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Theresa tried Caleb’s number three more times after she’d tucked Charlie and Jeremy in bed for the night. All three calls—like the others—went to his voicemail. She’d lost the best friend she’d ever had. Worse, she’d lost the love of her life, and she hadn’t even told him how she felt.
Now that she was alone, she realized what a mistake she’d made when she’d agreed to think about giving David a second chance. They had too much history. She’d never been in love with him, and climbing back into that relationship would only rob her of her one chance at happiness. Her eyes filled, and she buried her face in her hands to muffle her sobs. “What have I done?”
* * *
Caleb’s heart ached. He sat in the back of the Uber and pulled his phone out of his backpack. Scrolling through his contacts, he found Dottie Mordan’s number and called her.
“Howdy, neighbor,” she said.
“Hey, Dottie, are you free this evening?” He checked his watch. It was six-thirty now, and he knew Dottie usually went to bed around nine. It would take the Uber another half hour to reach Ventura. He had time.
“I am. What do you need?”
“A sympathetic ear.” His jaw clenched with the effort of containing his gyrating emotions. Now he knew what Theresa meant when she’d explained spiraling. All the worst-case scenarios played through his mind, and panic followed. Hadn’t he vowed never to risk another heartbreak? He’d willingly set himself up for this, and now…. His thoughts and emotions were taking him down a deep, dark rabbit hole.
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah, uh-oh is right.”
“I’ll have the wine ready.”
“Thanks,” he managed to croak. Whiskey would be better, but he doubted Dottie kept any in her house. “See you soon.”
He ended the call and went over David’s conversation with Theresa for the umpteenth time. Maybe he’d read things all wrong. Everything thing had seemed to be going the way he’d hoped it would … until it hadn’t. How the hell could she even consider getting back together with a man who’d threatened and verbally abused her?
By the time the Uber let him off at the end of his driveway, Caleb’s head was pounding. He should call Dottie and tell her he’d talk to her tomorrow, but just then she opened her front door and gestured for him to come over.
He hoisted his backpack over his shoulder and trudged across Dottie’s yard, prepared to bare his soul.
“Let’s go out to the deck. It’s a lovely evening,” Dottie said as she led him through her bungalow. “Red wine or white?”
“Red, thanks.”
“Have you eaten, Cal?” Dottie poured them each a glass of wine from a box sitting on the edge of the sink. She handed one to him.
He accepted the glass and shook his head. “I haven’t, but I don’t think I could right now.”
“That bad, eh?” Dottie opened the sliding door to her deck. “Come tell me what the hell is going on. I’m assuming it must have something to do with Theresa.”
“You assume correctly.” He sank into his usual spot on her deck and took a few swallows of his wine. “Theresa’s ex-husband showed up after our rehearsal today. He swore to Theresa he’s working on becoming a better man,” he gritted out. “Then he groveled and begged her to take him back.”
“You overheard their entire conversation?” Dottie asked, her wrinkled brow furrowing even more.
“Yep. I was there for the whole sickening performance.” He put his feet up on the coffee table and leaned his head back to stare at the sky. “I heard every damned word, and then Theresa agreed to think about getting back together with him.”
“Hmph.” Dottie went quiet for several seconds. “Tell me everything they said to each other.”
He shared the important parts. The conversation had been etched into his brain.
“So … up to that last minute, Theresa had been against having anything to do with David other than to consider changing her child custody agreement. Am I right?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Caleb, haven’t you ever swatted at a fly that buzzed around your head?”
He frowned at her, totally baffled by the random comment. That was Dottie though. In her mind, it made perfect sense. “What does swatting at flies have to do with anything?”
“Okay, bad analogy.” Dottie took a sip of her wine. “I’ll try again. Haven’t you ever said things just to get someone off your back, out of your hair, out the door?”
