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“You’re right about that.” He glanced at her and blew out a long breath. “I was born and raised in Sun Valley, Idaho. My family owns a small resort there. Every year after Christmas and New Year’s, our family gathers for a week to have our own holiday celebration. When you’re in the hospitality business, you don’t get holidays off.”
“You have siblings?”
“Yep. A brother and a sister, both happily married and both working in the hospitality industry. My brother and his wife will take over managing our family’s resort and rental properties when Mom and Dad decide to retire. They both work with my parents now and have since finishing college.
“My sister is an outstanding chef, and her husband is a whiz at restaurant management. They own a five-star restaurant nearby. I also have three nieces and two nephews, plus a few aunts and uncles and a bunch of cousins. Not all of the extended family live in Sun Valley anymore though.”
He shrugged. “I’m the black sheep in my family. I chose a career path outside the hospitality industry.”
“So, I’m guessing the accident happened while you were heading for Sun Valley to be with your family?”
“Yes. My wife and I made our home in Spokane, Washington to be near her family. They helped with taking care of Helen when we had gigs out of town. Helen was really attached to her Papa and Nana, and of course they adored their only granddaughter. He raked his fingers through his hair.
“Snow had been forecasted, but I’m used to driving through the mountains when it snows. I loved road trips with Amy and Helen. We’d stop at interesting places, scenic overlooks, and we’d make a day of the journey. Amy wanted to put off going until after the snow stopped. She suggested we fly in the next day and rent a car.” He cleared his throat again. “I insisted we’d be fine. We had a four-wheel-drive-off-road Jeep at the time.”
“Mmm.” Teresa nodded.
“We were doing fine. It’s the other guy you have to worry about.” He let loose a shaky breath. “A semi-truck hauling a full load lost control as he came down the hill we were climbing. He should’ve had chains on his wheels.”
He shook his head and stared out over the ocean. “He was going too fast, and when he saw us, rather than let us get safely past him before he attempted to slow down, he braked. The trailer fishtailed and knocked us off the road. We rolled—I don’t know how many times—and smashed into solid rock. My wife and daughter didn’t make it. I came away with several broken bones.”
“And a broken heart,” Theresa murmured. “I’m sure you’ve tortured yourself plenty thinking if you’d only waited, or if only you’d decided to fly out the next day. I’m sure you also realize the accident wasn’t your fault. You weren’t responsible for the other driver’s mistakes.”
“Doesn’t help. I still blame myself. I should’ve listened to my wife. If I had, they’d still be here today.” His chest tightened to the point where breathing became a chore.
Damn, he hated talking about this, hated the way all the helpless anger, grief, and loneliness still brought him to his knees, gutting him all over again.
“I’m sorry I brought it up.” Theresa shook her head. “I’m even more sorry for your loss, Caleb.”
“Thank you,” He glanced at her. “Speaking of difficult subjects, tell me why you had to sneak to your neighbor’s house to feel safe. I suspect there’s a story there.”
“Oh, there is.” She sighed. “I will tell you all about my dysfunctional family, but not tonight.” She moved away from him and twirled with her arms outstretched, her sandals dangling from one hand. “I feel too damned good to talk about that right now.”
The sight of her with her head thrown back, her expression joyful, did funny, dangerous things to his insides and stole his breath. “Another time then. Next time we do this, we’ll have dinner at your favorite place in Santa Barbara.”
“I’d like that. You know, we have a few dog-friendly beaches in Santa Barbara. I was thinking the boys and I could take Sully for a good run one afternoon. The next time you come our way to work on the song, you could join us, and we could all have dinner together. Jeremy and Charlie would love that.”
“Sounds like fun. Monday then?”
“Sure.” She stared out over the Pacific. “I should probably head back soon.”
As they walked back to his truck, Theresa began humming. She’d enjoyed their evening. So had he. This keeping the scale from tipping might prove more challenging than he’d thought. “We start rehearsals soon.”
“I know. I’m almost finished with the baby blanket and sweater for Cookie and her husband.”
He arched a brow. “That didn’t take long.”
“I’ve had lots of practice over the years. Blankets with matching sweaters were my standard baby shower gift for the teachers I worked with,” she said as his truck came into view. “Hey, we could carpool to L.A. for rehearsals. I could drive to your place, and from there we could take turns,” she said.
“Great idea. I’ll give Jeffery a call. He and his family also live in Ventura. He can join us.” Jeffery Stutsman was their drummer, Caleb’s jogging buddy, and a great guy.
“I didn’t know he lived in Ventura.” She made a growling sound. “One of my goals this year is to get to know everyone better. It’s weird. It’s my band, and I hardly know any of the members.”
“I’m glad to hear you want to get to know everyone better. They’re a great group.” He should know. He’d been the one to interview and audition each member when he’d been hired to put the band together. “What are some of your other goals?” He opened the passenger side door for her. Theresa didn’t say anything as she settled into the seat, and once more he wondered what was going on in her mind.
He climbed in and started his car. “You okay?”
“Yes. I’m better than okay. You asked about my goals, and I’m sorting through them. I guess healing heads the list. My childhood was traumatic. This past year has been really difficult for several reasons, and now I just want to feel whole and healthy.”
