Chapter 42
“You couldn’t have waited till I had my first cup of coffee in me?”
“Nope, sorry, bro. I couldn’t even wait until I’d had my first.” As if to prove her point, Carrie sipped from her mug and let out a contented “Ahhhh.”
Cal shook his head. “It’s all well and good for you to be making all-is-right-with-the-world sounds as you slurp, and I am happy for you. That goes without saying. But I’m sad for myself—and that’s the mother of all understatements.”
Carrie nodded. “I’m going to miss you too. And this.” She motioned around their small office. “I really appreciate you giving me the job when I so desperately needed one and for being my rock, just the way you always were when we were kids. But this is the right move for me. I’m ready now.”
Cal had always suspected the day would come when Carrie was ready to move back to her old life and the place she’d lived all her years as a wife and mother raising her kids. He just hadn’t expected it now. He thought they’d have another year or two.
“It was the cutest thing,” she continued, bringing him back to the conversation.
“They called a family meeting, the same way I used to when they were little. Jordy had his girlfriend Beth there, and the three of them—” Carrie choked up a little here, which was very unlike her.
“Well, they said how much they missed me and that now that I’m going to be a grandma—”
“What?” Cal’s coffee sloshed over the side of his mug as he jolted in surprise. When Carrie let it fly that she was moving back to be closer to the kids, she hadn’t given a hint that this was part of the reason. “Come again?”
Carrie grinned so broadly that Cal thought her jaw might crack. “You heard right. Could’ve knocked me over with a feather. And Beth was just as adamant about hoping I’d come ‘home’ as they all called it. I felt, well, I can’t even explain it.”
“Wow, sis—or should I say, Grandma. That is amazing, top-notch news.”
“Yes,” Carrie agreed, still radiant. “And something tells me from the lack of texts and calls over the holidays that you might have your own news you’re excited about.”
“Maybe,” Cal said, pretending he was cool and would be able to resist telling all.
The desk phone rang, loud and insistent.
“Saved by the bell,” Carrie said cheerfully as she reached for the receiver. “But don’t think you got a free pass. I’ll expect every juicy detail at lunch.”
*
He and Vic were walking the Millennium Trail, a paved path that ran along the highway through town, popular with bicyclists, dog walkers, and random folks like themselves all year round.
With the trees still lit and twinkling, soft, huge snowflakes falling in the purple evening light, and the scent of their peppermint hot chocolates wafting in the cold air, it was a winter wonderland—but the biggest part of the wonder was Vic’s warm hand in his.
Cal knew this about himself. He’d be oblivious to the night’s charms without her.
“Wow, big changes,” Vic said when he told her the news about Carrie’s move.
“You’re telling me. I’ve gotten so used to her help, and things definitely run more smoothly with an office assistant. I was thinking…” He paused, not quite sure how to proceed. The minute he’d thought of it earlier, he knew it was the perfect solution, but he wasn’t sure Vic would see it that way.
He took a big mouthful of cocoa, then pressed on.
“You’d be perfect for the job if you want it.
I know you love The Second Chance Shop, but in case you want something different with a few more hours .
. . I pay okay, it’s full-time, and—” His heart raced.
This next bit, for him, was the best part. “We’d be together all day.”
He couldn’t bear to look at her just yet, in case she wasn’t as enamored with the idea as he was. “Plus, a while back, you mentioned possibly getting your own place, wanting some distance from Audra. Carrie’s keeping her tiny house here, renting it out. I told her you might be interested.”
“Wow,” Vic said for the second time in minutes. And while her “wow” wasn’t negative or sarcastic, exactly, it didn’t necessarily sound positive either.
She stopped walking and stared up at him.
“That’s, um, a lot to think about.” She shook her head. “I’m really flattered you think I’d be good for the job and that you want to spend so much time with me, but—” She broke off. “It’s, well, a lot to think about,” she repeated. “I’ll have to get back to you about it. Is that okay?”
At least she was still holding his hand as they walked, Cal thought, but the lights in the trees seemed dimmer, and the temperature had clearly chilled. Their breath made ghostly white trails and even those disappeared in the darkening night.