“Rebecca, can I talk to you for a moment?”
She stood up when Father Langdon addressed her. “Of course. I’m so sorry. I hope you don’t regret accepting the invitation.”
“Not at all,” he said. “If you could come inside with us, just for a moment?”
Rebecca must have looked panicked, judging from his quick clarification. “Don’t worry, it’s all taken care of. Andy talked to her husband, and they both agreed that it would be better to go separate ways for a bit. As long as there’s no partner on the horizon, he won’t give her any trouble with the boy. I know it’s not the best case scenario, but it’s all we can do for now.”
Rebecca couldn’t suppress the exasperated sigh. “It’s crazy! What if she meets someone? She can’t go back either. God, this is driving me crazy. She keeps coming to us, yet she never listens to a single word Callie or I say. I tried. I really thought it could help by sharing my story. The next thing I know is Eric accusing me of having no soul. I don’t know how to deal with these people!”
“Sometimes you need to take a step back, especially when you’re still vulnerable yourself.”
“I’m not. I’m out, and I can walk into a lesbian bar without feeling uncomfortable. Sorry. Too much information.” Worse, maybe he did have a point, and she hadn’t figured out every little detail in what, nine months? She hadn’t become an expert who could give valuable advice to people like Andy.
“It’s fine,” he assured her. “It’s also okay to protect you and your family. Amber and I arranged a place for Andy stay, for now. She won’t be alone. I know both you and Callie want to help, but that only works if the other person is able to accept that help.”
“I’m glad she listened to you, in any case. I guess it won’t surprise you that Autumn Leaves is a bit of a mess since you left. Father Reynolds is a neighbor hard to love.”
“So I’ve heard,” Father Langdon admitted. “How about we deal with one crisis at a time? Amber wanted to say goodbye too.”
“That’s a good idea—regarding the crisis management.”
“You managed many of those. On your birthday of all days, someone else should step in.”
Rebecca couldn’t agree more.
In the living room, Andy wouldn’t meet her gaze, or, let alone, apologize. It made Rebecca think of what Mona had said. The same old lines Andy kept repeating was probably all she’d had left to hold on to.
“Good luck.” Rebecca said.
Andy finally raised her head, her voice barely visible when she said, “Thank you.” Those might have been the most sincere words she’d ever said to Rebecca. Amber hugged Rebecca goodbye, and she saw the two women off to the door.
When she and Father Langdon came back into the living room, Callie was waiting. “I’ve got one more surprise for you,” she said. “Don’t be scared, it’s nothing bad. The girls were instrumental in this. Dina, I think, because she’s in love, and Maggie really loved the color.”
“Oh boy.”
Callie smiled, taking her hand and giving it a tug. “Come and see.”
Rebecca had thought after David announcing he’d move to the other side of the world, and Andy coming here as a last resort, nothing could surprise her today. The giant heart-shaped cake with the four candles—fortunately, not forty—and her guests breaking into a song still made her jaw drop.
* * * *
The house was quiet, but it didn’t yet feel that way, as if the conversations and footsteps of all the people still echoed. Maggie was in bed, Dina and Sara had taken Barney for a walk. After a half-hearted attempt at cleaning up, Callie and Rebecca decided to leave the rest for tomorrow.
After a quick shower, Callie prepared a small nightcap for the two of them, to end the day on the sweet and relaxed note.
Excited barking preceded Barney into the kitchen, followed by the two teenage girls.
“He’s too excited,” Dina said with a shake of her head. “Someone’s been feeding him under the table.” She yawned. “See you tomorrow. Good night.”
“Good night. Don’t skype too long.”
Sara chuckled, and Dina rolled her eyes.
“—and thank you for all your help,” Callie continued. “Save for a few unplanned surprises, everything turned out well. I couldn’t have done it by myself.”
“No problem. I guess we’ll do it again next year.”
“Does that mean you…?”
“I don’t know yet.” Dina’s expression turned serious. “I mean, I can’t make up my mind just like this, can I? It would be cool to study in Hong Kong and meet new people, but I don’t like the idea of being so far from everyone. It would be at least three years, right? I don’t know. No matter what Dad says, I can’t decide this in a couple of hours.”
“I understand,” Callie said. “Let’s all sleep on this and talk tomorrow.”
When she girls had left, she carried the glasses and plates in the living room and dimmed the light. Barney followed her and jumped onto an armchair where he curled up and went to sleep.
“Good dog. You’re not going to get sick, are you?”
“I hope you don’t expect an answer.” Rebecca chuckled. She sat next to Callie on the couch, leaning back against the headrest with a sigh. “Thank you. It was a great day, even if I could have done without some parts of it…It was a genius idea to invite Father Langdon. He had some wise words for me too.”
“I’m glad. You don’t have to worry about Dina either. She’s smart. She’ll do what’s right for her.”
Rebecca took a sip of her champagne. “I don’t want her that far away, but I don’t want to take any chances away from her either. It’s great to be able to see more of the world.”
“She will. We’ll be on our way soon,” Callie reminded her. “Besides, from what I understand, she couldn’t even come to Italy with us if she decided to go with David.”
“Yeah. I don’t think that fact has completely hit home yet. Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.”
Callie leaned against her, glad that they’d have a few more hours to themselves before they’d have to tackle the subject once more. “Maybe I can make your night interesting first,” she said.
“I can’t wait.”
“Well, first I have a little gift for you.”
“Oh Callie. You already paid for the extra days in Rome.”
“Relax,” Callie whispered against her cheek before she got up. “There’s sentimental value in this. At least I hope there is.”
It took her only a minute to return with the small rectangular velvet-covered box, not a lot of time for Rebecca to speculate, but the thought crossed her mind anyway, and for sure, Callie had noticed.
“I hope you’re not disappointed or scared. There’s no reason either way, because as much as I’d love to, and I’m certain I want to some day, I will wait until you’re ready. It’s your birthday, so this…it’s a birthday present.”
“Okay. Can I have it?”
“Of course.” Callie laughed, self-consciously, before she handed the box to Rebecca.
Inside was a small silver pendant on a chain, in the form of—a wrench? It took Rebecca a few seconds to make the connection, but when she did, the emotion was almost the same as a ring would have evoked.
“Oh my God. It’s beautiful. Where did you find that?”
“Online,” Callie said, looking relieved. “Wow, I’m so glad you don’t think this is weird. It kind of marks the moment you walked into my life and got under my sink a moment later. Under my skin too. Just thinking about it makes me so nervous again I’m talking in anagrams.”
“I’m not surprised. Actually, I’m a bit mortified. I walked into your house and took over. Some introduction you got to Autumn Leaves.”
“The best.” Callie sat close, reaching out to brush her hair aside, the touch making Rebecca shiver with an anticipation that wasn’t entirely related to the jewelry. “I think I fell in love with you there and then, not that I could have admitted it at t
he time.” All of a sudden, the need for closeness was a lot more important than trying on the necklace. They had come a long way, even with all the detours and drama they hadn’t chosen for themselves—even if marriage wasn’t on the table yet, it would be.
“I have no trouble admitting it now,” Rebecca whispered, leaning forward to kiss Callie who pulled her down with her. They were quickly chastised when Dina entered the room, giggling at the sight.
“Get a room,” she advised, pleased with her joke. “What? I left my cell phone here.” However, she was whistling to herself as she left, without a doubt plotting how she could use this as a bargaining chip once they were in Italy.
“I guess she’s right about that,” Callie said, prompting Rebecca to remember her earlier promise.
“I’m not sure I can handle any more interesting. I just want to be close to you.”
The warm and comforting feeling turned into heat so quickly they nearly didn’t make it all the way to the bedroom.
There were many ways Rebecca had envisioned this day at some point, a year ago when after thirty-nine, the clock seemed to tick faster than before. She hadn’t imagined unexpected guests like Andy or news from David that was life-altering for their children. Rebecca had spent her thirty-ninth birthday sharing a cake and a bottle of champagne with Betty, Roz and Maria in the afternoon, a lonely glass by herself in the evening when the girls were in bed, because David was out of town. For all her obsessing on the number, at that time, she hadn’t expected forty to be any different—or find herself in the arms of a lover who knew her better than anyone ever would. Maybe there wasn’t that long of a wait ahead, and she was more ready for that kind of commitment than ever before, more than she or Callie imagined.
“Close enough?” Callie whispered, her kiss and touch making all rational thought vanish in a wave of impossible pleasure. Nothing could ever be close enough, but every attempt to get there was more incredible. It was a good thing that Callie understood without words, because it took a while before Rebecca was able to form any.
“Now?”
Wrapped up in Callie’s embrace, feeling safe and assured in a way she hadn’t thought was possible, Rebecca could only think of one answer.
“Yes—but interesting too.”
“Yeah. I always keep my promises.”
* * * *
After the caterer had picked up the empty pans, bowls and plates, Callie sat down to write. Asha might be on Cloud Number Seven, but that didn’t mean she’d go any easier on Callie when it came to deadlines. Rebecca had decided not to put off the call with David any longer.
There were no more excuses.
Callie felt like someone had locked her out of her own home. Of course, there was a lot on her mind, not to mention the fact that they were about to go a prolonged vacation—for the first time, Callie admitted to herself the idea filled her with a mild sense of panic. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if there wasn’t a new book this year, maybe, but that discipline was what had gotten her through some of the worst phases in her life. One of the sappiest periods in the fictional lives of Vanessa and Sabine had been a time when Nicole had been yelling at her constantly, and she’d been hiding away in cafés and libraries to escape both Nicole and the realization that they were heading for disaster.
Callie wasn’t unhappy or scared for her life these days. She had a hard time bringing herself to care about fictional characters when there was so much going on, and she knew Asha wouldn’t be happy. It was temporary, she knew. They always came back to her, except on some days they put up more resistance than on others.
With a sigh, she got up to walk into the kitchen, hoping that a bit of leftover birthday cake might jog her imagination. Rebecca set the phone down the moment she came in, looking pensive.
“How did it go?” Callie asked, as she took the container out of the fridge. Rebecca’s expression made her think she might be interested in something senselessly sweet too.
“Okay, I guess. David wants to come by this afternoon and talk to the girls. The landlord agreed to cancel early, given the circumstances, but in exchange, he kind of wants them out yesterday. It’s all happening very fast. Are you sure you’ll be okay with the idea that we’ll potentially be four under this roof?”
“I’m okay,” Callie said quickly. She poured a cup of coffee for each of them. “I hope the girls will be too.”
“Once everyone recovers from the whiplash, they will be. It’s another adjustment, but they understand about David’s job. Speaking of jobs, I don’t mean to nag, but you’re taking your break early.”
“Yeah.” Callie sipped her coffee and set down the cup with a sigh. She could chalk up her procrastination to being out of touch with her characters, which wasn’t good in the first place.
“Maybe it was a mistake to do another one in the series. I’m not really thrilled.”
“You don’t have to be here when he comes by,” Rebecca said, laughing a little. “If it goes really badly, at least David and I won’t see each other for a long time.”
“I’ll be there if you want me to.”
Rebecca’s relieved smile told Callie she’d get a reprieve from wrestling with her wayward characters. As for the alternative--David might not be too happy, but then again, he was never too happy when Callie was involved in anything regarding his and Rebecca’s daughters. Apparently, he’d have to get used to it.
* * * *
There were no tears or raised voices which was almost a miracle--and suspicious, Rebecca thought. Callie looked tired. They all were, but the circumstances were what they were, and they had to deal with the situation right now.
If she was honest, she’d been scared Dina might turn around at the last moment and be ready to leave her family and Tomaso aside and go for the adventure. However, Dina explained in a very calm and rational tone she’d really hate not to see Tomaso this summer, and she still wanted to go study in Italy next year. She and Susan had looked at various exchange programs, which seemed to be as much of a surprise for David as it was for Rebecca.
Maggie’s eyes widened when the implications of David’s promotion sank in, but she didn’t comment.
“I won’t be able to visit as often, but I’ll still come see you, of course, and you can always reach me with email and Skype. I’ll always be there for you,” he promised.
“We’ll make it work,” Rebecca added. “You have nothing to worry about…well, except Dina has to get up an hour or so earlier, if she wants to stay in the same school. I fear the return of the old bathroom wars.”
Maggie giggled, Dina shook her head with a smile. “We’ll be okay as long as Callie is,” she said. “It’s her house after all.”
“You’re welcome,” Callie said. “If you two are okay bunking together for a bit until we get the attic ready. It should be pretty cool up there.”
Rebecca hoped Callie knew how grateful she was for her presence, anchoring her. People having to move because of their job, it happened all the time, but Dina and Maggie already had some difficult times behind them.
She was probably overreacting. With a little clever redecorating, they’d still have their own room, not to mention…Dina would come home. The payoff was worth every little doubt.
“Okay.” Dina shrugged. “I guess I should start packing once we’re home?”
“Mr. Clayton said he would appreciate it if we’re out at least mid next week. There’s a lot to do, still.”
“Then what are we waiting for? We should go and get my stuff.” Dina’s delivery was matter-of-fact.
David looked even guiltier than a moment ago. “In fact, we should all start to pack, put some things in storage tomorrow. I’m sorry. I never expected this to happen so fast.”
Rebecca wondered if that was a bit of a white lie, a merciful distortion of the truth. He had been with the same company for twenty years--few people would know better how fast or slow things would go. It didn’t matter.
“If that’s all right wit
h you?” Much to his credit, he addressed both her and Callie.
“Sure,” Callie said. “We already started on some boxes in the attic. We’ll finish that, clean up…it won’t be too long.”
“Okay, thank you guys so much.” David got up, his smile somewhat awkward. “Dina?”
“Wait a second. There’s some cake for you.”
When they had seen David and Dina out, Rebecca realized that Maggie was still sitting in the same spot on the couch. Rebecca sat next to her, touching her shoulder lightly.
“Hey. Are you okay? You’ll only have to share with Dina for a bit, and Dad will come to visit over the holidays. We’ll be okay.”
She only managed to coax a non-committal sound out of Maggie. “You could help us with cleaning out the rest of the attic maybe. Remember, when we found the letter from Callie’s aunt the last time? Maybe there are even still some old books up there, though…Callie would have probably taken them down already.”
Maggie shrugged, and Rebecca hugged her close, once again amazed about everything that had happened in just one day, still not feeling too sorry when she recalled Andy’s earlier actions. Maggie hadn’t had any nightmares in some time, but she was still unhappy about Ms. Romano leaving, so David’s announcement didn’t exactly come at a great time.
“I know it’s a bit stressful right now, but it won’t be long until the vacation. You’re still looking forward to it?”
“Yes, sure.” She didn’t sound too convincing, and a little cranky, probably from a lack of sleep. Rebecca wondered how late the girls had stayed up the night before.
“Did you want to start on the attic?” Callie asked from the doorway.
“I’d rather read,” Maggie declared, got up and left the room.
Rebecca got to her feet as well. “We should. Knowing David, we have two, maybe three days at the most, before he comes back with a truck full of Dina’s belongings. We better get ready.” She couldn’t help it. Regardless of the work he was heaping on them with weeks to go until the vacation, she was excited beyond imagination to have Dina move back in. She hoped Callie wasn’t being polite. In the past year, she’d made a lot of room for Rebecca, in more than one sense. She seemed eager to start though. David finally acknowledged her. Life was calming down.
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