Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
CALLIOPE
Arlow taps on my door shortly after Silver drops me off. He and Lee left after Silver’s brothers showed up, but I didn’t want to leave her when she was so upset. It’s been a long day and it’s not nearly over since I’m supposed to work tonight. I see a lot of coffee in my future.
“I’m sorry you guys got dragged into that earlier,” I tell him, as soon as he’s inside.
“No need to apologize. I’m glad to see you aren’t locked up.”
He follows me to my kitchen while I retrieve an ice pack from my freezer. I’ve ignored my aching hand until now since no skin was broken but my swollen fingers have developed their own heartbeat. “I think she knew Silver was serious about her threat.”
“Did you hurt your hand?” he asks with concern.
“It turns out that eye sockets are not soft.”
He takes a seat beside me at my little kitchen table, turning the chair to face mine and pulls the ice pack away from my hand. “Is anything broken? Can you move your fingers?”
“I’m okay. Nothing’s broken. I think I jammed them.”
The ice pack is set aside, and he slides his hand beneath mine, letting my fingers extend over his large palm. He takes hold of my pinky and gently bends, then straightens it. His hands are warm, and his touch is tender as he repeats the action for each of my fingers. It feels so intimate. I’m caught up in his gaze, those gorgeous brown eyes the rich color of autumn leaves. It takes me a moment to realize he asked me a question.
“Hmm?”
“Can you bend them all?”
Slowly, I make a fist then open it with a wince. His lips press together, and he takes my hand again, running his thumb softly over my knuckles. “You bruised it good.”
The deep timbre of his soft words and the simple touch shoves everything else away. Someone could hammer my other hand right now and I’d barely notice. My mouth dries out and when our gazes meet again, I can see I’m not the only one affected.
His eyes darken as his pupils grow, and my attention falls to the way his tongue slips out to wet his lips. The memory of our kiss is still fresh in my mind and there’s nothing I want more than to lean over and feel those lips on mine again.
The air thickens around us. He’s so close to me. I’m suddenly aware of his knee touching my outer thigh as I breathe in the clean scent of him combined with the faint undertone of wood smoke from his jacket.
Seconds tick away.
He closes his eyes for a moment, then pulls in a deep breath and retrieves the ice pack, resting it on my knuckles. “I’ll get you an Ibuprofen.” The chair scrapes against the floor as he gets up.
“I took one already. But if you don’t mind, you can grab the pitcher of cold brew from the fridge for me. I need a boost before work.” My smile is as forced as my light tone.
“You’re working tonight? With a sore hand and busted window, it might be a good time to take a night off.”
“I’ll be fine. Misty is picking me up. If I don’t go, Silver will have to cover for me, and you saw what kind of day she’s having.”
Arlow sets a glass in front of me and fills it with ice and coffee. “She needs a good friend like you.”
Yeah, that’s me, a good friend .
The bitter sarcasm in that thought is unfair, born from frustration at not getting what I want, and it’s the kind of gut reaction that I don’t let myself ruminate on anymore. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
Arlow might not be ready to move on from his ex but there’s something between us. Maybe in the future, things will be different. For now, I need to accept that we’re only friends and let that be enough.
I spend a lot more time with Silver over the next two weeks. She takes me to get my window repaired, and we stay at her place some nights when I’m not working. The betrayal of her friend hits her harder than the break-up and cheating. Maybe because we’ve come to expect that from men. With everything women go through, there should be a lot more loyalty between us.
I’m rolling out a batch of dough for cinnamon rolls and Misty is filling a tray of jelly donuts while Silver hangs out, chatting to us when someone knocks on the locked front door.
“Anyone else scheduled tonight?” Misty asks.
Silver frowns, shaking her head, and peeks out through the kitchen door. “It’s Charlotte.”
“Who’s Charlotte?” I ask Misty once Silver has gone out to talk to her.
“She worked the overnight donut shift until about six months ago.”
“Oh.” I glance in the direction of the door, straining to hear the conversation but it only reaches us as mumbles. “You don’t think this is like a disgruntled employee situation, do you?” It’s past eleven at night, not the time you expect someone to show up.
Misty laughs, handing me the cinnamon. “No, Charlotte is nice as can be. And she wasn’t fired or anything. She quit to take care of her grandmother who had cancer.”
Silver spends fifteen minutes or so with Charlotte before returning. “How’s she doing?” Misty asks.
Silver snatches a fresh donut hole and pops it into her mouth. “She’s alright. Just got back in town. Her grandma passed a couple of weeks ago so she’s looking for a job again. I told her to check with Secondhand Thrift and More. They had a sign up recently.”
The conversation drifts to other things but I’m not paying much attention. I’ve requested a week off work to meet up with my concert friends for a music festival, and though Mona was fine with it, I know it leaves them short-handed. My friends tried to convince me to hit a few more concerts with them, travel with them for a few weeks as I’ve done before, but I didn’t consider it since I have a responsibility here. I like working here, but I also hate the thought that I may be taking the job from someone who actually needs it.
“How long did Charlotte work here?” I ask Silver, a few hours later when we sit at the counter to take a break.
“Three years. We waited as long as possible to replace her, but with Misty needing more time off and everything, it was too much for me to handle alone.”
“Was she a good employee?”
“She was. I told her if we get an opening, she’ll be my first call. Eva on morning shift swears she’s going to be a stay-at-home mom as soon as her husband gets out of jail next month, so that’s a possibility.”
We get back to work but I use the hours to think it over. My impulsive nature often gets the best of me. But I knew when I moved that I’d be trying different things. Jobs, hobbies, whatever. That was the point, to figure out what I want. I’m not sure what that will be, but I know I love living in the country. I’d love to learn to garden or maybe keep bees like Arlow does. This job was never a permanent plan and maybe I can help someone by letting it go.
Misty leaves about a half an hour before us. Silver locks up and as we’re heading out to our vehicles, I pause and grab her arm. “So, um, would you want to hire Charlotte back if I quit?”
She blinks at me. “You don’t want to work here anymore?”
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s been great and I love working with you, with everyone, really, but I don’t need the job. I took it to meet people, make some friends and keep myself occupied. I’ve done that. She needs the income.”
“Are you planning to leave town?”
“No! I love it here. I’ll find a volunteer opportunity. Plus, I’ve been thinking of taking some classes at the community center. I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful for the job but if Charlotte is capable, I think it’d be the right thing to do.”
She leans against my car. “I wasn’t telling you about her to make you feel guilty. We would’ve replaced her with someone regardless.”
“I know that. It’s not the only reason. I have other stuff I’d like to do too.”
With a sigh, she nods. “She wants full time which means I’d get more of a break, and Misty can stay at part time. It would work, but are you sure? You do a great job too, and I’ll miss scaring the shit out of you by tossing ice in the fryer when your back is turned.”
“And I’ll miss tilting the sink sprayer just right, so it blasts you when you turn it on, but if you think you’re getting rid of me, you’re crazy.”
“I knew that was you!”
“Then why did you blame Ethan?”
Both of us burst into giggles. “Poor Ethan,” she says. “Alright. I’ll call Charlotte today.”
I give her a quick hug and we promise to hang out soon.
It’s still dark when I get home, but there’s a strip of light coming from Arlow’s barn. I haven’t seen much of him the past couple of weeks. On the nights I’ve been home, he’s been in his barn and hasn’t invited me to hang out at the firepit like we used to. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s purposefully avoiding me because I hit Sandra. He’s such a laid back person, and he learned that’s not always who I am. Or is it because of the moment we had afterward in my kitchen? Whichever it is, I miss him. Since Silver is doing better, and I no longer have to work, I plan to catch up with him soon.
My eyes slam shut the second I crawl into bed, and I wake up in a good mood. I’m on my way out of my cabin to go shopping when I nearly trip over a package on my front porch. Happy Birthday is stamped all over it in bright colors. What the hell? It’s nowhere near my birthday. A closer look at the label reveals the mailman made a mistake. It’s Arlow’s birthday?
I grab the box and cross the driveway to his house.
Arlow answers the door and the genuine smile he gives me loosens something in my chest. He isn’t unhappy to see me. “This came to my house by mistake,” I explain, as he steps out onto his porch. “Is it your birthday?”
“Not until Sunday. My parents always send me a box of my favorite cookies.”
“The way to your heart is truly through baked goods.”
“Guilty.”
“Listen, um…about me punching Sandra. I don’t want you to think I’m, you know…violent or a troublemaker or something. I didn’t mean for you or Lee to get dragged into the drama that day. Nobody filed any charges or anything. Even the charges against Silver were dropped.”
His grin grows the entire time I’m talking. He tilts his head, studying me. “Do you think I was bothered by that?”
I can feel my cheeks start to heat up. “I feel like you might be avoiding me a little and if that’s why, I want you to know it’s not a common occurrence. I don’t go around hitting people.”
His lips press together, and his expression softens as he sets the box on the ledge of the porch. “I didn’t think anything like that. You didn’t upset me in the least, Calli. I love that you stuck up for your friend. I can get caught up in my art sometimes and obsessed with a project. The time and days get away from me. I’m not trying to avoid you. I’m sorry if I made you think that.”
“Don’t apologize. I overthink. It’s what I’m best at,” I chuckle. “We’re good, then?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay.” It sucks to need such reassurance but it’s a part of anxiety that never seems to give me a break. The conclusion I usually jump to is that I’m annoying people or pestering them. I’m still not convinced he didn’t need a little break from me, but that’s alright.
“Are you busy this evening?” he asks, picking the box back up, and I shake my head. “Would you like to have dinner with me and a friend?”
I’m a little surprised at the invitation. Lee is the only friend of his I’ve met. “Sure, sounds fun.”
“Great. I’ll text you later.”
On my walk back down to my car, I consider how many times I’ve convinced myself that someone is sick of me only to find out it was in my head. In the past, I’d let people go or start avoiding them. A couple years of therapy taught me a lot, including that the simplest thing to do is to be direct and ask. It’s humiliating if the answer is yes, please leave me alone , but it saves me a lot of stress.
As I’m pulling out of the driveway to head to the mall, Lee turns in, and I wave for him to stop, then roll down my window. I have an idea, but I’ll need his help.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Yes, everything’s fine.” He listens to me explain with a growing smile, then gives me his phone number. If Arlow thinks I’m going to let his birthday pass without celebrating, he’s crazy.
The mall is in a town nearly an hour away, but it’s worth the drive. Along with some new clothes for myself, I find the perfect gift for Arlow in a tiny music store, and another hilarious one from a novelty shop. Most of my day is spent shopping, and I’ve only been home for a few minutes when Arlow texts me.
Arlow
Do you like catfish?
Me
Love it.
Arlow
Good, would you mind driving?
Me
Not at all. I’m ready when you are.
He shows up a minute later, and we head to my car. He catches me grinning as I watch him slide the passenger seat as far back as it will go, so he can fit comfortably. “Are you laughing at me?”
“I’d never.”
“Uh-huh. Let’s go shorty.”
“Excuse me. Five foot seven is almost tall for a woman. Just because you have to duck when a plane flies over doesn’t mean I’m short.”
Laughing, he looks over at me. “Have you been saving that one?”
“Maybe.” I’ve missed us teasing each other. “Where am I going?”
“Do you know Hatty’s Seafood Shack?”
I turn out onto our road. “I know where it is, but I’ve never been there. Is your friend meeting us?”
“Earl is seventy-five and doesn’t leave his house much. We’ll pick up dinner and take it to his place.”
His friend is a seventy-five-year-old man? “How did you meet him?”
“He sold me my hives a few years ago and taught me how to care for them. When I went to pick them up, his property was overgrown, and it was obvious he couldn’t keep up with it anymore, so I cut it for him. He doesn’t have much family or many visitors. I bring him dinner once a week to check in on him. Just a heads up, he’s absolutely going to ask you all about yourself and try to get you to play cards.”
How in the hell am I supposed to stop myself from falling for this man?
After we pick up the food, Arlow leads me through a winding back road to a small house tucked into the woods. “That’s Harvey,” he says, as a dog circles the car, tail wagging. “He’s friendly.”
“He’s adorable!” I exclaim, kneeling down to scratch the mutt behind the ears while Arlow carries our food.
His knock on the door is instantly met with a gruff voice calling out. “I already found Jesus! It ain’t my fault if you keep losing him!”
“I brought company, old man. Behave yourself.”
“Now you know that ain’t happening,” Earl says, opening the door and grinning at me as we enter. “Where did you find this pretty thing? Did you come with him voluntarily? Blink twice if you need help.”
“No worries, I could take him down if I needed to.”
Earl cackles, throwing back his head, and Arlow snorts while we walk to the kitchen. “As long as I’m not carrying a cave cricket?”
“Well, that’s just cheating.”
Arlow sets the bags down and gestures to me. “Calli, meet Earl, Earl, this is Calli.”
“You’re the one who moved into the cabin next door to him,” Earl says, as Arlow retrieves plates and glasses from the man’s cabinet.
“I am. It’s nice to meet you.”
“About time he brought you over. He talks about you all the time.”
My heart leaps in my chest at the thought of that, and I do my best not to react. Instead, I turn to raise my eyebrows at Arlow with a little smirk.
“He’s a dirty liar. Can’t believe a word out of his mouth,” Arlow says, handing me a plate of food.
“Too late. You’re busted. You like me.”
We eat in Earl’s living room, and Arlow was right, the food is delicious. Greasy as all hell, but heaven just the same. Earl is one of those people who is unintentionally hilarious. Just the way he talks about the other seniors at the day center has me wiping tears away. As he and Arlow discuss everything from the honey harvest to the new bushes he’s been planting, it’s clear to see how fond Earl is of him.
After dinner, Earl leans over and asks, “Do you know how to play Rummy?”
“Are you going to get mad when I wipe the floor with you?”
His gravelly laughter fills the room, and he waves to Arlow. “Move the coffee table so we can all reach. Let me teach your girl some humility.”
Arlow and I exchange a glance at the “your girl” remark but let it go. We spend another hour playing cards and he does indeed teach us both some humility. We never had a chance. Before we leave, Arlow excuses himself to use the bathroom.
Earl drops his voice, looking me in the eye. “That boy is crazy about you.”
I’m not sure what to say to that. “We’re just friends.”
“Save that bullshit to fertilize your garden, my dear. You look at him like he’s made of stars, and I see how he is since you’ve been around. Happier, less uptight. I know he’s more closed up than a liquor store on a Sunday, but he’ll get out of his own way eventually. Don’t give up on him.”
Arlow reappears before I can digest that, much less respond. “What are you whispering about?”
Earl is quick. “I asked her to stop wasting her baking skills on you when I would appreciate a pie so much more.”
“Apple or cherry?” I ask, getting to my feet.
“Sweetie, I never met a pie I didn’t like. Whatever you feel like making.”
We talk for another minute before leaving, but Earl’s words stay with me long after we’re home and Arlow has gone to his barn. Don’t give up on him .
I’m not giving up, but I’m respecting what he wants, which is friendship. Not someone lusting after him and hanging onto hope while pretending to be his friend. Despite what feels like some mixed signals when we’re together, he said no when I kissed him. If it ever becomes more, the next move will have to come from him.
Arlow shows up at my place right on time. My little plan would’ve been a struggle if he hadn’t accepted my invitation to go to the fall festival in town with me and Silver. I was pleasantly surprised that he agreed since he isn’t the most social person.
I send a quick text to Silver and Lee, who are parked out of sight down the road, then excuse myself to finish getting ready while Arlow waits in my living room.
“Will you get the door?” I call, heading for the small pantry in the kitchen to retrieve the cake.
Arlow opens the door to see Silver, Lee, and another younger blond girl that must be Lee’s sister, Lacey. “Happy Birthday!” Lacey cries.
Arlow spins around to see me holding the cake.
His lips twitch as he restrains a smile. “This is a birthday ambush.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is surprise. It’s a birthday surprise .” I hold up my finger. “And I didn’t lie. We’re going to the festival. After presents.”
His attempt at a disapproving look fails, taken over by a smile as he shakes his head. “I’m going to kick your ass.” His words are lightly spoken and the warmth in his eyes is mirrored in his face.
“Save it for after cake.”
Lacey bounds over to me. “It’s nice to meet you! This was such a great idea. So sweet! Arlow never lets us do anything for his birthday.”
“I didn’t really give him a choice. You might have to hide me later.” It’s true, but I wasn’t going to let him spend his birthday in the barn. I asked Lee to bring anyone else who may want to help surprise him. He was happy to show up with his little sister.
Giggles burst out of her, and she turns to grab Arlow in a hug, then steps back to thrust a gift bag toward him. “Happy birthday, old man. Open mine first.”
There isn’t room for everyone in my kitchen, so the cake gets left on the table while everybody gets comfortable in my living room as Arlow pulls a bottle of whiskey out of the gift bag. “I didn’t know what to get and Lee said that’s your favorite one,” Lacey explains.
Arlow grins at her. “It is. Thank you.”
Silver hands him a white gift box, and he cracks up laughing when he removes the lid to find half a dozen huge apple fritters. “Calli told me you tear through these like a badger so they’re twice the normal size.”
“Fuck yeah,” he exclaims, taking a bite of one. “Thank you.”
Retrieving my gift for him from beside the coffee table, I hand it over. He grins at me from his seat on the couch while I stand nearby, suddenly a little self-conscious. “Is it peaches?” he teases.
“Very funny.”
He pulls out a vinyl record I found at a little music store near the mall. It’s a copy of one of mine that he admired. “Hey, this is great!” He beams at me. “I’ve been looking for this forever.”
“I lucked into it in a little vintage record store in Owensboro.” When he starts to set the bag aside, I add. “There’s something else in there. In my defense, I’d already got the record but once I saw it, I couldn’t pass it up.” It hung on the end of a rack of shirts at the entrance to a novelty shop and it was too perfect.
He bursts out laughing, then holds up the tee shirt for everyone to see. It’s the brightest shade of godawful yellow and dotted with tiny bees that surround the words, WARNING, SEXY BEEKEEPER , scrawled across the front.
“You don’t actually have to wear it,” I assure him as he gets up and catches me in a hug.
“Are you kidding?” He shrugs off his hoodie, turns his back to us, and pulls his shirt off. It’s only a few seconds before his broad back is covered again by the beekeeper shirt, but my eyes stay glued to his skin the entire time. I have to stop lusting after this man because getting turned on over a glimpse of a back is absurd. I feel like some man getting a peek at a Victorian woman’s ankle. So ridiculous.
“You are not wearing that to the festival,” Lacey exclaims with a giggle.
“The hell I’m not.”
We all decide to wait for cake until we return and get ready to go. “Anyone want a shot before we go?” I offer.
“I’m designated driver,” Lacey says, regretfully, glancing at her brother.
“Oh, are we getting fucked up?” Silver looks over at me.
“You know you’re welcome to crash here if you do.”
“There’s supposed to be a beer garden. I’m not going to this thing to browse the pumpkin patch,” Lee replies.
Arlow pulls out a package of edibles and offers them to everyone. Silver and Lee accept one, but I hesitate over the bright, sugar-coated candy being held out to me.
“Are you not an edible girl?” Arlow teases.
My gaze skips up to his. “I mean, I’ve never had any complaints.” Jesus Calli, stop flirting with him. “But they usually hit me hard and make me tired.”
Lee, Silver and Lacey have checked out of the conversation and are heading out my front door.
“These are sativa, energizing. If you want to try one, I’ll keep an eye on you,” he offers.
“It’s your birthday. You’re not supposed to be babysitting.”
“Can’t think of a better way to spend it.” His soft words reach inside of me, driving up hope that doesn’t belong there.
Friends, friends, friends .
I pluck the gummy from his palm, tear it, and chew half. “If I freak out in the haunted house, it’s all your fault.”
“I’ll smash those costumed teenagers out of your way.”
The edible hits me about thirty minutes later, and he was right. Instead of feeling near comatose, a wonderful light euphoric sensation washes over me. We start at the beer garden where Arlow, Lee, and Silver grab drinks. I learned long ago that I can’t mix alcohol and weed in any form. It causes instant puking. It doesn’t matter. I feel great as we listen to a local band play for a while, then laugh our way through the haunted house, and walk around to play some little carnival games.
Lacey pauses by a bobbing for apples game. “Anyone want a turn?”
Silver snorts, backing away like someone might force her to participate. “Do I want to open my mouth in a barrel of water that every scroungy, sticky kid in town has dunked their sweaty heads in? Hard pass.”
“Ew. Good point,” Lacey says. “How about the corn maze? Look, you can race!” She’s right. The sign outside the massive field of corn displays an arrow to two different entrances and a challenge in red paint. Race your friends to solve the maze!
“I’m on Arlow’s team!” Silver announces.
“That’s not fair. He can probably see over the top,” Lacey exclaims.
Silver points at her. “Exactly.”
The exasperation in his voice sends me into giggles, helped by the edible, no doubt. “I’m not ten feet tall!”
“What exactly keeps me from just walking through the corn to get out?” Lee asks. Lacey grabs his arm and my wrist, tugging us toward the left entrance. “We aren’t cheaters.”
The teams are decided then. Arlow glances over at me. “Calli gets turned around in our patch of woods. Good luck.”
His taunting smile is adorable, but it doesn’t keep my competitive side from roaring to the forefront. “Oh, is that how it is? We’ll be waiting on the other side for you. Text if you need a rescue.”
“Keep dreaming, sweetheart.”
Trying not to let my heart fly out of my chest at the sound of the endearment, I cross my arms. “How about a bet?” His eyebrows rise as he waits on me to continue. “Whoever loses has to get their face painted and the winners pick the design.”
Lee jerks to look at me. “Wait a minute, I never agreed?—”
“You’re on!” Silver calls, and they disappear into the maze, getting a head start.
It’s dim in the narrow paths carved between the stalks, but the full moon helps light the way. Lee is heading the charge, and Lacey huffs. “We aren’t running!”
“If you think I’m getting a damn puppy dog nose or something painted on my face, you’re crazy.”
“But you’d make a cute puppy,” I tease.
Lacey rubs her chin pretending to think. “I don’t know. Maybe a bunny rabbit.”
“Move your asses or I’ll carry you one under each arm.”
Laughing, we fall behind him and let him lead. “So, your friend, Silver, is she single?” Lacey asks me.
Lee stops, turns around, and points a finger at her. “No.”
It’s the only thing he says before continuing on. She bats the word away with a roll of her eyes, slows her steps, and looks over at me for an answer.
“She is, but the breakup was recent and brutal. She isn’t dating yet.”
Sympathy presses her lips together. “That’s too bad.”
“Lee doesn’t like you playing matchmaker, huh?”
“No, but if he had his way, he’d never leave the lake house. He and Arlow compete over who can be the biggest recluse, I swear.” She pauses for a moment, tilting her head. “Arlow is different tonight. He’s always seemed so quiet and serious…sad. It’s good to see him having fun and acting silly. Maybe he’ll rub off on my brother.”
“Lacey!” Lee calls from somewhere ahead of us.
She turns to beam at me. “Come on, we’d better win, or Lee will never let me hear the end of it.”