“Yes,” Bryony answered. “Lil, you’re never going to believe what happened just now.”
“What?” Lillian asked.
“Dad started in on me, and you know what Alma did?” Bryony savored the telling of what she witnessed.
“She dumped him!” Lillian said.
“She hit him, Lil! Not hard, but hard enough to get his attention. And you know what he did?”
“He hit her back!” Lillian said.
“No,” Bryony said. “He didn’t hit her. He backed down.”
“He did what?” Lillian asked.
“The thing is,” Bryony said. “That’s the first time I ever noticed how scared I am of strong men.”
“Not all strong men should be feared,” Lil lectured.
“I know.” Bryony was quick to respond. “But I realized I always pick uninteresting men because they don’t scare me. In response to them, I become uninteresting, and they dump me.”
“You’re catching on to what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Lillian said.
Bryony rolled her eyes. “See you in the morning, Lil.”
“Goodnight, Babe.”
Everything looked different on the drive home. The steel gray sky excited Bryony. The red and orange leaves were not merely waving in the wind—they were dancing. And when she pulled into her driveway, her house was not merely a place where she could store her belongings and sleep well at night—it was fertile land, a launching pad, a point of embarkment, which might take her to adventures she hadn’t even dared to dream.
And then there was Cal.
CLEVELAND CALLS
Right before his cell phone rang, Cal had settled into his favorite kitchen chair to enjoy a few bites of dessert. He pulled the phone out of his pocked to answer the call.
“Cal?” His sister’s voice started low and swooped high, ending in a strong melodic question mark. She sang the same tune when she asked, “Is that you?”
“No.” Cal made his voice low, gruff. “This is Bailey. Cal broke the rules and taught me how to talk.” He closed the lid on the half-eaten pint of ice cream and stowed it in the freezer. Thank heavens for Ben & Jerry!
Heidi sighed. “Cal, when are you coming home? The grandkids miss you.”
“Ahh,” Cal said. “How are my seven little munchkins?” He rattled off their nicknames.
“Their parents hate those names.”
“But the names are apt, and the kids love them.” He settled back into the chair.
“The kids love you,” Heidi said.” Come home this weekend. You promised to visit at least twice a month.”
Cal ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. This weekend is homecoming, and I’ve been asked to chaperone the dance. I meant to make it home over Labor Day, but I needed the weekend to get to know the town a little.”
“You haven’t met anyone special have you?” Heidi’s voice forewarned disapproval.
Bryony came to mind, but he answered, “None of my students seem interested in a guy who’s less than a decade away from Medicare.”
“Not funny, Cal. I’m serious. You cannot fall in love with someone who doesn’t live in Cleveland. Got it?”
Cal rubbed his forehead. His sister hadn’t wanted him to travel any distance, yet still complained when he decided to stay in Ohio and teach for another year. Nothing would suit her but him being close by, permanently, or at least until their father was gone. Cal understood. However, he couldn’t be in two places at one time, and he was committed for the year.
“Cal?” Heidi said. “Are you still there?”
“Still here and promising to visit asap. I know I’ll be there for Thanksgiving.”
“Thanksgiving!” Heidi said. “You have to at least be here for Halloween! You’ve never missed a party.”
“I’ll be there,” he said.
“Promise?” Heidi asked, the tone of her question promising hell-to-pay if he failed to follow through.
“I promise.” They ended the call after Heidi extracted three more cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die promises to make it home no later than Halloween, sooner if possible.
As Cal cleaned up his dinner dishes, memories of Leslie bubbled up. She had not been the love of his life. He knew that from the beginning. But the truth was, he missed her. During their time together, she had become part of his routine, in spite of the ways she did not fit for him. They had enjoyed daily contact. She had been his sounding board, his buddy, his confidante. More than missing her, he realized, he missed that. He missed having someone who had his back.
He needed to stop missing what he had with Leslie because she had never been what he wanted. He wanted more than a companion. He wanted someone like… why did the principal’s sister keep popping into his mind? Granted, Bryony Green could make a mean apple pie, but if he dated anyone, they should be firmly established in the place to which he would return next June. And clearly, her brother was not in favor. Mitch Green’s message had been straightforward. Stay away.
Checking his contact list, Cal was pleased to see he had saved Susie’s number after she called the last time. He wondered if she was still in Fieldstone. And if so, would she be returning to Cleveland when she left? He’d give her a call sometime soon. But not tonight. Tonight he would clean out the dog’s bowls, maybe clean the bathrooms, or find something to glaze over in front of the television.
