Chapter Nine #2
Ollie watched him go but couldn't resist calling after him. "I hope you'll include me in these talks, Charles. I meant what I said; I want to help, too."
His throat tightened when Charles turned back and smiled as he said, "Of course I'll include you. This is a family matter, after all."
~ ~ ~
Callie's heart started to pound as she approached the camper and noticed that the curtains were still closed. She watched the door, hoping that it might swing open, that little Zia might appear and wave at her, but it stayed stubbornly shut until she reached it.
She only hesitated for a moment before tapping gently on the door.
She felt bad when she heard Alara say in a low voice, "Zia, no, come back here."
She didn't want to frighten them, make them wonder who was out here. "It's only me," she called. "It's Callie."
A few moments later, she heard the door unlock, and when it opened, Alara stood there, looking even paler than she had when Callie last saw her.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Alara shrugged but didn't reply.
Zia peeked out from behind her mom's legs. Even she seemed subdued. "Hi, Miss Callie Clay," she said quietly.
"Hi, Zia. Did you not feel up to the drive?" she asked Alara.
Alara brought her hand to her forehead. "No. I couldn't make myself do it. Shoot, I'm sorry. Come on in — I don't mean to keep you on the doorstep."
Callie followed them inside and closed the door behind her.
"Open the curtains, would you, Z?" Alara asked.
Zia clambered over the seats, pulling the curtains back and allowing at least some gray light inside.
Alara sank into the chair and gestured for Callie to sit.
"What can I do?" Callie asked.
"There's nothing that can be done."
"No, don't say that. We'll figure it out. I told you I'd drive you up there, and I meant it."
Callie's mind was racing. She'd figure it out.
She didn't know how, but if she drove the camper, she could probably get a bus back from Portland.
She pulled her phone out. "I can get myself covered to drive the Suburban for you.
I think I can add it as a vehicle on my insurance or something.
There has to be a way. I know there will. "
Alara leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. "Don't, Callie."
"No, but I—"
"I know you want to help, and I appreciate it, but it's too late."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I gave myself one more day yesterday, hoping that somehow—" Alara looked up.
"Maybe with all the good food that you brought for us, I'd feel up to driving today.
But I can't do it. I mean, maybe I could, but I won't risk it.
I keep going dizzy." She glanced at Zia, who, Callie noticed, was still wearing her pajamas, her dark hair a mass of tangled curls, her eyes wide and a little afraid.
"You need to see a doctor," said Callie.
Alara let out a short, bitter laugh. "Tell me something I don't know. That's the whole point of going to Portland in the first place. Or at least it was."
"But we can get you there. That's what I'm trying to say."
"There's no point now. I called them this morning. I wanted to ask for another week. I thought maybe that would give me enough time to get us up there and to at least find a place to park. We can stay in the camper for as long as we need to."
Callie's heart sank. "What did they say?"
"Not to bother coming."
"Shoot."
Alara nodded. "The thing is, though, even if I'd made it, they didn't have a job for me. Apparently, the friend of a friend who made the offer resigned on Tuesday, and the job was a favor to her." She let out a sigh. "At least that makes me feel a bit better."
Callie could understand that. Alara hadn't lost the job because she couldn't get herself there. Callie reached out to touch her arm. "We'll figure something out. It's all going to be okay."
She was devastated to see two tears roll down Alara's cheeks.
"I don't know how it can be okay, Callie." She glanced over at Zia. "I don't even know what's wrong with me, and it's not getting any better."
Callie took her hand and squeezed it. "We'll figure it out between us. You've got me now, okay?"
"That's so kind of you, but you don't even know us."
"That's not true," said Callie. "We may not have known each other for long—"
"About a week," Alara interrupted.
"Yeah, but that's not the point. I know who you are. I see who you are." She smiled at Zia. "And you. You're good people. You're my kind of people. And the thing is, I feel like we're the same kind of people. Please say you'll let me help."
Alara closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them again, she nodded. "I'm not comfortable with it. I think you know that. But I have no choice. I'm lost, Callie. I don't know what to do."
Zia came and perched on the arm of the chair, wrapping her arm around her mom's shoulders as she pressed a kiss to her hair. "It's all going to be okay, Mommy, just like you tell me. It's true. It's all going to be okay. We might not know how right now, but it will be."
Alara wrapped her in a hug and buried her face in Zia's hair.
Callie got to her feet. "Okay, so first things first. Have you guys eaten yet?"
"I had yogurt, thank you," Zia said.
"And you?" Callie asked Alara, who shrugged.
"Okay. Are you hungry? I can fix something."
"It's okay. I can—"
"I know you can," said Callie, "but what I want you to do is rest."
"Before I rest, we need to move."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not supposed to stay here for more than forty-eight hours. I thought we'd be okay because we left and came back again, but there was some kind of ranger guy who came by and told me we need to move on."
A slow smile spread across Callie's face. "Well, that's okay, because I know exactly where you can go."
"You do?"
"I do. I told you about my cottage — now you'll get to see it."
"Oh no, we couldn't come and stay with you. That wouldn't be right. And we have the camper, and..."
Callie held her hand up. "I'm not asking you to come and stay with me," she said with a smile.
"You see, the thing is, the people I bought my cottage from — they used to have a camper.
And since the cottage is small, they used to put their visitors up in it.
So, there's hookups out the back. There's electric and water.
There's even a sewer pipe." She made a face.
"I have no idea how that works. I didn't really pay attention when the realtor told me about it.
I figured it'd never be an issue for me.
" She smiled. "But we can figure it out between us, can't we? "
A glimmer of hope shone in Alara's eyes for the first time. "Are you serious?"
"I am," Callie assured her. "And do you want to know what's even better?
Something I think you might like?" she added hurriedly.
"The spot for it — do they call it a pad or something?
I don't really remember. But it's behind a line of trees.
So even though you'll be right there at my place, you won't have to see me if you don't want to.
" She smiled at Zia. "But I hope you will. "
"We will," said Zia. "But we won't be any trouble."
Callie's heart squeezed tight at that. "You couldn't be if you tried," she told her. "So, what do you say? Shall I figure out my insurance so that I can drive us up there?"
"No," Alara said firmly. "How far is it?"
"About ten minutes at most," said Callie.
"Then I'll drive us there. I'm confident I can get that far. It's a bit different from a six-hundred-mile drive, isn't it?"
"It is. There's no rush, though. We can go whenever you're ready."
Alara smiled for the first time and looked at Zia. "I think we want to go now, don't we?"
Zia punched the air. "Yes! We want to go now. Very much."