by Avery Ford
Today, he hoped for something that would occupy his mind and made him forget the fight from yesterday. The cruel twist of Caleb’s words still corkscrewed their way beneath his skin. Henry knew he was lashing out and that he didn’t mean it, but it didn’t make what he said hurt any less.
Henry fitted the key to Rustic Treasures into the lock and let himself in. “Norman?” he called out as he closed and locked the door behind him. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Henry!” Norman called from the back room. “Ready for another invigorating day of sales?”
“Am I ever,” Henry replied. He headed to the back room to find Norman counting the till. Henry set his duffle bag by the door and watched Norman count change. The sound of coins sliding across the table and the clack of metal on plastic as Norman fed them back into the till filled the silence. When at last he was done, Norman looked up.
“I didn’t realize counting was a spectator sport,” he jabbed in good humor.
Henry blushed. “I wasn’t sure what you needed from me this morning, but I didn’t want to interrupt you since you were counting. I know how frustrating it can be to be torn away from your thoughts mid-count.”
“Mm, well, I’m done now.” Norman stood and lifted the till. He walked past Henry and directly to the register. The plastic till slid into the drawer, and he closed it up. “So, you need something to do today?”
“Yes, I—” Henry’s phone started to ring. He looked at his pocket, then up at Norman. When he was on the job, he never took phone calls.
“Answer it,” Norman prompted him. “I know you’re waiting for some important calls. I wouldn’t want to make you miss something potentially life-changing.”
“Thanks,” Henry said softly. He took his phone from his pocket. The number on the screen was unfamiliar, and his hope swelled. He answered the call. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Mr. Weston?”
“This is he.” Henry leaned against the counter, heart racing. It sounded like Lauren from Symestic Enterprises.
“Hello Mr. Weston. This is Lauren from Symestic Enterprises calling, following up with the interview you had here a few days earlier. We’d be thrilled to offer you the position as discussed.”
Henry’s heart leaped into his throat, and he grinned ear to ear. Norman smiled at him, reading his body language.
The position as discussed meant full benefits and a great salary. Not only that, but Symestic Enterprises had felt welcoming when Henry had gone in to interview. The people were nice, the atmosphere was quiet and relaxed, and it was located in beautiful downtown Ashford. He wanted to say yes, but he knew that doing so prematurely was an unwise decision.
“We’d like you to start within two weeks. Of course, we’d be willing to offer you a small stipend to help you with your move.”
“That’s very generous,” Henry said. “Would it be possible for me to get back to you with my answer by the end of the day?”
“Of course,” Lauren replied. “I understand it’s a very big decision. I’ll be waiting for your call. Have a great day, Mr. Weston. We hope to be working with you soon.”
The call ended. Henry took the phone from his ear and looked down at it. The call time read just over two minutes. Two minutes was all it took to change his life for good.
“I got the job,” Henry said, his voice low and awed against the quiet backdrop of the shop. “They want me to move there. They’ll help me pay for a relocation.”
“That’s fantastic news.” Norman clapped Henry on the back. “Congratulations. I take it to mean that this is your official declaration of resignation? You know I’d love to keep you forever, but I understand that there are greener pastures out there.”
“I… I don’t know,” Henry admitted weakly. As excited as he was to get the job offer, a large, vocal part of him shriveled up and shrieked at the idea of leaving Blue Mountain behind.
No.
It was the thought of leaving Caleb behind.
“I’m… you know how you said I had that look? The look your son had when he met his future wife?”
Norman raised a thick eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Well… you were right.” Henry rubbed at his cheek, too timid to look Norman in the face. He watched one of the antique radios instead. “I’m in love with, um, I’m in love with Caleb Anders, the guy who just came back to town.”
“So the two of you can move together, can’t you?” Norman asked.
“We’re um… we’re just casually seeing each other,” Henry said softly. “I don’t think he’d ever want to go with me. We’ve been having some problems, because of his disfigurement and his self-esteem, and it’s been hard. We’ve been fighting.”
Norman set his lips. “Does he know?”
“Know what?” Henry asked.
“Does he know that you love him?” Norman said. “You said you were casually seeing each other.”
“Oh.” Henry fidgeted with his phone. “No.”
“Then that’s your first step,” Norman declared. “I don’t think love solves anything, but honesty sure does. If you speak frankly about your emotions, then maybe he’ll be more inclined to speak about his, too. Then the two of you can make a decision about who you are, and from there you can make the choices you need to make.”
It sounded so simple, but finding the courage to admit that he loved Caleb to his face was going to be hard. Still, Henry nodded.
“That’s a good boy.” Norman patted him on the back once more. “Now there’s a collection of new antiques in the back we need to go through. Why don’t you start by dusting them all off and shining them up for me? Goodness knows, it might be the last time you’ll ever have to do it again.”
Caleb
Caleb opened the fridge. Every other day, Henry made a large meal he portioned into containers and refrigerated for easy lunches. Caleb was used to grabbing something at noon when he started to get hungry and popping it into the microwave. This time, when he opened the fridge, there was nothing there.
Henry had left before he’d made meals for the next few days, and they were lacking for groceries. Caleb frowned and squatted in front of the fridge to look at the lower shelves, but there was nothing of interest. A little bit of wilted lettuce and half a brick of cheese wasn’t going to make anything appetizing. The canned foods in the pantry didn’t appeal to him, either. Henry had spoiled him.
Caleb didn’t want to eat anything other than Henry’s cooking. Not today.
With a sigh, he stood up and closed the fridge. Restless, he paced between the pantry and the stove, trying to think of something he could throw together that would satisfy his hunger. Nothing came to mind.
He didn’t know when — or if — Henry was coming back. Caleb couldn’t blame him if he never came back again. The things Caleb had said were despicable, and he knew that he’d hurt Henry deeply. He was still upset with himself over it.
The things Henry had said before he left were true. He was wasting his life away moping about what he couldn’t change instead of looking for proactive ways to improve himself. There were jobs out there he could work. Hell, if he wanted back into the first responder business, he could still work in an administrative position. Stations across the country would kill for a man who knew the ins and outs of being a firefighter, and who could offer support to them in authentic and useful ways.
Caleb was wasting the rest of his life away anguishing over the past. His scars would never change. His vision might never return. He was letting go of the things he had control over in favor of clinging to the unchangeable.
It was time he stopped and reassessed his situation. Henry had given him the wakeup call he needed.
Caleb put on his boots and pulled on his coat. He pictured Henry scolding him about not wearing a scarf, so he put that on, too, carefully wrapping his face to shield his damaged skin from the cold. Once he was bundled, he headed outside and to Crossroads.
Nothing at home looked good to eat, but Mrs. Turner�
�s cooking was always mouth-watering.
Minutes after he entered through the front doors of Crossroads, Mrs. Turner swept out of the kitchen and zeroed in on his booth. She sat down opposite him, and Caleb stared. For as long as he’d known her, he’d never seen Mrs. Turner in a state of rest. She was always zipping one place to the next like a human hummingbird.
“Caleb, dear, it’s nice to see you again,” she declared. “I was beginning to think I’d done something to offend you.”
“Not at all,” Caleb said. He twisted his hands on his lap. “I came in to get something to eat. Guess I missed your cooking.”
“My cooking?” Mrs. Turner arched a brow in an accusatory manner. “Dear, I don’t think my cooking is the issue.”
What did she know? Caleb shifted his weight on the bench and tried to figure out if she was bluffing or not. Mrs. Turner had her finger on the pulse of the town’s gossip, but he didn’t think anyone knew about his fight with Henry.
“This morning,” Mrs. Turner continued, “a young man named Henry Weston came in here with a duffle bag and the saddest look on his face I think I’ve ever seen on someone of the male sex. I heard that the two of you have been living together. Did something happen?”
Caleb usually hated intrusive questions like those, but when they came from Mrs. Turner’s lips, he couldn’t bring himself to get angry. Wasn’t he determined to start his life over again and cling to the things that really mattered? Henry was definitely one of those things.
“Yes. We had a fight.”
“Must have been one hell of an argument,” Mrs. Turner said. “The poor guy looked like he was beside himself. Do you need to talk about it? I hate to see the two of you so torn up over something that might be fixable.”
“I was… really mean to him,” Caleb admitted. He dropped his gaze. “I was upset because I got bad news back from the doctor, and I took it out on him when I shouldn’t have. We’ve been seeing each other, and I think… I think maybe I’m starting to fall in love with him. I didn’t want him to be tied to someone like me, so I insulted him to make sure he’d leave and split us up for good. I thought it was for his own best interest.”
Mrs. Turner frowned and folded her arms upon the table. She leaned forward to fix Caleb with a heavy look. “Don’t you think that you should leave Henry’s choices up to Henry?” she asked. “I know that he’s young, but that boy’s been through a lot, and he’s matured substantially since he went away to college. Getting out from beneath his parents did him a world of good. As well-meaning as the Weston family is, they sheltered him and raised him to meet unrealistic expectations. Now it looks like he’s learned some life lessons and is finally coming into his own. Why don’t you trust him to choose what’s right for him?”
Caleb hesitated. “Because he seems so delicate.”
Mrs. Turner laughed. “Henry Weston survived a blow to the back of the head with a frying pan without seeking medical attention. That guy is made of steel. If you’re worried about damaging him on the inside, don’t. His whole life he’s been following the path others have laid out for him, whether that was his parents and their insistence he go off to college and get a business degree so he could take over his father’s corporation, or that scummy man he used to date. But right now? Henry is free. I saw him here this morning with a duffle bag. If he was so delicate, wouldn’t he have stayed after your fight?”
Caleb tried to process what she said. The Henry he knew was growing. There was no doubt he was shaping up to be a stronger person than he had been even just a few weeks ago.
“I love him,” Caleb whispered, afraid to say the words with any more volume. He didn’t care if people gossiped anymore, but he detested the thought of dragging Henry into the middle of it. “I love him so much, but I don’t want him to make another mistake. I’ve got debt I can never hope to pay back, and the rest of my life I’ll be in and out of the hospital. What kind of partner would I be?”
“The kind of partner I think Henry wants very much,” Mrs. Turner said. “Dear, it doesn’t matter what your health is like, or if you’re up to your eyeballs in hospital bills. All that Henry wants is you. It doesn’t matter if you have no money, or all the money in the world. The person inside is what makes you a fine partner, and your willingness to improve yourself and do what’s right will only amplify that.”
Caleb thought on it, wringing his hands together nervously. He’d been so quick to push Henry away, thinking that he knew best, but who was he to decide what was best for another person? Henry understood what he was getting into, and he’d known it from the start. Caleb wasn’t hiding anything from him. Henry knew his scars, his struggles, and his heart.
No one else in the world could say the same.
“What do I do?” Caleb asked. Sorrow weighed on his voice. After what he’d said to Henry, it was likely Henry would never forgive him. “I lashed out at him and hurt him badly. I don’t know if I can make things right.”
“I don’t know if you can make things right, either,” Mrs. Turner said. “The only person who knows that is Henry himself. You’ll find out if he’s interested in forgiving you by speaking with him. Be honest. Be understanding. Don’t try to overshadow his feelings, and don’t ever downplay what he feels, because what he feels is very real to him, even if you don’t understand it.”
“It sounds like you’re giving advice to newlyweds,” Caleb muttered. He couldn’t help but smile.
Mrs. Turner scrunched her lips together and looked at him from beneath her brow, expression hard. “Dear, the two of you are living together already. Don’t try to fool me. Henry didn’t look as sad as he did this morning because the two of you have been sleeping in separate beds and dancing around your first kiss. I’m an old woman. I know these things.”
Caleb’s cheeks burned bright red, and he stared at his lap. “It’s… um, well, it’s…”
“It’s fine.” Mrs. Turner waved a hand. “There are some people in this town who would crucify you for that, but who am I to judge? Lord knows I was young once, myself. It seems that so many people are willing to forget that we were all wild, fun-loving kids once. Let me tell you, having fun back then was just the same as it was now. But we romanticize the past.”
Caleb had nothing to say, so he nodded in agreement.
“So, in my eyes, the two of you might as well be newlyweds. You’re certainly bumbling around each other enough. My advice stands. Talk to him honestly. Listen to him. Make sure that he feels understood and doesn’t feel marginalized. When you hear what he has to say, make sure he understands where you’re coming from, then reach a solution that both of you feel comfortable with. That’s the best way forward.”
“Thank you.” Caleb looked her over. Not everyone in Blue Mountain was out to get him. “I guess now I just need to go find him and talk to him earnestly. I need to let him know that I’m willing to leave the past behind, if it means we might have a future together.”
“Very poetic, dear,” Mrs. Turner stood, and Caleb thought she was going to bolt. Instead, she hesitated by the table another second longer. “Oh, and for the love of everything holy, make sure you call Dakota Owens and sort out whatever spat you boys got into. That man has been moping around my diner like he’s a little lost puppy whose owner turned him out onto the streets. Tidy things up with him as well while you’re mending things with Henry. I hate to see any of you boys upset.”
Henry
Henry finished his shift at Rustic Treasures at two and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through town. He knew that he had to head back to the house and confront Caleb at some point, but he’d lost courage. Henry’s life was changing fast, and to think that in two weeks he might be settled in Ashford and starting fresh was as frightening as it was invigorating.
Henry didn’t know what to think.
He meandered through residential parts of town and momentarily thought about stopping by his parents’ house outside of city limits to tell his mother about the good news. U
ndoubtedly, his father was at work.
He decided it was a bad idea.
His mother would be proud he was starting to work at a reputable company for an impressive salary, but he had no doubt she’d find something else to criticize. In fact, he was sure of it and right now, Henry didn’t want to hear about his shortcomings or what she perceived to be his mistakes.
Especially if she was going to bring up the matter of Caleb.
The duffle bag on Henry’s shoulder was beginning to grow heavy. He frowned and shifted it to his other shoulder, then adjusted his course to head back toward town. Whether he confronted Caleb now or later, it wasn’t going to change how nervous he felt. Getting it over with sooner was preferable. Henry was afraid of the unknown, but once he knew for sure what Caleb thought, he could work on getting over it.
He was determined to move on no matter what their conversation revealed.
Henry arrived on the main strip, right at the back end. It was only a few more minutes before he’d reach home again. As determined as he was to get it over with, his feet weren’t quite as convinced. He dawdled, not consciously – but that slow pace was what allowed him to see the sign for the town’s tiny animal shelter out of the corner of his eye.
In passing, Caleb had mentioned that he’d found some dogs while out on his run. Henry wondered if they’d found their homes.
The question made him linger long enough in front of the building that he decided to go in. There was no harm in checking. Caleb hadn’t mentioned what type of dogs he’d found, or if they were the same age, but in a place as small as Blue Mountain, Henry was sure the staff inside would know what animals he was talking about. He hefted the duffle on his shoulder and headed inward. The door stuck in the jam as he pulled it open.
“Hello! Welcome to Blue Mountain Animal Shelter!” someone called from deeper inside the building as Caleb pulled the door back into place. He found himself in a small reception area with a hallway leading back through the building. The distant sound of dogs barking echoed through the place.