by L. C. Morgan
“You sure? Maybe just some dessert for the road then. Hailey here baked cookies. Go grab one and you can go.” Tara stood there staring at me while Cris jutted her thumb toward the kitchen. “Go on, then.”
Giving me one last blank look, Tara headed into the kitchen and came back out with a cookie in hand. She stuck it in her mouth to put on her coat then pulled it out and waved with it as she shut the door behind her.
“I tell ya, I don’t know where that girl gets her energy to take such good care of him. I never see her eat,” Cris said.
Grandma laughed. “She weighs about a buck nothing, and that’s mostly up top.”
“Ma.”
“It’s a wonder she doesn’t tip over.”
Everyone in the room laughed except Coll, Cris, and me. A strong wave of anxiety washed over my body, like it was being attacked personally. I barely heard anything else but my heartbeat until Cris plopped down next to me on the couch.
“So, Hailey. Tell me about yourself. What is it you do for a living?” she asked, trying her best to change the subject.
Wiping my mouth, I finally swallowed the piece of chicken I’d been chewing. “I’m a teacher at Clallam Elementary.”
“Oh, nice. You know, the boys’ father was a teacher.” I raised my eyebrows at that interesting piece of information. “He was a professor at the University. What grade do you teach?”
“First.”
“Mmhm. Mmhm.” Cris chewed as she hummed. “And do you love it?”
“Uh …” I weighed how to explain this. “It definitely has its moments.”
“I bet it does. Playing around with those kids all day, it probably makes you want some little ones of your own, huh?”
I popped another piece of chicken in my mouth and smiled, not really wanting to get into how I truly felt about the subject of kids when everybody else’s were running rampant around the house.
“So are you from around here? Would I know your family?”
It went on like this for what felt like forever. Cris peppered me with question after question, asking about everything from family life to what cleaner I used to scrub the kitchen counters. There wasn’t much everyone didn’t know about me by the end of the evening. I was finally able to relax once Coll leaned over to talk into my ear.
“You ready to go?”
Glancing around the room, I turned my head and we nearly bumped noses. “Yeah,” I said and looked away. “If you are.”
The warmth of his hand seeped through my jeans when he placed it on my knee, using it as leverage to get up. He held out his hand and I took it to stand, my chest warming when he kept a tight grip.
“Oh, you guys leaving? So soon?” Cris asked as she stood.
“Yeah. Hailey’s got class tomorrow and I gotta get some sleep.”
Cris smiled. “You always did need your sleep.” She reached up to tousle his hair, but he turned away. A hint of hurt creased her brow, but she hid it well and walked us to the door to thank us for coming and wish us a good night.
Coll didn’t drop my hand until we reached the truck. I stepped over the cookie Tara had dropped on her way out then climbed in beside Coll, where we sat in silence for a moment before finally taking off.
“Your mom seems nice.” I attempted to make small talk to try and eradicate all the awkwardness.
“Mmhm.”
It didn’t work.
“And your brothers …”
Keeping his eyes on the road, he nodded.
“So your grandma is a real firecracker, huh?”
Coll huffed an embarrassed laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Is she actually your grandma or ...”
“Technically, she’s Russell and Cade’s, but she’s always been like family to me.”
I smiled at his profile then down at his hands gripping the steering wheel. “And the man upstairs. That’s your dad?”
“Stepdad,” he quickly corrected. “My mom calls Russ’ dad our dad. But he didn’t come into the picture ‘til I was nine.”
“Still, that’s pretty young. He never felt like a father to you?”
“No, not really.” It seemed he wanted to say more on the matter, but changed his mind. “It’s just easier to let her think he did.”
I could feel his discomfort, so I dropped the subject, taking his cue to ride the rest of the way in silence. I remained hopeful he’d open up to me in his own time like he had in the letters. I knew there was more to his story. Most likely, one I didn’t want to hear, but needed to.
Chapter Eleven
“So, the blonde’s the old man’s caretaker, huh? You think she was one of his students? Maybe they got it on. Maybe they still do up in that room. Eww …”
I stared off into space as Amber yammered on and on. The longer I stayed on the phone with her the more I wished I had kept my mouth shut.
“Oh God. What if she got it on with both of them? Talk about some father-son bonding.”
“Shut up, Amber. Before I puke.” That wasn’t something I even wanted to think about, let alone hear said out loud.
“I’m just saying.”
“Well, stop just saying or I’m hanging up and never telling you anything ever again.” I probably shouldn’t have told her anything in the first place, but I had to talk to somebody. Talking to Coll was out of the question. After dinner at his mom’s house, he seemed a little distant. Grumpy actually. He was so sleep-deprived I didn’t hear from him for two days. Until yesterday, when I found him waiting for me after work. We agreed to meet up tonight since I had papers to grade the night before. It wasn’t that I couldn’t make the time for him then or whenever he chose to come around. I wanted to. I just wasn’t sure if I should.
Amber yeah-yeahed me and we said our goodbyes so I could get back to dinner. I was making homemade pizza. I thought it only fitting since in his last letter, Coll mentioned it was his favorite. Not what kind or what toppings he liked on it. Just pizza. I figured since he was a man, meatlover’s was the way to go.
I had just stuck it in the oven and was wiping the dough off my hands when there was a knock at the door. It was a little early for Coll to be there, but I still expected it to be him on the other side. I was surprised when I found Sonia.
“Hey, what’s up? Everything okay?” I asked, noticing the tear stains from under her sunglasses. Stepping aside, I let her in.
She stood in the middle of the living room and propped the glasses on the top of her head then put her hands on her hips. “Well, I did it.”
“Did what?”
“It. What we talked about.”
“You called off the wedding?”
“I called off the wedding.” Stepping up to the couch, she turned to face me. An “oh God” whooshed out of her mouth as she sat and stuck her head between her legs.
I hurried over and sat beside her, placing my hand on her back, trying to make out her mumbles from down below.
“They’re gonna be so pissed.”
“Who’s gonna be pissed?”
“Everyone. My mom. The girls. You. You’ve all already paid for your dresses. My mom’s made the down-payments. All nonrefundable. And the cranes.” Looking up at me, she brushed the hair out of her face. “So many cranes.” Her face scrunched and she dropped her head back between her legs.
Rubbing her back, I briefly mourned time lost and all the papercuts suffered for no reason. I couldn’t blame her. I never would. At least I had a trade now. If this teaching business didn’t work out, I could always just fold birds out of the trash I dug out of dumpsters for a living. That was the kind of thing that went viral.
“First of all, stop stressing about the dresses. They’re cute and functional and can be worn anywhere,” I assured her. “We’ll just have to come up with a schedule of where and when we can wear them so none of us end up being seen around town in the same outfit.” Sonia snorted and wiped her nose. “And hey, isn’t it better your mom lose some money than watch her only daughter pay
with her own happiness?”
“Have you met my mom?”
I patted her back in silence since I hadn’t, but had heard plenty.
“Okay well, anyway, don’t worry about the cranes. I was glad to do it. Would do it all over again in a heartbeat if you needed me to.”
Raising her head again, she rested her chin on her palm and tilted to face me. “Really?”
“Of course.” I smoothed the hair out of her eyes.
“Thanks, Hailey.” She sniffed. “That means a lot.”
The timer went off in the kitchen, and I handed her a tissue before heading in to finish up the pizza. I had just cut the last piece when there was another knock at the door.
“Expecting somebody?” Sonia asked as I passed by.
I shrugged in response before opening the door to a snug blue thermal and Coll’s somewhat smiling face.
“Hey.” I stepped outside, closing the door behind me. “So, there’s been a change of plans.”
“I can see that.” With a crease in his brow, he crossed his arms over his chest just as Sonia poked her head out the door.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Feigning ignorance, I shook my head. “No. Nothing.”
“‘Cause if I’m interrupting something, I can leave. It’s no big deal.”
“No, really. You’re not interrupting anything.”
Sonia gave me a look like she didn’t believe me then pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes before stepping out onto the porch. “Either way, I should go. I’ve got a lot of people to piss off today. Best get to it. You’ll be a doll and explain everything to Coll? Ha! That rhymed.” She took the steps without an answer and climbed in her car, honking as she drove off.
We stood there, watching after her until I blurted, “Sonia and Jason broke up. That’s what all that was about.”
“Oh …”
“Yeah … So, you wanna come in? I made pizza.”
“Yeah, I smelled the onions as soon as you opened the door.”
“Oh. Do you not like onion? Sorry. It’s just you didn’t say what kind you liked in your letter, so I had to guess. I only put them on half.”
He smiled once I finally shut up. “Onions are fine. I’m not picky.”
Nodding, I opened the door and gestured him inside. “Well then, after you.”
I could smell the onion when I stepped back inside and crinkled my nose. Like the wine Alyssa had sloshed all over the underside of the cushion, that stench was never going to come out.
“You can have a seat on the couch. I’ll make up a couple plates and we can watch a movie.”
He gave a single nod then tugged up on the legs of his jeans to sit.
I scratched an imaginary itch on the back of my head and then pointed at him. “You want water? Pop? A beer?” I’d picked up a six-pack just for him on my way home after school.
“A beer sounds good. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I hurried into the kitchen to fix up two plates and get a beer and a Diet Coke for me. He stood when I came back into the room with my hands full and helped me set everything down on the coffee table.
“Thanks.”
“I could have helped in there, ya know. You went out of your way to make me homemade pizza. The least I could do is carry it in here.”
“It was no trouble.”
“Still. Homemade pizza.”
“It’s really not that big of a deal.”
“No, it is,” he insisted. “To me, anyway.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Homemade meatlover’s and half onion is my favorite.”
I leaned over to nudge his shoulder then scooted back on the couch.
“Your letters were a pretty big deal, ya know?” I picked at the piece of pizza on my plate. “They were nice. I really enjoyed them.” Looked forward to them, actually. They made my whole day. The anticipation of the next made my whole month. I almost wanted him to leave again just so he’d open up more. What he wrote was revealing. Almost seemed to be soul-cleansing.
“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
“Of course not. Why would you say that?”
Leaning against the couch, he stretched his arm across the back and shrugged one shoulder. “Thought maybe I got a little too heavy for ya.”
“No. Not at all.” Not heavy enough, in my opinion. It just made me want to know more. “It’s next to impossible to scare me off.”
He smiled down at the plate in his lap and picked up a piece of pizza. “Good to know.”
After turning on the TV, I picked up my own piece and we ate in silence for a while. I wasn’t paying a bit of attention to the movie. I felt every movement and heard every noise Coll made from the other end of the couch. I could smell his cologne.
He’d put on cologne.
Was it just for me, or did he wear it everywhere he went? I couldn’t remember smelling it before. When he came home, he smelled like fish and sweat. His truck smelled like wet earth when I’d first climbed inside. But I could smell cologne tonight. And it smelled good.
When he finished what was on his plate, I paused the movie.
“You done or you want some more? There’s plenty left.”
“More would be good.”
Yes, it would.
I stood and reached for his plate and he stood as well.
“I can get it. Just lead the way.”
Grabbing his empty beer bottle, Coll followed me into the kitchen where he finally handed over the plate and I filled it with a couple more slices. I handed it back, and he sat it on the counter to cross his arms over his chest.
“Sorry ‘bout my mom the other day,” he said.
I looked at him, confused. “For what? She seemed great. Very …” I searched for the word.
“Pushy?”
“Welcoming.”
He huffed a laugh and uncrossed his arms to push his palms into the counter behind him. “If you say so.”
“I do.” I held his stare for a moment before looking down to load my own plate back up. “If I had a problem with anybody it would be Tara. She doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
“Tara doesn’t like anybody.”
“Including you?”
“Especially me.”
My stomach plummeted to the floor and I turned to face him. I didn’t know which was worse—her liking him or hating him. I guessed hating him since I pretty much knew what that meant. But then again, if she liked him that would have been bad, too.
“And why’s that?” I asked, figuring it wouldn’t hurt, then thinking better of it. “Nevermind. Don’t answer that. You want another?” I pointed to his empty beer bottle.
“Yeah. Another would be great.”
I grabbed another beer out of the fridge and handed it to him then headed into the living room. Coll followed close behind, passing by me to sit on the other end of the couch and I got another big whiff of his cologne. My eyes practically rolled into the back of my head, and I shoved a piece of pizza into my mouth to keep from biting him.
Once he was settled, we resumed the movie. I had an even harder time getting into it than my skinny jeans. All I could think about was Coll and Tara. Coll and Tara and his dad. Damn Amber.
“Something on your mind?”
I looked over at him and then turned down the volume. “Not really.”
Liar.
“I’ve just seen this a million times, and thought we could maybe do something different.”
“Okay.” His beer bottle hissed when he twisted the lid. “Like what?”
Turning to face him, I pulled my feet up onto the couch. “Like, I ask you a bunch of questions and you answer them.”
“Oh, you mean the get to know you game.”
“Exactly.”
“Like what you do on dates.”
I tried to keep my eyebrows from jumping up to my hairline. But from the feeling on my forehead, I failed miserably.
“
I guess so. If you want to call it that.” My heart fluttered up into my throat. “Do you want to call it that?”
Coll took a swig of his beer and then lowered the bottle from his lips to rest it on his thigh. “What else would you call it?” he asked as he thumbed a loosened corner of the label.
Maybe he was just as nervous as I was. Or maybe just a little bit more. No matter how hard I stared at him, he wouldn’t look up.
“Okay. So, we’re in agreement. This is a date and we’re going to play the get to know you game. Ready for the first question? Well, the first real question?”
“Shoot.”
“Okay. Let’s see. Ah, I know. What’s your favorite holiday?”
Taking a bite out of his pizza, he talked out of the side of his mouth. “Thanksgiving.”
“Because of the food?”
“Yep. You?”
“Christmas, because well, it’s Christmas. Roller coasters, love or hate?”
Tossing the piece of pizza down on the plate, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Wouldn’t know since I’ve never been on one.”
“Really? You’re serious? You’ve never been on a coaster?”
“Nope.”
I squinted my eyes at him. “Nope, you really have, or you really haven’t? Which is it?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you like to mess with me,” I said, and Coll smiled down at his lap.
“True. And no. I’ve never been on a coaster. But I’m guessing you have and you love them. Yeah?”
I scoffed. “Uh, yeah. They’re pretty much the best thing ever.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.”
“Oh, do you now?”
He took a swig then let out a loud belch. “Yep.”
“Gross.” I nudged him in the side of his leg with my toes. “Well, let’s hear it. What’s the best thing ever?” I asked, full on expecting him to say something like sex, but he didn’t. His answer still didn’t surprise me.
“Cookies. They’re the best thing ever.”
“Mmhm. Is this you telling me you want cookies? Is that what you’re trying to say? ‘Cause if you want cookies, all you have to do is ask,” I said, then stuck my foot in his face. “And kiss the dirty bottom of my foot, of course.”