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They agreed it was perfect, and after everyone had unpacked, they got together in the crowded living room for bonding time.
Katrina bent down to hug Alphé. “I’m going to head home. I’ve still got a ton of work to do. Call me later.”
He winked at her and nodded. Leaving the house didn’t feel forced or depressing. She liked the way things were working out for them. An entire weekend alone wasn’t necessary. They didn’t have that kind of a relationship, being together around the clock. Being the father of four when you were a fisherman was a tough job, and Katrina knew she would probably take the backseat most of the time. But that was okay. It would give her more time to do her own thing, whatever that was.
Back at Yogi Bear, the rule of the day for Calista was to stay busy or go nuts. A little confused, her children wondered why their cousins had to leave, but they were soon over it when Austin suggested they rent paddle boats. After Calista gave him the death look when he said how sad it was that the other kids were missing out on so much fun, he quickly got the hint that it was better if he was seen and not heard. Austin and Porter went in one paddle boat, and Calista and Davina were in the other. They raced, toured the lake, and their legs got a good workout.
When the paddle boat rental was up, they got out water guns and ran around drenching each other for another hour. After they dried off, Calista bought milk shakes and burgers from the concession stand. When they finished the meal, they went on the riverboat ride through the bayou and saw one of the largest alligators on record.
The sky was turning orange, the sun setting in the west, when everyone yawned. “What a day! I’m ready to get back to the RV and watch TV,” Austin said. “What do you say?”
The kids ran ahead while Calista and Austin brought up the rear. He took her hand, and she let him, even though she wasn’t into it. To keep the peace, she’d pretend everything was okay, just so she could get her kids home safely on Sunday. There would be an element of fear, almost like she was being held captive by a man she barely knew, until they got home the next day.
That night in bed, he fell asleep right away, which she was grateful for. She wasn’t having sex with Austin again. For a second night, she got very little sleep, tossing and turning, worried about the effect Austin’s disclosure had had on Alphé’s children.
Everything he’d done for her and her children went through her mind, the expense of the RV the greatest. That he’d assumed a lot didn’t soften the guilt. He’d bought it, and as much as he’d said without expectations, he had a ton of expectations.
The next day, keeping a false smile on her face, she cleaned up the RV and got her children’s items packed up so they could be done with it as soon as possible. There was nothing left for him to do once he got everything unhooked but get into the driver’s seat and pull out of the park. The trip home was as pleasant as she could make it, and when he pulled in front of her house, she almost cried with relief.
He’d arranged for the storage company to pick up the RV and they were there, taking it away. Now she needed to get rid of him. With an excuse on the tip of her tongue, he beat her to the punch.
“I need to get up to Alexandria. Next week is crazy. I’m flying to Salt Lake early Monday. I wish you could come with me.”
Relief flooding her, she’d make it an act of her will to lie.
“I know, I’d love to go, too. I’ve never flown.”
“We have to do a cruise, too. I’ll send you some information about different places we can go.”
He placed his bags in his car. “I’ll be on my way. Say goodbye to the kids for me. I’m afraid I’ll get too emotional. I’m probably not going to get back until Thursday. I’m not sure how I’ll survive.”
Hugging him, she said nothing, rolling her eyeballs. If she could figure out how, she was never seeing him again.
They let each other go. She waved, watching his car roll down the driveway.
“Goodbye, asshole,” she muttered with a huge fake smile on her face.
Going back to being single and alone for the rest of the day was wonderful. She was dying to talk to Katrina but didn’t want to intrude on her and Alphé’s time together. Like her desires were supercharged, her vibes went right to Katrina, Calista’s phone beeped, and it was Katrina. She looked at the phone and laughed.
“I was just thinking of you.”
“I saw that giant bus he bought drive by. Did you get rid of him?”
“I did. Are you at Alphé’s?”
“No, I’m home. They’re bonding for the rest of this traumatic weekend. They had church this morning and then brunch at Mae Beaumont’s.”
“Come over, then.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Calista went inside. Her kids were lying in their beds. Davina was coloring a Barbie coloring book, and Porter was reading a comic book. Austin had insisted she take all six iPads, but she wasn’t getting them out again.
Peace reigned over her house. Why had she been in such a hurry to disrupt it? Knowing the answer, she was lonely, terribly lonely for years. Just because she knew of Austin in high school did not make him a suitable match for her.
A little sadness enveloped her; why didn’t Mae ask Calista and her children for brunch? It would have been so nice. But it was okay; she was used to being excluded. She remembered they had just gotten home from camping and chuckled. She was definitely becoming more paranoid the longer she stayed around Austin Macon.
Her little house was the epitome of comfort that afternoon. For all its plain, almost threadbare simplicity, it fit her perfectly. The sound of a high-performance engine got her attention. She stood in the door and watched a glowing Katrina’s long legs stretch out of the driver’s seat.
