She opened up her camera roll and scrolled through her photos."These are what I've been working on lately."
He took the phone and smiled as he swiped through photo after photo."These are exquisite."
"Thank you."
"And these sunflowers — are they decorative pieces?"
She smiled."They are."
"Charles bought them," said Ollie.
Miles nodded slowly."I can understand why."
Callie would have loved to ask about the significance that sunflowers held for Charles, but this didn't seem like the time.
Miles kept swiping through the photos.She loved the way he smiled before he held the phone up again.It was a photo of the wind chime by the back door of the cottage.
"This," he said."What's the story with this?"
"Oh, I don’t sell those.Those are just the broken pieces — it's a wind chime.I've only made a couple.For myself, really.I used the rejects and the tests gone wrong and the weird pieces that wouldn't fit anywhere else.The ones that no one would want."
"That's what makes them special," said Miles, with a glance at Ollie.
~ ~ ~
Ollie stared at his dad, surprised to hear him say that.He would have thought the great Miles Stratton would only want the perfect, polished pieces.It surprised him that his dad could see the beauty of the wind chime — and had even said pretty much the same thing Ollie had said himself when he first saw them.
His dad held his gaze for a moment and gave a slight nod before looking back down at Callie's phone.
"And this is at your home?At your cottage?"
"It is."
Callie glanced at Ollie, and he covered her hand on his thigh with his own.She was doing her best here to keep things going for him while he processed how he felt about his dad.He needed her to know how grateful he was.
His dad held her phone up again."These flowers by the back door — they're lilacs.I didn't realize they grew up there on the coast."
"I was surprised myself when I moved there," said Callie."Surprised but very pleased.They're my favorite flowers.There are a ton of lilac bushes around the farm at home in Kansas."
Ollie couldn't read his dad's expression when he said quietly, "There are lilacs here too."
"There are?"Ollie asked incredulously."I've never seen them.Are you sure?"
His dad met his gaze and held it."I'm sure, son.I planted them for your mother."He paused."I'm not surprised you don't remember.You were only small.They're down there by the pond.We used to sit under them together.The three of us."
Ollie's throat tightened as he stared at his dad.The memory that he hadn't been able to grasp when he saw Callie's lilacs at the cottage came back in full force now.All he'd remembered then was a warm sunny day.Purple flowers.Laughter.A hand holding his.A big hand.
He stared at his dad and swallowed hard when it hit him.
It must have been his dad's hand.
His dad turned away to stare out at the rolling hills."I know you don't remember.But there was a time, Ollie.It didn't last long, but there was a short time when we were happy."
He turned back to face Ollie and sat up a little straighter, taking a deep breath before he continued.
"After your mother left, I was lost.I didn't know what to do.I didn't know how to care for you.And this place..."He looked around."This place felt like it mocked me.It was supposed to be filled with a happy future.Instead, all that was left in every corner was a reflection of how I'd failed."He shrugged and stared down into his glass."I failed your mom.I failed you.I should have stayed.Or I should have taken you with me.I didn't know what to do."
He looked up at Ollie again."I know now that I did it all wrong."
