“Wow. That’s insane! I can’t even imagine growing up here. That seems like a lot of pressure to keep it in the family after all this time.”
“That’s probably why their son, Charlie, left a few years ago. At least that’s my guess.”
“You mean people actuallydoleave Roots? I thought no one ever leaves.” She smirks.
“When you’ve grown up here, there are usually two paths. Either you never want to leave, or you spend your whole life plotting how to get out. There’s no in-between.”
She takes in the beautiful green fields flecked with cattle. I wonder if this is giving her a new appreciation for Roots or if she’s thinking about how much she misses the ocean back home.
“Was this Charlie Rhodes guy supposed to inherit the ranch?”
“Yeah, the ranch has been passed down to the first male of the family for generations. It’s going to his younger sister, Lauren, now. She stayed in Roots and is getting married soon. Her fiancé, Austin, seems really interested in the business. He’s always going to other ranches to see how processes are done in other places and trying to improve operations here.”
“I guess even small towns have scandals and secrets.”
“I’m not sure I’d call it a scandal that Copper Hill is going to someone besides the first-born son for once.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure it was a big deal at the time when Charlie left. I’ll have to ask Callie about that. She seems to be in on all the town gossip.”
At her statement, I grow rigid. I’m sure Callie hasn’t said a word to Olivia about my past, but the thought of Olivia knowing still makes my stomach churn.
The first thing I did when I moved to Roots was make Callie promise to never tell a soul about where I came from and why. I made some mistakes that still haunt me, and I’m doing the best I can to move on from them, but it’d be a lot harder to move on if the people of Roots knew. They’d look at me differently in more ways than one. There’d be some who take pity on me and others who’d blame me. I like the way things are right now.
“You two seem close,” Olivia notes, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Who?”
“You and Callie.”
“She was one of the first people to accept me in Roots. She’s like a garter snake. She seems harmless, but she will just slither right into your life. It’s impossible to keep her at a distance.”
Olivia roars in laughter. “Callie’s not a garter snake! Snakes freak me out. She’s more like a happy little puppy you want to have by your side all the time, like Maverick.” She gestures to Maverick, who is trotting alongside Maggie, a mushy look in his eyes as he looks up at Olivia.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“You don’t seem too keen on letting people into your life, or even dogs for that matter. Is there a reason for that?” she asks slowly.
I flinch. We are creeping into dangerous territory.
“I could say the same for you. You won’t even let your parents into your life.”
“This isn’t about me, Rhett, and you know I’m trying to get help. I’m asking aboutyou.”
“It’s hard to let people in sometimes. We all have our own darkness, I guess, that keeps us from letting people in, from letting people love us. Not all of us have been so lucky to find unconditional love that lasts.”
“Who didn’t give you unconditional love that lasts?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
She looks disappointed, but she simply sighs and says, “I’m sorry you haven’t been loved the way you deserve. I can tell my parents love you though… a lot. It’s annoying.”
“They love you a lot too.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“You have so much going for you. You have a family that knows your darkness and wants to love you anyway. Don’t waste that. Going to therapy doesn’t mean you’re making an effort with your parents. It’s actually the opposite, since I know you’re just doing it so they’ll stop worrying about you. You should spend some more time with them while you’re here.”
“I just had breakfast with them this morning. What more do you want?”
