Canyon Walls

by Julie Jarnagin

  “Do I need to carry you to the car?” Will asked.

  Cassie wobbled and caught herself. “I definitely do not need you to carry me anywhere.”

  She hopped on her good foot toward the car but soon realized she wasn’t going to be able to keep her balance when she reached the gravel. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him for help. Fortunately, he must have seen the anguish in her eyes. He didn’t try to pick her up but wrapped his arm around her waist and put her arm on his shoulder. He was so much taller than her that he had to stoop down for her to hold on to him.

  He walked slowly, letting her set the pace. After she steadied herself beside the passenger-side door, he opened it for her and held her hand as she sat. She leaned back in her seat as he ran around the car and slipped into the driver’s seat.

  She gasped.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I forgot to get the ice chest,” Cassie said.

  “I’ll wait on you while you hop on in there and get it.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Very funny. Do you mind?”

  He left the car running as he climbed out of his seat. “I’ll be right back.”

  She waited as it took him several attempts to get the unwieldy ice chest in the trunk of the small car.

  When they reached the main part of camp, they crept along in his car because campers were everywhere, walking on the road and playing in the grassy area.

  Cassie pointed him down a small road leading behind the building to the back door of the kitchen. She tried to stay away from the area after dark, because a raccoon never failed to jump out of the dumpster and scare her out of her boots. But in the daylight it was probably the only quiet place on the campus.

  By the time Will had run around the car, she had opened her own door. He extended his hand to her and helped her hop up the five steps without bugging her to let him carry her, which he could have done in half the time it was taking her.

  Beth ran out of the screen door, letting it slam behind her. “Oh no. What happened?”

  Cassie couldn’t speak and concentrate on getting up the steps without slamming her toe into the concrete. Will answered for her. “I found her like this at the garage. She broke her toe.”

  Cassie jumped up on the last step. “Bruised my toe.”

  Will mouthed the word “broken” to Beth.

  “I saw that,” Cassie said.

  “Should we take her to the hospital?” Beth asked Will.

  “I’m right here, Beth,” Cassie said. “And I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’m fine.”

  Beth looked back to Will. “She looks like she’s been crying. Was she crying? If so, it’s bad.”

  Maybe she should tell Will about the ratty blanket Beth still slept with at night. “Beth!”

  Once inside the kitchen, Will opened the ice maker, and Beth handed him a dish towel. “There isn’t much they can do for a broken”—he cleared his throat—“I mean, a bruised toe. Anyway, they’ll probably tell you to tape it to the next toe and keep it elevated.” He pulled a chair in front of her from the table where the employees ate in the kitchen. He picked her foot up and placed it on his knee. She squirmed but didn’t know if it was because of the pain or his touch. The ice burned worse than if he had lit her foot on fire.

  “So,” Cassie said, trying to take the attention off her injury. “Do you drive around and look for injured women to pick up in your nice car?”

  He looked at Beth. “Is she always like this?”

  Beth giggled and slipped out of the room.

  “If I remember correctly, you told me that we needed to discuss details for the men’s retreat.”

  Cassie smiled at him. “If I remember correctly, I told you to call. You didn’t have to waste your time driving down here.”

  He readjusted the ice on her foot. “Maybe I don’t consider it as time wasted.”

  Cassie’s face burned, and she looked down so he wouldn’t see her blushing.

  After hopping to her office and finalizing the details for the retreat, Cassie insisted on walking with him outside the back door by his car. She almost tripped over the mat outside the door, but he grabbed her and set her back up on one foot.

  With a glint in his eye, he said, “Just let me know if you need anything else.”

  She grinned. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  He winked at her. “I know you will.”

  ❧

  Petal met her at the door, meowing for her can of dinner. Cassie’s phone rang as she dumped the smelly mess into Petal’s bowl. “How do you eat this stuff?” she asked Petal, who was already devouring the meal.

  Cassie tucked the phone between her shoulder and her ear. “Hello.”

  “Cassie, did I wake you?” her mom asked.

  Cassie poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the refrigerator. “No, Mom. I just came in from work.” She didn’t mention her toe. Her mother would just worry. “How are you?”

  “Concerned about you. I tried to call you a couple of times this week and could never catch you at home.”

  Cassie tucked the newspaper Beth had given her under her arm. “I’ve been busy. Our biggest camp all summer arrived today.”

  “I talked to your sister today,” her mom said, ignoring Cassie.

  Cassie didn’t even know why her mom told her she had talked to her sister, because they talked several times a day, every day. She sat on the worn sectional couch and set the glass and the paper on the coffee table.

  “She told me she sent you an e-mail, and you ignored it,” her mom said. “Why would you ignore your sister’s e-mail?”

  Cassie held the phone away from her ear and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Like I said, Mom, I’ve been really busy.”

  “I understand, but how long does it take to send a message thanking your sister for thinking of you?”

  “How are my favorite nieces?” Cassie said, trying to change the subject. Grandchildren were the easy choice.

  “They’ve gotten bigger. If you would take the time to come visit us, you would know.”

  Cassie gritted her teeth. “I would love to come see them, but the summers are my busy time of year. It’s impossible right now.”

  “Cassie, you have to make priorities in your life—work or family.”

  Her jaw ached. “Mom, thank you for calling tonight, but I better get to bed. I have a big day tomorrow.”

  “Hang on, Cassie. I haven’t even told you why I called,” her mother said. “I have some exciting news.”

  Cassie skimmed the front page of the newspaper. “Oh?”

  “I think you’ll really be surprised. Your sister and I both promised not to tell until now.”

  Cassie turned the page. “Hmm.”

  “She wanted to be here when I called, but one of the girls wasn’t feeling well. Nothing serious, just an upset stomach, but you know how it is,” her mom said.

  Cassie opened the grocery-store insert. “Yeah. Of course,” she said and made a mental note to pick up some of the cantaloupes that were on sale.

  “Cassie? Are you listening to me?” her mom asked.

  “Yes, Mom.” Cassie took a drink of water.

  “Your sister and I are coming to visit you,” her mom said with abounding enthusiasm.

  As the words resounded in her head, the water stuck in her throat, making her gag and cough.

  “Cassie, are you okay?”

  She wiped water from the front of her shirt. “You’re coming here—to the camp?”

  “Melissa and I are both coming.”

  Cassie could feel her pulse behind her eyes. “When?”

  “We’re flying in a week from tomorrow. Your wonderful brother-in-law bought the tickets.”

  Of course he did. Her mom and her sister, here, in the canyon with her. Sharing her house. “Wow,” she managed.

  “I know. Isn’t it exciting? It will be like old times.”

  The excitement in her mother’s voice caught Cass
ie off guard. The last time the three of them had been together without the distraction of holidays and Melissa’s husband and kids had been years ago. She couldn’t imagine what they would do. “How long are you going to be here?”

  “We’ll fly home on Sunday. We’d stay longer, but Melissa can’t be away from the girls any longer.”

  Cassie’s to-do list was longer than it had ever been. She counted through the calendar days, remembering everything she would have to get done. Will’s retreat. Her family would be there when it began. “But I’ll have to work during those days. I don’t want you to be bored.”

  “We thought about it, but we figured there would never be a time when you weren’t working. We’ll just tag along. We’ll figure out what you actually do every day.”

  A wave of guilt washed over Cassie. Her mom sounded genuinely excited about the trip, and Cassie should feel the same. She loved her family; she really did, but she couldn’t escape all the history and bitterness that came with the relationships. She didn’t know if she could keep up the pleasantries without all the old hurts spilling out onto her family.

  After her father had left them, she wished they had clung together, but instead they fell apart. Her mom worked a lot to support them, which Cassie tried not to take for granted. She appreciated the sacrifices she made, but at the same time she couldn’t forget that her mother had checked out emotionally.

  Her mom used to tell everyone how much Cassie reminded her of her father, which wasn’t a compliment considering her mom spent most days cursing the day she met him. Even when her mom was at home, she wasn’t there. Cassie couldn’t remember her ever saying she was proud of her. She only pointed out the ways she didn’t measure up, saying, “If only you could make better grades. . .start on the basketball team. . .make more friends.”

  Cassie’s sister, Melissa, had reacted by trying to meet all her mother’s wishes, and in Cassie’s eyes she had. Melissa was never shy about pointing that out to Cassie. When Cassie fought with her mother in high school, Melissa would say, “Why can’t you do what she wants?”

  Now they were going to be in her house, judging her, critiquing her life, deciding whether or not she was worthy to be a part of their world.

  After she hung up the phone, Cassie scooped up Petal, who acted as if being carried wasn’t elegant enough for her kind. Petal squirmed, but Cassie stroked her from her ears to her tail, which made Petal twitch violently. “Petal, we’re going to have visitors next week. I hope you’re ready.”

  ❧

  On Wednesday morning, Cassie leaned against the cafeteria wall, out of breath and frustrated with her lack of mobility. With an injured toe, everything took ten times the amount of energy it would have taken before the flashlight incident. She hadn’t slept well with her foot propped on pillows, but an injured toe couldn’t stop her. She had too much work to do.

  Cassie opened one of the giant ovens and peeked inside to see what Beth was cooking. Her nose had been right—cinnamon rolls.

  A dish towel snapped against her arm.

  “Trying to sneak a roll before breakfast?” Beth asked.

  “You caught me,” Cassie said. “Hey, thanks for picking up the slack around here yesterday.”

  Cassie had spent Tuesday afternoon working from her house. She had to escape from any distractions and get through all the paperwork Mr. Hartley had requested for the board meeting. The thought of it made her queasy.

  Beth pointed a wooden spoon at her. “You owe me big-time. Yesterday was crazy.”

  With the number of campers they had, Cassie wasn’t surprised. “I will make it up to you one of these days.”

  “Someone caught small-group room number two on fire,” Beth said nonchalantly.

  “What!” Cassie shouted. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “It wasn’t serious. No damage. Apparently the counselors wanted to create a mood during their prayer time, but you can’t leave thirteen-year-olds alone with fire and paper very long. They tried to make a bonfire.”

  Cassie was breaking out in a sweat. “Anything else?”

  Beth went over to the walk-in refrigerator. “The health department inspector stopped by.”

  “Please tell me everything is okay.”

  Beth came out with two tubs of chopped fresh fruit. “A great report, as always,” she said with her shoulders back. “The kitchen was spotless, especially after getting ready for Mr. Hartley’s visit.”

  Cassie gave her a high five. “It sounds like you had a busy day.”

  Beth smirked as she poured the fruit into a stainless-steel bowl. “There’s something else.”

  Cassie threw her hands up in the air. “Of course.”

  “Will came by to see you.”

  Cassie scrunched up her face. “Will? Again? Why?”

  Beth’s shoulders rose. “You tell me. Why do you think he would be down here again?”

  Cassie didn’t know. Hadn’t they figured everything out for the retreat? Had she forgotten to go over something with him? “I don’t have a clue.”

  Beth turned around and leaned on the sink. “You don’t have any idea why he might have come here to see you?” She was playing with her now, turning everything around with a question.

  “What?” Cassie said. “What’s going on?”

  Beth faced the sink and rinsed a spoon off under the water. “He left something for you.”

  “What?” She was getting tired of the game. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

  “They’re in the walk-in,” Beth said without turning around from her work.

  Cassie pushed a chair out of the way and limped toward the refrigerator. “You’re making a handicapped woman walk all the way across the room. This better be good,” she called behind her.

  Beth didn’t answer.

  A blast of cold air hit her as she pulled the door open. On a cart in the center of the walk-in was the largest bouquet of wildflowers she had ever seen. Purple, yellow, red, orange—every color of flower she could imagine cascaded out of a clear glass vase. She looked behind her, expecting to see that Beth had followed her, but Cassie was alone.

  She stood back from the flowers for a moment, almost afraid to touch the bouquet, wondering why he had done it. She put her face down close to the flowers and breathed in the sweet, floral scent. Even a tomboy like Cassie could appreciate getting flowers from a man, especially wildflowers. How would he have known they were the flowers she loved more than anything? Sure roses, lilies, and orchids were nice, but wildflowers made her heart dance.

  She poked through the mass of blossoms to find a card buried deep down in between the flowers. She pulled it out to find it still sealed. Cassie looked over her shoulder at the door, impressed Beth had resisted the temptation to open it.

  Cassie left the flowers in the walk-in and limped past Beth to her own office. She fell into her desk chair and stared at the little white envelope for a moment, afraid to open it. She took a silver letter opener and sliced the top of the tiny envelope with her name written across the front of it in a man’s handwriting.

  She pulled the plain white card out of the envelope.

  These reminded me of you. I hope they brighten your day.

  Her heart beat faster. She turned the card upside down on her desk and covered it with her palm then picked it up and read it again.

  Beth finally appeared in the doorway with the bouquet of flowers in her arms. “Okay, I didn’t want to ask. I promised myself I wouldn’t, but I have to know. It’s killing me.”

  Cassie hesitated and then held the card out to her. Beth snatched it from her fingers and held it up to her face. After reading the message, she waved the card in the air. “This guy knows you.”

  Cassie shook her head. “What are you talking about? A little over a week ago, I’d never even heard of him.” And on the day she met Will, she had promised herself she wouldn’t fall for his charm.

  “I don’t know, but the wildflowers, the note. It looks like he has you pe
gged.”

  Cassie crossed her arms across her chest. “Please.”

  “I know. You hate it, but come on.”

  Cassie shook her head. “He’s one of those guys.”

  “One of those guys?” Beth asked as she rearranged some of the stems.

  Cassie leaned out of her chair and took the card back from Beth. “Yeah. One of those guys who can smooth talk people, but here’s the thing. . .”

  Beth cocked her head, already acting unconvinced.

  “I’m not one of those girls who fall for it,” Cassie said.

  Beth pointed a finger at Cassie’s face. “Then why are you smiling right now?”

  Desperate to change the subject, Cassie turned to face her calendar. “My mom and sister are coming to visit next week.”

  “Well, there went that smile,” Beth said, pulling something out of her apron pocket. “I guess you’re not happy about this little family reunion?”

  “You haven’t met my mother or my sister. They’re so. . .” Cassie stopped and watched Beth, who was unwrapping what appeared to be a candy bar. “What is that?”

  Beth bit off a third of the bar. “It’s a Snickers,” she said with a mouthful of chocolate.

  Cassie put the tips of her fingers together. “I’m assuming that Snickers isn’t some new form of health food.”

  Beth swallowed and stuck her bottom lip out like a four-year-old who had been scolded for not eating her brussel sprouts. “I quit. I hadn’t lost a single pound,” she said.

  “Although I don’t condone this new sugar diet, I can’t say I’m sad the old one is over.”

  Beth took another bite. “Really?” she asked with a mouth full of gooey candy.

  “Of course. I mean, here I am with no curves, not much of a chest, no rear end, and you’re trying to get rid of your beautiful curves.”

  “You’re just trying to make me feel better,” Beth said.

  Beth was statuesque with curves in all the best places. “I’m serious. You’re gorgeous how you are. I know a lot of the teenage girls who walk through the cafeteria think, ‘She is shaped sort of like me, and she’s hot!’ ”

  Beth’s face flushed magenta. “I have the best friend ever.”

  She threw the last bite of candy bar in the trash can and leaned in to wrap her arms around Cassie.