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I’d almost forgotten Cal was next to me. “Yeah. No. I’m so pissed off that I missed my son growing up.”
“You’re here now, right? He’s still your biggest fan, and you got your girl back. They’re your family. It sucks, don’t get me wrong, and your dad is a total dick for what he did, but since none of that can be changed, don’t harp on it.”
“I know. It’s frustrating as fuck.”
The front door opened, and Mia and Hannah walked in. Their chatter preceded their entrance. Our heads swung in their direction.
“Holy shit. Dude ... they’re gorgeous.”
He wasn’t wrong. The ladies were pretty, but I never noticed Mia in that way. She was obviously attractive, but Hannah was the only one who captured my attention.
We both stood. I was happy to see all the shopping bags that Hannah had in her grasp. Setting them down, they walked over.
“Welcome home,” I said, giving Hannah a quick peck on the lips. “Hannah, Mia, this is my friend Cal. Cal, you remember my girl, Hannah, and this is her best friend, Mia.”
He stretched out his hand to Hannah. “Good to see you again, Hannah. It’s been a while.”
She nodded with a smile. “It has, and it’s good to see you too.”
When he reached for Mia, Thor yipped. “Oh my goodness, who do we have here?” Mia said in a voice that I’d never heard her use before. She reached down, picked him up, and held him to her chest. She stroked his furry head with the underside of her chin. “Aren’t you a sweetie.”
“See, total magnet,” Cal whispered to me. “That’s Thor,” he said to Mia.
“Thor? Such a powerful name for such a cute little dog. Right?”
I couldn’t help but laugh since she was talking to the pup and not my buddy. She kissed the top of his head and finally looked at Cal. “Well, hi there.”
Hannah rolled her eyes, and I chuckled once more. “What brings you to town, Cal?”
I went to the table, picked up the card, and held it out to her. Hannah sucked in a breath and looked at me. “That’s the card Jimmy sent you.”
“It is. Cal found it and brought it.”
She looked at him. “Thank you. Did you happen to find any of my letters?”
He shook his head. “No, sorry. I looked through them all.”
Her shoulder hitched to her ear in a small shrug. “Thank you for checking. I’m happy that Cash has Jimmy’s card.”
“So,” Mia said, still holding Thor, “how old is this little guy?” She was always good at breaking the tension in a room.
“Eight months.”
Mia handed Thor to Cal. “He’s such a good puppy.”
“I need to get going. I have a meeting with another teacher ... summer school curriculum.” Mia kissed Hannah on the cheek and had some sort of silent woman conversation. She then went toward Cal, bent down, and kissed Thor on the head. “Bye, cutie.”
Like an idiot, my buddy said, “Bye.” Mia giggled and walked out the door.
Cal looked at me and Mia. “What?”
All I could do was shake my head. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and a picture I had taken of me and Jimmy filled the screen. I couldn’t wait to tell him about the card. “Hey, buddy. How’s camp?”
“Great. There’s a friend of yours here.”
“Who?”
“Jake Webster. Said he’s a scout for Colorado. He heard I was your son.”
