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“You going to tell me what was wrong when I walked in?” Caleb asks, turning serious again.
I consider asking him about it but something stops me. I don’t want him to feel pressured into giving an explanation or think less of me for my emotional reaction. It’s best if I keep that secret for now, and maybe we can discuss it later when I’ve had time to process it.
“Nah, it’s all better now,” I tell him, truthfully. Any trace of anger has disappeared completely.
“Glad I could help.” He glances around. “We should clean this up before Mia sees and comes after me for ruining her kitchen.”
“Oh, I’m right here,” Mia quips from the adjacent workroom. “You better make sure it’s spotless.”
“Aye, aye!” He playfully salutes as I join him in cleaning.
“You know you can always talk to me about anything, right?” he whispers when I get the dishes to the sink.
I simply nod, afraid my words might betray me.
“Good,” he says with a smile as we continue working.
As I watch him carefully clean up the frosting messes scattered around the kitchen, my heart tells me that he’s a good guy. But my mind isn’t so sure anymore. I don’t understand why I feel so conflicted about him, but one thing is certain—things are a lot more complicated than I ever imagined they could be.
13
Caleb
Today is near perfect, with blue skies splattered with white clouds, creating the perfect backdrop for a morning at the park. My gaze settles on Grandad, his concentration focused intently on the green expanse in front of us. His focused expression and slight frown make me smile on the inside as Piper and I prepare to learn this game called bocce ball.
“You ready to see a master at work?” Grandad teases, giving Piper and me a sly grin.
“Bring it on,” Piper replies confidently.
“First, we throw the pallino,” Grandad says, and he rolls in down the green.
“Now, I’ll show you how it’s done,” he says with a sly grin. He takes a deep breath and throws his ball in a straight line up the green, which looks impressive to me, although I’ve never played before. But the look of joy on my grandfather’s face says it all.
“Okay, here goes nothing,” Piper says, getting low, swinging her arm back, and letting the ball go.
“That’s not bad,” my grandfather says, causing Piper to growl playfully and shake her head. “You’re going to be beaten by an old man,” he continues with a cackle.
“Oh, you’re going down,” I say, mirroring the stance each had done before.
My ball rolls smoothly across the green and comes to rest near the other two. At least I won’t be teased too much about my performance during this first round. To be honest, I’m still not completely clear on all the rules of this game, but what matters most is having fun with these two by my side.
Piper and I exchange knowing glances as my grandfather prepares for his next throw. He gives the ball a fancy spin before releasing it, causing it to veer off course and barely miss a flower bed.
“Is that how it’s supposed to go?” I ask, trying not to laugh as I see Piper biting her lip to hold back a giggle.
“I was just trying to give you both a fighting chance,” Grandad quips.
“Points for style, Gene. But let me show you how it’s done,” Piper says confidently as she steps up with finesse.
Piper takes a few steps back and delivers her throw, only for the ball to hit a tree root and take an unexpected detour. We all have a good laugh this time.
“Come on now, we need to get serious,” I say with a determined look on my face as I square off with the balls down the path from us.
With one powerful swing, my ball soars past the two previous attempts made by Piper and my grandfather. I can almost taste victory when they both mutter under their breaths in defeat.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” I playfully cup my hand around my ear. “I couldn’t hear you.”
“No more Mr. Nice Guy,” Grandad says as he steps up for his turn.
