Chapter 10 Cal #2
“Yeah!” Owen bounced on his toes. “Can we get some seeds? Pleeeease.”
“Sure,” Cal answered. How could he say no to such a reasonable request?
The boy was asking for seeds to grow vegetables, not a giant, battery-operated, plastic toy.
He told the merchant what he wanted and paid with the cash he had brought.
Then he handed the bag of seeds to Owen.
“Put that in your pocket now. Don’t lose it. We’ll plant them later.”
They then visited the local baker’s table and each got a different pastry.
April got a scone, Cal got a muffin, and Owen got a jam-filled croissant.
The pastries were fresh and delicious. The sun shone down, and Cal couldn’t help feeling the day was some kind of perfect.
If this was what going to town was like, maybe he’d missed out by not doing it more often.
Then again, maybe it was just the company.
Every time April looked away to shop or point something out, Cal took the opportunity to admire her.
Everyone she interacted with seemed to love her to some degree.
She was amazing with people, and he could easily see how well Summit Falls suited her.
He wondered what she was like before she came here.
He couldn’t imagine her fitting in better anywhere else.
For a while, Cal followed April around the market.
Occasionally, he stopped to buy something—produce for the most part, a jar of apricot preserves for Owen to try.
He tried to encourage the boy to try new things, despite his own reservations.
If Cal could give Owen one gift in the world, it was the confidence he himself often lacked.
Owen’s slate was still fairly clean. He’d lost his mother, but he never really knew her.
Cal’s loss was not as much of a loss to Owen, at least not personally.
He should have a mother, though, Cal thought with a frown.
Even if it wasn’t his first mother, he should have one.
Somehow, Cal had managed to think himself into a depressive mood.
It was, unfortunately, a skill he’d had for years.
No matter how perfect and serene a situation, Cal could find a way to lower his mood.
He tried not to let the depression show on his face.
Then, when April found a booth of flowers and started talking about how beautiful they were, Cal found his depression dissolving without any effort at all.
“Oh, these are gorgeous!” she cried, gently touching a bouquet of fiery lilies and smaller yellow flowers. “It looks like sunshine.”
Cal joined her at the booth, leaned toward the merchant, and whispered, “How much?”
“Twelve for that one,” the merchant answered.
Cal removed fifteen from his wallet and handed it to the merchant. “Keep the change,” he said under his breath.
“This really is such a beautiful arrangement,” April said, finally addressing the merchant himself. “Did you do this?”
The merchant nodded.
“Wow! You really have an eye for it. I can’t get over how pretty it is.”
Cal stood beside her and asked, “Would you like to look at it a little longer?” She turned to him, unsure what he meant, and he decided not to leave her wondering. He picked up the bouquet and handed it to her. “It’s yours.”
She took it with wide eyes. “What?”
“You can have it. I bought it for you.”
“Oh, no.” She tried to hand the bouquet back. “I don’t need this. You should save your money.”
“Too late, really.” He shrugged. “I already bought it, and I doubt it’s returnable, right?” He turned to the merchant and winked.
The merchant grinned, understanding immediately. “No returns, ma’am.”
April gave Cal a suspicious look. She no doubt knew what he was up to, but she was pleased all the same.
Cal could tell. When she looked down at the bouquet in her arms, her cheeks reddened.
And Cal knew he’d made the right choice if charming her was the goal.
He still wasn’t sure whether that was what he was aiming for.
It wouldn’t be kind to toy with her feelings.
But right now, her smile was beautiful, and he had zero regrets about bringing it out in her.
When they were finished at the farmer’s market, they walked back to the library together, Cal loaded up with bags of produce, Owen’s pockets full of seeds, and April’s arms full of flowers.
“Did you have a good time?” April asked Owen.
Owen grinned and nodded. “And we’re going to plant the seeds later. You have to help us plant them.” He turned to Cal. “Doesn’t she, Dad? She has to help us, doesn’t she?”
“Nurse April is welcome to visit us any time she wants,” Cal answered. “But she doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to.”
Owen pouted. Cal figured a conversation about people’s right to agency was in order later. It would be a good lesson. He made a mental note to include it in one of the early lessons he was already planning. But April seemed more pleased than anything.
“I’ll absolutely help you plant those seeds,” she said. “It sounds like a lot of fun.”
And Cal began to realize that there was no way April wasn’t going to be a big part of their lives.
She was more than a passing acquaintance.
Owen loved her way too much to let her slip away now.
At least, that was what Cal told himself.
Owen loved her too much. And that was why she was going to be a regular person in their lives.
It had nothing to do with how Cal felt about her, even though she was hugging his kid goodbye while holding a bouquet of flowers Cal had bought for her.