“Goodnight?” he finished for her, with a smile on his face that never really reached his eyes.
“Something like that.”
They were both silent after that. They sat on the swings, quietly passing the champagne bottle back and forth between them until it was empty. The moon disappeared behind a large thicket of clouds and the only noise they heard was the sound of crickets chirping in the night.
“You could stay here tonight,” he said, finally breaking the silence.
“I could,” she managed to choke out. “But it would only be harder for me in the morning. My parents are up at the house. I should probably go up there.”
He nodded without a word.
It took every bit of strength she could muster, but she got up from the swing and reached over, running a hand through his short black hair. “I meant it when I said you’re a good man, Trey Callahan.”
He pulled her toward him and let his head fall against her stomach. They stayed like that until she couldn’t take it anymore. Then she turned and forced herself to walk away.
24
Trey stared at the clock on the wall of his office. It was ten AM. He’d been sitting there at his desk for two hours now, staring into space. It seemed to him he’d been doing that a lot lately. Fortunately, things had been quiet in Callahan so nothing vital needed his attention
It had been fourteen days since Dusty and Faye’s wedding—two long weeks since Kylie had left.
He frowned, much as he did every time he thought about her. They hadn’t talked. Every time he picked up the phone, he set it back down again. What did he really have to say to her? That he was a coward for letting her go in the first place?
Irritated, he leaned back in his chair. Mamaw had set him straight on that subject. Faye had backed her up. She and Dusty had called from Hawaii the night before and she’d let him have it when she’d learned he’d let Kylie go. Trey had let her have her say. What was the point in arguing at this point? He knew she was right. He was a coward. He’d vowed to keep his distance from women, after what had happened with Shayna. That’s what he’d been doing all these years, until Kylie had come along.
Why in the hell had she changed everything for him?
He ran a hand over his face in frustration, wishing he could get her out of his head for good. He supposed sitting here alone, day in and day out, wasn’t the answer.
Hearing his phone ring, he grimaced. He wasn’t really in the mood for another lecture from Faye. Checking the caller ID, he saw it was Beau.
“Hey,” he finally answered.
“What’s up, bro?”
“Same old thing,” Trey answered, absently. “What’s new with you?”
“We won last night. It was a good game. Did you see?”
“I haven’t been watching a lot of television.” He instantly felt guilty. “But I’ll catch the game tonight. Where you playing?”
“California. I guess Faye was right.”
Trey rolled his eyes. “About what?”
“About you lolling around feeling sorry for yourself. What gives?”
“I don’t feel sorry for myself.”
“I’m just quoting Faye.”
“Well quit quoting her. I’ve heard enough out of her for a while.”
“She can be overbearing,” Beau agreed. “So we’ve got a good line-up the next couple of nights. Oakland. You should come out and see us play. I’ve got a short break after that. We could hang out.”
“Now’s not the best time,” Trey replied, not giving the request much thought.
“Sure it is. You haven’t taken a vacation in ages. Hop on a plane and I’ll pick you up. I could use the company.”
Trey frowned at that. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on. I get a little homesick every now and then. Be nice to see a friendly face.”
“You see a million friendly faces a day,” Trey reminded him. “Most of them female.”
Beau laughed at that. “I don’t mind sharing. That’s exactly what you need.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t need,” Trey argued, though the idea of getting away for a while was starting to hold some appeal to him. His brother was right; he hadn’t taken a vacation in years.
“Well, women or not, we could have a little fun. California has some great beaches and the weather’s still warm here.”
“Let me think about it and I’ll let you know.”
“It would do you good, Trey. Do more than think about it, huh? I’m at the Hilton near Anaheim.”
They disconnected and Trey went back to staring at the clock in his office.
Kylie sat on the couch mulling over paint samples. Kate Nyland sat across from her on the floor and Richard Melzo stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a pitcher of margaritas in his hand. It had been eight days since she’d been home from Arizona. The drive itself had taken five, mostly because she and her parents had made a stop or two along the way. Truth be told, she’d enjoyed her time with them. When she had finally dropped them off at their house, she had been a little sad to see them go. She was not excited to face her lonely home. Lucky for her, Kate and Richard had other ideas.
Richard lived next door and he’d been helping Kylie out with her fixer since she’d moved in. He was only too excited to get started on the work again—and even more excited to learn that Paul would no longer be around to breathe down his neck.
Richard and Kate tended to have a love/hate relationship. Richard was opinionated and carefree. Kate was opinionated and conservative. More often than not, they clashed.
“Green is too dark.” Kate said.
“Yellow is too bright,” Richard argued.
Kylie glanced at the samples before her. They were deciding on a scheme for the bedroom. “I kind of like beige.”
“Too boring,” they both said together and then grinned.
Richard walked over and poured them each a margarita. “I think you should go with something wild and crazy. Something eccentric.”
“Like what, orange?” Kate asked.
“I was thinking more like this one.” He held up a fancy green sample.
“That’s pea green,” Kate said. Kylie couldn’t argue with her. It was very green.
“You’re not into this right now, are you?” Richard sat down next to Kylie and took a sip of his drink.
“I’m into it,” she argued, though she knew she didn’t sound very convincing. The truth was, she wasn’t into looking at paint samples. In fact, she had lost interest in decorating the house. She wasn’t sure why. She’d been excited about it when she’d left for Arizona. Of course, that had been before Trey. Lately, he was all she thought about, no matter how hard she tried to push him out of her mind.
“Still no call, huh?” Kate smiled sympathetically, as she took a drink of margarita.
“I’ve only been home for a little over a week.”
“You’ve been gone from Arizona for two,” Richard pointed out.
“Shut up, Richard,” Kate said, giving him a dirty look. She turned back to Kylie. “He’s a man, Kyles. You know how men can be.”
“I don’t. So why don’t you tell me?” Richard said, frowning.
“If you insist,” Kate said, her dark eyes meeting his lighter ones. “Men are lazy when it comes to commitment. They move like turtles. It’s a known fact.”
“That’s not true,” Richard argued. “I do not move like a turtle.”
“You haven’t had a date in months, Richard. Please.” Kate turned back to Kylie, ignoring Richard’s scowl. “Give it a little time. It will all work itself out.”
“You can call him, you know,” Richard mused, setting his drink down on the coffee table. “In this day and age, it’s perfectly acceptable for a woman to pursue a man.”
Kate swore under her breath.
“It’s true,” Richard argued.
“That’s a great way to look desperate, if you ask me,” Kate said, rolling her eyes.
&
nbsp; “I didn’t,” Richard said, shooting her an icy glare.
“Can we drop this?” Kylie asked, annoyed. The truth was, she had picked up the phone to call Trey a dozen times. Each time, she set the phone back down. He was in Arizona and she was here. Nothing was going to change that, even if she did call him.
“I think you need to go out and have some fun. We need to find you a date.” Kate appeared thoughtful. “What about that new sixth grade teacher? Mr. Waffle is his name I think. He was at the staff meeting you missed the other day. He’s pretty hot.”
“I don’t want a date,” Kylie snapped. “Will you go back to the paint colors? That’s something I can get into.”
“Who wants to date someone named after a breakfast food anyway?” Richard asked.
Kate glared at him and then smiled mischievously at Kylie. “You could get toasted and drunk dial him. I’d love to see that one.”
Kylie sighed, doing her best to avoid an emotional breakdown. “Give it a rest, will you? When I left, I was pretty sure this was going to happen anyway. I’m not all that surprised.” She really wasn’t. The look in Trey’s eyes, when she’d walked away from him the night of the wedding, had spoken a thousand words. He was going to let her go. He couldn’t face the idea of commitment. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to look her in the eye when he’d halfheartedly asked her to stay.
“Well, he may be good looking but he’s a coward. No one needs that,” Kate said, matter-of-factly. “If you ask me, you’re well rid of him.”
“I think you should take some time and think things over,” Richard suggested, shooting Kate a look of annoyance. “Give it a few more days. He many not even know you’re home.”
“He knows she’s home, Richard. She doesn’t live in Australia.”
“Well, I think you should give it a little more time,” he repeated, ignoring Kate. “Wait a day or two and then if he hasn’t called you, you have to decide whether he’s worth it to hang on to. And if he is, call him.” He winked at Kylie then reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “I hate to dash but I have to feed Mittens.”
Mittens was Richard’s cat—or rather his child, as he so often described the large tabby. When he had left, Kate rolled her eyes.
“What?”
Kate just shook her head. “Nothing.”
Kylie smiled halfway. “Richard thinks you’re cute, you know. He told me that a while back.”
Kate narrowed her eyes. “Kylie, Richard is gay. Even I am not hard enough up to date a gay guy.”
Kylie frowned. “He’s not gay.”
Kate raised a brow. “Did you not hear the advice he was giving you? I couldn’t have said things better to you myself. Not only that, he has more designer shoes than I do.” Kate rolled her eyes. “And let’s not forget Mittens. God’s sake, what kind heterosexual man would ever name his cat Mittens? It’s just not done.”
“He talks about women. He dates women,” Kylie argued, still perplexed.
“He is gay,” Kate repeated, taking a swig of margarita. “Maybe he just doesn’t know it yet. Or maybe he just doesn’t want us to know it—but he’s gay.”
Kylie mulled that over for a while and then shrugged. “I suppose there’s no changing your mind.”
“Not really,” Kate agreed. “I think it’s time we stop the pity party. Let’s watch some television.” She flipped on the small TV that sat in a corner of the room. She curled up next to Kylie on the couch and they watched an episode of Oprah. Dr. Phil came next, followed by the local news.
Kate flipped the channels and landed on a baseball game. It was Texas versus Oakland. Kylie immediately thought of Trey’s brother. She’d only met him briefly, but she knew he played for the Rangers.
“Hot men in tight pants,” Kate said, setting down the remote.
“Trey’s brother plays for them.”
Kate squinted at the television set. “No kidding? What’s his name?”
“Beau. I don’t know what his position is.”
“Do they have positions in baseball?” Kate asked, frowning.
“Yes, they do,” Kylie laughed, rolling her eyes. “Like first base and what not. Even I know that.”
“Well, I don’t follow baseball. Let’s see if we can find him.”
They watched the game for a few minutes and eventually Beau Callahan came up to the plate to bat.
Kate let out a whistle of appreciation. “Okay, maybe I was a bit hasty. If his brother looks anything like him you need to call him right away.”
Kylie smiled at that. The Callahan men were good looking there was no denying that.
“He’s probably a whore,” Kate said, flipping the television off. “Most men in jobs like that are.”
“That’s a little judgmental isn’t it?”
“It’s just a fact. A guy like that probably has more groupies than he knows what to do with.” Standing up, Kate stretched. “Are you going to be okay if I head home now? I have some last minute class planning to do before tomorrow.”
School would be starting the next day and Kylie supposed she ought to be planning some things out for her own class. She watched Kate leave and then sat back down on the couch. Seeing Beau had reminded her of the family get-together at Mamaw’s. That had been a good night.
Feeling her heart squeeze, she let out a sigh. She had to get her mind off Trey. This was getting ridiculous.
Turning on the light, she grabbed some reading glasses and went to work writing in her planner.
25
Kylie spent the next couple of days thinking about what both Kate and Richard had said. She had also gotten a little advice from her mother, who was the only one of the group who had actually met Trey in person.
“He’s a good man, honey. But you may have to be patient with him.”
Kylie propped the phone against her shoulder and thought about that. Faye had told her the same thing. “Kate and Richard think I should call him.”
“It couldn’t hurt to try,” Felice said. “Just call the house and talk to Faye first. See how that goes.”
So that was what Kylie was doing now. It took four rings before the phone at the farm was picked up. Faye answered and was delighted to hear from her friend.
“We just got back a couple of days ago and I’ve been meaning to call you.”
“How was the trip?” Kylie asked, sitting down at her small breakfast nook.
“It was awesome. Beaches and blue sky. Everything is so beautiful in Hawaii.”
“I’ve never been,” Kylie said, absently.
“Well it’s worth it to go.” Faye paused. “So how was the trip home?”
“Okay. I had a nice time visiting with my parents. I haven’t spent much time with them in the last few years.”
“I bet Felice was thrilled.”
“She was,” Kylie confirmed. Getting up her nerve, she let out a deep breath. “So how is he?”
Faye seemed to hesitate. Then she sighed. “I don’t know, Kyle. He’s not here. He was gone when we got back.”
“Gone?” Kylie couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Joe said he took off on his bike about three days ago. He evidently took some vacation time and just hit the road.”
“Without telling anyone where he was going?” That didn’t sound like Trey.
“Kylie,” Faye began, obviously at a loss for words. “I don’t know what to say to you. I know I told you to be patient with him. The thing is, I don’t know how much patience you have in you.”
“He didn’t even call me.” The words sounded pathetic and Kylie wanted them back.
“I know,” Faye said, sadly. “He didn’t call any of us either and he hasn’t been picking up his cell. He’s been weird since you left. Joe said he pretty much kept to himself. Then all the sudden he hopped on his bike and split. He’s going through some stuff, that’s all I can say.”
Kylie felt the tears on her face and swiped at them, angrily. “You’re sure he’s okay?”
“He can t
ake care of himself,” Faye assured her. “Dusty has a feeling he went to hunt Beau down. Those two are pretty tight. They always have been.”
“I thought I meant more than that to him,” Kylie began, her voice quiet. “I really thought he would regret letting me go.”
“He does, why do you think he’s running?” Faye stated, more than asked. “Kyle, are you going to be okay? You don’t sound good.”
“I’m okay, Faye. I’ve got to get going though. I have some work to do for tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, Faye hung up.
Kylie sat in silence, staring out into the back yard for several minutes, not sure what she was going to do next. Finally, she gave in to the urge and buried her head in her arms for a good old-fashioned cry.
Trey nursed his beer while he held on to his pool stick and waited for his brother to take a shot. Beau was one slow-assed pool player. It was grinding on Trey’s nerves and he cleared his throat. “Shit, take the shot already.”
Beau looked up, frowning. “You broke my concentration. Shut the hell up.”
Trey rolled his eyes and waited. Finally, Beau took the shot and missed. “All that concentration took you a long ways.”
Beau flipped him off.
Two days earlier, Trey had caught up with the Rangers in Anaheim. He’d gone to the game the night before and sat in the luxury box, which was nothing to bitch about. He’d had a great time watching his brother hit a pair of upper deck home runs. Then he’d gone back to the hotel with Beau and had a few drinks with some of the team. The Rangers had a couple of days off now, before they would be heading to Seattle for a three game stint.
Trey set up his shot and hit it perfectly. Beau swore.
“All that pussy footing around doesn’t get the ball in the pocket.”
“This coming from the king of pussy footing.”
Trey looked up from the shot he was about to take and frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, if anyone pussy foots around here, it’s you. Now take your shot.”
Trey straightened. “I do not pussy foot.”
“Kylie would probably argue with that.”
After the Rain (The Callahans) Page 19