As I suspected it would, having Hannah’s picture close soothed me and I finally fell asleep.
I woke to the bright light of morning and lay on my back, gazing up at the ceiling as I replayed the events of the previous night. I turned my head to one side to look for Hannah’s photograph, planning to replace it on my nightstand. I was surprised to find it missing. I sat up and looked around. It took me a few minutes to discover that at some point I must have thrashed around and caused the photograph to fall to the floor. I leaned over to retrieve it and found the glass shattered and the frame broken.
Chapter Six
I work out at the gym three days a week, but on Saturday mornings, I usually run. After my five-mile jog, I stepped into the shower and let the spray beat down on my back while my thoughts churned. I couldn’t get the vision of Hannah’s broken photograph out of my mind. It felt almost as if she was telling me how upset she was that I hadn’t done what she’d asked, which I realized was ridiculous. And yet…the glass had shattered. Why now, I wanted to know, after the countless times I’d placed it on the empty pillow next to mine?
I’m not a superstitious man; I believe in science and rational behavior. But I couldn’t help wondering if Hannah was the reason I instantly recalled Winter’s phone number. Of course, the fact that I’d stared at it for ten minutes yesterday evening might have something to do with it.
I waited until nine-thirty, then called. Winter answered on the second ring.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Winter. It’s Michael,” I said. Actually, I’d been hoping the call would go to voice mail and I could escape talking to her. No such luck.
“Michael! It’s so good to hear your voice. How are you?
No, don’t answer that, I know how you are.”
“You do?”
“You miss Hannah. Oh, Michael, I do, too.”
So I’d been right. Hannah would be the primary focus of our conversation.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year.”
“Me, neither,” I muttered. In some ways, though, it felt much longer.
“I heard you stopped by the café,” Winter continued.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I hope you’ll come again.”
“Sure.”
“How about now?”
“Now?” I repeated.
“Unless you’ve got other plans. We can have coffee, spend a few minutes catching up.”
Perhaps it would be best to get this over with quickly. I’d fulfill my duty and then go back to missing Hannah. She wouldn’t be able to fault me once I’d made the effort.
“It’ll take me fifteen minutes to get there.”
“That’s perfect. How do you like your coffee?”
“Black,” I told her.
“I’ll start a fresh pot. It’ll be ready by the time you arrive. Would you like a croissant?”
I wasn’t turning one down. “That would be wonderful.”
“Great. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye.” I hung up and paused while I considered what had just taken place. All week I’d worried about what I’d say, but so far, dialogue on my part had hardly been necessary. Winter seemed pleased, even excited, to hear from me, although I hadn’t seen her in more than a year. All at once an idea struck me. Was it possible that Hannah had written letters to the three women on the list, as well? This hadn’t occurred to me before, and it paralyzed me.
After a few minutes, the pounding of my heart subsided as I decided on a plan of action. I’d sound Winter out. Naturally I’d broach the question carefully. If the letter to me was the only one Hannah had written, then I didn’t want Winter—or anyone else—to know about it. Ritchie knew, of course, but I could trust him to keep his mouth shut.
I left the house and made the short drive to Blossom Street in less than ten minutes. The downtown area was starting to show signs of life as business owners opened for the day. I noticed the yarn store across from the French Café and pulled into an empty slot in front of it. Cody Goetz was a patient of mine and I’d met Lydia, his mother and the shop’s owner, on a number of occasions. The family had recently adopted a twelve-or thirteen-year-old girl. Hannah had always wanted to learn how to knit.
She’d intended to knit our baby a blanket and had signed up for classes at A Good Yarn just before we learned she had cancer. The classes were forgotten, although Hannah had been so eager to knit that baby blanket…. A baby blanket!
I turned my thoughts away. No need to depress myself more than I already was.
I jaywalked across the street and entered the restaurant. I saw Winter right away.
“Michael!” She stepped out from behind the counter, extending her arms toward me, hugging me as I drew close.
“Hello, Winter.”
She held me as I stood there limply, my arms dangling awkwardly by my sides. After a moment I hugged her back. She smiled up at me. “It’s wonderful to see you.”
“You, too.” I forced a bit of enthusiasm into my voice. She was lovely, and although I looked hard for a resemblance to Hannah, I didn’t see any. Winter was blonde with blue eyes. Hannah had dark hair and dark brown eyes. They were about the same height, but the similarity ended there. As I studied her, I recognized the expressive, mobile face Hannah had liked so much. A face that was very different from her own.
“Come sit over here.” Winter led me to a table by the window. The day was overcast; otherwise, I would’ve preferred to sit outside. The entire café had an inviting ambience, however, with flowered tablecloths, comfortable chairs and warm lighting.
While I pulled out a chair and sat down, Winter motioned to a young pregnant woman at the counter who efficiently delivered two mugs of steaming coffee and a plate of croissants.
“You have a nice place,” I commented as I reached for the coffee. “I was here the other day and it was busy.”
“We do a good business,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect with the downturn in the economy, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
I noticed that her prices were reasonable. For those fortunate enough to have a job nearby, it would be convenient to stop in for coffee on the way to the office.
“What are your hours?” I asked.
“We open early,” she replied. “Alix, our baker—” she gestured at the woman who’d served us “—comes in around five and does the baking, including the croissants. Then Mary arrives at six and takes care of the morning crowd. We have a steady flow of regulars.”
I nodded.
“Business quiets down around midmorning and then picks up again with the lunch crowd. We serve soup, salads and sandwiches.”
The specials for the day were listed on the blackboard out front. The soup was beet with ginger and the salad was spinach with blue cheese and dried cranberries. Colorful and creative, I thought.
“We stay open until nine-thirty.”
“So you serve dinner, too.”
“The menu’s the same for lunch and dinner,” she explained. “I wasn’t sure evenings would work, but I was wrong. There are enough people living in the neighborhood to make the longer hours worth my while.”
“That’s great.” I glanced around appreciatively. Pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine and other distinctive French scenes decorated the walls.
“I’ve worked hard to make this café a success,” Winter told me, her voice ringing with pride. “Hannah used to encourage me….” Her voice trailed off.
I stared down into my coffee. “Like you said, it’s hard to believe Hannah’s been gone a year.”
“It is,” Winter agreed quietly.
I held my breath. “I’m starting to clear out her things.”
A bold-faced lie if there ever was one. “I wondered if there was anything of hers you’d like to have.”
Winter’s eyes misted and she brought her hand to her heart. “Oh, Michael, that’s so thoughtful of you.”
“Hannah loved you. You were her favorite cousin.”
/> Winter looked as if she might cry. Other than Hannah’s, I never could deal with other people’s emotions. Since her death, I often find myself in the role of comforter. It’s difficult to ease someone else’s pain, especially when my own is so debilitating.
“Is there anything of special significance? Anything you’d treasure?” I asked.
Winter shook her head. “I treasured my cousin. I didn’t realize how much until she was gone.”
I understood the feeling. I took a croissant, ripped off a piece, but didn’t eat it. I was afraid if we headed down this path of memories it would depress us both.
“I can’t think of anything I’d want. Whatever you’d like to give me is fine.”
“What’s the connection with France?” I asked, changing the subject.
Winter regarded me for a long moment. “I went there with Pierre.”
“Pierre?”
“Pierre Dubois. We…we used to be involved.”
“You met in France?” I was trying to remember if Hannah had mentioned any of this. The name sounded familiar.
“No, we met here in the States. At one time we worked together, but that was ages ago now,” she said, lowering her voice slightly. “I flew over to meet Pierre’s family and loved every minute—the food, the culture, the people. Being there inspired me. When I decided to open my own café I wanted to duplicate those memories.”
I smiled, caught up in her words. Then I remembered Hannah telling me about Winter and some Frenchman she’d been dating. A guy she’d worked with at a classy restaurant. The same guy who’d caused her grief.
“I suppose you’re wondering about me and Pierre?”
Winter asked. “I’m sorry we were never able to attend the dinner parties you and Hannah had. With our work schedules, it was impossible. But maybe that was just as well.”
“Ah…” I wasn’t sure how to respond.
“He and I are taking a break from each other,” Winter said. I didn’t know exactly what that meant. “A break?”
“A few months,” she elaborated. “We split up once before and then got back together, but the same old problems cropped up again. All we seemed to do was argue.” A look of sadness came over her. “Some people are meant to be together, I guess, and others aren’t, no matter how strong the attraction is.” She shook her head as if she wasn’t sure how any of this had happened.
If I understood her correctly, Winter had reunited with Pierre after a long break and recently split up again. Hannah had obviously written her letter after the first separation. “What about dating others during this…break?”
I asked without any subtlety or finesse.
“Well, that hasn’t really come up, but I don’t think it would be a problem.”
“I see. If someone encouraged you to date…say, someone like me, would you be inclined to do so?” I asked. What I really wanted to find out was whether Hannah had written her a letter condoning—or even suggesting—a relationship between the two of us.
“If someone encouraged me?” She watched me curiously. “Like who?”
“You know. Someone like a friend or—” I hesitated
“—or perhaps a relative.”
“You mean Ritchie?”
“Not specifically.” Obtaining the information was harder than I’d expected.
“I wouldn’t need anyone to encourage me, Michael,” she said, smiling across the table at me. “I’ve always thought the world of you.”
I smiled back, thanking her, but I had no idea what else to say. I hadn’t actually asked her out—not intentionally, anyway—but she’d assumed I was trying to initiate a relationship. This was embarrassing. I wasn’t sure how to extricate myself now that I’d brought it up. We left it open-ended, so that she’d get in touch with me. A short time later I walked away, confused and bewildered. With no better alternative, I drove to Ritchie’s house. My brother-in-law was in his garage; the door was open and I could see him puttering around inside. He went out to the driveway to greet me. “Hey, this is a surprise. What’s up?”
“I just had coffee with Winter.”
“So you two finally connected.” I followed him back to the garage and leaned against his workbench.
“Where are Steph and Max?” I asked.
“Shopping. Max has a baseball game later this afternoon. I’m taking him to that. Wanna tag along?”
I didn’t need an excuse to see Max. I was fond of my nephew. He loved his Xbox and, because of that, I’d cultivated the skill; we spent hours battling each other. He had top score and it wasn’t because I wasn’t trying. The kid was a natural. “Glad to,” I told Ritchie.
We were silent for a moment. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” Ritchie said, crossing his arms. “How did the meeting with my cousin go?”
I shrugged. “All right, I guess.” Before I could say anything more, Ritchie started talking.
“I’ve been thinking over what you told me about Hannah’s letter.”
“What about it?”
“My sister put Winter’s name first for a reason.”
“Which is?” I was only coming to terms with this whole letter thing now, but I wasn’t convinced that I could do what Hannah had asked.
“Hannah knew Winter the best and—”
“Winter’s involved with some Frenchman,” I said, cutting him off. “They’ve been seeing each other for quite a while. It makes me wonder why Hannah would even include her. Pierre and Winter must’ve been on their first, uh, hiatus, but still…” In any event, I wasn’t up to hearing what a perfect match the other woman was for me. Not from Ritchie and not from Hannah, either.
“She’s involved with someone else?” This quickly flattened Ritchie’s enthusiasm. “You ever heard of this guy?”
“Maybe. I’m pretty sure Hannah told me about him. Also that he and Winter split up—but then they got back together. After Hannah died, I guess.”
He stared at me blankly and I felt compelled to continue. “Now they’re taking a break from each other. They haven’t broken up, they’re taking a break,” I repeated, trying to emphasize the difference.
“What’s that mean?” he asked.
“Hell if I know. Sounds like something a woman would think up.”
“How long is this break?”
“A few months, she said.”
“Did she mention how far they were into this…temporary breakup?” he asked. I hadn’t thought to ask. “No. But,” I added, “she’s going to call me.”
Ritchie nodded. “What she’s telling you is that there are problems in that relationship,” Ritchie explained knowledgeably, as if he had a post-graduate degree in Understanding Women.
“That would be my guess,” I agreed amiably enough.
“So you’re free to step in.”
“No,” I said automatically. “I don’t think so.”
“How come?”
“Problems or not, she’s in love with Pierre.” At least the two of us could talk about the people we loved. And it wouldn’t be each other.
“Don’t be so willing to give up. Ask her out.”
I chortled, reluctant to admit what a mess I’d made of our meeting. “Winter more or less assumed I’d contacted her for exactly that reason. But I didn’t ask her out.”
Ritchie cocked his head to one side. “She’s interested, though, if she said she’ll get back to you. Isn’t that obvious?”
Nothing was obvious to me at the moment. “Do you think Hannah might have written more than one letter?” I needed Ritchie’s opinion on this. I suspected she hadn’t, but her brother knew her well, almost as well as I did…had.
My question apparently gave him pause. Then he shook his head. “Who would’ve delivered them?”
“Good point.” That settled it in my mind. There was only the one letter.
“Hannah might suggest dating these other women to you, but I doubt she’d discuss it with them.” Ritchie rubbed the side of his jaw. “No,” he added. “I’m fairly
confident Hannah just wrote one letter. Yours.”
I nodded slowly, reassured on that count. My encounters with Winter and the other two women—if I called them—would be awkward enough without more letters from Hannah.
“If Winter’s interested, then I say go out with her,”
Ritchie urged.
“No,” I said adamantly. “It’d be a waste of time for both of us.”
“Don’t be so sure. Remember, Hannah put her name first on the list, and there was a reason for that.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I know.”
“It’s what she wanted, Michael. You aren’t going to ignore my sister’s last wish, are you?”
Leave it to Ritchie to hit below the belt. “I’ll think about it,” I muttered. But I already had a feeling that Winter and I would never find happiness together.
Chapter Seven
Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised, but it’d been good to see Michael again.
Winter Adams wasn’t sure how to react when she got the message that her cousin’s husband had stopped by. She hadn’t called him right away; she’d had no idea what to say once she did. She’d always liked Michael and missed Hannah terribly. Her relationship had been with Hannah, though, and because she was usually working the dinner shift, she hadn’t socialized with them as a couple all that much. Which made the whole situation a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she felt she had to return his call.
“Did he ask you out?” Alix asked when Winter carried the plate and two empty coffee mugs to the dishwasher. She nodded.
“Are you going?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. Still mulling over the conversation, she went into her office and closed the door. Michael might be interested, but Winter belonged with the man she loved. Pierre Dubois. The past three weeks without him had been painful. Bleak. Her life was complicated and she’d probably done Michael a disservice by not explaining the situation better. She was involved with Pierre and had been for a long while, although they’d decided to take a three-month break from each other. As she’d told Michael, this wasn’t the first time they’d split up. Technically, this wasn’t a split; it was more of a breather while they analyzed what was wrong with their relationship. Two years earlier Pierre and Winter had broken it off for good. At the time it had seemed for the best, since they were constantly arguing, constantly at odds. They spent fifteen months apart. Winter had been miserable without him. During those months, she’d visited Hannah often, both at the hospital and at home. When Michael was busy, Winter sat with her cousin and poured out her heart. Hannah had been such a sympathetic listener. She’d assured Winter over and over that one day she’d meet a man who would make her happy.