Chapter 21
Kayla
Castlebrook Town Crier Text Chain
Sue Cruthkins
Kayla is staying in town!
Delia (From the Pool)
Fuck yeah!
Holden Swede (Sheriff)
Congrats on the job, Kayla!
Carol
One step closer!
Penny (Mechanic)
Yes Girl!
Sylvie
So excited you’re staying!
Unknown
Welcome to Castlebrook (permanently)
Jake Williams
Good job team!
Billy (Landlord)
Water is back on at the apartment if you need a place to rent.
Grumpy Cowboy
Fuck off, Billy.
I don't even know half the people blowing up my phone today, but ever since Sue's announcement this morning—which I have no idea how she got the info since Harry hasn’t even emailed me back yet—I’ve been getting nonstop congratulations and welcome texts.
My heart swells as I stare down at the texts filtering in.
How I left Montana on Friday feeling like an outsider and came back to a home I will never wrap my head around.
I take a screenshot of the text chain and shoot it off to Faith and Fletcher, just to show them I’m doing okay.
“You excited to have your own classroom?” Betty asks, sitting down beside me in the staff room.
The smile that breaks out on my face says it all. “I am. I’m really happy I get to stay here.”
“We’re all really happy you get to stay here, too,” she says, squeezing my hand gently before digging into her lunch.
“I swear, I don’t even know half the people texting me congratulations,” I whisper, afraid one of the unknown contacts in my phone is one of the other teachers here. “I feel like I haven’t gotten to know anyone while here. I’ve been so busy just trying to keep my head above water.”
Betty shrugs, spearing her lettuce. “That’s the thing about Castlebrook. You don’t have to be out and about to get to know everyone. It just gradually happens over time. Trust me, by this time next year, you’ll know everyone but have no idea how.”
“You think?”
“Definitely. I mean, you already know the founding family of the town, all the teachers, most of the parents. Sue. Carol. Kyle. Delia.” I don’t bother telling her that Kyle all but runs away every time he sees me now.
We haven’t talked since he bailed on me after offering his shower. “Who else do you need to know?”
“Do we even have a mayor? Some sort of government?”
“Sure. Quenton is the mayor, and his wife Lisa is in charge of all the administrative stuff. Colter is on the town board, along with Jake. Finn is holding Wyatt’s spot.”
“We have a town board?”
“Yeah, but they don’t really do anything unless there’s a disagreement going on. Like when that big developer tried to buy land to build a mall out here.”
“How’d they stop that?”
“Colter bought the land first.” I drop my fork, staring at Betty.
She doesn’t even seem shocked that Colter was able to just buy land in Montana right out from underneath a developer.
Is it just common knowledge that Colt is rich?
I sure as fuck didn’t know. The man walks around with holes in the heels of his jeans, for Christ’s sake.
“Sure, naturally,” I mumble, picking my jaw up from off the floor.
“What?” She looks up from the salad she’s inhaling, clocking my shocked expression. “You live with the guy, you gotta know his family basically founded this town. Their ranch is literally the namesake.”
“In my defense, I thought the town was the namesake for the ranch,” I grumble haughtily. It makes more sense that way, to me anyway.
“Kayla,” Harry pops his head into the staffroom, interrupting Betty’s Castlebrook lesson. “Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but we’ve got a bit of an issue. Would you mind coming out here?”
I shoot a hesitant look at Betty, instantly in a downward spiral. Is he taking back his job offer? Can he? Why would he? What did I do wrong? “Of course,” I steel my voice, putting on a facade of strength and confidence. “One second.”
He waits while I throw all of my containers into my lunch bag, and then holds the door open for me.
It leads right into the hallway of the front office.
“Ben was sick out on the soccer field,” he says quietly, guiding me out of the office and across the hall to the little room we have set up for kids who aren’t feeling well.
“We tried to phone Sylvie, Mandy, and Colt. No one is answering.”
I drop down beside the bed where Ben is already sleeping, and place my hand on his forehead.
His skin burns against my hand, and my heart stutters.
Panic immediately invades my senses. “Sylvie and Mandy are out of town for Sylvie’s business trip,” I tell him, swiping back Ben’s sweaty hair.
They left this morning and aren’t supposed to be back until Friday.
Something about a large property being put on the market, and they wanted Sylvie as their real estate agent.
It would be stupid to pass up the opportunity.
“Colt’s riding up and checking the fields at the top of the mountain, now that the snow has all melted.
He probably doesn’t have service.” And Jake’s with him. Goddamnit.
“He can’t stay here,” Harry sighs, shaking his head. “He needs to go home and rest.”
“Have you tried his grandparents?”
“They don’t drive.”
“Finn?”
“At a cattle auction in Bowden.”
“How can the little guy have such a huge support system, and they’re all out of town at once?” I stand from my crouched position and turn to face my boss.
“Tell me about it,” he chuckles bitterly. “Here’s what I’m thinking. You have Music and Library, right?”
“Yeah, and then Science.” It’s a stupid schedule. I could have the whole afternoon off if they had gym last block on Friday, but that would be too nice.
“I’ll ask Betty to take your class outside with hers last block. You take Ben home.”
“What?” I’m not equipped to take care of a sick kid.
And Colt is going to freak when he finds out.
Things were good last night when I got home.
It felt like we were back to normal. But that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly okay with me pulling his kid out of school. “I don’t even have a car seat for him.”
“Denise has one in her car for her son. She’s gonna lend it to you and have her husband pick Cody up. Just bring the car seat back tomorrow.”
“This can’t be legal,” I place my hands on my hips, completely unsettled.
And even if it is legal, what if he gets sicker?
What if Ben throws up all over the couch and I make it worse somehow?
I’m not a parent. I’m not his mom. He’s not mine to mess up.
What if I do it wrong? I can barely even keep myself together.
At some point in my spiral, I have to hit rock bottom, right?
“I’ve left a message with his parents,” Harry says, like that’s the only requirement for letting a kid go home with a random person.
“Harry,” I sigh, reaching to rub my forehead.
“Ms. Carson,” the little voice behind me pulls my attention from my boss, preventing me from telling him to find another option—like letting Ben sleep here until someone answers the fucking phone.
“I don’t feel good,” Ben’s lip quivers, and he reaches for me.
I sit on the edge of the bed, grabbing his hand.
“I know, Bud. I’m so sorry.”
“I want to go home,” he all but cries. My heart breaks for the little dude, sweaty from his fever, shirt covered in grass stains and other stains I try not to think too hard about. My stomach rolls.
“Okay,” I sigh, all of the fight leaving me. “Give me a minute to get our stuff, and then we can go home. Okay?”
“I’ll stay with him,” Harry says, opening the door for me. I give Ben’s hand one last squeeze before rushing down to my classroom. I shoot Jake, Colt, Mandy, and Sylvie all a text, letting them know what’s happening. Hopefully, they’ll see it first, and that will ease the worry a little.
I pack up Ben’s bag and mine. Then I do the scariest thing I’ve ever done, and I take our little boy home.
When we get home, I tell Ben to get into a swimsuit, and then I start a cool bath for him. He pukes twice more in the time it takes us to get him into the bath. Both times make my heart feel like it’s being torn apart, his little cries acting like daggers straight to the chest.
I shuffle through his bathroom cabinets while he sits in the tub, looking for a thermometer and some medication.
I’m working purely on instinct and what I’ve read in books, just praying that it’s enough.
I check his temperature first, and then give him some Children’s Tylenol to try and bring down the fever.
I would hesitate about giving him medication without permission from his parents, but I’ve already pulled him out of school without their knowledge. Might as well go big or go home.
I sit quietly with him until the fever seems to go down, and then help him get into pjs. Even though he can barely keep his eyes open, he refuses to lie down and have a nap. Faced with a stubborn, sick kid, I don’t put up much of a fight.
I get him set up on the couch in the living room, with a blanket and a bowl in case he pukes again, but the minute I sit down beside him, he’s crawling into my lap. He insists we watch Toy Story, and who am I to deny the little dude when he sounds so sick?
We’re not even twenty minutes in before he’s asleep, twisting around in his sleep so that his face is resting on my chest. Not wanting to risk waking him, I just lay there, listening to his labored breathing and praying that Colt comes home soon.
I never had someone to nurture me when I was sick growing up.
My brother tried his best, but he had school and his part-time job.
If he didn’t go to work, we didn’t eat, so when I was sick, I was on my own.
Sure, I learned how to take care of myself, but it’s completely different looking after someone else.
This little boy is choosing to find comfort in me, and maybe it’s only because I’m the only one here, but I’m going to do my best not to fuck it up. He deserves it.
Lurching forward in my lap, I’m just a second too short in grabbing the bowl. He pukes on himself and on me, sobbing as his body tries to purge itself of the germs.
“I’m sorry,” he hiccups in between sobs. I rub his back as he holds on tightly to the bowl that only caught about a third of his puke.
“We’re okay,” I try to soothe him, continuing to rub his back. “It’s okay, buddy.” I look down, assessing the damage. Thankfully, it all seemed to land on me or in the blanket. “Do you think you’re done for now?”
“Mhm,” he whimpers, nodding his head.
“Okay,” I reach around him slowly and grab the bowl from his shaking hands. “Ben, can you go upstairs and grab some new PJs? I’ll be right behind you,” I promise. I carefully fold up the blanket so that the puke doesn’t seep out the edges and onto the couch. Ben stands, wobbly on his feet.
“Okay,” his little voice whispers, and he slowly follows my instructions. I don’t know if I should even bother putting him in the shower or not, he seems to have mostly missed himself, and I feel like it’s just gonna happen again.
Groaning, I toss the blanket into the laundry room under the stairs, promising to come back and deal with it before Colt gets home. I stop at the bathroom to flush what’s in the bowl down the toilet, and then my best friend, the bowl, and I head upstairs to face the music.
I find the sick little boy sitting on the floor without a shirt on. He looks like he’s moments away from falling back asleep, and if I weren’t so worried about him, I might find it a little amusing.
“Let’s get you dressed and in bed, Bud.” The bowl goes on his nightstand, and then I’m forcing a shirt over his head. It seems like he changed his pants before he got tired.
“Thank you, K,” he yawns, climbing into his bed. “I’m tired.”
“I know, Bud,” I kiss his forehead gently. “Go to sleep, okay? I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
“You promise?”
“Yeah, I promise.”
I wait until tiny little snores fill the bedroom before I creep out with his dirty pjs in hand. I’m too afraid he’ll call for me while I’m in the shower, so I wipe myself down with a towel and then change into a fresh pair of PJs myself.
I must win some sort of record for how fast someone can change and put on a load of laundry because I swear it’s only 5 minutes before I’m back in Ben’s bedroom.
Since I lost my prep time today, I bring my laptop with me to try and get some work done, but the second I climb onto his bed, sitting on top of his blankets, exhaustion takes over, and I’m out like a light.