Heart of Clay

by Shanna Hatfield

  Chapter Thirteen

  Callan finished her cup of tea and looked around her orderly kitchen. Clay had an early meeting before classes started that morning and left much earlier than usual, so she got up to see him out the door.

  With plenty of time before she needed to be at the office, she decided to whip up a batch of cookies and drop them off at his classroom on her way to work. Jake constantly begged for them and Clay was nearly as bad.

  It didn’t take long to have a tin packed with warm cookies. Callan could picture Jake arguing with Clay about how many he could eat. That boy was a bottomless pit. When she walked to Clay’s classroom, Callan stuck her head inside, but no one was there.

  She decided Clay must still be in the meeting, set the tin on his desk, and wrote him a quick note then left.

  Clay ran into Jake on the way to his classroom and gave his cousin a hard time as they walked to class.

  “Did you forget to comb your hair this morning or did you fall under a weed whacker on your way here?” Clay reached out and mussed his hair. “I’m going to have to talk to your mother about your slovenly appearance. This just won’t do at all.”

  Jake took great pride in his appearance, spending a considerable amount of time making sure his clothes looked just right with crisp shirts, pressed jeans, and polished boots. Every strand of his thick sable hair fell into place.

  Clay found the whole thing entertaining and loved to tease Jake.

  “Well, at least I make an effort. You look like you rolled out of bed in that shirt. Did Callan finally come to her senses and leave you to your own defenses?” Jake poked him in the arm and shook his head.

  Clay chuckled as he opened the classroom door and they walked inside his domain. Jake stopped just inside the door and sniffed appreciatively. The room smelled of cinnamon with a subtle hint of perfume.

  “Callan was here,” Jake said, glancing around the room. “Bring on the cookies, Clay. You’re holding out on us.”

  The other students in the classroom stopped talking and looked at Clay with interest. Cookies from Mrs. Matthews were always a welcome treat.

  “How do you know she was here?” Clay was suddenly interested in what Jake had to say.

  “Dude, you can still smell her perfume. Callan is the only one on the planet who smells all flowery and girly like that.” Jake stared at Clay as if he was clueless. “Besides, I can smell the cookies. Now hand them over.”

  Clay glared at the mouthy young man. He didn’t know if he should be more irritated with Jake for noticing the way Callan smelled or with himself for not being able to. Even his students could tune into the lovely lingering scent left by his wife, but with his lack of smell she could wear the essence of skunk and he’d not know the difference.

  As he rubbed his hand along his jaw, he noticed a cookie tin and note on his desk. Hastily tucking the note into his desk drawer, he grabbed the first cookie and passed the tin to Jake. “Make sure you share,” Clay warned, eyeing his cousin.

  At his first break, Clay pulled out the note and fingered Callan’s handwriting.

  Sorry I missed you, Brick.

  Have a great day.

  Love you! Laney

  Since the weekend of Callan’s big makeover, he had found notes in all kinds of interesting places. One day it was in with his lunch, another in his boot. She’d left love notes in his pickup, in his work gloves, even tucked into the band of his cowboy hat. She definitely scored points for creativity, not to mention how much Clay enjoyed finding the notes. Even a few words that conveyed her feelings spoke volumes from her heart.

  Callan put a lot of effort into changing. She laughed more, cried more, shared more, and in general seemed to be growing daily into the person she was always meant to be. He was so proud of her, so excited to watch her change, so happy to be the one on the receiving end of her unconditional love.

  He decided to send her a quick text message.

  Great cookies. Jake’s a pig. Love you!

  Clay sat back in his chair with his hands laced behind his head and smiled as he thought about Callan’s perfume. She started wearing it shortly after they began dating. Struggling to remember what it was called, he thought maybe it was True Love. No, that wasn’t it. Something true. True Romance. No, that wasn’t it either.

  He knew she had a terrible time finding it and purchased several bottles of it on eBay a few years ago. That might be a handy little gift to have on hand. It never hurt to have a trump card to play. Clay made a mental note to do some searching online after class.

  His phone beeped as a reply from Callan arrived.

  Free for lunch?

  Clay quickly responded.

  Yes! 11:45? Cafeteria?

  It wasn’t long until she sent another message.

  It’s a date!

  Greatly looking forward to his lunch date with his wife, Clay rolled through the morning in a good mood with a goofy smile on his face that drew comments from his students. He ignored their teasing and at a quarter to noon he hustled his class out the door then strolled to the cafeteria where students gathered for lunch.

  He walked inside and spied Callan sitting at a table. She looked so young and pretty in a navy blue skirt with a navy and white sweater, she could have easily fit in with the crowd. He sauntered up behind her and placed a kiss on her cheek.

  She turned around and gave him a smile full of love and affection. “Hi.”

  “Hey, girl.” Clay pulled her to her feet and walked her toward the counter. “I’m glad you had time for me today. Am I moving up on one of your lists?” he teased as they selected their food and took trays back to the table.

  “Possibly.” She gave him a sassy grin, then looking around the cafeteria. “I hoped to catch Jake and say hello. I haven’t seen him for ages.”

  “You aren’t missing much.” Callan’s raised eyebrow and indulgent smile made Clay chuckle as he rested his arm along the back of her chair. “He certainly likes your cookies, though. He made a complete hog of himself first thing this morning. As many cookies as Jake devoured, he probably won’t need lunch.”

  “Oh, give him a break. Your mother told me about all the cookies you used to snitch from her kitchen – and still do.” Callan shot him a knowing look. “Ha, see I do know a few of your secrets.”

  He grinned. “What other secrets do you think I’m hiding?”

  “I don’t know. If I did they wouldn’t be secrets, would they?” Callan forked her salad and took a bite while Clay went to work on his sandwich. She loved spending time with him in the middle of the day. Their schedules didn’t frequently mesh, but when they did, she appreciated the opportunity to share lunch with him.

  When they finished eating, they discussed their afternoon plans when Callan saw Jake with a couple of friends. He seemed to be having a good time.

  “Jake just walked in and I have an idea,” Callan said, looking at Clay with a devilish gleam in her eye.

  Clay loved the playful look on Callan’s face.

  “I’m listening.”

  Callan grinned. “He hasn’t seen me since I cut my hair. Do you think he’d recognize me from the back if you were to give me a hug? I think…”

  “That is a perfectly rotten and wonderful idea.” Clay turned to watch Jake. “He’s been giving me grief in and outside of class for weeks. It’s his turn to squirm. Just follow my lead, okay?”

  “I’m right behind you.” Callan stood as Clay dumped their trash then walked behind him so Jake wouldn’t see her.

  Once Clay caught Jake’s eye and waved, Callan stepped out with her back to Jake. Clay turned, threw an arm around her and headed out the door. Leaning close, he whispered in her ear. “He’s taking the bait.”

  Jake couldn’t believe what took place right in front of him. Clay, the person he had always looked up to, was a complete louse. He was cheating on Callan, and at school, no less! Incensed and disappointed, Jake followed Clay as he left the cafeteria. When he walked out
side the door, he saw Clay wrap the woman in his arms in a close hug.

  “Clay! What are you doing?” Jake grabbed Clay’s arm and pulled it away from Callan. Agitated, he turned to her with a sneer. “Do you know he’s married? His wife is the sweetest lady I’ve ever met. I’m not going to stand by and…”

  “Oh, Jake, you’re adorable when you’re fuming.” Callan patted his arm, as both she and Clay laughed.

  “Callan? Wow! What did you do? You look hot!” Jake blushed from the roots of his dark hair past the collar of his shirt.

  “Just remember who she married, Jake ol’ boy,” Clay growled, slapping him on the back.

  A blush tinged Callan’s cheeks at Jake’s statement. Quickly recovering, she kissed his cheek. “I think that is the best compliment I’ve had yet, Jake. Thank you. I hope you aren’t mad we were teasing you.”

  “Nah,” Jake said, still red in the face. “I may have had it coming.” Turning to Clay, he shook his head. “I was thinking a lot of things about you and none of them nice. I’m glad to know they were mostly untrue. You know, if I’d been a few years older when you met her, I’d have given you a run for your money, old man.” Jake offered his cousin a cheeky grin. Throwing an arm around Callan, he gave her a sideways hug. “Thanks for making me cookies this morning. It was a great snack to tide me over until lunch. You’ll have to make more next time if you want me to share.”

  “Sure, Jake,” Callan said, glancing at her watch, surprised by the time. “Well, boys, I’ve got to go. Behave yourselves this afternoon.” She gave Clay a quick kiss, patted Jake on the arm again, then rushed out the door as both men watched her leave.

  “You are so lucky, dude.” Jake punched Clay in the arm before rejoining his friends.

  You bet I am, Clay thought as he walked back to his classroom, grinning from ear to ear.