8. Callie
Callie
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20TH
D elicious, salty, incredible bacon.
Rolled and skewered.
And surrounded by a cloud of pink cotton candy.
This is what heaven must taste like.
The town has gone back to their regularly scheduled programming after Finn and I cleaned the literal egg off our faces. I decided I deserved a victory snack and am sitting at one of the folding tables under a large canopy, just watching everyone enjoy the festival.
I have lived in a lot of places in my thirty-two years of life, some are better than others. But none of them have felt quite this cozy. Even with the Tit Peepers gossip and the general disdain for cats, the people are kind and genuinely care about each other here.
“Mind if I join you?”
I look over at Finn and ignore the way my heartbeat kicks up a notch or twelve at the sight of him.
“Please do.”
He pulls up a folding chair and sits next to me.
“Do you want any?” I offer my cotton candy wrapped bacon to him.
His face curls up. “I’m good, thanks.”
“You’re kind of a food snob, aren’t you?”
“What? No! I just try not to eat a lot of junk food.”
I take another bite of deliciousness. “Fooood snob,” I sing. But I tack on a chuckle to get a smile out of him. “Where are the Chief and Delilah?”
“Probably off somewhere having sex,” he gags.
“Oh wow,” I laugh. “Who would write him the public indecency ticket if they got caught?”
“They won’t. They’ve…had a lot of practice. Where’s your, uh, friend? ”
I don’t miss his emphasis on the word, but I do glaze over it. Partially because Aaron’s vanishing act was crazy unnatural. “I have no idea! Is he a part-time magician or something? I hope he’s okay.”
“He’s fine.” Finn says and then mumbles something else I don’t quite catch.
“What?”
“Nothing. He’s fine.”
A yell from the crowd keeps me from pushing him to tell me what he said. “Oh, come on!” a man…well…whines. He’s whining.
“Sorry, Mr. Landon,” comes the response. My eyes search and finally find a man in slacks and a button-down shirt, which is covered in mayonnaise and what looks like the tortured remains of a BLT.
Mr. Landon is not happy and spins around to storm out, but he doesn’t notice the ring toss pool. Well, not in time, anyway. He trips into it, causing a massive splash, and he proceeds to flail around in the water, trying to stand back up.
I move to go help, but Finn stops me. “Don’t assist, it just pisses him off.”
He’s right. Someone offers Mr. Landon a hand, which he refuses, but then does eventually manage to stand on his own and stomp away.
I slowly sit back down, my gaze glued to the ring pool fiasco. Then Finn lets out a small “huh.” I look over at him.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see that,” he notes, nodding the other direction towards Lexie. She’s laughing with some students from school and Piper, who’s truly one of the best teachers I’ve ever worked with.
“She’s a good kid,” I tell him. “So is Asher. And Piper, of course, you know, is amazing. I’m glad Lexie’s finding some connection there.”
Finn runs his fingers through his thick hair and opens his mouth like he’s trying to find his words. “I know that she’s twelve, and the attitude isn’t going to go away anytime soon…but, um…I felt like tonight, just for a minute there, I got my little girl back. And a big part of that is because of you. So…uh…thank you.”
If my heart was beating fast before, it’s racing now. I want to tell him I didn’t do that much. That I adore kids and it’s why I became a teacher. That I genuinely like his daughter and I know she’ll be okay. But his comment isn’t about me, not really.
I put my hand on his knee and wait for him to make eye contact. “You’re doing a good job.”
He scoffs in response.
“I’m serious. Listen, I have no idea what it’s like to be a single parent, but I know what it’s like to be the daughter of one. And it’s a very delicate ecosystem. Lexie knows you love her, that’s the best thing you can give her.”
The combination of doubt and relief that crosses his face splits my heart in two. But after a couple seconds, the corners of his mouth turn up. “Why you gotta go and make things so complicated?” he rubs his hands on his knees and sits taller.
“Did you seriously just throw Avril Lavigne lyrics at me right now?”
He laughs. “I’m sorry, I’m nervous, I didn’t know what else to say.”
“God, just don’t say anything if that’s the only other alternative.”
We’re both laughing now. “You don’t have to be nervous about accepting compliments,” I say. “I don’t hand them out all the time, so just enjoy it.”
“It’s not the compliment that makes me nervous.”
There’s a slight rasp to his voice, and it steals my breath a little. I know I’m being awkward and just staring now, but I can’t look away from him.
Am I leaning? Is he leaning? Is the Earth rotating off its axis?
“Dad! Miss Callie!” Lexie’s approaching fast, the staff of the school paper hot on her heels.
Finn and I both snap back and try to look like we were definitely not about to make out in the middle of the town carnival in front of his daughter and our students.
“We were talking and we have the best idea!”
“A whole town competition like what you guys did tonight,” Asher chimes in. “Where we charge a small fee for tickets to each event.”
“And all the proceeds go to buying a new scoreboard in the gym for the Talons,” another student adds, referencing our new roller derby team that’s being led by Ro and her boyfriend, Brody. I know Ro from the Dirty Hookers, and she’s been working really hard on it.
Lexie is full on beaming with pride, and a sidelong glance at Finn shows me he’s doing the same.
“That sounds amazing!” I gush. “How can we help?”
I notice Piper is waving people over, and all the kids that make up the staff of the Bird is the Word school paper are now talking over each other. Finn and I exchange looks, trying to decipher what’s being said in the chaos, when Ernie’s whistle quiets everyone down.
Piper leads. “We actually know exactly how you can help. Lex, you want to take this one?”
Lexie offers a sheepish smile and looks at me and her dad. “We want you two to be the wild turkeys.”
We silently stare at her for a second.
“Like the whiskey?” Finn asks quietly.
She’s bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. “We’re calling it the War of the Wild Turkeys! And you two are the wild turkeys!”
“I thought you said it was a whole town competition,” I say.
“Right. You guys could have contests at places all around town.”
“Wait, Lex, do you mean just the two of us?” Finn sounds like he just went through puberty with that voice crack.
I narrow my eyes at Piper because I have a feeling she has something to do with this. She plays innocent, but she’s full of shit.
“Honey,” Finn says, “where would we have these contests? Have you thought this thr?—”
“Oh, we’ve thought it through,” Piper supplies. “Don’t you worry about that. We’ve already got you down for some stuff over at Put Up Your Ducks and mini golf at Birdie in the Hole.”
“You want me to get into a boxing match with her?”
I don’t know how to box. I’ve never boxed in my life. But that doesn’t stop me from being offended at his incredulity. “What? Are you worried you’ll lose?”
“I’m worried I’ll win and you end up having to deal with Dr. Cratchet.”
“Dr. Cratchet doesn’t even live here anymore, he retired. How do I know more than you?” I shoot back.
“See, this is why you’re the wild turkeys!” Lexie exclaims.
Asher nods in agreement. “It’s better than reality TV.”
The mob of townspeople surrounding us are all waiting for an answer. I look at Finn and shrug because, hey, I’m down.
He knows he’s stuck and hangs his head in defeat. I realize it doesn’t technically count, but I’m considering it an early win anyway.
“Let’s do it!” I yell.
Everyone goes nuts until Ernie blows the whistle again for Piper to speak.
“The War of the Wild Turkeys does have some ground rules. There will be no cheating, no sabotaging, and absolutely no fraternizing with your opponent.” She pauses and motions to both of us before laughing. “I’m just messing with you guys, there aren’t any rules. Well, probably the first two are good, though. Let’s stick with those, actually.”
“Look, I’ll play some mini golf, but I am not getting into the ring with her,” Finn repeats.
“Oh wow,” I put my hand over my heart. “I guess…I think that means he forfeits, right? So I’ve already won before we even start?”
Finn presses his lips together and glares at me.
“I can handle myself, Finnegan, I’m not made of glass. It’s not like we’re going on Pay-Per-View, okay?”
“I know, but it’s a pretty intense contact sport, I think I’m justified in being a little cautious here! It’s not like it’s hot yoga.”
My eyebrows shoot up and my mouth falls open. “Wait, do you think hot yoga is easy?” The crowd starts to rustle. “Your ignorance is peeking out a little, Coach, you might want to just tuck it back in there.”
“No, no,” Finn holds his hands up. “I’m just saying that when I was a physical therapist, I told a lot of my patients to go to yoga, but I never sent any of them to the MMA gym.”
“You’re more than welcome to use Wingspan,” Caleb Masters makes his way through the mass towards us. His yoga studio in town is amazing, and he’s an incredible teacher.
Piper’s eyes go as wide as the grin on her face. “Very generous of you, Caleb, thank you!”
“Have you taken any classes before, Finn?” Caleb asks.
“I mean, yeah, of course. Yeah, I think yoga is great.”
“So you are familiar with hot yoga then?”
“Abso... absolutely, definitely. I actually took a lot of hot yoga in Illinois.”
My favorite part of teenage girls’ faces is that they don’t need to say anything for you to know what they’re thinking. And Lexie is calling bullshit on her dad in a very big way.
Not that he’s all that great at lying.
“Fantastic,” Caleb grins. “I teach a Bikram class every Saturday morning at 9:30. Does that work for you both?”
Finn gives a thumbs up and I nod enthusiastically. I’ve already attended that class a few times, and it’s miraculous.
“Did I just hear Finn’s taking a yoga class?” Delilah steps into the crowd with Jonah behind her, picking the dead grass and a stick out of her hair. She notices her shirt is slightly askew and makes a quick motion to fix it.
“War of the Wild Turkeys,” Piper answers, as if that would explain anything to someone who just entered the conversation.
Or maybe that’s only true for someone who hasn’t lived here before, because Delilah just smiles and says, “Cool. What’s the prize for the winner?”
Finn and I look at Lexie for an answer. I’m satisfied enough that I get to pick out his clothes for school, so anything after this is just frosting on the bacon.
“Winner is crowned the first ever Wildest Turkey at Homecoming and we’re putting the loser’s punishment to a student vote.” Lexie’s voice grows more confident the longer she talks, and Piper offers her a celebratory fist bump.
“Are local business owners allowed to throw ideas in for the vote?” Delilah asks. I glance at Finn and the color is draining from his face.
“Of course,” Piper grins.
“Put me down, then.” She looks at my opponent with a borderline evil smirk. “I’ve always wanted to see Finn with a nice, traffic cone orange hair color.”
Finn is yelling something about how he’s not going to lose, but I don’t hear it because I’m too busy cheering. I stand and give a high five to Piper and Lexie and then wrap Delilah in a huge hug. “I know we just met, but I need you to know that I love you.”
She laughs and hugs me back. “Any enemy of Finn’s is a friend of mine.”
Suddenly, something from the corner of my eye grabs my attention. “Winston!”
I make a beeline for my goat friend (and the town mayor, incidentally), who’s casually trying to chew on Lily’s cardigan.
“Let go, asshole!” Lily yells, tugging it out of his mouth.
I throw my arms around Winston’s neck and fall into his soft, silky wool. He doesn’t smell great, so I don’t breathe too deeply, but he’s warm and comforting, like a musty, sweater-eating security blanket. He doesn’t seem to have any interest in moving and he lets me cuddle without issue.
So I continue to embrace him and quietly watch the festival from the sidelines again. Finn and Delilah are arguing, and Jonah is trying to intervene. Piper is rallying the Bird is the Word staff for more ideas with the help of Coach Ernie’s whistle. Brian, Lily, and Kodi are laughing with Caleb.
“Life here feels different,” I whisper to Winston. “I don’t usually feel this much at home and it’s a little scary.”
Winston responds by trying to nibble at my shirt.
“You’re right. I’ve just got to lean into it—OW! Okay, so that was actually my stomach, let’s go ahead and take my shirt out of your mouth, there.”
He looks up at me and I swear on all that is pure and holy, he apologizes.
“We’re cool, Winnie. You were the first friend I made here.” I hold my hand out and he rubs his head underneath it before trotting away.
Where was I? Oh yeah! Leaning into Finn. No! The belonging! Leaning into the feeling of belonging.
Shit.