Chapter 24 #2
I look up thoughtfully. “As a central fixture of the town, the convenience store is the heartbeat of Blaire,” I start, thinking aloud. “The color, then, would set the tone for the town. It should be inviting, warm, and charming.”
“What about lavender or honey, since they’re some of the main products our town is known for?” someone suggests.
“I like the idea,” I say, tapping a finger to my lip. “But while pastels like yellow and lavender have a cheerful vibe, they lack the sophistication of the products that are sold in the store.”
“What about blue, like the eggs from Jean’s chickens?” Brennan suggests. “They’re unique and something the town is known for.”
“That’s perfect.” My eyes meet Brennan’s, and for the briefest second, I swear I feel the energy shift between us.
Maybe not a spark, but a small electric crackle.
“Not only does it have a deep undertone that gives the light blue a hint of sophistication,” I continue, forcing myself to go on, “but it’s cheerful and inviting, like this town.
” I glance over to Hal. “Do we have anything in a hue similar to chambray or Santorini?
Hal blinks at me. A second later he disappears back into the shed and then returns with two different buckets of paint.
“We have blue and bluer,” he says, placing the two buckets at my feet.
His description leaves much to be desired, so I don’t celebrate right away.
When I pry the lids off, one reveals a light shade of robin’s-egg blue, and the other is a deep navy.
Callie and Brennan exchange an approving glance.
“I can’t decide between the two,” Brennan says. “Would it be possible to use both?”
“The dark blue could be the main color, and the light one could be used for accents. What do you think, Elena?” Callie smiles at me hopefully.
They’re right. The two colors complement each other nicely. More to the point, as the original brown is our other choice, it’s our only viable option. “I could work with that,” I say. It might not be Chip-and-Joanna-approved, but it’s close enough.
Once that’s settled, we set a start date for Monday the following week. Then Hal goes back into the store, and we leave to go home. Brennan, Callie, and I head down the dirt path.
“What’s wrong?” I ask Callie when I notice her gnawing on her lip. After the progress we made today, I’d have thought she’d be on cloud nine.
“I’m just not sure it’s enough.” She sighs.
“Are you kidding?” I say. “Didn’t you see the list of people who signed up to help?”
“We have enough people to do the work. It’s the funds that are slower to come by. So far I’m the only one who can go to the farmer’s market to raise money. I wonder what will happen with the beautification initiative if I go out of state for college.” Concern lines appear across her forehead.
“Worry about that when the time comes. Like you said, you don’t know where you’ll end up,” I say, trying to make her feel better.
“Besides, once you graduate, I have no doubt you’ll move on to bigger and better things.
” Callie is a natural altruist. I’m sure she’ll find another project no matter where she is.
Callie gives me a funny look. “Once I graduate, Blaire will still be my home.”
It’s not the response I expected. My plan after graduation was always to leave and never look back. “So you really like living here?”
Again, she stares at me curiously. “Well, yeah. I grew up here.”
There’s a slight defensiveness in her tone that makes me realize I may have offended her, which is the last thing I want to do.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m not gonna lie, when I first got to Blaire, not having my phone was the hardest adjustment for me.
But it’s more than that. Now that I’ve gotten to know what it’s like here, I can see that it takes effort to live here.
The farming co-op, fundraising, the manual labor.
” I motion to the convenience store behind us.
“All this work to keep up the town is making me wonder if it’s worth it. ”
Callie surveys the area around her with an expression that tells me she’s not seeing what I see. Cracked pavement, decrepit buildings, and messy, overgrown fields of tall grass and weeds.
“Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth the work.
In fact, I would say it’s all the more reason to keep at it,” she says.
“With fewer people in town, the need here is greater than anywhere else. And like I said, Blaire will always be my home, whether I end up staying or moving elsewhere.”
I’ve never met anyone like Callie. With my friends, our conversations were always centered on ways to bolster ourselves, not others.
For example, when Brynn offered to set up a meeting for me with Kiki, she knew it would benefit her if my popularity rose, just like I knew Willow’s exposure would help boost my popularity, since I helped her get her starring role on a new sitcom.
Until now, it never crossed my mind that I could find fulfillment in doing something for others without expecting anything in return.
Of course I know that charitable acts are an important part of being a well-rounded person and are inherently good.
Back in LA, my family always donated to various causes and made it a point to volunteer when we could, because that was what was expected of prominent families like ours.
But what Callie is describing goes beyond the occasional service act.
She’s not volunteering her time because she has to or because of the promise of something in return.
She’s not even doing it because she feels obligated to. She’s doing it because she wants to.
It’s clear that Callie and I have had a different upbringings. So I shouldn’t be surprised that her response to the town’s needs is different from mine.
“Is that why you’re so invested in improving the town?” I ask, turning my attention to Brennan. “Because you know your time is limited here?”
“It was at first. But like Callie said, Blaire is such a small community. Even in the observatory, I didn’t expect to be as involved.
As an intern, I thought I’d be getting coffees or taking lunch orders.
But because there aren’t many who work here, everyone pitches in.
So far, it’s been an incredible experience.
With any luck, I’ll be able to get a job here one day. ”
“You want to end up working here?” I raise a brow up at him.
“In Blaire?” I add for clarification. I understand Callie’s reasons for wanting to stay.
She’s grown up with this lifestyle. And it’s one thing to experience what it’s like to live here.
But Brennan is from a big city like me. Being in Blaire has got to be as much of an alternate universe for him.
“That’s the hope,” he says without a hint of irony.
“Believe it or not, there aren’t that many job opportunities for planetary scientists, and the field is highly competitive.
I can only hope to one day work at the Blaire Observatory.
It’s why I’m so invested in the town’s beautification initiative.
In a way, I feel like this is my home, and seeing the impact of my work is something I can’t put a price on. ”
“Right?” Callie says, matching his sentimental expression. “It’s like that with farming too. There’s nothing like seeing the actual fruits of your labor. I think it’s a primal urge to provide for not only yourself but those around you.”
“Exactly,” Brennan says. And there it is again.
The look of hopeless admiration plastered on his face, like he’s completely and entirely enamored by her.
Which, I guess, makes sense. A small town, similar interests, and a finite amount of time together?
It’s totally giving summer rom-com. Except I don’t see this one ending in a happily-ever-after, not if Callie is giggling half as much as Gavin is on the other end of his conversations with her.
Still, it’s surprising to feel the sting.
Not because of the rejection. Okay, fine, maybe a little of it is.
But now that I’ve gotten to know Brennan better, I see that Gavin is right.
Brennan is the type looking for a long-term girlfriend.
Which makes me wonder: If Brennan isn’t interested in me, is Gavin right?
That I’m not girlfriend material? And if he is, does it mean I’m not girlfriend material now or ever?