by Lisa Dyson
“A cookout?” Callie repeated.
“Yes. You know. Hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad a dozen ways, watermelon, as well as ants and flies.”
The last made her chuckle, which was his intent. He was finding that she loosened up greatly if he kept her off guard with humor.
“Except for the bugs, it all sounds great,” she said. “But what about my community service hours?”
“What about them?”
“Don’t you have something for me to do on Sunday? I want to get through them quickly so I can return to my life.”
Her statement jolted him back to reality. Of course she’d be anxious to leave. “I figured you’d need the weekend to recover. There’s really nowhere to assign you when people are mostly off from work and businesses are either on reduced hours or closed.”
“Oh.”
They were almost back to Poppy’s and he didn’t want to leave things awkward between them. “Remember, I told you I’d give you credit for the time you spend having fun and relaxing.”
“I thought you only said that to get me to come out tonight.”
“That was my original plan, but I’m willing to extend it to Sunday’s picnic.”
She paused for longer than he liked. “In that case, I accept.” They spent the next few minutes talking about what food they could make that they both liked and that Alexis and Madison wouldn’t balk at.
Tyler parked his truck in front of Aunt Poppy’s and turned off the engine. Callie immediately unbuckled her seat belt and had her hand on the door handle. “Wait.” He reached across the split bench seat and placed a hand on her upper arm.
She turned her head in his direction. “What is it?”
“I wanted to thank you for tonight.” He dropped his hand from her arm.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did.” He swallowed. “I’ve been so wrapped up in family and work that I haven’t taken the time to go out and enjoy myself with other adults. So thank you for going along. I’m not sure I would have gone alone.”
“Really? You seemed anxious to go when Riva asked us.”
“That was for your sake. You needed a break.” He shrugged. “Turns out, so did I.”
The clouds uncovered the moon and her face was illuminated. He leaned closer and touched his mouth to hers. He’d been wanting to do that all night. As soon as their mouths met, he knew it was a mistake. This wasn’t the one chaste kiss they’d shared in high school. This was the real thing. The sparks that flew would grow to a full-blown inferno between them, if allowed to.
He was sure she was about to end the kiss until she placed her palm on the side of his head, covering his ear. Her thumb caressed his cheek. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Her mouth was hot and tantalizing, and she was kissing him back with fervor.
Wanting to pull her closer to him, he reached for her right thigh but his seat belt stopped him. He reached between them to release it while not breaking contact with Callie, but she pulled away. “What are you doing?” she asked, peering at the seat.
He undid the seat belt with a click and let it rewind out of his way. “I was trying to unbuckle so I could get closer to you. I guess I’m out of practice making out in a vehicle.” He laughed at himself and she smiled.
“Maybe that’s a sign,” she suggested.
Not what he wanted to hear. “A sign?”
“More like a reminder. That this is just temporary. As soon as I finish what I came here to do, I’ll be leaving Whittler’s Creek.”
“You mean your service hours?”
She didn’t answer right away. “My service hours are just part of the reason I had to come here.”
He waited for her to continue. He remembered their conversation about her talking to her family. Her paperwork had also said she had issues to deal with concerning them.
“I still need to visit my family.”
“You haven’t seen them since you’ve been back?”
“No.”
“Have you spoken to them? On the phone? By email?”
She shook her head, only visible because of the moonlight.
“Besides your sister, do they even know you’re in town?”
“Stepsister,” she corrected sternly. “I don’t know. It depends on whether Wendy told her mother or my father that she saw me.”
“So is that your plan for tomorrow—go see them?”
She shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought about it, but I guess tomorrow is as good as any other time if you have nothing for me to do. I have to do it before I speak to my therapist again, so if we’re picnicking Sunday, then tomorrow is the only day I’ll be free.”
“Will you give them a heads-up that you’re coming?” He could only imagine the shock of seeing Callie after all these years.
“I hadn’t thought about that, either. I guess I could call.” She paused. “I went to go see them when I first came to town. I even pulled into the driveway.”
“What happened? Were they not home?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I chickened out.”
“That’s hard to believe.” She always came off as strong enough to deal with anyone or anything.
She shook her head. “I couldn’t go through with it.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to do it tomorrow?”
“What choice do I have? I can’t leave town until I’ve done everything my therapist thinks I need to do.”
*
A FEW MINUTES later Callie was alone in her bedroom. She hadn’t wanted to discuss her family situation with Tyler any longer, so she’d said good-night and walked into the house.
More than anything, she’d wanted him to kiss her again. The truth was that she wanted Tyler. There was no denying it. And this wasn’t her teenage fantasy anymore. This was a red-blooded woman wanting an extremely hot man.
A man she couldn’t have. Correction. She could have him—he’d made that clear in his kiss—but that didn’t make it a smart idea.
She had to face the fact that she would be leaving Whittler’s Creek as soon as she possibly could. And Tyler was settled into the town, along with his daughters. The daughters he didn’t want her to be alone with.
She went into her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She’d been about to change into her nightshirt when there was a quiet knock on her door.
Her heart sped up, anticipating Tyler at her door. Who else could it be? She automatically fluffed her hair and went to answer the knock.
“Hi,” he greeted her.
“Hi.”
He pulled something from behind his back. “You left this in my car.” He was holding her cell phone.
She took it, their fingers sparking as they grazed. Heat traveled through her at an alarming rate. “Thank you. It must have slipped out of my purse.” The words were barely a whisper as she focused on his mouth.
The mouth she so wanted to taste again.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back and then their mouths met in a bone-searing kiss.
They weren’t in his truck anymore. They were standing and he’d pulled her body tight to his. She ran her hands over his back, loving the play of his muscles, and he grabbed her backside and lifted her off the ground. Her legs came around his waist and she slid her arms around his neck when he stepped into her room and closed her bedroom door with his foot. He tasted hot and sexy, and he was easily the best kisser she’d ever come in contact with.
Just as she was imagining what he looked like naked, he slowly lowered her until her feet touched the floor. He leaned his forehead against hers. “I should go.”
That wasn’t what she’d expected or even wanted to hear. She didn’t say anything.
He took a step back. She wanted to grab him and press herself into his hard and hot body.
But she didn’t.
Instead she stood there like an idiot, not saying a word. Not telling him he didn’t have to go, that he could stay.
She nodded, unable to speak. His daughters were the perfect excuse for him to leave.
“So you’re visiting your family tomorrow?” Good way for him to get her out of the mood.
“I guess so. What are you up to?”
“I need to check on my house.”
“Your house?”
He nodded. “I bought the old McCutcheon house and I’m having work done on it before the girls and I move in. That’s why we’re living here.”
That answered the question she’d had when she’d first discovered he was staying at Poppy’s. The McCutcheons had lived on the hill overlooking the town. Every Christmas they would light up their house with thousands of little white lights and you could see it from anywhere in town.
“I’ve always loved that house,” she told him.
“Me, too.” He opened her bedroom door and moved to the doorway, his hand on the doorknob to close it behind him. He leaned in as if to kiss her again, but she came to her senses quickly. She put her hand flat on his chest and stopped him. In answer to his questioning look, she said, “If you kiss me again, I’m going to drag you in here and have my way with you.”
His eyes widened and then he grinned devilishly. “That sounds like a challenge.”
She laughed quietly. “I mean it.”
He grew serious. “So do I.” Their eyes locked until Tyler spoke again. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
She blinked. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
He shrugged. “If you want to call it that, then, sure. I’d like to spend time with you, somewhere that we’re not tempted to jump into bed right away. A public restaurant is a good place to start.”
“I agree, as long as you give me a tour of your house.” She would probably appreciate a night out after spending time with family tomorrow.
“Absolutely.” His eyebrows rose. “That was easier than I thought.”
“You’re not calling me easy, are you?” she teased.
“Not at all. Not even after your comment about having your way with me.” They both laughed, keeping as quiet as possible so they didn’t wake anyone in the house.
“I hear Aunt Poppy walking around up there,” Tyler said, pointing to the ceiling. She’d had a private suite built for herself in the attic after her husband died. “I hope we didn’t wake her.”
“Sounds like she’s coming down the stairs,” Callie said. They both stepped into Callie’s room. Tyler closed the door, leaving a small gap for them to watch the attic door, waiting for Poppy to come through it.
But it wasn’t Poppy who stepped into the hallway. It was Gino, who’d moved into the room next to Callie’s a few days ago. He was wearing a white T-shirt and boxers as he skulked down the hall and into his own bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Callie and Tyler looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock and amusement. “Poppy and Gino?” Callie whispered.
“Sure looks like it.”
*
AFTER A FITFUL night’s sleep because sizzling dreams of Tyler kept waking her, Callie finally got out of bed. It was nearly nine o’clock, much later than she’d expected to get up as she showered and dressed for her visit to see her dad.
She wore white capris with a pink-and-white-striped tank top. Because it was supposed to be in the nineties, she French-braided her wet hair to stay cool. When it was time to get ready to go out with Tyler, her hair would be dry and she could undo it. She always got compliments when she wore her long hair full and kinky from a braid.
She went down to the kitchen to see about coffee and something to eat when she ran into Poppy cutting up vegetables Callie assumed were for dinner.
“Good morning,” the older woman greeted her.
Remembering Gino sneaking downstairs from Poppy’s room, Callie suddenly found herself tongue-tied. “Good…good morning.” She helped herself to a coffee mug and began pouring herself a cup from the fresh pot.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I guess so.” Probably not nearly as well as Poppy had after Gino had left her. Callie admonished herself. The two of them had as much right to be together as anyone else.
“Something bothering you?” Poppy’s question sounded sincere.
Instead of telling Poppy the truth about her dreams of Tyler, she told a partial fib. “I’m going to visit my dad today and I guess I’m a little nervous. It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken.”
“It must be stressful for you. I’ll be around later if you want to talk when you get back.”
“That’s kind of you,” Callie said, putting a slice of bread in the toaster.
“I mean it. I’m a good listener and every once in a while I come up with a good piece of advice.”
Poppy’s words made Callie smile. “I’m sure you do and I really appreciate the offer. I’m going to hope for the best and I’ll let you know how it turns out.”
Poppy nodded and went back to cutting vegetables.
Callie got out the peanut butter to spread on her toast, as well as a knife and plate. By the time she was finished with breakfast, it was late morning. She cleaned up her dishes and took her cell phone into the living room to call her dad.
Her heart beat wildly as the phone rang. What if her stepmother answered? What would Callie say? Would her stepmother tell her not to come? She was about to hang up when she heard her dad’s voice.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Dad. It’s Callie.”
There was silence on the other end.
“Dad?”
“Is…is that really you, Callie?”
Tears came to her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed this man. “Yes, it’s really me.”
“How are you? Where are you?”
Callie chuckled nervously. “I’m fine. I’m here in town. In Whittler’s Creek.” She paused. “I was wondering if I could come by to see you.”
“Of course!” He nearly shouted into the phone. “When can you get here?”
They made a plan for Callie to come right over and then disconnected. She looked at her silent phone, a little shocked at how easy it had been to talk to her dad. He sounded really glad to hear from her.
Feeling better about going, she went upstairs for her purse and, before she knew it, she was driving the same road she’d driven when she’d first arrived in Whittler’s Creek almost a week ago.
This time she didn’t hesitate. She pulled right into the driveway as far as she could go. The same car she’d seen the other day was in the open garage.
She wasn’t even out of her vehicle when her dad came out the front door to greet her. He enveloped her in a warm hug and she was taken back to a time she didn’t want to think about.
With an arm around her shoulders, he said, “Come on in. I fixed us some lunch.”
“I don’t want to be a bother,” she told him, sure she couldn’t eat a single bite with the way her stomach was in knots.
“No bother at all. I was just fixing lunch. Making an extra sandwich is no trouble.” He held the front screen door open for her and she stepped inside.
Sitting primly in a chair on the far side of the living room was the woman Callie least wanted to see. She seemed small and frail, her now-gray hair stringy and unkempt. With an afghan over her legs, she had her hands folded on top of it. She didn’t say anything to Callie, merely stared at her as if not recognizing the stepdaughter she’d raised.
“Ellen?” Her father spoke calmly to her stepmother. “You remember Callie, don’t you?”
Ellen didn’t respond. Where was the stern taskmaster who’d made Callie’s life a living hell?
“Is she okay?” Callie asked softly.
“She’s had multiple strokes,” her dad said just as quietly.
“Oh.” Saying she was sorry to hear that would be an outright lie
, so she said nothing more.
“Let’s go into the kitchen. I’ll bring Ellen a tray with her lunch and then we can sit down and get reacquainted.”
That sounded like an excellent plan. “I’d like that.”
Not only did her dad need to fix Ellen’s lunch, but he needed to help her eat it, too. By the time she finished and he came to join Callie in the kitchen, nearly half an hour had gone by.
“How long has she been like this?” Callie asked.
Her dad paused with a plate in each hand. “About a year and a half.” He nodded vigorously. “Her first stroke was two days before Christmas.”
“Do you have any help coming in for her?” she asked when they began eating. He had aged considerably since she’d left home. He’d been a tall man in his prime, a recognizable figure from afar, but now he slumped over, as if life had beaten him down. His previously dark hair had grayed and thinned, his skin was pale.
“Oh, no. I can manage on my own. Besides, insurance won’t cover that.”
She should check on it for him. “Maybe I can help pay for someone to come in.”
“That’s not necessary.” He took a bite of his sandwich. “Tell me what you’ve been doing.”
Taking that to mean her normal life and not since she’d arrived in Whittler’s Creek, Callie filled him in. “I’m a financial analyst and I’m living near DC.”
“Are you married?” He glanced at her left hand. “Seeing someone?”
She shook her head. “No, not right now.” He didn’t need to know about Andrew, and Tyler had only kissed her a few times.
They chatted for another forty-five minutes before her dad asked how long she would be in town.
“Probably a few more weeks,” she said as he walked her to the front door. She mentally did the math for when she would complete her service hours.
“Do you think you could come by again?”
Again, her eyes filled up. “Of course.” And she meant it. She hugged him tight, anxious to make up for the years they’d missed out on.
With her stepmother incapacitated, she discovered she no longer feared coming back.
