“Yeah. There are a lot of shitty people out there.”
"You know firsthand how crappy people can be." He squeezed her hand and then turned, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Hope lifted her head and looked at both of them with sleepy eyes. He didn’t like that Calla had lived through hell. He wanted to find Brent and take care of him. The same with Hope. He had no idea if the guy from the wreck would make it or not, but Thario wasn’t rooting for him. Maybe they could both heal some together.
“What are you thinking?” Calla asked.
"That Hope would be good for you, too. She needs healing, and so do you."
Calla nodded. "We both dealt with crap. I want to help her, and I know she'll help me."
Thario wanted to pull Calla into his arms, but he needed to go slower. If he pushed too much, he might overwhelm her, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Chapter 31
Calla lay awake,wondering how she would get to see Thario today. She didn’t need to become obsessed with him. Thario was right, she hadn’t really lived. She needed time, but she didn’t want him to leave her.
After tossing and turning for a while, she got up and headed to the kitchen after brushing her teeth. She started the coffee and was staring out the window when she heard a noise behind her. She turned and spied Elowen.
“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I couldn’t sleep.”
Elowen waved her off as she grabbed a mug for coffee. “It’s okay. So how are you feeling?”
“Okay.”
“Really?” Elowen asked as she let Knuckles out.
She shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I don’t know. Am I being stupid?”
Elowen shook her head. “About what?”
Calla sighed and slumped against the counter. "I don't know. I mean, I just escaped my brother, and I know nothing, but I feel something for Thario. I really feel something for him, and I don't know what it means."
"Oh, honey. I get the confusion. How do you tell what is real? It's hard. If what you feel for Thario is real, and if he feels it, too, he'll wait, and your feelings will be there when you get a handle on everything."
“Do you think he would really wait?”
“Absolutely. He knows you went through something traumatic. He understands.”
“I just don’t want him to get bored.”
Elowen laughed. “He’s not the type to get bored.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Elowen let her dog in and then came back into the kitchen. “So other than feelings for Thario, how are you?”
She took a sip of coffee, then added more sugar. "Good. I like working in the garden. I like doing things outside. I enjoyed cleaning the main house when we prepared it for guests, but working outside is better."
“That’s good to know.”
“So today, do you have any plans?”
Calla chuckled. “I think the most I have planned is spending time in the garden.”
“So are you okay going over to help Thario move in?”
“Sure. I’d like that.”
