“It’s all good,” Callie said by way of greeting. “A bit of a weird conversation, but I think she got it.” It was one step at a time. If she could do this, maybe she’d be able to handle her fear of the day when Tim Beckett and his buddy Matt Weller were released from prison. It seemed only fair that they should leave town, not her and Rebecca.
“Is anybody hungry?”
Rebecca got up and embraced her. “I should have come with you.”
“No. It was good that way.”
She’d handled herself well enough, except for getting defensive when the subject of the conversation was her new love. Callie wondered about the exact content of the emails her brother and Nicole had exchanged. She wasn’t well-known enough that Nicole could have gotten the story somewhere online. It wasn’t like Rebecca radiated “straight” to everyone who met her, so in all likelihood, somebody had told Nicole some of the background. It came to no surprise that she would use that information.
Callie knew her lingering unease wasn’t rational. Rebecca was divorcing her husband. She had left her home of sixteen years for Callie. She agreed that Dina live with David and his new girlfriend. Neither of those decisions had been made lightly. Callie was aware of her own fear of abandonment, and Nicole was aware of it too.
“Okay.” Rebecca held her gaze, her serious expression turning into a smile unwittingly. Even after all the time they had spent together, sometimes there were still moments when the emotion seemed too much to put into words. Like now when Rebecca gave her that look like she meant the world to her. She’d still get a little shy when she realized what she was doing, turning her eyes away.
“I don’t feel like going downstairs actually. How about we go for pizza somewhere?”
“Oh yes, please!” Dina had taken off her headphones. The Lady Gaga song was still playing at full blast, but the word “pizza” had obviously gained her attention.
“We never go with Tomaso, and Erin, I mean, because Tomaso says it’s not as good…”
“Sounds like a picky young man,” Rebecca said dryly.
“He’s got good taste,” Dina said with an enigmatic smile. “Did you ask Callie about Italy?”
“No, she didn’t. What about Italy?”
“Let’s find a place to eat first, or we’ll never get out of here.”
When they finally left the hotel, Callie thought that the day hadn’t been so bad after all. It was coming together, the new life. She smiled at their reflection in the window. The image showed her an ordinary family.
Italy remained a subject during dinner. Tomaso, while overtly picky when it came to pizza, knew a lot about the culture of his country. He had gotten Dina intrigued. When they came to New York for the vacation, she had seemed to like the museum visits okay, but now she was talking about wanting to see the Florence Cathedral, Rome and the Vatican.
“If Tomaso can come here for a year, maybe it’s possible the other way too?”
“I’m sure it’s possible,” Rebecca said with a slight frown. “He must have studied English, though, and you don’t speak Italian.”
“I can learn,” Dina insisted. “I could take intensive classes, and prepare for a year.”
Callie shared a smile with Rebecca. It eased both their minds that Dina wasn’t planning to go tomorrow.
“I wanted to go to Italy when I was a little older than you,” she said. “Sadly, my car broke down the same year and that was that.”
“Oh, that sucks,” Dina said emphatically. “You do have the money now…?”
“It’s true. I guess it’s just not on top of the list at the moment. Nevertheless, I hope it will come true for you. We can try to figure all of this out once we’re home.”
“You’d help me with that?”
“Of course.”
“That’s so awesome, thank you! I think I want to study art and history. There’s so much to discover. Tomaso says he’d show me around.”
Callie looked at the young girl sitting across from her and wondered if Rebecca was seeing the same things. She wore carefully applied makeup, and there was a sparkle in her eyes. Art and history wasn’t all that Dina associated with Tomaso. It was probably a good thing to put some more miles between them soon.
Chapter Four
Both Callie and Dina were subdued when they arrived at the airport. Rebecca didn’t share the sentiment at all, not even when it was announced on the display of departures that their flight would be forty minutes delayed due to the weather. She was looking forward to going home. Autumn Leaves had been her home for nearly seventeen years now, something that hadn’t changed when all else had. She had moved, but only across the street from where she’d lived with David and the girls. She still went to the same grocery store, the same hairdresser, and the same restaurants. The comfort of familiarity mattered.
They got coffee, a hot chocolate for Dina, and pastry, and then settled in the waiting area. Being on the other side of the security line gave Rebecca a good feeling, even more so when Callie checked her cell phone. Maybe it had been the right decision to meet Nicole one more time. Rebecca still secretly thought Callie shouldn’t have given her the time of day. Then again, she had no personal knowledge of the works of an abusive relationship.
There had been some difficult times in the transition of her divorce. David had been angry and hurt, but he wasn’t mean. It was a whole different world. If cutting ties with Nicole in person was empowering for Callie in any way, it was worth it.
“Asha wishes us a good flight. You know, she really likes you. I’m afraid she still thinks you’re hot.” With regard to Dina’s presence, Callie lowered her voice to a whisper. Rebecca chuckled self-consciously.
“She wrote that in the text?”
“No. Believe me though, I can tell.”
“She’s not calling me names anymore. That’s improvement.”
It wasn’t that they needed anybody’s blessing, but the fact that Asha genuinely cared for Callie had improved Rebecca’s opinion of her. To know she just wanted to be friends now, helped. Rebecca wasn’t so sure about Nicole.
The delay had increased to a nerve-wracking two hours when they finally got on the plane. The weather conditions had improved, but Rebecca remembered what Roz had told her. As long as they made it home safely, she didn’t care about the late winter. If anything, it made the world seem more safe and peaceful, on the ground at least.
The plastic cup holding her coffee shook slightly. Rebecca wanted to check on Dina, but the moment she opened her seat belt, a flight attendant appeared.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, please stay seated. We’re going through some turbulence.”
“You don’t say,” Callie murmured, but her grip on Rebecca’s hand was firm, almost painful.
“My daughter’s four rows behind us. Could you please ask her if she’s okay? Her name is Dina. She’s wearing a red sweatshirt.”
“No problem.”
“Thank you.”
Rebecca leaned back in her seat, trying to relax herself by imagining what they would do with the rest of the day once home. They’d probably get dinner on the way home since there wasn’t anything in the fridge, light a fire in the fireplace. Make it an early night.
“Makes me think twice about Italy,” Callie said miserably. “Imagine all those hours on the plane.”
“Dina seemed serious about it.”
“I think she has a serious crush on art, history, and Tomaso.”
“Yeah.” Rebecca sighed. “I’m not ready.”
“I don’t think any parent ever is. Not that I know a lot about that…”
“You’re right on the spot, actually. What the hell am I going to do once she’s becoming interested in boys at school?”
Callie remained silent, a reminder that Rebecca might not even learn about it once it happened.
“I’ll have to give her The Talk, right?”
“Rebecca. Dina kept the pregnancy test for her friend. I’m sure she knows a thing or two about c
ontraception already. It’s not going to be as painful as you fear.”
You have no idea, Rebecca thought. She’s my baby. She’s not supposed to think about contraception, not yet. She might have to talk to David about these things. Rebecca wasn’t looking forward to it, but this wasn’t about her and her feelings.
The plane shook again.
“Ma’am?” the flight attendant asked as she came by on her way back. “Your daughter’s asleep. Would you like another coffee?”
* * * *
The snow had painted Autumn Leaves into a dream landscape once again. Due to the delayed flight, they had arrived at the airport much later, so when they finally got home, it was late in the evening. They had stopped by an all-night diner on the way, but neither of them was very hungry.
On the front porch, Callie turned to look at the dark house across the street. The For Sale sign she knew to be there was now covered in snow. Rebecca had followed her gaze, but she didn’t say anything, just unlocked the front door to let them inside. In the short time they’d been outside, snowflakes stuck wetly to their coats.
Dina, who had slept for the more turbulent part of their trip, hugged Rebecca, and to her surprise, Callie.
“It was great. Thanks for letting me come.” She disappeared into Maggie’s room then. Callie was grateful this room came with a small bathroom of its own. Two rooms, one bathroom, even in a higher-priced hotel, was not enough privacy in the long run. Of course, at the moment, she couldn’t think of anything else but falling into a deep and heavy sleep.
“What do you say we take it easy tomorrow? Go get Maggie, do some laundry?”
“Sounds like an idea.” Rebecca had driven the last part, and now she seemed asleep on her feet.
“Okay. You can take the shower first. I don’t know for how much longer you’ll be able to keep your eyes open.”
She leaned in to touch her lips against Rebecca’s.
Rebecca kissed her back with surprising passion, and a few moments ticked by before she actually opened the door to the bathroom.
“Hmm, maybe you’re not so tired after all…?”
Rebecca turned to give her one of those shy smiles, and Callie thought that they might not sleep right away.
The curtains remained open, the snow giving the room a warm, soft glow. It wasn’t until then that Callie realized how nervous this trip had made her, by proxy, and for her own reasons. She’d come back with a trophy, a revised contract, and the knowledge that Nicole wouldn’t bother her anymore.
Callie had taken a quick shower herself, glad about the new haircut because it made her spend a lot less time in the bathroom. She shivered a little in the tiny negligee, but the waterbed’s heating device would make her warm and comfortable in no time. More than that, Rebecca’s gaze on her made the chill flee rapidly.
“So,” she said. “Early night. Get some sleep, right?”
“You just put that on because it’s so comfortable.”
“No,” Callie said. “Because I had hoped it would make you really hot.”
She pulled back the sheets before she climbed in next to Rebecca, straddling her. “Did it work? You tell me.”
“Guess,” Rebecca whispered and pulled her down for a kiss. Callie moved her hand underneath the tank top she was wearing, the shiver now caused by entirely different sensations, like the pleasure of warm skin under her fingers. They shared long, slow kisses, not in a hurry, letting the heat build. Callie couldn’t help the feeling of triumph, just a tiny bit. It hadn’t been her intention to steal this kind, beautiful woman from her husband and family. If that had happened in the process, she was sorry. Kind of.
The room was silent except for their breathing and the rustle of fabric. Rebecca’s hands ran down her back, attempting to pull up the nightgown with moderate success. Her movements stilled when Callie gently parted her thighs and brushed her fingers over the soft skin and underneath the fabric of her slip. Her touch turned Rebecca’s next breath into a whimper. Her fingers slid, massaged, keeping a light rhythm.
“Please.” She raised her hips slightly, but Callie didn’t need the extra hint. She loved it when Rebecca’s voice dropped to that low, needy whisper. She would have done anything. As it was, it only took the slow gentle invasion of her body to take Rebecca over the edge. She trembled with the pleasure as Callie held her close.
They stayed in each other’s embrace for several minutes until Rebecca began to place a string of kisses all over Callie’s body, scooting further down as she went.
“You’re tired,” Callie said, about to suggest that they’d just go to sleep.
“Not that tired.” Rebecca gave her an amused smile, then she got comfortable. Callie didn’t protest anymore, because she was running out of breath.
She had been on the verge of falling asleep, about to slide into pleasant dreams in which the sensations of Rebecca making love to her lingered. The cell phone vibrating on the nightstand cut through that relaxed state. With a quiet curse, Callie went to turn off the sound.
Thank you for meeting me. I’ve learned a lot of things in the past months, but what’s most important to me now, I wish that things were different. I still miss you, Callie. I just wanted to be honest about it. Love, N.
Callie deleted the message and turned off her phone. Sleep didn’t come as easily as she’d hoped.
* * * *
Rebecca was relieved she hadn’t succumbed to temptation and hacked into Dina’s Facebook page. Now that she and the picky Italian boy lived many miles apart again, she wasn’t that worried anymore. A crush with someone real, lived on the internet only, wouldn’t get her into too much trouble. At least they saw the boy and knew he was really Dina’s age. The opportunity for Rebecca was past anyway. If she tried now, Dina would probably get a message that somebody from outside her location tried to log in—damn the social networks for keeping worried parents out. She was going to take David aside and talk about a game plan here. Rebecca made a face as she imagined that conversation with Dina, covering all the worrisome subjects, sex, drugs, alcohol, and the dangers of revealing too much of yourself on the internet. It sounded exhausting even in theory.
At the moment, Dina seemed more interested in future career prospects. If that was all the doing of a little romance, Rebecca certainly couldn’t complain.
The drive out to David’s lasted longer than planned, so they arrived in the early afternoon rather than the intended noon.
“I just made a fresh batch of coffee, and there are cookies. Please, sit down for a while until the girls have their things sorted out.” Susan always seemed a bit nervous around Rebecca. “I hear you won a prize for your series. Congrats,” she said to Callie.
“I knew it,” Maggie said with a brilliant smile, but she soon went back to being subdued. Rebecca wondered if she had nightmares on her own, again. She never complained, but the traveling back and forth was probably harder on her than it was on Dina.
The phone rang and David got up to get it. Susan smiled awkwardly. Everyone was polite with each other, always, but each of them would need a lot more time for this situation to feel normal. Rebecca wasn’t ready to share cookie recipes yet. It was out of habit that she strained to listen, though the conversation taking place was probably none of her business.
David came back into the living room a few minutes later, his expression irritated.
“It looks like I’m going to drive out to Autumn Leaves as well.”
Susan pressed her lips together and studied her feet.
“Craig is having a rough time.” His gaze met Rebecca’s briefly as if he expected her to criticize him. “He’s my brother. I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”
“Sure. I didn’t say anything.”
“I need to get going,” David said. “Don’t rush. By all means, finish your coffee.”
Rebecca wondered if Susan had met her possible future brother-in-law yet. She couldn’t quite muster so much sympathy for Craig Lowman herself. Granted, he was
grieving, but most of the trouble he was in now, he brought on himself.
At the door, David turned.
“Rebecca, I forgot earlier, there’s someone coming to look at the house in two days. I thought you might want to come since they are going to be your neighbors.”
She hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. The thought of strangers moving into these rooms caused a twinge of sadness. Closure would probably take a little while longer.
“No problem,” she said. “I’ll be there.”
* * * *
The temperature stayed low, the air crisp and clear. Rebecca had gone to meet the owners of the restaurant to discuss her ideas while Maggie had sat in her room to do homework. Callie secretly hoped that her help wouldn’t be needed as it looked suspiciously like math.
She had spread out piles of notes on the coffee table, all regarding the earlier volumes of the Heart Fever series. Then there were a few stand-alone children’s stories, some ideas that never went anywhere. Asha had backed her up for most of the time, but Callie had also learned in the past year that she wasn’t fond of too many experiments.
Callie wanted something new, something that would credit all the changes in her life. She had written the first of the Heart Fever series six years ago and then all through her own more or less successful relationships, Asha, Nicole. If she’d made a new start, a commitment, her writing should reflect that too. Maybe it was something Maggie could help her with, not the other way around.
The doorbell rang, and she heard Maggie get up to answer. She could take some time to distract the girl from her homework and interview her. Maggie went to a weekly group called Little Book Club. With the girls growing older, most of them weren’t that little any longer, but all of them liked to read and so they had stayed together. It would be interesting to hear what this generation needed from their fictional heroes.
“Callie? There’s someone for you,” Maggie said, hesitating, as if she didn’t know if it had been okay to let the visitor in. As Callie looked up at them, she rather wished Maggie hadn’t.
“Oh no,” she said out loud. “This isn’t happening.”
Winter Storm Page 6