“Hey,” Evan said. “If you’re spending the night at Callie’s, that means I could sneak out and you wouldn’t know.”
Hannah smacked her brother’s arm. “You probably shouldn’t announce your plan if you want it to work.”
Evan laughed, but Trevor made a mental note to install an alarm that would let him know when the doors opened.
Then, holding Callie’s hand, he went across the yard to take her to bed.
…
For the first summer in years, Callie enjoyed time in Chicago. She’d always had a good time in the short term—a few weeks here and there—but she’d forgotten how much fun the city was. Festivals in every neighborhood. Crowded beaches. Walks at the zoo. Concerts at outdoor venues. She loved it all, but she had no luck finding a steady job. She’d spent every day taking in the sights and sounds of the city, taking pictures of everything so she could at least add to her portfolio. Some of those shots she’d be able to sell online.
But she’d had no offers for permanent work. Definitely nothing that could compete with the offer from Around the World Travels. As much as it stung, she began to think her options were limited and she’d have no choice but to take the job.
Look at me, borderline whining about having someone pay me to travel all over the world. Twenty years ago—hell, ten years ago—this would’ve been a dream job. In many ways, it still was. She’d had a few more email conversations with the tour company about their vision and where they wanted to send her. She’d get the chance to visit places she’d never been. She’d be able to visit the best beaches, places of spiritual or historical significance. The chance to see the Wonders of the World was reason enough.
If she timed her trips well, she could probably bring Trevor and the kids with her to some locations. By the time she did one run, she’d have enough flyer miles to cover tickets for everyone. She started to get excited at the thought of hopping on a plane again.
Then she thought about Trevor and the fact that he never traveled. He didn’t even take a nearby vacation. He had a business to run, and it was rare for him to take a day off.
She liked the life she had here. She and Trevor shared a bed most nights. They stayed in his room the other night because he’d started to think that the kids would take advantage of his not being in the house. As a person who had routinely sneaked out of her parents’ house, she couldn’t argue. Being in his bed, in his room, wasn’t as weird as she thought it would be.
Even though Lisa had bought the house, it was no longer hers. Trevor had stamped his mark on it pretty quickly. Of course, her reaction might be different if he had used Lisa’s bedroom, but since he was downstairs, she hadn’t been as squicked out as she’d expected to be.
Sitting in her living room, she felt restless. Trevor was at a meeting and said he’d be late tonight. So she used her free evening to play on her computer, scrolling through some of the locations she would be able to travel to. She made a list of requirements that she would expect for this job to happen. She needed to be able to come home often. They would have to cover the bill for decent accommodations. She was done spending the night in tents and not sleeping because she feared her equipment would be stolen.
As she filled a sheet of paper with ideas to gather her thoughts, her phone rang. She answered without looking because she assumed it was Trevor letting her know he was home. “Hello.”
“Callie?”
Evan sounded weird, but there was so much background noise, it was distracting.
“Evan? Where are you?”
“At a party.”
Trevor hadn’t said anything about that. “Does your dad know?”
“Nuh-uh. I’m not okay to drive. Can you come get me?”
Before he finished his sentence, she was already sliding into her flip-flops and grabbing her keys. “Text me the address right now. Then sit on the front porch so I can find you.”
“’Kay.”
She ran through the yard and looked for Trevor’s truck out front. He was still at his meeting, so she couldn’t call him. As she started the engine in her car, her phone buzzed with a text. She plugged the address into her GPS and took off.
She was happy that Evan was smart enough to call for a ride instead of trying to drive himself after partying, but fear niggled at her as she drove. It was still early. What time had they started for him to be drunk before ten o’clock? Or had something happened that made him want to leave the party?
As she neared the address Evan sent, the street was filled with cars. There was little doubt which house was having a party. Every light was blazing; thumping music could be heard down the block. Her car crawled closer, and she called Evan since she didn’t see him on the porch. She really didn’t want to have to go into the house to get him.
The phone rang in her hand, and she saw a shadow emerge from the side of the house. Evan wove crookedly toward her car. He opened the passenger door and fell onto the seat.
Eyeing him, she asked, “Want to talk about it?”
“No.” He leaned against the window and closed his eyes.
“Thank you for calling instead of driving drunk.”
One eye eased open. “Can we not tell Dad about this?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, honey. I can’t keep this from him.”
Evan groaned.
“Are you gonna be sick?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Must’ve been a good party, huh?”
“It sucked.”
Not quite the answer she expected. At seventeen, sneaking out and getting drunk at a party came with bragging rights, usually claiming to have done a lot more than you actually did. “You didn’t have a good time?”
He looked at her with watery eyes filled with sadness. Her heart lurched, and her fear became reality. Something was seriously wrong. “What happened, Evan? Are you okay?”
“My girlfriend broke up with me this afternoon, and she showed up at the party with some other guy.”
“Ouch.”
Evan closed his eyes again.
Callie left him alone. He was going to feel like crap physically and emotionally. Heartbreak was no joke, especially for a teenager. “When we get home, make sure you drink a bunch of water even if you’re not thirsty. It’ll help you feel better.”
“Doubt it.”
“I know.” She reached over and patted his leg.
Part of her wanted to go find this girl and yell at her for being cruel, but she knew it would be pointless. There was nothing Callie could do to fix this for Evan, but she wanted to.
Chapter Twelve
Trevor got home and saw that Callie’s car was gone. Inside, the house was silent. “Hannah? Evan?”
“In my room,” Hannah called.
“How about your brother?”
“Went out with friends.”
Oh yeah. Evan had texted him earlier that he was going out. Trevor realized he wasn’t great at keeping track of his kids. If they were still toddlers, he probably would’ve lost one by now.
He put away the dinner dishes and made a mental list of invoices and proposals he needed to get out to clients. He’d lived for years on his own, without having the kids underfoot, but the house was so quiet, it was unnerving. He thought of texting Callie to see when she’d be home, but that felt needy or controlling, and he didn’t want to be either.
A thump at the front door caught his attention. By the time he got to the living room, the door swung open, and Evan stumbled in.
The boy could barely keep himself upright. Callie was at his back, holding his shoulders to guide him.
“What the fuck?”
“Hey,” Evan said.
“You’re drunk.” A swarm of emotions attacked at once. Fear. Panic. Hurt. Anger.
Evan smiled. “I was at a party.”
“You’re seventeen!” He was yelling, but he didn’t care.
“Didn’t drive, though.” Then he winked. At least Trevor thought it was supposed to be a wink.
It was more of a spastic blink.
“Did you do this?” he asked Callie.
“Did I do what?”
“Get him drunk.”
She reared back. “Hell no. How could you even think that?”
Her eyes were wide with what might’ve been hurt, but Trevor couldn’t stop to think about that.
“You’re always telling them about your partying youth. It was so cool, right?”
Whatever hurt he’d thought was there was quickly replaced with a flash of anger. “Don’t be an asshole, Trevor. He got drunk and called me to pick him up. It’s no big deal.”
Something about the way she said it, the way she tossed the comment out, made him see red. “It is a big fucking deal. He’s a minor and he’s drunk. Not a beer. Not trying something. Totally fucking blitzed.”
“Don’t yell at her,” Evan said. “What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is that this is a path you can’t afford to go down.”
Evan scoffed. “So I got drunk. I’m not you.” Then he pushed past Trevor and climbed the stairs.
It took every ounce of patience he’d ever had to lock his muscles and not grab that boy and drag him back.
“Remember what I said about water,” Callie called after him.
Evan waved over his shoulder.
Callie crossed her arms and stared at Trevor.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m waiting for an apology.”
“You’ll be waiting a hell of a long time.” He pointed in the general direction of Evan.
“How is this my fault?” Callie asked. “I was at home, minding my own business, and he called me. He’s a teenager. They screw up. He had a rough night and got drunk. We’ve all been there.”
He jabbed a finger in the air at her. “That right there is the goddamn problem. You act like it’s all okay. No big deal. It is a huge fucking deal. He’s seventeen. If he’s solving his problems by getting drunk now, where’s he going be in five years? Ten? Are you going to continue to enable him? Run out to get his next six-pack?”
Callie took a long, slow inhale through flared nostrils. “I’m trying to remember that you have tunnel vision on this topic because of your issues. But you’re crossing a line here.”
“No, Callie. You’re the one who keeps crossing the line. You make decisions without consulting me. I’m their dad. I decide what’s important.”
She dropped her arms to her sides. Her head angled, and her eyes filled with sadness. “You’re right, Trevor. You get to decide everything. I hope you can live with those choices.”
She walked around him, the sound of her sandals slapping against the floor urging him to do something.
But he was pissed. They’d been around and around when it came to the kids. He was their father, and she couldn’t just make decisions on their behalf. It wasn’t up to her to tell Evan that getting drunk wasn’t a big deal. Having Trevor as a father meant that it might be a slippery slope for him. Trevor wasn’t willing to take that chance with his kids. That’s why he took such a hard line.
Of all people, Callie should understand that.
She’d been standing beside Lisa when his wife had enforced that hard line for him. And he’d failed time and again. No way was he going to watch his son make the same mistakes he’d made.
When he turned to go to bed, he saw Hannah standing at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, eyes filled. “Why do you do that to her?”
“Not now, Hannah.”
“Then when, Dad? How many times do you think she’s going to let you treat her like that before she leaves?”
“I didn’t do anything to Callie. If you heard all of it, then you know your brother went out and got drunk.” The words were glass in his throat. So many things could’ve gone wrong for Evan. He scrubbed a hand over his head. “I know you guys think I’m being an asshole. But getting drunk isn’t a way to solve anything. It’s my job to protect you. Sometimes Callie makes that hard.”
“Callie has never done anything to hurt us. She never would. If you think that, then you don’t know her at all. You don’t deserve her.” She turned on her heel and disappeared into her room.
Trevor felt the rage bubbling up, and he wanted to hit something. No, what he really wanted was a fucking drink. He needed to call Karl. But first, he needed to pummel something to release the frustration and anger. He went to the basement and taped his hands before going at the heavy bag that he kept for just this purpose.
He punched the bag until his hands were sore, his muscles exhausted and trembling, and his body was coated in sweat. It was all he could do to avoid going out and doing something stupid that he’d regret.
When he had nothing left, he sank to the floor and pulled out his phone. It was late, but Karl would always answer. It was why Trevor considered him more than a sponsor. He’d been a great friend over the years.
The ringing sounded hollow in his ears as he tugged at the tape on his knuckles.
“Trevor, what happened?”
Of course Karl would assume the worst. “I think I’ve fucked up.”
“Where are you?”
“In my basement. I haven’t had anything to drink. But I want to. Bad.”
Rustling on the other end told Trevor that he probably woke Karl up. “I’m sorry I called so late. This’ll keep.”
“I’m up now. You might as well tell me.”
Trevor recounted the evening.
“You didn’t mention you were involved with someone,” Karl said.
“It’s still pretty new.”
“But she’s living with you?”
Trevor huffed a laugh. Yeah, his life was weird. “She was my ex-wife’s best friend. We were friends years ago. With Lisa’s death, we reconnected. She’s not really living with me. She rents the coach house out back.”
“Son, the woman is living with you.”
Trevor laughed again. “I guess you’re right.”
“Let’s take this step by step. For your son, is this the first time this has happened?”
“As far as I know.”
“Then your girl is right. He’s a dumb kid. I’m not saying you should ignore it. He needs to be aware there’s a possibility of predisposition. You should also be honest with him about how it makes you feel.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on. Be honest. How did you feel seeing him stumbling drunk? Why are you calling me?”
“Seeing him, I was pissed. As for calling you, I’m beginning to question that.”
“I’m being serious. After the anger, what?”
“I’m scared for him. And yeah, I called you because I want a drink.”
“That’s all normal. He’s old enough to handle the truth. Tell him how hard it is.”
Trevor hadn’t addressed his alcoholism with the kids in years. He’d always been up-front and didn’t hide his recovery from them, but in recent years, he hadn’t felt the need to discuss it. And if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to be that honest with them. Alcoholism was an ugly disease.
As usual, though, Karl was right. It was time for him to face it with Evan and Hannah.
“Now, about Callie,” Karl went on. “I know why you took your anger out on her even though she didn’t deserve it. We all do that to the ones we love. But the question is, what are you going to do about it?”
Love? They hadn’t talked about it. They hadn’t exchanged the words, but in his heart, he knew. He’d known for a while. He loved Callie. Yet he treated her like crap.
“I have no fucking clue what I’m going to do. I feel like we’re always fighting and apologizing. That can’t be healthy.”
“Fighting about what?”
Trevor thought about every time they walked away from each other. “Mostly the kids.”
“You mean like you fought tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you have a lot of decisions to make. Your so-called fight tonight was about you exerting
control over your family. You want to be in charge of everything. If you can’t back off and let her in, that vicious cycle will be all you ever know.”
“You’re all sunshine and rainbows, aren’t you?”
“If you wanted that you would’ve called someone else. You reach out to me because you know you’ll get honesty.”
Trevor pushed up off the floor. “You don’t have to be brutal about it.”
“Some people don’t listen and learn until they’re beaten upside the head.”
Trevor sighed. “I know. Thanks, man.”
“Any time. You need to meet?”
“No. I’m going to bed. Looks like I have a lot to think about.”
“Before you go to her again, make sure your head is on straight. Know what you’re willing to do. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I won’t.”
“And go to a meeting.”
“That’s where I was while my son was out getting drunk.”
“Ain’t that a bitch.”
“You know it. I’ll talk to you later.” Trevor disconnected and peeled the tape from his knuckles, which were still red. His whole body ached from the late-night workout. When he got upstairs, he looked out the kitchen window and saw Callie’s lights on. He wanted to go over and apologize, but Karl was right. He needed to figure out where they were going, what he wanted.
He wanted Callie. That much was clear. But he wasn’t sure he could do what he needed to keep her.
…
Callie rolled her luggage through the airport, but it all seemed so unfamiliar. Not this particular airport, but the whole process, which made no sense. She’d been traveling for her career for twenty years. She’d been in more airports than she’d been in homes. She found herself checking her bags ten times to make sure she hadn’t forgotten to pack something. Packing had been automatic. She never forgot anything.
Then again, she was usually well rested before a flight. She hadn’t slept at all last night after booking her flight. She kept telling herself it was because she was worried about Evan, but it was more than that. Outside the airport, a car waited for her to take her to the hotel.
The tour company had been so thrilled to hear from her last night, their early morning, that they’d arranged everything. She should be exhausted with jet lag hitting her, but she just felt like a zombie. After putting her bag in the trunk, she sank into the back seat and called Hannah.
My Best Friend's Ex (Daring Divorcees) Page 18