by Amanda Perry
“Oh, Riley,” Jaxon murmurs somberly. He gets up from his seat and comes over to me. He moves with exaggerated slowness as he kneels next to me. It helps I’m able to watch and anticipate his every move. When he pulls me in for a gentle hug, I don’t shy away from him. “I wasn’t mad at you, not even a little bit. It pissed me off to no end that you were treated like shit, and you’d never done something as simple as shopping or hanging out with a friend before. I was mad for you, Sis, not at you.”
The idea of having someone upset for me, not at me is shocking. “O-o-oh.” I blink, trying to figure out what to say about his confession. His words baffle me.
Dad gives me a sympathetic smile. “It’ll take time, kiddo. This is new for all of us. Just know that we are on your side, always.”
While having people on my side sounds wonderful, I remain skeptical. This life seems too good to be true for someone like me.
~
“Good morning, sunshine!” Cassie chirps, skipping into the kitchen early Saturday morning. “Ready for some volunteer time?”
“W-w-where are we g-g-going?” I fidget with my cereal bowl. This is my first time doing charity work with everyone, and I’m a little nervous about what to expect.
Cassie grabs a bowl for herself, then plops down next to me. “We’re going to the animal shelter this month. Mark and Leanne mentioned they wanted to work with the cats this time. Jaxon and I will be helping up front. Caleb suggested you help him with the puppies.”
“T-t-that sounds like f-f-fun,” I admit. I love animals. Standing with my bowl, I head to the sink to rinse it. “I’ve always w-w-wanted to v-v-volunteer at an animal sh-sh-shelter.”
“Perfect,” Dad calls as he comes into the kitchen. “We picked a good place this month then. Let’s get ready, girls. We need to be there in an hour.”
Wordlessly, I head upstairs and ready myself for the day. When I come back down, everyone sits around the table, dressed and ready to go. They notice me come into the room and stand.
“Let’s get to gettin’!” Leanne orders, shooing us all from the house.
The drive to the shelter is quick, mostly because Cassie fills the time with chatter. As soon as we file into the building, a heavy set, Asian man comes up to us with clipboards in his hands.
“Hello, again Sullivan slash Montgomery clan.” He gives Dad and Leanne the top clipboard before continuing. “You two mentioned wanting to work with cats this time around. You know the drill, this is a list of tasks needing to be done in that area.”
He repeats himself with Jaxon and Cassie, sending them to the front desk area. “No answering the phones ‘Thank you for calling Golden Tiger Chinese Restaurant, how can I help you?’ That means you, Cassie!”
“You never let me have any fun, Tai!” Cassie cries dramatically, stomping her way around the front desk.
Tai rolls his eyes, turning back to Caleb and me. “You’re new.” He raises a curious brow at me. “Are you a Sullivan or a Montgomery?”
“I-I-I…” My eyes pop wide, and I turn to Caleb for help answering. Technically, I’m neither. My mother gave me her maiden name, Storm.
“She’s Mark’s daughter,” Caleb informs him, then introduces us. “Riley, this is Tai. He’s a cool guy, usually. Tai, this is Riley.”
Kai nods once at me. “Good to meet you, Riley. You two will be working with the dogs. We have quite a large group of puppies today. Here’s the list of things to get done for you two.” He hands us the last clipboard before turning around and rushing back toward Cassie and Jaxon at the front desk.
Caleb scans the tasks on the clipboard. “Ready to bathe some puppies?”
Grinning wildly, I lean over the top of the clipboard and scan it. It really does say to bathe the dogs. “I’m e-e-excited to play w-w-with them.”
Caleb chuckles at my enthusiasm. “Let’s get to it, then.”
He leads me to the dog cages and shows me around the area a bit, stopping in front of a door at the end of the hall. “This is where the supplies are kept. We bathe the dogs outside,” he explains, opening the supply closet and digging around for some buckets and shampoo. “It’s a lot less messy to use a hose outside, which is why I love it when we come here in the warmer months. The dogs love the cool water baths, and we don’t have to make a big mess inside.”
I take a bucket and some leashes from him as he holds them out. “How m-m-many times have y-y-you been here?”
Caleb turns back to the closet and grabs the shampoo and his own bucket. “Too many to count,” he admits. “My parents took us here constantly as our community service when we were kids. They usually let us decide where we wanted to volunteer each month, and we always picked this place.”
“I-I-I can s-s-see why.” Following him down the hall, I peek into the cages full of dogs and puppies in all shapes and sizes. “Playing w-w-with animals all th-th-the time must have b-b-been a dream as a k-k-kid.”
“You never had a pet?” His question is innocent enough, but it stings.
Shaking my head, my gaze drops down to my feet as I continue to follow him. “No, I w-w-wasn’t allowed.”
His brow wrinkles in confusion. “Your mom didn’t like animals?”
Again, I shake my head, but don’t say anything more. He seems to get the hint I don’t really want to talk about it because he keeps silent.
Leading the way outside, he shows me to the fenced in patio. He opens one of the dog kennels from the outside and puts a large lab on a leash before leading him over to me.
Caleb pats the overly excited dogs head. “Do you want to hold the leash or hose him down?”
“E-e-either.” I kneel next to the dog and let him sniff my hand.
Caleb hands me the leash and picks up the hose. “I’ll hose him down,” he offers. “He’s staying still for you, maybe we won’t get soaked if you hold the leash.”
“Does he h-h-have a name?” I rub the dog behind the ears.
Caleb tilts his head from one side to the other. “Sort of. The shelter provides names to the animals when they arrive, but they’re usually changed when the animal gets adopted. This guy’s name is Bruce.”
“Hi, Bruce,” I whisper into his furry ear. Animals are easy for me to talk to. I don’t second-guess myself, so I don’t stutter through my words. “We’re going to give you a bath, now. The water will be nice and cool for you.”
Bruce barks loudly in my face, startling me and causing me to fall backward from my kneeling position onto my butt. Caleb’s eyes widen with concern for a second, but when I snicker and rub Bruce’s head, Caleb lets out a breath and chuckles along with me.
Bruce’s bath is quick and straightforward. I’m sad to see him go when we put him back in his kennel, though the next five dogs are just as fun to be around.
“Okay.” Caleb sighs dejectedly. “This is going to be the last dog before we can move on to the puppies. He’s a good dog. He’s just easily excitable and really fucking big.”
With his warning left hanging in the air, he walks to the final kennel door and opens it. He wrestles with a dog the same size as a bear. It takes him a good five minutes to put the leash on the massive animal.
“You’re going to have to work the hose and spray him down,” he tells me, using his full strength to hold the dog in place. “Tiny here weighs more than you do, and he’ll drag you around this patio if you try holding him.”
Readily agreeing with Caleb, I pick up the hose and turn it on. “You’re j-j-joking about his n-n-name, right?” I stare at the drooling giant.
“I wish.” Caleb cackles, still trying his best to hold Tiny still. “We should probably make this quick. He’s a strong son of a gun.”
Without another word, I aim the hose at Tiny and soak him down. It takes a few minutes because of his size. When I finish getting his fur wet, I grab the bottle of shampoo and squirt a generous portion onto his back. Tiny yips excitedly, his tail swishing back and forth at such a quick speed, it’s almost hard to see.
“This is his favorite part,” Caleb informs me, gritting his teeth as he struggles to keep his hold on Tiny. “He gets a good scratch, and he loves it.”
Trying to hurry so Caleb can get Tiny back into his kennel, I squirt more shampoo onto the dogs back. Rushing to get Tiny scrubbed down, I bend at the waist and work my way in a circle around him. Without thinking about it, I back my butt into Caleb’s hips while I’m working. Caleb gasps, then grunts and lets the leash go. Tiny takes his chance at escape and rushes off, racing full speed around the patio. He barks loudly as he finishes running a full circle, then turns his massive body toward Caleb and me.
“Oh, shit,” Caleb grabs me around the waist and turns our backs to Tiny.
Feeling the impact of Tiny jumping onto Caleb’s back, I grunt and brace myself when the momentum pushes us toward the ground. In the process of falling, I drop the hose, and it goes spinning out of control, spraying the entire patio, including us and an extremely soapy Tiny.
Caleb manages to take most of the impact when we hit the ground, keeping me from getting too banged up. Tiny must think we are down on the ground to play because he continues to bounce and jump on and around us.
“Tiny, no!” Tai’s loud voice comes from the door to the patio, and I’m grateful he’s here. He manages to get Tiny back to his kennel and help us up. “You know Tiny can’t be off his leash, Caleb. Are you crazy?”
“Yeah, I did it on purpose, Tai.” Caleb grunts, pulling his shirt away from his body and wringing the water out of it. “I thought to myself, ‘I wonder what would happen if I just took Tiny off his leash and let him run wild. Why not give it a try?’ I’m crazy like that sometimes.”
Tai snorts and shakes his head. “Maybe you two should go play with the puppies for the rest of the day.” He rubs his hand over his mouth, trying to hide a smirk. “It’s probably safer for you both.”
Caleb takes my hand and leads me back into the building, through the hall of dogs and into another hall full of puppies. “At least, these little guys will be easier to bathe,” Caleb offers, pushing open a kennel with three tiny poodle puppies inside. “Let’s get to it.”
Caleb was right, the puppies were much easier to handle. Still, being with Caleb made every part of our day at the animal shelter fun.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next few weeks go by quickly. Cassie took me shopping a few more times, but luckily, I didn’t end up walking home in the middle of a summer storm during those trips. Dad spent his days working, sometimes from home, and Leanne kept busy running errands, cooking, and baking. I helped when I could, but most of the time Cassie and the boys kept me busy doing normal teenage stuff. Their words, not mine.
I learned how to play Mario Kart and watched countless movies. We went to the theater and ate popcorn that was more expensive than the movie tickets. We drove to a place where you made your own ice cream mix. Cassie told me this was all the stuff she assumed I missed out on growing up and she’s right.
Caleb is exceptionally sweet and gentle with me. When I get nervous in crowded places he seems to notice and makes a subtle excuse for us to leave. He never asks me about my past either, which I appreciate. I’ll tell them all when it’s the right time. I don’t want them to see me differently when they learn the whole truth. They’ve picked up bits and pieces since my arrival, but they don’t know the worst of it. They don’t know what a terrible person I truly am.
When Jaxon and Cassie are busy together, Caleb ensures I have something to do or someone to hang out with. He even modified his plans a few times after finding out Leanne and my dad would be busy. Lately, when we’re together and alone my tummy gets a fluttery feeling, like butterflies flying around inside. I’m not sure what it means. I want to bring it up to Cassie, but I don’t want to embarrass myself, especially if it’s not normal.
Today, the six of us plan to work on building a house for the less fortunate. It’s our monthly charity work. Hopefully, it will be as fun as last month at the animal shelter. Leanne and Jaxon are spectacular with animals. It was interesting to watch. It’s surprising, though admirable, for even Dad and Leanne to participate in charity work with us. They say it usually takes a full weekend of their time, but it’s always worth it. The animal shelter only took up an entire day last month, but we are supposed to spend today and tomorrow working on this house.
When we pull up to the job site, a half-built house sits in the middle of a dirt lot and with a few workers scattered around. I made sure to wear one of my old shirts and jeans, not wanting to ruin my new clothes.
Distracted by my perusal of the site, I miss Caleb and Jaxon pulling up in Caleb’s truck.
When Caleb grabs my hand, I jump. His fingers tighten around mine. “Are you ready to work?”
I blush and nod at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Cassie whisper something to Jaxon, and he shoots a strange look in our direction. I’m worried I did something to upset him because he’s frowning at Caleb and me.
“Okay, Riley.” Caleb takes me away from worrying about what’s wrong with Jaxon. “This is where you, Cassie, and Leanne will be.” He points to what I assume will be a living room, with painting supplies in one corner. “The whole downstairs needs to be done which means it’s probably where you three will be all day.”
“Where w-w-will you guys be?” I glance around to find two other women painting in the hallway.
“We need to get some supplies from the truck, then we’ll be up on the roof laying down shingles.” He smirks at me, his finger pointing up to the ceiling. “I probably won’t see you until we break for lunch.”
I give him a nod, even though this disappoints me for some reason. I don’t need to see him every second of the day, and he’ll working on the same house as me. Why is it still upsetting? I really need to talk to Cassie. She’s my first real friend, and I can’t figure these feelings out on my own. I think I can trust her enough to talk to her about it all.
Caleb hugs me quickly, something he’s started doing a lot lately, then heads out to get to work. Cassie and Leanne are already starting on the walls when I find them, and I quickly join in. For a while, it’s just the three of us making small talk. I’ve been stuttering a lot less around the five of them. The more I talk to them, the less my voice shakes and wobbles.
A few hours later, the three of us pause for a water break, and out of nowhere, Leanne turns to me and asks, “So, has he kissed you yet?”
I choke on the drink of water I just took, and Cassie is in tears as she howls with laughter. There’s a quick commotion outside just before the boys come rushing in, probably to figure out why it sounds like I’m dying. Caleb runs up to me, gently patting my back.
“Baby girl, what happened?” Caleb eyes Cassie curiously while she struggles to catch her breath. While Caleb fusses over me and Cassie gasps for air, Leanne crosses her arms and watches us with a smirk.
“Wrong tube,” I wheeze out when I regain the ability to suck in enough air to breathe again. “Sorry, I’m f-f-fine, I didn’t m-m-mean to scare you.”
Caleb puts an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him. “Stop apologizing, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” he whispers in my ear.
It’s something he’s been saying to me a lot in the past few weeks. A blush heats my cheeks as his breath tickles the side of my face. The butterflies in my tummy take flight again.
I risk a glance at Leanne, and she quirks an eyebrow as if to say, Well, has he? I subtly shake my head no, and her expression drops slightly in disappointment. Noticing the silent exchange between Leanne and me, Cassie snorts and coughs to cover her continued snickers.
My dad chuckles at our strange exchange, shaking his head with amusement. “Okay, breaks over! Back to work everyone!”
Caleb asks me once more if I’m all right before heading back to work with Jaxon and Dad. I’m too embarrassed to say anything to Cassie or Leanne after the guys go back outside. My embarrassment renders me speechless until lunch, allowing
the girls to chat amongst themselves.
Around noon the boys come strolling in with burgers and fries for the six of us. Cassie and I lay a clean tarp on the floor for us all to sit on while we eat our lunch. The boys eat faster than us. Having a lot more work, they head back out before us girls finish. I offer to toss our trash in the bin outside while Cassie and Leanne move onto painting the kitchen.
As I shuffle back to the house after tossing the wrappers, someone above me yells, “Look out!”
I freeze and look up in time to see a large object falling from the roof, heading straight for me. Before I have a chance to react, a heavy gust of wind whips my hair around my face and shifts the nail gun a foot away from me, barely avoiding my head.
I blink at the tool in confusion for about three seconds before the yelling voices register. Lifting my gaze from the nail gun, several of the workers from around the job site rush at me. Not understanding what’s happening, I take a step back from the stampede of people. My back hits something, and I’m suddenly swirled around and pulled into a familiar embrace.
“Jesus Christ, baby, you about gave me a heart attack,” Caleb murmurs into my hair as he holds me tight. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
My mind swirls, trying to catch up to what’s going on. Strange hands reach out to me as the chatter increases. Shaking my head, I bury my face in his chest as uncontrollable tremors race through my body.
Caleb must feel the shaking, because the next thing I know he picks me up and carries me toward his truck. He turns his head and shouts that I’m fine over his shoulder. When we reach the truck, he pulls us both into the bed and situates me sideways on his lap. We stay silent for several minutes while the shaking slowly subsides before he finally pulls back to search my face.
“Why were you shaking so hard, Riley?” he inquires softly.
It’s strange when he says my name. For weeks he’s only called me babe or baby girl.
