by Karin Beery
“Sounds good. I should be done in about twenty minutes.”
“All right.”
Jack grabbed a broom. Ryan took that as his cue. When he stepped out of the garage, he sucked in a chest full of fresh air. It hadn’t gone as well as he’d wanted, but at least Jack hadn’t punched him, not that Ryan thought Jack would actually punch him. Very hard.
Ryan took most of the responsibility for the awkwardness on himself. He should have talked with Jack earlier. Then maybe he’d be eating with Callie instead of eating with Jack.
When he finally made it across the yard, Ryan opened the grill and fired it up.
It was still bright outside, but the clouds were coming in and the temperature was dropping. The weatherman predicted partly cloudy skies overnight—he might finally be right. A great night for a fire. Getting one started would help distract Ryan as he waited for Jack.
While the grill warmed up, Ryan headed toward the woodpile. Someday he’d convince Jack to move the pile, but right now he didn’t mind hiking over to the farthest part of the yard. It kept him moving. That kept his mind off Callie. And Jack.
What could he possibly be thinking?
What in the world was Ryan thinking?
Jack shoved the broom across the floor. Some of the sawdust moved forward. The rest of it jumped into the air before settling back onto the floor where he’d just swept. If he didn’t calm down, it’d take him twice as long to clean up, not that that would be a bad thing. He could use a few more minutes before he had to face Ryan.
How pathetic. One stupid conversation and life was suddenly so complicated that he had to “face” his best friend.
Why did Ryan have to ask about Callie?
Jack always knew it was possible, but he never wanted to think about the actuality of his sister and his best friend. It shouldn’t bother him. If he had to pick a guy for Callie, Jack would want someone like Ryan—he had a solid faith, good job, and great work ethic. But why Ryan?
Then again, why not?
Jack pushed the broom.
Poof!
As the dust settled, he tossed the broom in a corner and rested against his workbench. Leaning back, he pushed open a window, letting out some of the stale air. Usually the smell of his workshop comforted him. Now, it would forever remind him of the day Ryan wanted to date Callie.
And why shouldn’t they? Ryan was the best guy in the world. He hadn’t really dated anyone in a couple of years. Maybe that was because he liked Callie.
Jack moaned. If he thought about it too long, he’d convince himself of a hundred different reasons why Ryan and Callie should and shouldn’t date. They’d find him in the garage tomorrow morning still sweeping and thinking.
“Okay, God, what do I do?”
A breeze slipped in through the window and blew at Jack’s hair. Something bumped against the side of the garage. Jack leaned toward the window and listened.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Someone was at the woodpile. Probably Ryan. The guy who wanted to date his sister.
A chipmunk scurried across the floor, leaving a trail through the sawdust as it ran for cover. Jack shook his head. He’d already plugged every crack he could find in the decades-old garage. Hopefully the little guy snuck in through the door and not another hole. Just in case, he’d set up a couple of live traps.
Pushing away from the workbench, Jack reached up to the rafters and pulled down a wire cage. It hit a box, knocking it to the floor. The cardboard container barely made a sound when it landed in the pile of sawdust. Jack kicked it over. Empty. One of Callie’s moving boxes.
She wasn’t going anywhere for a while. Even if she wanted to leave, there was no way she’d spend the summer in Mom and Dad’s retirement community in Arizona.
Ryan, however, had options.
Jack tossed the trap onto the workbench, picked up the box, and headed outside.
Heat waves rose from the grill. A pile of wood sat by the fire pit. No Ryan. Jack had just reached the fence when the screen door squeaked, and his friend stepped out with a plate full of beef.
Jack held up the box. “You have to move out.”
“What?”
“That’s my condition.” He let Ryan walk past, then followed him to the grill. “It’s too weird to think about you and Callie. If you think this is what you want to do, fine, but you can’t be living in the same house as my sister and dating her at the same time. So, you have to move out.”
Ryan settled the steaks on the hot grates, muting their sizzles when he closed the lid. “For how long?”
“As long as she’s here.” Jack passed off the box. “And you need to be out before you ask her. If she says no, it’ll be weird the rest of the summer. And if she says yes,” Jack pointed a finger in Ryan’s face, “you get the same treatment as any other guy she’s ever brought home.”
Ryan smiled like he’d just won a brand-new John Deere tractor. “I’ll start packing tomorrow.”
“Where are you going to go?”
He shrugged. “I’ll stay in a hotel until I figure it out. Thanks.”
“Whatever. I’m going to wash off this sawdust. Don’t overcook my steak.”
Jack walked away, trying to forget Ryan’s obnoxious smile. If spending time with Callie made him happy, good for him. Probably good for Callie too. Not much rattled Ryan. Maybe it would rub off.
The fire crackled, casting shadows across the grass and against the lighthouse. Ryan had a fire going the night before when Callie had returned home from her date, and it looked so nice she decided to have her own. The nights were already staying warmer longer, and the humidity was rising, but the bonfire danced in front of her and her visiting, ready-to-pop best friend. Almost a perfect night. She sighed happily. “Dinner was wonderful.”
“Really?” Mae kicked off her sandals as she balanced her pregnant body on the edge of an Adirondack chair. Her blonde Shirley Temple curls swayed as she did. “Then why the heavy sigh?”
Callie twirled her marshmallow over the orange flame. “What would you think if I told you someone has a soft spot for you?”
“Depends on who it is.” Mae smooshed two graham crackers together. Marshmallow and chocolate oozed out the sides. She wedged the s’more into her mouth. “This is heaven.”
Callie passed her roasting stick to Mae.
“Oooh, thank you.”
Callie couldn’t help smiling as she watched her friend. Normally, the low chairs were perfect for Mae’s petite frame, but she didn’t look nearly as comfortable with an eight-months-pregnant belly. She obviously couldn’t focus either, as she downed another campfire treat. She’d just licked the last bit of marshmallow off her finger when Callie leaned toward her. “So, tell me. What you would think?”
Mae chewed a few times before trying to answer. “I think you’re avoiding my question by asking your own.” She spat crumbs onto her extended abdomen. Shaking her head, she brushed them to the ground. “I am so ready for this guy to make an appearance.”
“I thought you weren’t going to find out the sex of the baby.”
“We didn’t, but I never had cravings like this with the girls.” Mae didn’t bother with the chocolate or graham crackers this time. As soon as she had room, she stuffed the toasted marshmallow into her mouth. “It’s got to be a boy.”
Callie smiled at the thought of a miniature Charlie Raven running around. With his mother’s brains and his father’s Chris Martin looks, he’d be quite the catch. If he was a mini-Charlie and not another mini-Mae, like Ruby and Becca. Those two kept their mother on her toes. They were the secret to Mae having only gained twenty-five pounds by the end of her third pregnancy.
Callie wondered what she’d look like when she got pregnant. Would she keep her figure like Mae or puff up like a pastry?
Not that it mattered. She wouldn’t be getting
pregnant until she got married. She’d have to get engaged for that to happen, and one dinner with Kyle didn’t quite constitute a commitment. And the revelation of the supposed “soft spot” set a whole new set of wheels spinning.
Callie leaned over and brushed some missed crumbs from Mae’s leg. “I hope you have a boy. Charlie could use some support at home.”
“I agree. Now, back to this depressing, wonderful date. What happened?”
“First, answer my question. What does it mean to have a soft spot for someone?”
Mae shrugged. “I guess it means someone likes you but in some sort of different way. I told you, it depends on the person. My dad has a soft spot for you, but you’re like another daughter. Why? What does this have to do with your date?”
A breeze swirled the air. It stirred the fire, blowing smoke and ash in Callie’s face. She closed her eyes against the burst of heat and listened to the logs crackle and pop.
So, possibly, Ryan liked her but in a different way. That didn’t resolve anything. He could have a soft spot for her, like she was his sister. Ugh.
When Callie opened her eyes, Mae was watching her marshmallow rotate over a flickering flame. “I can still see you,” Mae said, never taking her eyes off the marshmallow. “I’m a mom. I don’t have to be looking at you to know what you’re doing.”
“Wow.” Callie snapped off a piece of chocolate bar and slid it into her mouth. “Do your kids ever get away with anything?”
“All the time. That’s why I lie about seeing everything. Now tell me what’s going on.”
“Kyle told me that Ryan has a soft spot for me.”
“What?” Mae turned so fast she nearly whacked Callie with a flaming marshmallow. Callie blew it out and pushed the stick back toward Mae.
“He said Ryan has a soft spot.”
Mae’s face scrunched up. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I asked you.”
Mae tugged the charred puff off the stick and ate it.
Callie gagged.
“That could mean anything, Cal.”
“I know, Mae.”
Callie reloaded the stick. She’d been counting on Mae for some help, but her sugar-crazy, hormonal excuse for a best friend just sat there staring at the fire while she nibbled on a cracker.
Callie sighed. They sat together in relative silence. No chatter. No traffic. Just croaking and chirping and crackling.
She ignored her conflicting emotions long enough to perfectly roast her marshmallow. At precisely the right moment, she pulled back a light brown, crispy masterpiece. The toasted exterior crunched when she squeezed, and the sticky interior stretched when she pulled. She blew on it twice, then popped the piece of perfection into her mouth. Sweetness and smoke melted on her tongue.
Mae cleared her throat.
“What?”
“Okay, I get why the whole soft spot thing is confusing, but what about dinner with Kyle? Can we focus on that for a second?”
Callie smiled. “I told you, it was wonderful.”
“Be more specific. Was the food wonderful, or was it the conversation, or was there good music?” Mae leaned back, stretching her legs and rubbing her belly. “You know, I don’t get to go out on many dates anymore. The smell of something usually makes me sick. You’re my avatar. Tell me all about it.”
“He took me to the Kitchen. We had an exotic cheese tray, salads, I ordered the filet, and a chocolate lava cake.”
“Mmmmm.” Mae closed her eyes. “Go on.”
“He told me about his job at the resort. Apparently, they’re creating a new marketing campaign, which is why he’s been working late and had to cancel the other night. He still sails in the summer and skies in the winter. I told him about school and my job here—”
“Skip to the part about the soft spot.”
Callie’s pulse quickened. “Did you know Ryan and Jack threatened Kyle after we started dating?”
Mae laughed. “No, but it doesn’t surprise me.”
“Apparently, they attacked him after our first date. I was so embarrassed when he told me.” The heat returned to Callie’s cheeks as she remembered the conversation. “I can imagine Jack doing that, but when I said Ryan didn’t have a reason to say anything, Kyle said Ryan had a soft spot for me. So, tell me what that means?”
Callie leaned back, mimicking Mae’s stance. Callie hoped Mae was getting some type of deep revelation because Callie didn’t have anything, other than ash in her hair.
“Are you interested in Ryan?”
“As in … dating?”
“Yes.”
Callie shivered. She’d never seriously considered dating Ryan, the same way she’d never seriously considered owning a unicorn. “I’ve never really thought about it,” she said. “We had a lot of fun Sunday—”
“What?” Mae popped up like a whack-a-mole. “You went out with Ryan on Sunday?”
“Not really. Jack had some stuff to do after church, so we waited around to give him a ride home.”
“Where did you wait?”
“We had lunch, went on a walk, talked a lot. It was no big deal.”
Mae squealed. “Pretty much what you did last night.”
Callie’s core temperature spiked. The similarities hadn’t escaped her attention.
“Wow. You’ve been here less than a week and already scored two dates. Looks like you’re on the good end of feast or famine.”
“You’d think.”
“Is that what this is about?” Mae reached over and clamped her hand on Callie’s arm. “Are you upset because you and Ryan went out?”
“No, Mae, I’m not.” Callie leaned toward Mae. “And please keep your voice down,” she whispered. “Ryan is inside, and I really don’t need him overhearing your guesses.”
“I’m not guessing.” Mae whispered loud enough for the fish to hear. “I’m just figuring this out. You had fun last night, but you feel bad because you went out with Ryan too.”
“No, and I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”
“Callie, there’s nothing to worry about. You’re not committed to either of them.”
“Please.” Callie snagged Mae’s hand and pressed it between hers. “Not now.”
“I just don’t think you need to worry. Kyle’s not going to care that you had lunch with Ryan. It’s not a big deal.”
“I know it’s not, but what is a big deal is the fact that I had just as much fun with Ryan as I did with Kyle, and I wouldn’t mind doing it again. I cannot be thinking like that if I’m here to fix things with Kyle.”
Callie let Mae stare at her while her heart thundered in her chest. There. She’d said it. She liked hanging out with Ryan. She even compared it to her dinner with Kyle. She silently prayed to God that no one was lurking around the lighthouse listening to their conversation.
“Would it be a bad thing to have a few dates with Ryan?” Mae finally asked.
“That’s not the point. Entirely.” Callie hopped up. “Ryan has always been a friend. He’s like a brother. We’ve never thought of each other that way.” She grabbed a large stick from the ground and started poking the firewood. Maybe the heat would hide her blushing.
“Just because you haven’t thought of it before doesn’t mean you can’t start thinking about it now.”
Callie’s heart thumped wildly. She had been thinking about it, but she didn’t want to think about it. It didn’t fit into her plan. She’d already figured out how the summer should go, and she hadn’t planned on Ryan. Callie turned back to her friend for help. “What am I supposed to do?”
Mae scooted herself forward, twisting a little as she adjusted her footing, then pushed up on the chair arms. With a hearty grunt, she plopped back into the Adirondack chair. “A little help.” She waved her hands in front of her.
Callie laughed but grabbed Mae’s sticky hands and planted her feet. Mae groaned. Then she was up.
“Whew.” She leaned over and snatched up the bag of marshmallows. “Everything takes so much effort these days.” Two sugar puffs disappeared in her mouth. “Anyway, I don’t see why you can’t just see what happens. Why do you need to have everything planned out and ready? Just enjoy the summer.”
“I know. I need to let go. Let God.”
“Oh good, you remembered. After having these conversations for the past fifteen years, I’m glad I don’t have to repeat everything.”
Callie grabbed the rest of the s’mores ingredients and headed toward the house. “Do we really keep having this same conversation?”
“Only every time you come up with the next great master plan.” Mae waddled up beside Callie and pointed back over their shoulders. “Shouldn’t you do something about the fire?”
“It’ll be fine. It won’t take us long to put this stuff inside and strap you into your car.”
Mae snorted. “That’s what you think. You’d think they could create a car seat for the pregnant woman. Nothing about driving is comfortable for me right now. I think my arms have shrunk.”
Callie chuckled. “Want me to drive you home?”
“No way. I’m driving ten under the speed limit these days just so I can have a few moments of silence before facing the girls again. I swear, those two are determined to kill themselves.”
They reached the deck, and Mae handed Callie the marshmallows. “I’m not going up any stairs that I don’t have to. I’ll just wait here.”
Callie rushed into the kitchen and dropped everything on the counter. She heard movement in the other room, but she went outside.
Mae was already at her car, lowering herself into the gray bucket seat. The gravel driveway grated beneath her feet until she finally dropped onto the leather. “Okay, now let’s review this before I leave. You had a great time with Kyle.”
Callie closed the car door. “Yes.”
“You had a great time with Ryan.”
“Yes.”
“It is impossible to perfectly plan out your future, so you will stop trying to control and understand everything.”