Chapter 14
APRIL
The next morning, before Owen woke, Cal and April took a moment to discuss their plans for their new relationship.
Neither one of them wanted to make a big deal of it around Owen, and they both agreed to keep it from him for the time being.
The boy was far too fond of April, and he would be heartbroken if the relationship didn’t work out.
They were still so new to each other. Cal didn’t want to get his son’s hopes up for something that may not pan out, and April agreed.
Being the eternal optimist that she was, however, April was pretty sure everything was going to be peachy forever.
She spent the next few days on cloud nine. That happy cocktail of hormones and hope for the future was almost too much. She couldn’t stop smiling at work. It got so bad that Nathan and Crystal started teasing her over it. She didn’t mind at all. She’d never been so happy.
One evening, she received a call from Cal, inviting her to spend some time with him—a real date this time. He had planned to go hunting, and he thought it would be fun to have her along, camping in the wilderness and all.
“You really don’t date much, do you?” April said with a laugh.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“That’s a weird first official date, is all, hunting.” It was sweet all the same, she had to admit. “I’m not much of a hunter,” she said. “It’s never been something I thought I’d enjoy, but I’d love to get out into nature with you for some other reason.”
“Oh.” There was silence on the line as he tried to think of an appropriate wilderness activity.
Then, an idea occurred to April. “Would you like to take me hunting for photos? It’s almost the same thing. We’ll have to stalk animals, but I won’t have to kill any. Would that be an OK alternative?”
“That sounds more than OK,” he said, and she could hear that he was smiling on the other end of the line. “All right. It’s a date.”
April showed up at Cal’s cabin decked out in all her favorite vintage photography gear with a bag of snacks for good measure. Cal invited her in with a big smile. “Owen’s been counting down the minutes until you got here,” he said.
She winked at him as she made her way inside. “Just Owen?”
“Never just Owen,” he said. He walked into his kitchen and picked up a large backpack. “I’ve made lunch for all of us.”
“I brought snacks,” April said with a giggle. “I guess we won’t go hungry.”
Cal touched her shoulder quickly, just enough to leave a patch of warmth on her skin but not long enough to give Owen any ideas. “Nothing wrong with being well prepared. Let’s head out.”
They hiked a few miles into the forest with Cal leading the way. After a while, Owen rode on Cal’s shoulders, reaching up to high-five maple leaves as they went along.
“Do you want me to carry any of that?” April asked, gesturing to the backpack with their lunches in it.
“I’ve got it,” he said. “You’ve got your hands full with our singular weapon.”
“You mean our single-lens reflex weapon?”
Cal laughed. “That’s the one. Why do you use such an old-fashioned camera, by the way?”
“I haven’t really thought about that.” April took the chance to consider it, listening to the sound her shoes made as they crunched along the trail.
“I guess there’s a simplicity to it, a ritual.
It’s nostalgic for me, even though it’s a bit before my time.
It takes time to do and learn. I even use a darkroom to develop the film and prints.
It’s sort of meditative, you know? Peaceful, I guess. Have you ever used an SLR camera?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“I have!” Owen interjected proudly.
“Have you?” Cal asked. “When?”
“When we were at the park,” Owen answered. “Nurse April let me use hers to take some pictures. They were really good ones, she said. That’s what she said.”
“That’s because they were really good.” April glanced down at the boy, who smiled back up at her. “I’m anxious to develop them.” Then, she winked, hopeful he knew not to reveal their secret portrait. If he did, she’d just have to own up, she supposed, but a surprise would still be way more fun.
Partway to the meadow where Cal planned to take them, they stopped along the river to eat a quick lunch.
Cal took out a picnic blanket, which was not something April had predicted from a rugged guy like him.
She supposed he’d brought it for her sake and was silently grateful.
While she’d had the forethought to wear appropriate clothes for the hike, she still didn’t adore the idea of ruining her pants if she could avoid it.
Lunch was peaceful, and even though it was a little too warm out, April could not have imagined a more comfortable meal.
The only sounds were rustling leaves, the birds, and the occasional fish jumping from the winding river in front of them.
The sandwiches were delicious, and not just because she was so hungry.
Cal had clearly seasoned and cooked the meat himself.
The vegetables were fresh cut from his garden.
Something about this life—and this family, if she was being completely honest—appealed to her so much that she had to stop herself from begging Cal to keep her like she was a lost puppy dropped on his doorstep.
“Do you want one of my cookies?” Owen asked when she had finished her sandwich.
April smiled over at him. “Oh, I’ve had plenty, but thank you so much for offering.”
Owen didn’t skip a beat. “Then, can I have yours?”
April burst out laughing. What a shrewd little kid.
She decided his cleverness alone should get him some kind of reward.
“Well, I can’t say no to that now, can I?
” She glanced at his father, who granted his permission with a nod.
“Here you go.” She handed her last cookie to Owen, who took it with the biggest grin on his face.
He started stuffing it into his mouth with glee. After he swallowed his second mouthful, he took a moment between bites to ask, “Are you going to be my mother now?”
Cal nearly spit out the drink he’d been sipping when he heard that.
For a moment, April was worried that Owen had figured something out and spooked his own father.
Then, she remembered that he was a little kid and had probably asked a random question without any provocation at all.
Probably, he just wanted a mother who would give him her cookie whenever they went on a picnic.
She answered, “Let’s be friends first, OK? Then, we’ll figure out the rest.”
Owen nodded to himself. “I bet you will be. Dad’s going to lie and say you won’t, but I bet you’ll be my mother. Anyway, I’m going to wish for it the next wish I have.”
“That’s really sweet, Owen.” It was about all April could think to say.
She didn’t want to crush his hopes, but she didn’t want to fuel them either.
It was a delicate tightrope to walk, but April hoped she was managing it well enough for Cal’s liking.
From across the picnic blanket, he gave her a knowing smile that led her to believe she’d said the right thing.
“Let’s get going,” Cal said, “while we still have good light left.”
They packed up and continued their walk along the river until Cal led them to veer off into a part of the forest he knew well.
He had a particular hiding place, which he’d made comfortable for the hours of waiting he sometimes had to do.
April was prepared to wait as long as he would have needed to for hunting.
She pulled out her camera and chose a lens.
Cal watched with interest as she clicked it into place.
“That’s pretty impressive,” he said in a low whisper. “You use it like there’s nothing easier, but I’m sure I’d fumble it right away.”
April held the camera in one hand and whispered back. “It’s not all that hard, really. Owen used it very well. Do you want to try?”
A half smile appeared on Cal’s face. “I might break it.”
“You won’t,” she assured him. “Put this around your neck so you don’t drop it.
” She helped him put the strap over his head.
Then she showed him how to advance the film, adjust the shutter speed, look through the viewfinder, and focus the shot.
“See, it’s not so hard. Do you want to take the first pictures? ”
Cal pulled the camera back down from his eye and questioned her. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” she said, laughing under her breath. “I can use the camera any time I like. For me, it’ll be more fun to see what kind of shots you get. There’s no such thing as a waste of film. Just remember that.”
“If you say so.” Cal smiled. “Don’t forget you said that when you’re developing my terrible photos.”
They sat a long time, waiting for wildlife to show up in the space.
Owen was surprisingly patient for a five-year-old.
His father must have taken him on these trips many times.
He was able to entertain himself by drawing animals in the dirt, stacking twigs into miniature cabins, and using fallen leaves to decorate the space around them in interesting patterns.
Before long, a doe wandered into the clearing.
Cal adjusted his focus and snapped a shot.
When a couple of younger deer followed her, he did the same.
He then saw a bird he wanted to get several shots of.
He seemed to be getting into the activity, showing pride every time he got a shot he thought would make a good photo.
Then, it was Owen’s turn, and he took pictures of his leaf designs and twig cabins.
After April took over the camera again, she took several gorgeous shots of the meadow and the wildlife around it.
On the way back to the cabin, she took several more pictures of the river, the fish, and the forest around them with its vibrant leaves.
Even after arriving at the cabin, she asked permission to get several more shots of the home itself, the garden, the front porch and the rabbits that lived under it.
She had no good reason to take photos of this place, except that she thought it was beautiful and wanted to be able to see it even when she wasn’t visiting.
And sure, it was an objectively beautiful structure on its own, but she also found it particularly attractive because of who built it.
She could admit that now, having admitted her feelings for Cal.
After getting Owen set up in his toy room, Cal walked April to her car to say goodbye.
He glanced around to see whether Owen was watching.
When he discovered they were alone, he leaned in and kissed April.
She backed into her car, and suddenly, his hand was on one side of her, keeping him anchored against her.
He reached down and squeezed her hip as he continued to kiss her.
April’s heart thundered in her chest, and she allowed herself to hope that this relationship was one that would last. The way he kissed her said so much.
He didn’t just think of her as a fun time, as a no-strings-attached date.
He touched her not only with desire, but with adoration, too.
He touched her the way she imagined a man might touch his future wife.
“You’re a brilliant photographer,” he said when he finally pulled away, “and so beautiful.”
“So are you,” she said, blushing. Then, she had an idea. “Do you want to meet my friends sometime? I’d like to show you off to them. We could all go out together. They’re the closest thing to family that I have in town.”
“Sure,” Cal said, though she could tell he was a little hesitant. That was more likely due to his discomfort with Summit Falls itself than his discomfort with the idea of meeting her friends. “Make it a kid-friendly place, and Owen and I will be there.”
“Yes!” She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his bearded cheek. “Thank you, thank you. I know it’s not your favorite thing to do, so I won’t take it for granted, OK? I’ll owe you one.”
“No, you won’t,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’m not keeping score. I just want to spend more time with you.”
“Me, too,” she said.
And she drove away feeling more optimistic about her life than she ever had.