Chapter 16
Sixteen
Callie
What the hell was I thinking? The last thing I needed to do was kiss a man who just tried to make me feel like shit. Even if he explained himself. Still, it wasn’t fair for him to take out his frustration about his own feelings on me.
There’s no telling how far we would have gone if Lexi hadn’t called out. It’s weird she hasn’t come to say whatever is on her mind. Good, but weird. I’m not sure how I could have explained that away. Though I know for a fact she would have given me hell about it.
I walk toward the bed and climb into it. Sitting near the edge, I pull my knees to my chest. If Lexi wasn’t here, there’s a good chance Peter and I would have ended up here. In this exact spot. Thank goodness for small interruptions because I’m not ready for that with anyone.
Hell, the only reason I kissed him is because he said the words I’ve longed to hear my entire life. It’s like the teenage girl in me took that as permission to take over my body. Losing control isn’t something I normally do.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and scares the hell out of me. I pull it out and answer it without even looking. “Hey, Miles.”
“You don’t sound excited to hear from me.”
“It’s just been a wild few days.” That’s putting it mildly. “We’re still at Peter’s place.”
“Why? I figured you’d be back at your place by now.”
“We were until we noticed one of the pipes busted. The plumber can’t be there until the end of this week. So, Peter offered for us to stay here until it’s fixed.”
“Thank goodness,” he sighs. “Y’all could have stayed with me, but I doubt Lexi would have liked sharing a bed with her mom.”
“Please, all the stuff she packed wouldn’t even fit in your tiny cabin. She’s sleeping in the guest room and Peter’s been on the couch so I could have the bed.”
“I bet he’s loving that.” He’s silent for a moment. “What are y’all doing for dinner tonight? I can take off from the ranch for a bit.”
“Not sure. I bought some food to make, but I don’t want to overtake his kitchen.”
“Then you’re coming to dinner with me. Out of the Ashes closes early on Sunday, but there’s a really good Mexican place in the square.”
“Sounds good.”
“See you then little sister.” He hangs up before I can say bye. I swear he does it to get on my nerves.
Now I need to figure out what I’m going to do for the next few hours. There’s no way I’m leaving this room. And it’s not like Peter can come in since I locked him out. Oh my God. I locked him out of his own room. Who does that?
There’s a knock on the door. I swear if I conjured Peter with only a thought of him, I’m going to die.
“Ju-just a minute.” My voice is shakier than it should be.
“Mom?” Lexi’s voice is muffled through the wood. “Why is the door locked?”
I scoot off the bed and hurry to the door, unlocking it. Lexi opens the door as soon as she hears the soft click.
“Sorry, I needed a few minutes to myself.”
“Why? It’s not like it’s horrible here.” She glances into the hallway before looking back at me. “Unless…you’re hiding from someone.”
“I’m not hiding.” Does it sound believable? Absolutely not. Luckily, Lexi doesn’t press me about it. But I can already see the gears turning in her brain. The sooner we’re home, the better.
“What are we doing for dinner?”
“Oh yeah, you need to get ready soon. We’re meeting Miles in town.”
“And that has nothing to do with a certain person?”
“No.” I shake my head and dig through my suitcase.
If we’re leaving the house, I should probably put on real clothes.
Not that my brother minds, but it’ll be nice to get out of yoga pants and a t-shirt.
“He called a few minutes ago. Honestly, I think he’s going stir crazy at the ranch and needs to get out. ”
“Doesn’t he usually call Peter for that?”
“I’m actually not sure.”
“Well, I’m going to let Peter know we’re going out. He wasn’t sure if you were cooking or if he was.”
So, he’s the one who sent her in here. He probably knew I wouldn’t answer the door if it was him. At least, not yet. The mortification of my actions is still taking up brain space.
“Okay. I’m gonna get ready.” I shoo her toward the door.
“Both of y’all are being weird.”
“We’re really not.” It’s a lie and both of us know it.
There’s no way in hell we’re going to make it through the week without Lexi thinking there’s more going on than there actually is. Fake it ’til you make it, right? I can totally do that. It was my motto the last couple of years of my marriage.
“Mom and Peter are being really awkward.”
Those are the first words out of my sweet daughter’s mouth as soon as we get to the table Miles has saved for us.
“That’s normal.” Miles waves her off. “They’ve been that way since we were kids.”
“I don’t thi—” She stops mid-sentence when she notices my glare. I don’t understand why she’s so insistent.
She’s told me multiple times it’s okay for me to date. I guess she saw more of mine and her father’s crumbling marriage than I thought. Kids are too perceptive, and that’s probably what’s she sensing between me and Peter. Too bad it’s not happening. Especially not with Peter.
“What’s good to eat here?” I ask as we sit down.
“Everything. I’m pretty sure I’ve tried every meal on the menu. Seriously, you can’t go wrong.”
We look over the menu as someone from the waitstaff sets down three glasses in front of us. My brother knows us well enough to order our drinks for us.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Sure. I’ll have the cheese enchiladas with queso.” I don’t want anything too heavy. Nerves about starting my new job tomorrow are starting to set in.
“I’ll have the beef fajitas with corn tortillas, please.” Lexi says.
After Miles places his order, Lexi gathers up the menus and hands them over. She starts to pull out her phone before remembering the rule about no phones during dinner.
“How are things at the ranch? Did y’all have any damage or issues?” Someone has to have better luck than we have.
“No damage. A couple of the horses got out and we had to round them up. Otherwise, things are good. I think Donovan is getting ready to hire a few more people.”
“Wait, that is your boss’s name?” Lexi asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “That’s his last name. But that’s what everyone called him in high school when he was on the football team.”
“Ah, so it’s a sports kid thing.”
“Pretty much.” Miles shrugs. “But if you want to work in the summer, I’m sure he’d give you something to do.”
“I’m good.” Lexi draws out. “Oh, there’s Abby. Can I go say hi?”
“Sure.” I watch her rush across the restaurant to her friend. At least, she’s settling in. “Peter was right. Lexi hit it off with Eric’s daughter.”
“Speaking of, how are things really going with staying at Peter’s?”
“Fine, why would you ask?”
“Because you sounded stressed when I called earlier.” He takes a drink of his tea and levels me with a stare. “Plus, I know about you having a crush on him when we were kids. I just want to make sure things aren’t weird between the two of you.”
Son of a bitch. Does Peter know about that, too? There’s no way. He would have made a smartass comment about it. Wouldn’t he? I honestly don’t know. Even though he’s the same in a lot of ways, he’s grown up a lot.
“No, it’s fine. I’m shocked he knows how to cook.”
“Yeah, he’s fed me on more than one occasion.”
“Don’t y’all have family meals at the ranch?” I could have sworn he told me that when he called.
“Yes, but sometimes I want to hang out with people other than who I work with. Peter knows I can’t cook for shit and always feeds me when we hang out. He’s a really good guy.”
I know he is. He always has been. The last thing I need is my big brother solidifying it. “Yeah, yeah. He’s alright.”
If I protest too much, he’ll know something is up. I haven’t talked to Peter since I kissed him earlier. And like the chicken shit I am, I waited until he was going to the restroom to leave the house. Avoidance appears to be my superpower.
“Does Lexi get along with him?”
“Yeah. They ambushed me into making snow angels when there was still snow on the ground.” I shrug my shoulders and take a drink. “She acts like she does when you’re around.”
“That’s good to know.”
What the hell is my brother playing at?
I’m about to ask but Lexi comes back to the table with a big smile on her face. “Is it okay if I go hang out with Abby after school tomorrow. Eric said they can bring me home.” She pauses for a second. “Well, Peter’s house.”
Oh great. Now the person who everyone says is a gossip knows we’re staying with Peter.
I hope like hell he doesn’t say anything to anyone.
Most people wouldn’t be surprised with how close we all were as kids, but that’s beside the point.
The last thing I need for the town to think is I came back to rekindle an old flame.
Miles gives me a pointed stare because he knows I want to say no so badly. But Lexi is making friends, and I don’t want my feelings to get in the way.
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Yes.” She throws her hand in the air and glances over at their table. “I’ll be right back.”
Without another word she rushing back across the restaurant. Lexi is fitting in here more than I could imagine.
“It’ll be good for her.” Miles says as the waiter sets our food on the table. “She’ll be running around like we did at that age. Though, you should probably look into driver’s education for her. She’ll have you running around everywhere if she joins any school clubs.”
“It’s on my to-do list. I think we’ll do the at home learning.”
“Good choice.” He uses his fork to cut a piece off his enchilada. “Now stop stressing and let her live a little. She’s safe in this town.”
I have zero doubts about that. But that’s not why I’m stressing.
There’s a small feeling in my gut about Lexi’s motivations to hang out with Abby.
While I know she does want to spend time with her, I’m sure she’s trying to make herself scarce after her comments about things being weird between me and Peter.
My kid is flourishing, and I need to give myself the chance to do the same. It’s too bad I don’t know how to stop being nervous and anxious about every choice I make. The last time I thought I was doing something that made me happy, I spent far too many years in a bad marriage.