Finding Home

10. Caleb

Chapter 10

Caleb

“ T ake my truck into Billings,” Aubrey’s father, Joe, insists. “Rather than your rental car. They probably won’t have all the lumber you need in stock, so you’ll probably have to order it. But take Big Betty into Billings, just in case.”

“Big Betty?” I ask.

“That’s what my father lovingly calls his truck,” Aubrey interjects behind me with a laugh.

“She’s my pride and joy,” Joe says, matching his daughter’s chuckle. “Other than you, of course, Shortcake.”

I’m on a FaceTime call with Joe, standing on a patch of grass in front of my rotting deck, with Aubrey standing nearby. We’ve just finished giving Joe a visual tour of the place, from top to bottom, and he wound up independently confirming all his daughter’s suggestions from last night. Although Joe added a suggestion of his own: replacing the roof, if I decide to keep the place. I can’t fault Aubrey for not including the roof on her list of suggested fixes, though, since we didn’t climb up there last night in the dark. If we had, I’m sure Little Miss Meticulous Aubrey Capshaw would have mentioned that idea, too. As I’m beginning to learn, Aubrey is nothing if not thorough.

Joe says, “If you send me the dimensions of the deck you’re planning to build, I’ll write up a list of materials you’ll need to show the lumber guy in Billings.”

“Thanks, Joe. I appreciate that. I’ll take you up on Big Betty, too. Even if it turns out I can’t get all the lumber in Billings today, I’m gonna get myself a drum kit and some workout gear today, so I’ll definitely put your truck to good use, either way.”

“You’re gonna buy a whole new drum kit for a three-week stay?” Aubrey asks.

I shrug. “At home, I play drums every day. I’m already going batshit crazy, after only one day of going without.”

“Man, I wish I could be a fly on the wall when you play,” Joe says wistfully.

“Come watch me, anytime.”

“Really? Okay, I will!”

I chuckle at his exuberance. “Do you play?”

“I wish. I’ve always loved live music, though. Especially classic rock.”

“That’s my jam, too. I tell you what. Whenever you’re feeling up to it, I’ll give you a drum lesson to thank you for loaning me Big Betty. Pick your favorite song, and I’ll teach you how to drum to it.”

Joe gasps. “Seriously? Holy shit, C-Bomb! Thank you. But only if you promise to call me, anytime, whenever you need help with the deck.”

“Deal.”

“Well, isn’t this a lovefest,” Aubrey teases. “Hey, Dad, does Mom work today? How long can we stay in Billings before you’ll need us to come back to pick up Raine?”

“Stay as long as you like, Shortcake,” Joe replies. “Yeah, Mom’s working today, and then she’s got a committee meeting for the festival. But I’ve gotten pretty good on my crutches, so I can watch Rainey on my own, just fine.” After we thank Joe, he adds, “When will you be coming by for Big Betty? I’ll make sure Raine’s had breakfast by then, so she’s not cranky when you come.”

Aubrey giggles. “Thank you. God knows, Caleb doesn’t need to meet Hangry Rainey any time soon.”

“I’ll take her, any way I can get her,” I say.

Aubrey looks unconvinced. But what she says is, “When will you be done with your counseling session?”

“Ten. It starts at nine and lasts a full hour.”

Aubrey returns to her father on my phone. “Caleb has a Zoom call he needs to do till ten, Daddy, so we’ll be there around 10:30 or so to pick up Big Betty.”

“I’ll have the munchkin ready to say hi to you.”

“Make sure to tell her Mommy’s nice friend, Caleb, who colored with her yesterday, will be coming over again. You know how shy she can be. Let’s get her primed and ready for him.”

“Got it.”

“Thanks, Joe. I appreciate that.”

“Oh, Rainey just walked in and heard your voices. She wants to say hi.”

My heart rate quickens. But when Raine’s big, blue eyes appear on my screen, it’s instantly clear she only wants to say hi to her “Auntie Aubbey,” and not to me.

“Hey, baby girl!” Aubrey coos to the little face on my screen. “Did you have fun with Grammy and Pop-Pop last night?”

“We pwayed Hungwy, Hungwy Hippos!”

“You did? I love that game. Do you remember my friend, Caleb, here? ”

“Hi, Raine,” I say, my heart hammering, as I try to flash her my least scary smile.

Raine doesn’t reply to me, so Aubrey quickly says, “Maybe Caleb can play Hungry, Hungry Hippos with us sometime soon.” But Raine is already gone—headed off to wordlessly follow whatever muse has diverted her two-year-old mind.

“She can’t get enough of me,” I deadpan, making Aubrey and Joe chuckle in concert.

“It’s going to take some time,” Aubrey says, patting my forearm. And just like that, the same electricity I felt last night at Aubrey’s touch returns with a vengeance.

As Aubrey wraps up the call with her father, I hand the phone to her and move a few steps away, in case my body reacts the same way it did in that hallway last night. And a few minutes later, when Aubrey returns my darkened phone to me, I say, “I’ve got an hour before my Zoom call, so I think I’ll take a walk while making a couple important phone calls.”

“Give me a second to throw on my sneakers, and I’ll be right back to walk with you.”

“That wasn’t an invitation. My phone calls are of a personal nature.”

Aubrey shrugs. “For the next three weeks, I go where you go.”

I look at her incredulously. “I’m going to walk the dirt path around the lake. Last time I checked, there weren’t any liquor stores or weed dispensaries on the trail.”

Aubrey shakes her head. “I took your word for it last night, by necessity, but that was the last time. When I send in that form every night, swearing under oath you were in my line of sight all day and never had access to drugs or alcohol the whole time, I want to be one- hundred-percent certain my statements are the absolute truth.”

“This is overkill, Aubrey.”

“You’re famous, Caleb. For all I know, you might walk past some rowdy bachelor party, or maybe a group of women having mimosas on their deck, and when someone recognizes you, they’ll invite you to join their party.”

I exhale in frustration. “You’re not going to let me out of your sight, even once, for the next three weeks?”

“I mean, you can go to the bathroom on your own. But only if I’m sure you’re not smuggling something in there. You can also go to bed on your own every night, but only after I’ve done a sweep of your room and confiscated your car keys.”

“ My car keys ?”

“After we said good night last night, I realized I should have done that. I blew it.”

“You don’t need my keys.”

“What if you get the bright idea to wait for me to fall asleep, so you can drive into town? It’s in your best interest for me to have your keys, just in case.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“To answer your question from before, yes, Caleb, I’m going to be stuck to you like glue at all waking moments, other than the scenarios I’ve mentioned, including trailing you on your little nature walk this morning. Don’t worry, I’ll stay far enough back not to overhear whatever you’re saying to your girlfriend or whoever. In fact, I’ll put in my earbuds and listen to loud music, if you like. But you can’t get rid of me, whether you like it or not, so you might as well stop fighting it.”

Aubrey rambles on for a bit longer, but I tune her out and let my thoughts spiral, the second she uses the word girlfriend . Maybe I’m reading too much into that word, but I can’t help thinking that was Aubrey’s subtle attempt, whether conscious or not, at finding out if I’m single. Now, why would Aubrey want to know about that? Could it be, when she barged into my bedroom and gaped at my hard dick in my hand this morning, I made an unforgettable impression on her? That was my plan, of course, when I purposefully groaned out her name, loud enough for her to hear. Did my diabolical plan work like a charm?

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” I say evenly, trying not to accompany the comment with a smirk. “Haven’t had one for a very long time.”

“Not that I care.”

My smirk breaks free. Sure, Aubrey . “If you must know,” I say, my skin tingling at the blush in her cheeks, “I need to call my sister and let her know I’ve got a toddler I’ve never bothered to tell her or my mother about. And after that hard call, I’ll need to call my attorney and get an update on the lawsuit.”

Aubrey perks up. “Can I listen in on the phone call with your lawyer?”

“No. But I’ll give you a recap afterwards about anything that affects you.”

“Everything regarding Raine affects me, Caleb. I’m the closest thing she’s got to a parent.”

The comment stabs me in the heart; but I can’t deny the truth of it.

“I promise to tell you everything you need to know. But you can’t listen in, or else the attorney-client privilege goes up in smoke.”

Aubrey narrows her eyes. “Don’t screw me over, Caleb. I swear to God, if you make me regret helping you get close to Raine?— ”

“I won’t screw you over, Aubrey. I promise on my mother. I’ve seen how much Raine loves you and your family. I understand that fucking you over would mean fucking Raine over, and I’d never do that.”

Aubrey assesses me with dark, piercing eyes for a long beat, before finally murmuring, “If I find out you’re not telling me the truth, if you’re simply using me with the intent to discard me later, then I’m going to fight you tooth and nail, when the time comes.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

Aubrey gnaws at her lip for a long moment while assessing me. Finally, she says, “If you’re gonna make your Zoom call, you’d better get walking. Can we make it around the entire lake in time for your counseling session?”

“Not even close. I’ll turn around and head back at the right time.”

“I’ll set a timer and let you know when it goes off.” She presses a few buttons on her phone, her tongue jutting to the side with concentration, and when she looks back up, she frowns at whatever she’s seeing on my face. “What?” she barks out. “Why are you smiling at me like that?”

I didn’t realize I was smiling, so I don’t know how to answer the question, other than to say, “I’m just amused by what a little rule follower you are.” Is that really the source of my grin, though? More likely than that, I think I’m just impressed with this woman, period. She’s a force of nature, wrapped up in the hottest little package I’ve ever beheld. Who wouldn’t smile at the sight of her kicking ass and taking names?

“Please, stop fighting me, Caleb,” she says on an exhale. “If I don’t follow the rules, the rehab center won’t certify your rehab, and the judge?—”

“I know all that, Aubrey. No need to say it out loud.” I make a shooing motion. “Go on. Get your shoes on, babysitter, or I’m leaving without you.”

With a little gasp of excitement, she turns and bounds away, her hot little ass a work of art as she goes; and a moment later, she reappears in white sneakers, workout shorts and a tank top, with her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. When she reaches me, Aubrey stuffs earbuds into her ears and makes a big show of turning on a playlist on her phone.

“Ready,” she chirps. “Lead on.”

With a deep sigh, I grab my earbuds from my pocket, slide them into my ears, and head to the dirt trail that follows the lake’s shoreline; and when I’ve checked behind me and confirmed Aubrey’s indeed trailing behind by about twenty yards, I place a FaceTime call to my sister, Miranda—a call I’m deeply dreading. She’s undoubtedly going to ream me. And when she does, I’ll one-hundred-percent deserve it.