Chapter 18
The drive out to the mountains took way longer than he wanted. Of course it was because Calla was in the other vehicle and he wasn't driving his own van. Frog had looked at him funny when he sat down in the passenger seat, but took it in stride.
After a few miles, watching the road turned exhausting. He’d shut his eyes for most of the journey but didn’t fall asleep.
“You doing good?” Griz asked when they had about thirty minutes left in the trip.
"Yeah. I think so. My eyes just get tired, and my head spins."
“Concussions suck.”
“They do.”
“So this woman, Calla. What do you think of her?”
He opened his eyes for a moment and glanced over at Griz, who had his hand slung over the top of the steering wheel, acting all casual.
“Do you think she’s too young?”
Griz shrugged. “For someone like me, yes. For you, I don’t think so. I mean, age does play into relationships, but it isn’t the only factor. Do you think she’s mature enough to have a relationship?”
“I don’t know. I need to get to know her better. I’m certainly not going to push her.”
“That’s good. She needs time to heal.”
“With our jobs, we’ve seen a lot.”
Griz grunted. “A lot of bad shit.”
“How sick do you think her brother was?”
Griz shrugged. "She'll probably talk to Elowen. You know how women are. They'll bring stuff like that up when the guys aren't around."
“Yeah. I worry about her.”
Griz nodded. "Just be cautious. She doesn't know what she wants yet. She hasn't really lived. We'll provide her with space to figure things out, and if you're around, maybe you two will become close. But don't make it out to be more than it is. I don't want you getting hurt."
All the guys knew he'd crashed out with women after the accident. He'd been a real player, so maybe it was karma. Heck, they'd seen women turn their nose up when they figured out he wasn't in the Navy because he'd been hurt.
Maybe staying in San Diego had been a mistake. Brent may have done him a favor by burning down his house. He’d lost things, but this may open him up to new possibilities and fresh starts.
Calla felt the rise of panic when Thario left Elowen’s car and got in his van. He brought peace to her. Maybe she was putting too much into the feelings she had for him.
“You good to go?” Elowen asked.
She nodded. “Yes. I think so.”
They took off with the van following them. It had been a long time since she’d been in a vehicle for any length of time. Brent took her a few places with him, but only at night, and only when he could fully control her.
"My dog, Knuckles, is going to like you. She's smart like Frog, but is a little more gentle. Sometimes I worry that Frog is going to knock Thario over, but he never does."
Calla took her eyes off the side mirror where she was watching for the van behind them and turned to Elowen.
“I’m really thankful you two are allowing me to stay with you. I won’t lie. I’m a little scared.”
“That’s totally understandable.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to decide. You can spend time thinking, reading, watching TV or movies, or working in the garden. Really, the garden shouldn’t take too much work. There are also clusters of wild fruit trees and bushes. I like to go pick fruit and make pies or other treats.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.”
"You just have to be careful of the snakes. There aren't too many, but they like the fruit because it brings mice, so they hang out near the bushes."
A shiver slid down her spine. “Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”
"It really is a great place to live. And if Knuckles is with you, she'll alert you to snakes in the area.
They don't come around the house much with her there.
" Elowen chuckled. "Gosh, I'm making it sound like it's a problem.
In the years I've lived there, I've only found one snake near the house.
They don't like humans, so they keep away.
Griz goes out into the wilderness so he runs into more than I do, but most of those are not venomous. "
Calla smiled. "You were making it sound scary.
But I understand why you're warning me. I haven't been in nature in years.
It's been a long while since I've been out of the city.
I think the last time was when I was fifteen.
I guess I'm twenty-three now. That's so odd.
I've missed so much just trying to survive. "
Elowen reached over and squeezed her hand. “So what is something you really want to do?”
"I don't know. Movies maybe. I think one of the last movies I watched was Wonder Woman." She let go a heavy sigh, and Elowen glanced over at her.
“You okay?”
She shrugged. "Yeah. Just thinking about that movie. When I watched it, I thought, ‘Wow, women can do anything,’ and then Brent killed our parents, locked me in a room, and abused me. I lived in fear and have done nothing in the years since."
“Those were weird circumstances. You know, you can’t blame yourself for what happened and what you did or didn’t do.”
“A part of me feels like I could have tried harder to fight. I tried to escape, and I attacked him a few times, but he always won. I got the worst beating after my escape attempts.”
Elowen took an exit and navigated through the packed side road to get on another road. The landscape started to change as the roads started twisting through hills.
"It's hard when other people have control.
I knew Griz back when we were younger. His dad was awful.
He beat the shit out of Griz. The last time, when Griz took off, the police arrested me, and I was in juvenile detention for a week.
It doesn't compare to what you suffered, but I felt totally helpless.
I was in for seven days. I can't imagine being at the mercy of someone else's whims for six years. "
"I'm sorry that happened to you. You know, I just got used to it. At first, I was trying to survive, then I realized it wasn't going to change. Brent would never let me go, and my sister wasn't coming back for me. I don't know what happened to her."
“We should look into that. Thario is really good at finding people. He needs time for his concussion to go away, but I bet we can start looking for her and see where she is.”
“That would be great. I hope she is okay. It has been years. She was an adult, but still living at home and going to college. I guess she’s done with college now.”
They stopped to get gas and for a bathroom break. Thario didn’t say much, but she noticed he kept his eyes on her while she was in the store. It made her feel safe.
Once back in the car, they listened to music. When Elowen turned off the music, she sat up and glanced around.
“We’re almost to the house,” Elowen said.
They turned down a drive, and she saw a huge house. “Oh wow, is that yours?”
“Yes. I bought it and did a lot of work inside. It’s my pride and joy.”
The house came into view, and Calla stared with her mouth open. "I'm impressed."
“Thank you. No one thought I would amount to much, but I’ve been able to follow my passions.”
“That’s amazing.”
They drove past the big place to a smaller cabin that was hidden away from the larger house. “This looks very private and secluded.”
"It is. Honestly, I got Knuckles, which helped me feel not so alone."
“Makes sense.”
Thario's van parked behind them, and as she got out, the guys opened the door, and Frog jumped out first. He ran over to some bushes and marked them.
Another car pulled in, and a smaller German Shepard jumped out, running to greet Elowen first, then Frog.
Griz and Thario walked over, and Griz was shaking his head. "I knew she liked Frog more than me."
Elowen chuckled. “She loves you. She’s just excited to see Frog.”
“How was your drive up?” Thario asked.
Calla turned to him, liking that he was paying attention to her. “Good. We talked some.”
“That’s good. I’m looking forward to being up here. The place I’m staying for now is about ten miles away. I may not be able to drive for a few days, but I’ll come by when I can.”
“I’d like that. I probably should spend some time thinking. It’s weird being free. Nice, but I don’t know where to start.”
“Getting a good night’s sleep tonight, and eating something would be a good start.”
She nodded as she noticed that the woman who’d dropped off Elowen’s dog was leaving after talking to Elowen and Griz.
She was alone with Thario since Griz and Elowen went inside. The dogs were still out with them, but they weren’t paying attention to her and Thario.
They hadn't stopped for food, and she was getting a little hungry. When her stomach growled, embarrassment hit hard. She was sure her cheeks went red.
Thario put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m hungry, too. I could probably eat a moose.”
Laughter bubbled up. “A moose?”
He shrugged. “Maybe not a moose, but a burger for sure. Or even some pasta would be good.”
Talking to Thario felt good. He made her laugh, which was a wonderful thing. “It has been a long time since I’ve laughed. Thank you.”
Thario nodded. “I remember not laughing for months after. I didn’t think there was much to be thankful for. I’ve learned a lot in the years since.”
She reached out and touched his arm. She almost pulled back, but instead of pulling away, she squeezed. “I’m sorry people didn’t treat you kindly after the accident. You deserve so much more.”
He turned to face her, and the urge to hug him grew. Before their parents had died, she'd had a boyfriend. Of course, back then they'd been young, and it had been relatively innocent, but she remembered the feeling of hugging him, and she wanted that with Thario.
“You’re being very kind.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m speaking the truth. You are a good person.”
He ducked his head, shaking it slightly. “I wasn’t for a long time. I’m not sure I deserve to be treated well.”
“Maybe we can work together to heal.”
His gaze rose, and she wanted to fall into his brown eyes and never look away. If he asked, she would kiss him. She knew this was way too fast, but it was like it was meant to be.
Maybe a few days apart would do her some good. She needed time to think, and being with Thario made her insides twist with desire. Could this all be real, or was it her mind playing tricks on her?