Melody nodded. “That’s why I came here. I knew you’d understand. I don’t even know how much time we still have. And worse yet, he told Charlie about it, and Charlie said nothing to me. Charlie even knew I was worried about Da.”
“When did he tell Charlie?”
“I don’t know. I just know that he did. Da admitted that much. I just feel it’s a betrayal of our friendship that Charlie said nothing. I know we haven’t been friends that long, but it seems like I’ve known him forever. We were able to talk about everything. Goodness, I even tell him about my outings with the men who want to marry me. Of course, there will be no more of that. I told Da that I have no desire to marry now.”
“What did he say?”
Melody leaned back on the sofa. “That he still wants me to marry. He wants to have me taken care of so he can die in peace.” She sighed and shook her head again. “I can’t be courting someone with this weighing on my heart.”
“You know what? We need to pray.” Marybeth reached out to take hold of her hand. “We need to do it right now. God always has answers, and He won’t fail to show you the right direction this time, just as He always has.”
Melody knew she was right. “I agree. We need to pray He heals Da.” She thought of Charlie. “And we need to pray that Charlie will be honest with me about why he said nothing.”
Charlie was actually glad that Clancy Doyle wanted to stay home that evening. He wouldn’t have been able to have an outing like this with Melody otherwise, and he was very much looking forward to it.
They walked to the restaurant, and Charlie told Melody about his day of going over bank ledgers. He said nothing about his fears that Jefferson was doing something underhanded and instead shared some of the things he’d learned about banking over the years.
“Of course, you already know that banking isn’t where my heart lies.”
“Does your heart lie, Charlie?” she asked him most unexpectedly.
“What?” He frowned, completely uncertain what it was she wanted to know.
“How long have you known about Da?”
“What exactly are you asking me?” He stopped on the boardwalk and faced her.
“How long have you known that Da is dying?”
He frowned. “He confided in me a week ago.”
Melody studied him for a moment, then her shoulders sagged a bit. “Why would he do that? Tell you and not me?”
“I don’t pretend to entirely understand, but I think it wasa man-to-man kind of thing. He came to talk to me about the money coming from Ireland.”
“You lied to me.”
“I would never lie to you, Melody. And I told your father that when he asked me to keep his secret until he could talk to you about it.”
“You knew I was worried about Da’s health, and yet you said nothing.” She glanced down the street. “I thought you were my friend.”
“I am your friend and Clancy’s too. I didn’t want to betray his trust, but had you asked me directly if I knew what was wrong with him, I would have told you. I swear I would have. But you never asked. You talked about him and what might be going on, but you didn’t ask me if I knew.”
“That’s just a game, Charlie. It’s still not right.”
“I am not playing games with you, Melody. My intention has only ever been to keep your father’s trust until he was ready to tell you the truth.”
“He’s known since he fell. Why didn’t he just tell me the truth then?”
“You’d have to ask him that question. My guess is that he didn’t want to spend his final days dying.”
She frowned, drawing her brows together. “What do you mean?”
Charlie wanted so much to comfort her. “If I were him, I’d want to spend my last days living to the fullest, rather than spend them dying a little at a time with people crying over me or being sad.” Tears were in her eyes, and despite it being in the middle of the boardwalk, Charlie put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m here for you, Melody.”
She pushed him away. “I don’t want you to be. I can’t trust you to tell me the truth.”
She stormed away, leaving Charlie to watch her go. He longed to run after her but knew it wouldn’t do any good. She needed time to think through all that had happened and calm her anguished heart.
