AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After I was certain Callum had left and wouldn’t return, I spent hours on the phone arranging for quotes, inspections, and a new mattress to be delivered. It had taken three different calls to three companies to locate a plumber available to come out on such short notice.
That morning, I had awakened to a puddle of water coming from under the bath. My socks had become sodden after I’d ambled in during my half-asleep state.
My eyes felt heavy, but my mind was whirling a million miles a minute, traitorous thoughts and questions left unanswered by Callum’s presence. His arrogance as he climbed the steps riled me, arriving as if we were friends and he needed a favor. We weren’t friends, and I was definitely not granting or asking him for any favors. He was no knight, and I was not in distress, so if I were to go the rest of my time here without seeing him again, that would be perfectly fine by me.
ChapterSix
Callum
By midmorning, the sun had been victorious in penetrating the rain clouds, spraying light on the beads of water still trailing down the storefront windows, glistening like crystals. Mesmerized and absorbed by my thoughts, I watched the racing droplets gather in size as they ran the track on the glass.
The tracks had always been reminders of her tear-stained face the last time I’d seen Alina before she’d left. The heartache every time it rained was the constant reminder I’d never received her forgiveness before she’d disappeared, but now that she was back, I wanted it more than ever.
If last night was anything to go by, getting her forgiveness would be no easy feat. I chuckled at the thought of her and her unwavering sass. There was still a glimmer inside the girl I had known, hiding behind the carefully poised façade, even after all this time.
She’d called the store this morning, answered, and a note was taken by Simone, my sister-in-law, and the store’s bookkeeper. Alina needed a quote on timber, bumbled through what she needed it for, and finally accepted that measurements would be required.
I’d insisted on taking the job, leaving it for after the store had closed for the day’s trading. I knew turning up would infuriate her, but the forced interaction was worth the risk.
* * *
Time passed at a snail’s pace, but as soon as the lock was turned, I wasted no time jumping in my car.
Making a sharp right turn onto the familiar driveway of Wisteria Pine Estate, I knew it would lead me through the forest and into the darkness of pine trees before revealing me to the open field separating the house from the trees.
The house stood stoic, beat up a little, and in desperate need of a lick of paint but proud all the same.
I took a moment longer, resting my hands over the steering wheel as my gaze traveled up the front façade of the house to the attic window. It was still beautiful and gentle, but if restored in the right way, it could be stunning. I pushed down the feeling of longing as I swung the door and climbed down from the cab, my feet tracing the familiar path to the timber porch steps.
Knocking on the front door got me nowhere. There were no signs of life inside or that my presence here was even known, but I refused to give up. Even if Alina was hiding from me, I planned on seeking her out.
Descending the stairs, I followed the overgrown path that led me around the side of the house and into the backyard. My breathing stuttered in my lungs at the sight of Alina, the skirt of her dress billowing out around her as she spun. She had an undeniable grace about her, moving with an elegance and poise of a seasoned ballerina as she twirled in the evening sunlight.
Her skirt wrapped around her legs in a fluid motion as Alina came to a standstill. Her gaze set on my intrusion. She lifted one arm, her hand shielding her eyes from the sun as she approached the house, those eyes narrowing on me.
Tilting her head, she took me in with her glare. “Why are you back here?”
Dismissing her tone while keeping my eyes on hers, I stretched the tape measure and let it retract with a metallic snap. “I’ve come because you called the store.”
It took a moment for her to register what I’d said. After all, she called for help and should’ve been expectingsomeoneto show up—that someone probably wasn’t me. Alina trudged past me, and I wanted to reach for her. Instead, my head knew better, and I kept my hands still, but my tongue wasn’t so compliant.
“I’m sorry you lost your mum, darlin’.”
She flinched, and even with her back to me, I saw the way she steeled her spine. “Thank you.” Her words come out as barely a whisper in a tone she would have offered to anyone she hardly knew, but I wasn’t just someone. Alina and Ikneweach other.
We had been more than strangers, more than acquaintances.
We had been more than just friends.
We had been more of everything.
* * *
Inside, the house was exactly as I remembered. Dark timber slatted floors with ornate light fixtures I’d always thought were suited more to a mansion than the simple cottage farmhouse, but Alina’s mother clearly knew otherwise. The high ceilings had always been a marvel, but as a young boy, they’d always seemed to soar.
Alina paused at the handrail, her hand gripping the timber railing while eyeing me with skepticism as I took in all the features of the house I’d never appreciated before.
“Do you think we could get this moving? I’m sure you have other things you need to be doing.” She pouted.
