Chapter 6
Six
Callie
Asheville seems the same as it did when I lived here all those years ago. It does seem like the community has gotten younger. Or maybe I’m at an age now where I fit in with the older folks who ran the town when I was a kid.
The one thing that hasn’t changed is the willingness of the community to offer support.
They welcomed me back with open arms. Job offers have been rolling in.
I’m not even sure if some of the positions exist, but it’s the thought that counts.
I will need to find something soon. My savings account will only get us so far.
“Lexi, are you ready?”
It’s her first day at Asheville High School, and she’s in for a major change.
Even with population growth for the town, it’s still much smaller than what she’s used to.
I only hope she doesn’t hate me for moving her here.
She may be old enough to understand the reason, but she won’t hear it from me.
I refuse to talk badly about her dad, and his side of the family, no matter how horrible they are.
“Almost.” She yells from her room.
It’s probably a good thing I’m taking her to school.
At least, until I see what kind of job I find.
She’ll never be able to get up early enough to take the bus.
She likes her sleep way too much. Things will be easier once she gets her license.
Which reminds me, I need to see about enrolling her in a driving school.
I open up my phone and add it to the ever-growing to-do list.
“You’re going to be late.” It’s a gentle reminder, but I’m sure I’ll get some type of mood with her response.
She walks from the hallway with her backpack hanging over her shoulder. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my jeans and my hair is doing weird things. Can I just not go and try again tomorrow?”
The pleading in her eyes is almost laughable. It’s even funnier she thinks I’ll let that fly. “Nice try, kid. Let’s go.”
“Fine,” she grumbles and follows me out the front door. “Hold on.”
She runs back to her room and I continue on my way. I should have gotten the car started earlier, but I didn’t want to waste gas.
As I turn on the car, I watch Alexandra close the door and press the button to lock it. I’m not entirely sure that’s needed out here. We lived in town growing up and we never locked the doors. She grew up in more heavily populated area and it’s a habit at this point.
She runs to the car, opens the door and jumps into the passenger seat. “It’s freezing out here.”
“That’s typically what happens in Winter. What did you forget?”
She holds up a black bundle of fabric. “My hoodie.”
“And you didn’t think to put it on before walking out of the house?”
“You told me to hurry.” She rolls her eyes and buckles her seatbelt. After shoving her backpack to the floor, she pushes the seatbelt behind her to put on the hoodie. After a few seconds she repositions her seatbelt and grins at me. “I’m ready now.”
It’s cute she thinks she runs this show.
Although, some days it feels like it. She’s been through a lot in the last two years and I probably let her get away with more than I should.
My parents would freak out if they knew how much.
I guess they’ll find out when they come back to town and visit.
It must be nice living that retired life.
I pull out of the driveway and begin the long trek to town.
It’s really only fifteen minutes, but it was less than that to walk to Lexi’s old school.
Living here will be an adjustment for the both of us, even though I grew up here.
It’s been too long since I lived in an area where we have to go to town to get any sort of necessities.
“When we get there, I’ll drop you off at the front of the school. Go straight to the office. They should have your schedule ready.”
For a split second I notice her uncertainty. She may put on a brave face, but there’s fear beneath it. “What if I hate it here?”
I hate the quiver in her voice, and I wish we could have stayed in Oklahoma. But it wasn’t healthy for either of us. One day she’ll realize this was the best course of action.
“There’s always homeschool.” I do my best to joke about it in hopes of it easing her fear.
“Absolutely not.” She shakes her head and I can see a slight grin pass her face. “No offense, but you’re not a great teacher. Remember when you were trying to show me how to ride a bike?”
“Geez, did you have to bring that up?” It was a disaster. She kept turning the bike into me and I had a hard time explaining the brake situation to her. It did not go well.
“I mean, you’re the one who suggested homeschool. Just thought I should remind you of your lack of teaching skills.”
“Noted.” We’re coming into town and the donut shop seems to be empty. Or as empty as I’ve ever seen it right before school. “Want some breakfast?”
At first, I think she’s going to pass on the offer. But she glances over at me and nods. “Actually, I think that’s a good idea. And if I get super nervous and puke, I’ll get to go home.”
“That’s an odd way of looking at it, but okay.”
Within minutes Lexi has her breakfast and she’s eating as we continue to the high school. When I pull in front of it her eyes widen.
“Why is it so big? This town is tiny.”
“They had to build a new one because folks are moving here for the slower pace of life.” I pull up to the front door and put the car in park. “I can go in with you if you want me to. Like I said everything should be ready to go, but if you want moral support, I can do that, too.”
She shakes her head and scoffs. “Because that’s how I want my first impression to go. Everyone will think I need my mom to handle everything for me.” She takes a deep breath and reaches for the door. “I can do this.”
“Yes, you can.” I reach over and give her a quick hug. “By the end of the week, you’ll be running this place. Have a good day. Love you.”
She opens the door and steps out. But before she closes it, she leans in and smirks. “You have way too much faith in me when it comes to making friends. I’ll make the best of it. Love you, too.”
Before I have a chance to argue, she closes the door and walks to the school.
Her steps are slow and I know she’s dreading it, but she’ll find her footing.
I wait until she’s inside before putting the car in drive and pulling away.
This may be almost as hard as it was dropping her off on the first day of kindergarten.
It will take everything in my power not to check on her every thirty minutes.
To keep myself occupied, I head toward the library.
At least I can look through some of these job offers in peace.
It’s also the one place that brought me joy when I was a kid.
None of the other people my age ventured there, and it meant I didn’t get picked on by the popular kids.
“Oh my God, is that you, Callie?” Angie shrieks and rushes from around the bar to wrap her arms around me. “Long time no see.”
“Hey, Angie.” I disentangle myself from her and study Out of the Ashes. It’s a lot different than it used to look. I remember tagging along with my brother when Angie’s uncle would let us hang out here. He’d close the place down just for us. “Things sure look a lot different around here.”
She moves to my right and a huge smile overtakes her face. “I know. I think Uncle Max would be proud. The bar is a lot different than when he ran it. I had a lot of help, though.”
“It looks great. From what Miles says, this is the place to be.”
“For the most part. Now that Starlit Fields has started doing events, people have more choices.”
“I didn’t realize they’d gotten so big.”
She laughs. “You really have been away for far too long. Let’s get a bite to eat and catch up, my treat.”
I wave my hands in the air. “You don’t need to do that, I’m sure you’re busy.”
“Nonsense.” She grabs a menu and nods her head toward the other side of the room. “Think of it as a welcome home meal.”
Angie has always been generous and I know arguing with her won’t help anything. She won’t let me leave until I’ve eaten. Hell, her brother’s the whole reason my brother has a job. If it wasn’t for the ranch, I don’t know that Miles would have made the best decisions.
“Okay.” I follow her to a table tucked away in a corner. “I hope I’m not keeping you from your customers.”
“You’re not.” She glances over her shoulder to make sure nobody needs anything. “I have a pretty great team working with me. Between Carlos and Eric, I don’t even need to be here half the time, but I like working.”
“Oh, I met Eric the other day.”
Her eyes widen. Though, I don’t think it’s out of shock. Maybe in how the interaction went. “I bet that was an experience. Sorry for however he may have offended you. I take responsibility for him as his employer.”
“He was perfectly nice. Everyone keeps telling me I should watch myself around him, but I didn’t see any red flags.”
She nods toward the menu for me to look over.
“Give it time. He really has the best of intentions. He just thinks he has to know everyone’s business.
” She taps her chin, lost in thought. “Actually, I think he’s given input on a lot of my friend’s relationship problems and they’ve all managed to have healthy, strong outcomes. ”
Those words stop my menu perusal. “Oh, no. I’m not interested in any relationships. It’s actually the last thing I need in my life right now.”
A server comes to take our order keeping whatever Angie was about to say at bay. I give my order, pretty much what Peter picked out for me the other day. He wasn’t wrong, the wings are delicious and I bet they taste even better when they are fresh from the kitchen and not being delivered.
Moments later the server sets down two glasses of sweet tea. I unwrap the straw and place it inside the glass before taking a drink.
“I guess this means you’re done following Peter around like you did when we were kids.”
Now I’m choking. Angie gets up and pats me on the back until my coughing is under control. I swear to God she waited for that exact moment to pose the question.
“You good?” She asks. At my nod she moves back to her chair.
“You make it sound like I was some sort of lovesick puppy.”
“Weren’t you, though?” She shakes her head. “I’m mostly shocked he and your brother never picked up on it.”
“It was merely a childhood crush.” I close my mouth as the server sets our food on the table and quickly backs away. “One that is completely gone.” Maybe if I say it enough, it’ll be true. “Besides, dating isn’t even on my radar. And when I decide to put myself out there, I have some requirements.”
“This should be good.” Angie grins, waiting to see what I have to say. Even though she’s the same age as Miles and Peter, she’s always treated me like a friend. She never looked at me as the annoying little sister.
I pick up a wing and dip it in ranch before taking a bite. Anything to delay my response. It doesn’t help. Her arms are crossed on top of the table, and she is laser focused on me.
“I’d prefer for them to have at least one child.”
“Why? That seems like the exact opposite of what most people want.”
Spoken as someone who doesn’t have kids. “Because they know the struggle of being a single parent, and won’t get mad if I end up having to shift plans around.”
She nods. I’m glad she gets it. “What else?”
“I don’t want them to be someone we grew up with.”
“You realize most people never leave this town, or they do and come back.” She waves her hand in my direction to prove her point. “So that may be harder, but there are new people coming to Asheville for a taste of that small town life.”
“Which is just as well.” I shrug and take another bite. “I have enough to worry about with getting Alexandra settled and finding a job.”
“True enough.” She agrees. “Is she riding the bus home from school?”
“Nope. I’m picking her up. I don’t want to throw too much at her with it being her first day.”
Angie glances at the clock on the wall. “Well, you may want to leave in the next fifteen minutes. There’s nothing that creates a traffic jam in town quite like the school pick up line.”
Crap. I didn’t even think about that. “Thanks.”
We spend the rest of the time finishing our meals and laughing about all the shenanigans we used to get into as kids. As happy as I was to leave all those years ago, I’m glad to be back. The way she picks up like nothing ever changed is exactly what I needed in my life.
“Lunch was good. You’ve really done something amazing here.” I wave my hand to encompass the bar. “I’ll definitely be back.”
We both slide out of our chairs and give each other a quick hug.
“You better. And good luck with all your stipulations when you’re ready to date again.”
“That’ll be a long time.”
Little does she know, I came up with those rules because they exclude Peter. I can’t fall back into my old habits.