living with this for so long, he didn’t know. He kept telling himself that working with Kira Davis would settle everything. The Davises and the Bennetts didn’t have to live in the same town and pretend they didn’t have a history. But they could be civil and move on with their lives.
By the time he was done fixing the sink, he heard his father arrive. Cleaning up the debris and gathering the trash, he put the room back in order, turned the water line back on, and went outside to talk to him.
Franklin walked to the garage where his father was just getting ready to step inside.
“Hey, son, I want you to help me with something on this old car.”
Working side by side with his father didn’t always turn out well, but he didn’t mind today. It would give him a chance to talk to him about his new job.
“Okay, Pop. I just finished fixing that pipe in the laundry room.”
“Good, your mother will be happy. Was it really bad?”
“Yes, I used the plumbing snake to try to clean the line, but it was stubborn. I finally got it cleaned out after using the mixture I got from Hank’s.”
He shook his head. “We might have to replace that whole thing soon. But I’m glad it’s working again.”
Franklin nodded and followed his father inside the garage, where an older-model Chrysler was stored. “I promised Allison that I’d get this car running for her,” his father said. “It’s her senior year, you know.”
His brother’s oldest daughter had grown up so much. Franklin was happy to help.
Best to drop this bomb right now and get it out of the way so they could work.
“Pop, I got a job today—”
His confession collided with the music his father had just turned on an old cassette player. The music was loud, and he could see his father’s overalls moving from left to right from behind while he gathered his tools.
Crap. He hadn’t heard him.
Charlie Bennett loved music and Aretha. He’d even convinced Franklin’s mother to name him after her.
Franklin walked to the other side of the garage. “Pop, I can’t believe you still have cassette tapes.” He eyed the stack on the shelf. “If that tape player ever breaks, you won’t be able to listen to your music.”
“Yep, that thing is as solid as a rock. I’ve had it for years. Still plays like I bought it yesterday. They don’t make stuff this good anymore.”
“Maybe you should upgrade.” Franklin was thinking more about the actual tape breaking than the machine. Of course, he knew that he was stalling. Time to get on with it.
“Nope.” His father shook his head. “As long as nobody messes with my stuff, it will be fine.”
“Okay. We’ll leave that alone. But I wanted to tell you that I got a job today.”
By this time, Aretha was belting out one of his father’s favorite tunes. Hearing those horns and the Queen of Soul telling folks to swing their hips from left to right even made him want to tap his feet. He couldn’t get into the music, though, not before he’d had a chance to talk.
“I heard you the first time. Besides, your mother already told me,” his father confessed, pulling the latch to open the hood of the car.
The coolness in his father’s voice was surprising. Franklin didn’t anticipate this kind of reaction. “I’ll be moving there in the morning.”
A few seconds later, his father looked up from what he was doing and waved at him. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been back in Clover,” he said, reaching down to pick up his tool. “But why in the hell would you go and work for those folks?”
“Mary Louise retired and now her niece Kira is running the inn.”
His father’s eyes narrowed. “Her last name is Davis, right?”
“She’s just trying to keep her family’s business going.”
“That may be true, but she’s still from the enemy camp.”
He spoke like this was a war. “Will you tell me what happened? I heard part of—”
His father waved a dismissive hand, cutting Franklin off. “You do what you want, but heed my warning, the Davis family are not nice people. They will turn their backs on you when they get the opportunity. Mark my words.”
Franklin and his father stared at each other for a long time.
“Have you decided how long you’ll be here?” he asked.
“This job is three months until Mrs. Potter comes back.”
He nodded. “Yes, I know her very well.”
His father never ceased to amaze him. He got along with Mrs. Potter, who worked for the Davis family business, but still hated the Davis family itself. Franklin was beginning to realize that his father was a more complicated man than he knew.
“Are you going back into the army after the three months?”
“I’m not sure yet.” That was the truth. “Being in the military is all I’ve ever done since I graduated from high school.”
“So, you’re running off again.”
Franklin smothered a laugh. “Running off? No, Pop. I joined the army because I wanted to see the world.”
“Now, you’re back in Clover for a minute before you re-enlist. Franklin, keep on and you’ll end up just like my brother.”
The day they received word that his uncle, a career military man, had been killed in Iraq left his father devastated. It was a sad time for the entire family, but Franklin saw his uncle as a hero. He’d always wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve his country.
“Like I said, haven’t made that decision yet, Pop. I came home so I can spend some time with my family. Reconnect with my nieces and nephews.”
Being away for so long had taken a toll. When he left, he hadn’t heard from his father for more than eight months. He realized that it was because of what happened to his uncle, but there was still this hurt in his heart because he didn’t feel that his father was in his corner. Having that approval meant a lot to him. After a while, out of necessity, he’d pushed aside those emotions and went on with his career.
“How are you going to do that at the edge of town with the Davises?”
Franklin knew where his father was going with this, and it would just get them in an argument. He wanted his time there to be peaceful. “Pop, I’m proud that you continued to run Granddad’s construction company. You’ve taught me so much, but let’s be honest with each other. Everything has to be done your way or the highway.”
“And you don’t think the Davises are going to want things their way? You’re helping them maintain their family business while ignoring your own.”
“That’s not my intention at all…” Franklin knew what the dismissive look on his father’s face meant. Trying to explain himself wouldn’t do any good, because honestly there was nothing left to say.
“I’ll be in town and not thousands of miles away from you. I’ll stop by every chance I can, and I’ll eat dinner with you guys after church on Sundays.”
Suddenly, his father turned around and picked up his wrench, then went back under the hood of the car, humming to an Aretha tune that had become an anthem back in the day. Franklin guessed the song was appropriate, because his father probably felt Franklin wasn’t giving him the respect he deserved. That was far from the truth, though. He’d just have to prove to him that they could squash this feud, bury the hatchet deep, and that everyone would be better off without it.
…
Kira sat with her feet propped up on her desk as she looked out the window of her office at the inn. The regal and nostalgic white-brick plantation-style colonial was tucked away on the edge of town, located on the bank of the creek that ran through Clover. Leaning back in her chair, she relaxed and stared at the beautiful flowers and trees. She loved everything about this area and the land.
From the memories of her childhood running around the inn, playing with her cousins in the summer, to the day she moved into the quaint little Creole-style family cottage that sat on the property. The Red Rose Inn and surrounding area was a quiet place where people could get away from the hustle and bustle of life, yet it felt like home.
Today, they’d start a new journey. One with a winding but challenging road. Even though she vacillated quite a bit, she felt ready for the challenge. She and Franklin Bennett were like-minded when it came to the ancient feud, so she hoped together they would end it by showing unity. She was excited about working with him and even her cousin Gail. Together they would take her family’s business to higher heights.
“Kira!” Her cousin barged into the room, jerking Kira out of her thoughts, and she almost fell out of the chair.
“Dang, Gail, can’t you knock so I at least know that you’re coming?”
Gail Davis was tall and slender, with dark brown curly hair that she always wore pinned up. Today she was wearing black slacks and a floral blouse underneath her apron. “Look, you’re going to have to talk to this man who calls himself a chef.”
Oh boy, here we go. Gail believed things were supposed to be given to her. Even when she and Kira were little, Gail always wanted a new doll instead of playing with the ones she already had. She and Kira were opposites, but there was one thing she had going for her—the girl was an excellent cook. Now, if they could just work on her attitude, they’d be all right.
Kira stood. “What happened? I thought Aunt Mary Louise talked to you both together.”
“I guess he has memory loss. You need to explain to him that I’m supposed to prepare everything this month.”
Kira frowned. “Is that what you agreed on? You’re supposed to be the sous chef. It’s his kitchen, Gail.”
Once again, her cousin was trying her patience.
“Did you handle the issue of a manager?”
“Why? Didn’t you come in here about you and Ben?” They already had a problem to solve, so she wouldn’t reveal the details about her new hire.
“You’re supposed to be running this place, and all I see is things unraveling. I told Auntie.”
Kira wished she liked her cousin. At one time she had, but Gail never wanted to see her part in things. She always deflected and talked too much. But Kira would amuse her, since she needed her out of the way by the time Franklin arrived.
“Yes, for your information, he’s starting today.”
“So it’s a male manager? Took you long enough.”
“Girl, bye.” Kira came around her desk. “You need to be nicer to Ben and maybe he’ll let you have your way sometimes. You’re always trying to tell folks what to do.”
Gail rolled her eyes and gave Kira the finger. “Forget you, Kira.”
“Where are we? Elementary school?” Kira said, then laughed to lighten the mood. “You know I’m not lying on you. Let’s go and have a talk. I need you all to get the meals together. We’ve got an inn full of folks that need to eat.”
Kira didn’t think it was a good idea for her aunt to appoint Gail to work with Ben because of their history anyway. But she understood giving Gail an opportunity to prove herself as a chef was the same thing the family was doing for her. Formally trained, Gail had moved back to Clover just like Kira to work in the family business. She just hoped her cousin and the chef didn’t burn down the kitchen and kill each other in the process.
…
Somebody on the outside looking in at the situation would probably think that Franklin was a fool to go and work for the “enemy.” He wasn’t a fool, though, and that’s why he asked Kira upfront about her motive to suddenly offer him the position after she’d been hesitating.
He’d learned a valuable lesson about deception early on in his life and promised himself never to be duped by anyone again. Even though Kira Davis didn’t fit the description of a deceiver or manipulator, in his opinion, he would be taking every precaution. He was intelligent enough to know if a person was up to something, but all he saw in Kira was a woman desperate to prove herself. Why would she hire someone related to a person her family hated?
