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“When he stood in Rachel’s house with apologies and promises, it all seemed too good to be true, you know. Fake somehow.” He dragged in a breath and blinked against the burning in his eyes. “I panicked, I guess. Or maybe I thought clearly for the first time since my mom died. I sneaked out of the house with only the clothes on my back and every dollar I could scrape up. Didn’t take my cell phone because I didn’t want to be tracked.”
He could literally see the information sink in, crisscrossing Steph’s puzzled expression. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a heads-up or try to contact you later,” he continued.
Steph waved a hand. “Cal … I don’t even know what to say. You ran away? Where did you go? How did you survive?”
He gave her a half smile. “That’s a really long story—something to save for another time.”
“I’m not in a hurry,” Steph said.
He nodded, but pulled out his phone. “Can I get your number? So we don’t fall off opposite sides of the planet again.”
“All right, then, but this time, don’t forget to text me for a decade.”
Her comment stole his breath. “Bee, I never forgot. That was far from the issue.”
“I know.” She studied his face, and he gazed right back.
Just seeing her again was bizarre. When he’d left Everly Falls, she’d been his biggest regret. Sure, he was grateful to Rachel for putting a roof over his head, but his only real connection had been the peppy redhead who talked a mile a minute and wasn’t put off by his sullen moodiness.
Now, Steph flashed him a small smile, then grabbed his phone. She put in her number, then called her cell. When her phone rang, she created a contact with his name. “All set.” She paused. “Thanks, Cal, for explaining.”
“No problem. Tonight I’m telling Rachel everything, too.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
Silence followed, dividing them. She, in a stable small-town life; he, living on the road most of the time. Despite his craving to have something solid, real, he was still a transient, it seemed.
“I’ll see you later, I guess?” She popped open the door. “Don’t answer that. You don’t owe me anything. But I appreciate the explanation, Cal, although you really have nothing to apologize for. You couldn’t have predicted your dad’s return.”
“Yeah, true.”
She climbed out of the car, and Cal opened his door, too, because he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye. Wasn’t quite ready to never see her again. He walked her to her porch, where the yellow light cast a feeble glow over the cracked cement.
“You know, they have outside LED bulbs that will give the porch more light and last quite a while.”
“What are you, a fix-it guy now?”
He shrugged. “I know a few things.”
She gazed up at him, her expression open, curious, and if he didn’t have to talk to Rachel tonight before he left early in the morning, he’d find a way to spend more time with Steph.
“You take care of yourself, Cal Conner. It’s really good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you again, too.” The words felt stilted, awkward even.
The silence seemed to echo the ten-year silence between them.
Then, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him fiercely.
His heart about jolted out of his chest. He slipped his arms about her, holding her close, and inhaling the scent of her shampoo as pretty much every memory of her hummed through his mind. From the first time he saw her walk into math class with a gaggle of friends, to how she confessed that the only school subject that came easy to her was spelling, which was why he started calling her Bee. And finally, their first, and last, date.
His skin was plenty warm now, even though he’d left his suit coat in the car, and his memories continued. Remembering their kiss that night. How he couldn’t stop smiling all the way home. Then, how quickly that smile disappeared when he saw his dad’s car in the driveway of his aunt’s house.
When Steph’s hold loosened, he reluctantly let her go. She stepped back and blinked up at him. “You take care of yourself,” she said again.
Her voice sounded shaky, and he tried to think of some reply, but his throat was strangely thick.
She gave him a small smile, and he nodded, then she opened the door. Disappeared inside. Just like that.
