Chapter Eight
Callie couldn't stop smiling as she drove away from the airport. Ollie had kept his word and walked with a real swagger all the way back to his plane. She didn't want to tell him, but his butt was the first thing she'd noticed about him.
So she very much appreciated him giving it a wiggle before he looked back over his shoulder at her with a grin.
She'd watched him untie the plane and climb in, giving her a wave after he started it up.
She'd stayed while he taxied to the end of the runway, telling herself that next time she was going to ask him how the pedals worked.
She hadn't noticed if he used them in the air, but he definitely seemed to be steering with them when they were on the ground.
Her heart had leaped into her mouth as she watched him thunder down the runway and take off, but once he was safely in the sky, she relaxed.
She knew he was happy up there, and she understood why.
There was a feeling of freedom in flying. She loved it. As she headed back toward town, she wondered if she might get the chance to take him up on the offer to teach her to fly.
Wouldn't that be something?
As she got closer to the grocery store, she decided that she was going to call Alara. She and Zia had plenty to eat now, but Callie was hoping that she'd be open to another visit. She pulled into the little lot behind the store and took her phone out.
"Hi, Callie. Is everything okay?" Alara answered.
"Yeah, everything's fine with me. I just dropped Ollie back at the airport, and the rest of my evening is my own.
I was wondering if you'd like some company?
I need to eat, and I was thinking I could pick something up for us to share, if you'd like.
I don't want to impose if you're busy or don't feel up to it. "
The line was quiet for a few moments before Alara said, "You know what? I'd love the company. You don't need to bring anything to eat, though. You brought us plenty before, thank you."
"No, I know I don't need to," said Callie, "but they make great grain bowls here — lots of veggies, good protein. I was thinking I could bring some over for the three of us to have for dinner."
The line went quiet again. Callie understood. She wasn't big on accepting help herself, and certainly not on accepting anything that felt like charity.
"To be honest, it'd be nice for me to have some company," she continued. "I tend to be a bit of a hermit most of the time, but things feel quiet at home after being at Jacob and Becca's place all week for the wedding."
"Okay, then, thanks," said Alara, "but don't think I don't know what you're doing."
Callie chuckled. "I didn't think that for a second. I’m not making it up, though; I’d like to see you guys. I feel like I understand how things are for you, because I've kind of been there."
"I hope not," said Alara.
"Well, I'll pick us up some dinner and be with you in a little while. Then, if you like, we can trade stories and see."
"Thanks, I would like that, and we both know that Zia will be happy to see you."
"I'll be happy to see her," said Callie. "She's a sweetheart, but she's not the only one that counts, you know. You do, too."
"Thanks. We'll see you when you get here."
It only took Callie fifteen minutes to buy what she wanted from the store and get back to the pullout where Alara was parked. As she was climbing out of her truck, the camper door opened, and Zia leaned out, calling, "Lady Sunshine! Thank you for coming to see us again."
Alara appeared and shepherded Zia out of the way so that Callie could come in. She set the takeout bags on the counter and smiled. "I hope you'll like this."
"I love grain bowls!" Zia bounced up and down on her toes. "We both do. It's one of Mommy's favorites. She likes it because it's good for you. I like it because it tastes good."
Alara chuckled. "It's true," she told Callie. "And it makes life so much easier when we can find a win-win that we both agree on." She took some cutlery from a drawer. "I'll dish it up," she said. "What would you like to drink?"
"I can get them if you like," said Callie.
Alara met her gaze and held it. "It's so good of you to help, Callie, and I do appreciate it, but there's not much room in here for both of us to move around." She glanced at Zia, who skipped over to the seating area and patted the space beside her.
"Come sit with me, Miss Callie Clay."
"I'll be right there," Callie told her.
"Yes, go sit," said Alara. "I need to feel like I'm still capable of at least serving dinner, if not providing it."
Callie's heart sank. She was only trying to help; she didn't want to ride roughshod over Alara's pride.
Once the three of them were seated around the small table, Alara nodded at Zia, who had been sitting on her hands, waiting. The little girl picked up her fork and grinned at Callie. "Thank you for bringing dinner, but thanks even more for coming to see us."
Callie smiled before looking at Alara. "Thanks for having me. I wasn't sure if you'd still be here."
Alara shrugged. "I thought I should rest tonight and then we'll set out early in the morning."
Zia sighed. "We must travel on to the faraway land of Oregon."
"I was surprised that you were still here," Callie admitted. "I thought you might have been farther north by now."
Alara dropped her head.
"Mommy gets headaches," Zia said matter-of-factly. "Sometimes she needs to take a nap."
Alara avoided Callie's gaze. "Like she said, I've just been a bit run down recently, that's all."
"And that's why you're taking this job?" Callie asked. "You're kind of a freelancer, aren't you?"
"I am."
"I know how it goes with health insurance. It's so much easier when you have an employer who provides it."
Alara made a face. "I wouldn't know, but that's the theory."
"Have you always worked for yourself?"
"I have." A smile briefly lit Alara's face, transforming her features. She was beautiful. "I love what I do."
"Mommy's a bloom alchemist," Zia declared between mouthfuls, making Callie laugh.
Zia nodded emphatically, finished chewing, then said, "I told you before, she makes flowers do things they weren't meant to do. But better than that, they like it. She doesn't make them do anything they don't want to."
Alara chuckled. "Flowers have just always been my thing."
"You're so talented," said Callie. "The cornflower arch was beautiful, and all the photos I've seen of your other work — everything you do is gorgeous. You're not just a florist, you're an artist."
"Thank you. That means the world coming from you."
Callie wanted to brush it off, but she didn't. She knew that Alara was someone who understood in a way that not many did.
"How do you manage health insurance?" Alara asked.
"I decided that I had to save up three years' worth of payments before I could leave my job."
"Oh, you used to have a job?" Alara looked surprised.
"Yeah, we didn't get the chance to talk that much over the weekend, but you could tell I wasn't one of the Napa crowd."
Alara smiled. "I could, but I thought you were like me, that you'd always worked for yourself."
"No, it just wasn't an option back in Kansas. There are expectations there. My family is awesome. I love them to pieces and they love me, but they expected me to follow a traditional path, you know? And I tried for the longest time."
"What did that look like?" Alara looked intrigued.
"Well, it started out as getting a job as a teller at the bank, eventually working my way up to assistant manager." She gave them a rueful smile. "Sitting on my backside all day, every day, inside an office, dealing with people and paperwork." She shuddered. "Neither of which come naturally to me."
Alara chuckled. "Well, that's something we have in common. But how did you make the leap from assistant bank manager in Kansas to being here in Fort Bragg, your own person, free, making your pottery?"
Callie dropped her gaze. This wasn't something she'd admitted to anyone here in Napa. Becca knew, of course, and Becca's dad, Chuck, had figured it out. She was going to have to check in with him soon and report that she was doing okay.
She glanced from Alara to Zia and back again, wondering if she should admit it while Zia was listening, and decided against it.
Instead, she said, "It took some doing, but I figured it out.
That was one good thing about working at the bank all that time.
I was able to save up." She smiled. "I made myself a promise that I wouldn't leave until I had enough for the health insurance and a deposit and was making enough from my pottery alone to qualify for a small mortgage. "
"Wow, you must do really well," Alara said.
Callie chuckled. "You should come see my cottage before you decide that. Property isn't all that expensive here, and my cottage is modest, to say the least. I've done quite a bit of work on it, but it's not exactly Napa standards. It's home to me, though. I love the place, and it's mine."
Alara glanced at Zia. "That's what I'm hoping to be able to do — buy a little place for us once I have a real job and stable income." She set her fork down. "I just have to get to Oregon by Monday."
"You can do it," Callie encouraged her, although she wasn't convinced that even if Alara made it to Oregon by Monday, she'd be well enough to work. "Do you know what's going on with you, health-wise?"
Alara shot a glance at Zia and shook her head rapidly. "I'm fine, I just get headaches sometimes."
Callie nodded. Maybe she'd get the chance to ask later, maybe she wouldn't, but she sure wasn't going to push in front of Zia.
After they'd eaten, Zia came to sit on Callie's knee and tugged at the end of her braid. "I hope I'll get to see you again soon, Lady Sunshine."
Callie's heart felt like it cracked. "I hope so too, sweet pea. If Ollie will take me with him, I'll go to Grandpa Grape's castle and wave to you on the phone."
Zia nodded sadly. "That'll be good, but it won't be the same, will it?"