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Callie appeared in the doorway, her hands on her hips and a glare on her face. “Why’s he still here? You said he was leaving.”
She was wearing on her mother’s every nerve, but I understood this kid. She unapologetically wore her heart on her sleeve and didn’t give a flying fuck.
“I was just telling your mom how much fun I had today. And how proud I am of how well you and Teddy are doing with swim lessons.”
“Oh.” Her glare softened, but it didn’t completely go away, and her shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Really?”
“I don’t think you’ll have a problem passing the swim test at Pointe Beach.”
“When?”
“I’d like you to do two more lessons with me first. Deal?”
“Okay.” She shrugged.
I glanced over at Tina, who had quietly turned back to the Crock-Pot and was stirring the ingredients again. Her shoulderswere hunched. Shit. Maybe I’d taken things too far, too fast.
“Tina, I’ll text you.”
She glanced over her shoulder and nodded. “Okay.”
I sat in her driveway, taking in the bricks that made up the house.
What the fuck was I doing? I surveyed the porch, noted the two white rocking chairs that sat side by side. Neither of us was ready for more than a date. Hell, the date was probably a stretch. I was still grieving the loss of a guy I barely knew. She had been married to him, so there was no way she wasn’t grieving as well. Not to mention she was still in the dark about my connection to her husband.
And I wasn’t planning to stay here. Pursuing this connection would only lead to complications. But every day, I found myself more and more interested in exploring whatever lay between us.
Chapter Ten
TINA
The week was passing far too quickly.After running from new teacher orientation to Teddy’s first soccer practice, then Callie’s dance class, sitting on the couch with a glass of wine felt really good. Luckily, I was done with orientation for the week. None of what we had gone over for the last few days was difficult, but it was all necessary. Benefits, 401(k) specifics, system training and such. The vibrating of my phone on the coffee table pulled me from my thoughts.
Kyle: Ok. This show isn’t all that bad. But these boys look like teenagers. Why do 30 and 40 year old women droolover them?
I rolled my eyes. Seriously, who had never heard ofSupernatural? I had been slightly appalled when I made a reference to the popular TV show and he had no idea what I was talking about.
Me: The first season aired in 2005. Most of us were teenagers or in our young 20s.
Me: Dean is now 45 in real life, FYI. And Sam isn’t much younger.
I took a sip of wine as I waited for a response. Finally, after ten minutes, I shrugged and hauled my tired self up and headed into the kitchen to clean up. After I’d washed the dishes that had collected in the sink, I dried my hands and pulled my phone out again to check the messages that had come through while my hands were wet.
Kyle: Not Cas! They can’t kill Cas.
Kyle: Well I’m glad they didn’t kill him off. But Sam? Really? At least I know he comes back. There are like 10 more seasons after this.
Kyle: I hate this Chuck character. He’s annoying.
Kyle: Are you asleep now?
Me: No. I was doing dishes.
Me: You’ve seriously binged 5 seasons this week?
Kyle: I’ve been watching it on my phone at work. Between all the bullshit jobs my brother and sisters give me. And I don’t really sleep.
I pressed my teeth into my bottom lip. Part of me wantedto know why he didn’t sleep. Pain? Thoughts? Memories? Levi struggled with not being in motion when he was home between deployments. He needed to be doing something. Day or night, it didn’t matter.
