Page 12 of Always Be My Baby

“Sorry. I’ve been very busy. It’s only been a week, Mom.”

I sounded a bit sassy, so I paused to change my tone. After Lucas and I had a fight, I didn’t feel like talking to even my mom or my sister.

“I know, but I was getting used to you calling me every other day.”

“Sorry, Mom. How’s Casey and Peter?”

After my parents divorced, my mom married Peter when I was in high school. I rarely spoke to my father, especially since he moved back to London. I visited him last summer, but with the time change, it was difficult to call, not to mention how expensive it was to call overseas.

“They’re fine. Casey isn’t home right now. She got a job at the bakery, and she’s making her own graduation cards. She got accepted to the culinary school she wanted to attend in San Francisco.”

I shifted on my bed and coiled the telephone cord around my finger. “She did? Great for her. I can’t believe my little sister is graduating from high school in three months.”

“You will be there, won’t you?” Not a question, but not a demand.

“Of course. I only have one sister, and I live like an hour away from home.”

“Good.”

“Give Peter my love.”

“He’s right next to me.”

“He’s not working in the ER today?”

Mom met Peter at the Emergency Care in the county hospital, where she was a nurse. They were friends to lovers. He had been there for her through rough marriage, and they discovered they wanted to be more than friends.

“Nope. He got the day off.” Mom sounded excited.

“Well, enjoy your time together, and I’ll swing by home next Sunday.”

“How’s Lucas?”

I tried to hang up the phone before she could ask, since she always asked about him on every phone conversation we had, but too late.

I told her half a truth. “He’s fine. I saw him yesterday.”

“He’s welcome to come over next Sunday. Let me know and I’ll cook a homemade meal.”

Her words squeezed my heart. And I couldn’t find the words to tell her what had happened. Before my tears could fall, I said, “Mom I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.” Then I hung up.

I tried not to think of Lucas, and spending most of the day with Leah helped, but I had to face reality. Lying in my bed—safe and warm—in the comfort of my own making, took me away from life. And that stupid bet. I had made it out of spite. Ugh! I didn’t want to think about it. I would let it happen or sleep on it. That was what Leah had told me to do.

Just as I was about to drift away to the serene calm of sleep, the phone rang. Thinking it might be Lucas, I decided to let the answering machine do it instead, but then I remembered Leah was staying up late to study for her mid-term.

“Cammy, it’s for you,” Leah shouted through my door, but she said it with a hint of playfulness I had never heard her use just to tell me to pick up the phone.

“Thanks.” I answered, “Hello.”

I heard the click from Leah.

“Cammy. It’s me, Grayson.”

My eyes shot open, and I bolted up. “Grayson?” My tone rose. “Grayson,” I tried again, that time achieving a neutral tone. “Hi. What’s up? I mean did you need something?” Geez. I sounded nervous.

“No. I thought I’d call and see if you had any questions or if you wanted to ask questions or if you just wanted to talk.” He was rambling, too. “Because the test is tomorrow.” A light chuckle rambled through the phone. “I think I asked you the same question, but in different ways.”

Leah’s head popped through the crack of my door with a broad smile.