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“Hey, if you ever want to change careers, there’s room for you on the team. We just have to find you a dog.”
“Nah. I’ll stick to the lawyering and leave the rescuing to you guys. Besides, who would bail your asses out of legal hot water if I quit?”
Zak rubbed a hand over his short hair and looked toward his men. “We do seem to find ourselves in legal trouble a lot, don’t we?”
“Redwood Coast Rescue is single-handedly paying my student loan bills.”
Zak’s deep laugh followed him to his car. As he opened his door, Puzzle came bounding over, tail wagging and tongue lolling out. He dropped a slobber-covered ball at Cal’s feet and then proceeded to sit down, looking up expectantly.
“Hey, buddy.” He stooped down to pick up the stick, only to find it wasn’t a ball at all. It was a rolled up sock. Puzzle fiercely claimed it back, growling, engaging him in a game of tug-of-war.
“Puzzle, drop it!”
At Ellie’s voice, Cal dropped the sock and rose to his feet, his heart jumping around like a damn kangaroo in his chest. She was walking towards him, her cheeks flushed, blue eyes wary behind her glasses. The puppy seized the opportunity and ran off with his victory sock, all ungainly legs and paws, tail waving like a flag.
“Ellie.” Cal managed, swallowing the lump in his throat.
She stopped a few feet away, wrapping her arms around herself as if to ward off the chill of the night. “Hi Cal,” she said softly.
She was so stiff and formal with him—so different from the way she interacted with everyone else. He just wanted her to laugh with him like she did with the others and maybe, just maybe, to look at him with the same warmth that used to make his heart race.
“Hey.” He shoved his hands into his pockets to hide the fact they were suddenly shaking.
“I didn’t know you were volunteering with us now.” Her gaze flicked over the worn Redwood Coast Rescue jacket that Zak had loaned him. Her voice didn’t betray a trace of emotion.
“Yeah, I… erm…” He rubbed at the back of his neck. Why was he so flustered? “Well, I thought it was about time I contributed more than just legal advice.”
“That’s… that’s good.”
There was an awkward silence as he scrambled for something more to say.
“I should go,” she said suddenly, taking a step back. She called for Puzzle, who came romping over. The sock was gone.
She rolled her eyes and clipped on his leash. “I really hope you didn’t eat that.”
“Whose sock was it?”
“No idea. He’s like a sock detector. If there’s one nearby, he always finds it.”
She turned away, and his chest tightened in protest. He fucking hated watching her walk away from him.
“Ellie,” he called before he could stop himself. “I’ve missed you.”
His words hung heavily in the air between them, the sound of the team’s laughter behind them seeming miles away.
She turned around, her eyes wide in surprise, lips slightly parted as if to say something. “I…”
Cal’s heart pounded as he waited for her to continue, each passing second stretching into an eternity.
“It’s late, Cal. I should go home.”
Ignoring the sharp stab of disappointment, he nodded and attempted a smile. “Right. Yeah, of course.”
Ellie nodded too, but there wasn’t even an attempt at a smile on her face. Her eyes still seemed surprised—confused even—as they held his gaze for one more heartbreaking second before she turned around and walked back toward the group with Puzzle following at her heels.
Cal stood there watching until she was swallowed up by the group’s laughter and chatter. He watched as Ellie threw her arms around Alexis, and even from this distance, he saw her face light up with laughter at something her sister said. It was a sight that brought back memories so fond that they were almost painful to relive. Memories of when he was the one Ellie threw her arms around.
Cal drove home in silence, the hum of the engine doing little to drown out the loud thoughts screaming in his head. By the time he pulled into his driveway, the stars were out in full force, glowing in a sky devoid of town’s lights. He savored the tranquil silence as he climbed the stairs of his porch. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside and was greeted by a dark, lonely living room.
