“Fair.”
We made our way around to the front of the school. Lina tossed me her keys. “I went through two glasses of wine pretty quickly talking to Jordan. Are you okay to drive?”
“Yeah, I only had half my glass before Cal interrupted me.”
We got into her silver Honda Civic. I turned on the engine, and we both immediately turned on our seat warmers. I cranked the heat, and we both buckled up. We had to sit and wait for the defroster to work away the frost that had formed on the windshield in the short amount of time we’d been inside.
“I hate the cold,” I muttered.
“No, you don’t. You’re just mad at Cal. You love winter. Turtlenecks and boots are your jam.”
I reversed out of the parking space, and we rolled over the three sets of speed bumps on our way out of the parking lot. Soon, we were pulling out onto the street and headed for Kelli’s house.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel. “I can’t believe he thought a simple ‘I’m sorry’ was going to make everything better. Like it would erase the shit that happened.”
“Well, to be fair, he probably hoped it would help his case somewhat. The fifteen years that have passed since then likely made him think he had a chance to smooth things over.”
I shook my head. “Fifty years wouldn’t have been enough time for me to forgive him.”
“Really?” Kelli asked, cocking her head to the side. I didn’t look over at her, but I could feel her staring at me. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Lina. I get it. What he did to you was messed up on so many levels. But after all this time, there’s no part of you that can look back and realize you were only kids? He was just a boy.”
“A boy who made me believe he loved me. Who made me think he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.”
“Your experience is not unique, Lina.”
I looked over at her.
She shrugged. “There are plenty of girls who’ve had the rug pulled out from under them like that. And boys, too. High school is fucked up, and young people do stupid things. That’s just a fact. At a certain point, you’ll have to, I don’t know, let all this go somehow.” She ran her hands up and down her thighs in an effort to get warm. “Would you slow down? The speed limit here is twenty-five.”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Our youth is not an excuse for how bad he hurt me.”
“I never said it was. All I’m trying to say is I love you, Lina, and I don’t want this to be something that you carry around for the rest of your life. It’s already been fifteen years, and you’re just as riled up about it now as you were then. Can’t you see that’s a little… unhealthy?”
“What do you suggest I do about it?”
Kelli shrugged. “Have you talked to a professional about it?”
“About how my high school boyfriend dumped me? No. They’d say the same thing you just did. It happens all the time.”
Kelli frowned. “I didn’t mean it like that. You’re twisting my words. All I meant was you don’t need to feel alone. Okay, seriously though, Lina, slow down. It’s below freezing, and there might be ice on the roads.”
I clenched my teeth. “He’s just such an ignorant jerk. I wish I never wasted my time on him.”
“It wasn’t wasted,” Kelli said.
“Oh, it definitely was. He never would have hurt me like that if I’d seen the signs.”
“What signs?” Kelli asked in exasperation. “There were no damn signs, Lina! I was there. I know how it went down. You were blindsided. I get that. And he fucked up. But it’s done. It’s been done for a long time. You need to find a way to move on.”
“I can’t.”
“Lina—”
“I can’t, Kelli!”
“No, Lina, watch out!” Kelli leaned forward and braced herself against the dashboard. Her eyes were wide with fear, and a scream tore out of her before I put two and two together.
The road was slick and glossy in front of us, and I didn’t have time to slow down before the tires slid over the black ice.
The car spun in three quick circles before the tires on Kelli’s side hit the grass on the opposite side of the street. The sudden traction sent us tipping over. The hood crumpled when we landed upside down, and then we slid down the embankment, which was filled with about a foot of half frozen water. The roof of the car broke through and filled with stagnant water.
Someone was screaming.
I realized it was me.
I stopped and peered around. I was upside down and disoriented. My head was killing me. I must have hit it at some point. Everything had happened so damn fast.
“Kelli?” I called.
No answer.
I whimpered and tried to undo my seatbelt. “Kelli?”
I was stuck. Everything started spinning as hysteria descended upon me, making me even more lightheaded than I already was.
“Kelli!”
I craned my neck to try to look over at my best friend, but stars exploded in my eyes. Dizziness rushed in like a wave. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Something wet trickled down the side of my face. The sound of cracking ice in my ears ebbed away until it sounded very, very far away, and then the darkness came and wrapped itself around me like a warm blanket.
13
Callum
David found me out in the hallway shortly after I watched Lina and Kelli leave through the emergency exit. I was leaning up against the lockers when he came out the gym doors and turned toward me.
“Damn. She still hates your guts, huh?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Shit,” David said, running his fingers through his hair. “Well. You tried, right?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t really expect her to show up tonight. Otherwise, I would have thought of something better to say than ‘I’m sorry’. I must have sounded like an idiot.”
David walked over and leaned up on the lockers beside me as he slid his hands into his pockets. “Women are complicated creatures, Cal. Always have been. But with some persistence, and a little more effort than just an apology, I’m sure you could square things up with Lina. She’s not unreasonable.”
“Yeah, I know. I just have no idea where I’d start.”
“Call her,” he said. “Send her an email. Fuck, anything is better than just avoiding her for fifteen years. Right?”
I smirked. “All right. I deserved that.”
He clasped his hand on my shoulder. “You’re a good guy, Cal. You just made a stupid mistake when you were young. That shouldn’t define you. And if she doesn’t forgive you, you’ll just have to let it go. You can’t control that. And you have better things to worry about than patching things up with your high school girlfriend.”
Of course, what my friend was saying made sense, but I didn’t necessarily agree with it. I owed it to Lina to make it up to her. I owed her at least that.
I rubbed my temples and sighed. “You should have stopped me from being a dick back then, David. Isn’t that what best friends are for?”
David laughed. “I seem to remember sitting in the kitchen with you and your dad three weeks before graduation, trying to convince you to tell Lina about Harvard. And, for the record, your dad was on my side.”
“I don’t remember that at all,” I said.
“Yeah. That’s due to that selective memory of yours.”
I rested my head against the lockers. “I should have listened to you.”
He laughed. “No shit.”
“If I’m ever about to fuck up that big again, you’ll tell me?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
I grinned and pushed myself off the lockers. I glanced at my watch. “I think I’m gonna cut loose, man. If I leave now, I might make it home before Asher goes to bed.”
“Yeah, go for it. I still have some mingling to do. Katherine is looking especially fine this evening, and last I heard, her husband left her three years ago. Maybe she’s in the market for
a bit of this.” He waggled his eyebrows and gestured at himself.
I laughed and shook my head at my friend. “If she is, make sure you tell her it’s non-refundable. She can never go back to a time before she slept with David Howard.”
“Of course, she can’t. And why would she? I’m spectacular.” He winked at me.
I rolled my eyes at him. “All right. Have fun. And David?”
David had started walking away down the hall, and he paused, looking back at me. “Yeah?”
“I have the holidays off. I’d like for you to come by and meet Asher one of these days. I should have made introductions sooner. I just got caught up with life, I guess.”
David gave me a broad grin. “You tell me when, and I’ll be there.” He waved and ducked back into the gym.
I left, shaking my head and smiling to myself. At least I had David to talk me off the ledge when my thoughts were getting a bit too depressing.
I made my way out through the lobby and waved at a couple people coming in that I recognized. I stopped and made small talk with a few but used my son as an excuse to duck out early. I walked out to my Beamer, got in, and turned the ignition to fill the car with heat.
I blew into my hands and rubbed them together. It was a damn cold winter—colder than it had been in the last few years by far. Usually, I liked the cold. I liked layers and boots and heavy jackets. I liked playing in the snow with Asher and building snowmen.
But this was the sort of cold that cut into your bones.
When the frost had ebbed away from my windshield, I pulled out of the parking lot and hit the road. Not many cars were on the street. In fact, nobody seemed to be out. They were smart and avoiding the cold winter night.
I took a bend in the road, and my headlights lit up a sight that made my heart leap into my throat.
Somebody’s car had flipped over into the ditch on the other side of the road. I saw the patch of black ice in time to slow down. I slid across it without trouble and picked up traction on the other side. I pulled over and put my car in park. I called nine-one-one as I leapt out of the car and rushed across the street.
The grass along the sides of the ditch was slick with frost. I slid down and braced myself on the side of the car with my boots on the frame. The dispatcher answered.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“There’s been a car accident at the intersection of Kensworth and one-oh-sixth. A car has flipped over in the ditch.”
“Are there people inside? Are they okay?”
“I’m checking now.”
“All right, sir. I have responders en route to you now. Please tell me what you see.”
I had to scale down the side of the car a little farther. It was a silver Honda Civic. “The roof is submerged in the water. It’s not high enough to be a drowning threat.” I balanced precariously on the frame. If I slid, I might get stuck between the car and the slippery walls of the ditch, and then I’d be useless to the people inside. “I don’t know how they’ll get them out of the car.”
“I have fire and ambulance dispatched. Don’t worry, sir. It’s their job. They’ll know what to do when they get there. Can you see inside? How many passengers are there? Are there any children in the vehicle?”
“Hold on. I have to put the phone down.”
“I’ll be here,” the dispatcher said.
I put my phone in my pocket and crouched down. The car creaked beneath me. “Fuck,” I growled, lowering myself farther until I could peer in through the passenger window.
When I saw the mess inside the car, my heart stopped.
“No,” I breathed.
Panic engulfed me for a good five seconds, and I furiously tried to wrench the door open to get to Lina and Kelli, who were both unconscious and hanging upside down in their seatbelts. Unconscious, or worse.
The door was held shut by the steep walls of the ditch. There was no way I could get them out on my own. Even if I could, I’d be unclipping their seatbelts to send them head first into about half a foot of ice-cold water.
I knew I couldn’t touch them. If they had a neck or a spine injury… No. I couldn’t think about that right now.
With a shaking hand, I pulled my phone back out of my pocket. “There are two women in the car. I can’t get to them. I think they’re unconscious. I know them both.”
“What are their names?”
“Lina Nelson and Kelli Rollins,” I said.
“Do they have family in the area?”
“Uh, fuck. Yeah. Kelli does. A mother. I don’t know her name.”
“We will worry about that, sir. May I get your name?”
“Callum Gabriel.”
“Thank you, Callum. Help is only a minute away. You should be able to hear the sirens soon. Are you somewhere safe?”
“I’m on the car.”
“When the responders get there, they will need you clear of the area. When you hear the sirens, I need you to stand clear, all right?”
“But I—”
“Sir.” Her voice was stern but calming. “I know you know these women, but you’ve done all you can for them by calling me tonight. You understand? You have to let the professionals work. You will only get in their way.”
“I understand,” I said. My tongue was thick in my mouth, and my voice sounded hollow.
I put my phone on speaker and peered back into the car. “Lina?” I called out to her. She didn’t respond. Blood was trickling up the side of her cheek and into her hairline. “Fuck. Lina. Can you hear me? It’s Cal!”
Nothing.
I slammed my hand against the frame of the car. The window was shattered, so I reached in to hold Kelli’s hand. Her face was pale, but there was no blood on her. “Kelli, I’m right here. You’re both going to be all right. Help is coming. Just hold on.”
“Sir?” the female responder called out to me.
“I’m here,” I said.
“Are they conscious now?”
“No,” I said bitterly. “I’m just letting them know I’m here. That they’ll be all right.”
“Very good. Can you hear sirens yet?”
I paused and waited. Sure enough, one rang out in the night not too far away. “Yes.”
“Good,” she said. “You should step away from the vehicle now. They are no more than thirty seconds away from you. Your friends are in good hands.”
Forcing myself to step away took a hell of an effort. All I could think about was Lina lying down there, cold and unconscious. An ambulance came around the corner. I waved them down and pointed at the patch of black ice. The driver veered straight toward us and came to a stop.
“They’re here,” I told the dispatcher.
“All right. This is where I leave you, sir. You’ve done a great job. Stay calm. Your friends still need you.”
“Thank you,” I said, and then I hung up and ran to the four paramedics getting out of the ambulance.
One of them, the oldest, a man with graying hair and wise eyes, listened to me as I unloaded all my fears on him. “You need to get them out of there. She’s bleeding from the head. They didn’t respond to me. I tried—”
“Son,” the medic said, grabbing me by the shoulders. “We know what we’re doing. I’m going to ask you to stay here and wait. I know it’s hard, but it’s what you need to do right now. More boys are coming in behind us. We’ll get them out of here and to the hospital. All right?”
I nodded. My hands were still shaking.
“If there is anyone you need to call, go call them.”
I nodded again, and he left. I watched as they all slid into the ditch. The sound of their voices was muffled.
I pressed my hands to the side of my head as the panic inside me swelled to new levels. I could barely breathe. I crouched down and held my head in my hands, trying to ride out the fear.
They were going to be okay.
They had to be okay.
She had to be.
14
Lina
Dandelions.
There were so many dandelions, all bright yellow, standing to attention inches above the dark green grass and swaying gently in a warm breeze that kissed my skin. It must have been summertime.
I looked down at myself. I was wearing a white cotton dress. My feet were bare, and my toes were painted the same yellow as the flowers scattered all around me. My skin was tanned—as tanned as it used to get when I was just a girl and would spend all my time playing outside.
In this yard.
I looked around. I was in the backyard of my old family home. The same, dilapidated, worn white fence wrapped around the half acre, separating our yard from that of the neighbor, whose farm house was half a mile south. I could see the white building and dark roof from here. The silo stood tall against the bright blue sky, its aluminum frame winking at me.
“Lina?”
I turned to the voice.
“Mom?” I whispered.
My mother stood in the grass fifteen feet away. She too had on a white cotton dress. It was the one she used to wear for family barbeques. It had a lace trim and ended around her ankles, where she had gold bracelets on each foot.
She was smiling at me. Her long brown hair was in a braid off to the side that she had pulled over her shoulder. Loose strands got caught up in the warm breeze.
My mother extended her hand to me. “Come, Lina. Let’s walk.”
I went. She took my hand in hers, and we walked toward the part of the fence that had fallen down years ago. Daddy had never gotten around to fixing it.
We stepped over the broken wood and made our way through the grass, which was pulled and pushed by the wind and whispered all around us.
“I’ve missed you, Lina,” my mother said. Her voice sounded like a song.
“I’ve missed you too. I think about you every day.”
“I know, baby girl.”
“I’m sorry.”
My mother squeezed my hand, and we kept walking. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who is sorry. Your father and I missed out on a lot of time with you. That is my biggest regret. But we watch over you every day, baby girl.”
My Holiday Reunion: A Second Chance Holiday Romance Page 8
