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And it became utterly lonely.
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “It’s true. So what now?”
“You need to reframe this. You were looking at being with Luke as the end of your freedom. Why don’t you see it as the beginning of something? If he’s the right guy for you, he’ll give you plenty of freedom to be yourself because your free spirit is already what he loves about you.”
I nod. “He actually said that. I was just too afraid to hear him.”
Hazel nods and pops the top on a seltzer water before handing it to me. “So hear it now. Love isn’t a trap. It’s the only way you’ll set yourself free.”
CHAPTER 33
Callie
I decide to stay in LA for a little longer to sort through my thoughts and figure out my life. The last thing Luke and Scout need is someone who can’t commit. He hasn’t reached out. Not that I expected it. I hurt him by leaving.
Why would he invite me back into the stability he’s establishing for his son? Especially now that he has custody of Scout and a new structured visitation situation to adjust to with Elizabeth.
I have to accept the reality that I may not see him again. I mean, sure, I could bump into him in Willow Springs when I’m up at Loveland Ranch, but that’s different. The best thing I can do is take the lessons learned about myself and try to do better if and when I ever find love again.
Meanwhile, I really dig in on the Loveland Ranch website and help Hazel get the packet ready for her first round of investor meetings. We all know it will be a hard sell without a robust following, but the pictures I’ve accumulated from my time with Luke are incredible, and I can only hope that if we build it, people will come.
Hazel and Dylan meet me at the bottom of the Culver City steps for a workout and strategy session. We huff our way to the top, cursing the way the steps get bigger as we go.
“It’s adding insult to injury as my lungs are burning,” Hazel says, panting at the view from the top.
“Evil,” Dylan agrees. “Who wants to jog to the bottom and do it again?”
Hazel and I glare at her because we’re too tired to throw her off the top of the cliff.
“Okay, fine. Just asking.” She looks like she dashed out of a photo shoot, somehow only showing a faint glow of sweat and unsmudged mascara, unlike Hazel and me. The front of my shirt is soaked through, and Hazel’s hair is plastered to her face.
We slurp down some water and wander over to a set of benches to sit and stare at the view we earned by hiking up a million stairs.
“You guys want to talk about next steps for the ranch?” I ask, eager to keep my mind busy. “I have other photos I haven’t put on the website yet, but the sections are all fleshed out.”
“Did you add the petting zoo part?” Hazel asks. She was particularly taken with the photos I took at Luke’s animal pen and the ones of him carrying the calf. Who wouldn’t be?
“Yeah, didn’t you see it?” I ask, pulling up the web page, which has been garnering a few views and comments since it went live. Not enough to impress any investor, but Dylan has assured us that her social media efforts will help get us there.
I’m not overly eager to tread down memory lane by looking at all the photos I took while I was falling in love with Luke, but I let out a long breath, put on my metaphorical big-girl pants, and click on the site.
It glitches. “Hang on, it’s not loading. That’s weird.”
A look passes between my sisters, and I assume they’re thinking I’ve screwed something up. I try refreshing the site a few more times, but nothing happens.
“Probably a bad signal up here,” I mutter.
“Really? I have a good signal.” Hazel sounds smug, which is ridiculous when she’s not in charge of the area’s Wi-Fi. “Why don’t you look on my phone?”
Grunting in frustration, I shield the screen with my hand and look. I don’t see anything resembling a petting zoo. I only see a frozen image of the top of a Stetson. “That’s not the website.”
“You sure about that?” Dylan asks. This time, when she shoots a look at Hazel, I catch a smirk.
“What are you two up to?”
Hazel looks at Dylan. “Do you want to tell her?”
“No, you do it.”
