“Good. I was hoping you’d say yes.”
“I’m going to take a shower before we head out.”
"I should shower soon, too. And, Calla, we want you to know you can stay here as long as you like. We love having you."
She nodded and turned to leave, then spun back to Elowen and hugged her.
“Thank you for being here for me. I don’t know what I would have done if I had nowhere to go. That shelter would be fine, I guess, but I would have been lost there.”
“It sounded like it would have been chaotic. I’m glad you’re here with us.”
Calla showered and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Excitement buzzed through her as they ate breakfast.
Thario said he wasn’t going to start moving in until after he finished at the vet with Hope, so they said they would meet him at the house at eleven. They had some time, so she went out to work in the garden.
Knuckles went out with her and ran through the garden, stopping beside the zucchini. Calla laughed and headed over to the zucchini. Elowen came out, shaking her head.
"Do you want a zucchini?" she called out, and Knuckles danced around, happy she was going to get a treat.
“I can cut it for you,” Calla said.
“No, that’s okay. I know you like being out here. Enjoy some peace and quiet.”
“Thank you.”
Calla went through each row, getting rid of any weeds that had popped up and picking any vegetables that were ripe. She liked this time of day. The sun was high enough to warm her, but not so high that it was hot.
She heard someone approaching and assumed it was Griz, so she didn't turn immediately. The person came closer and then spoke. She jumped because she didn't recognize their voice.
Her heart raced, and she almost dropped the bag of vegetables when she turned and saw a guy wearing a ball cap. The worst part was that he looked similar to Brent.
He took off his cap, and it was obvious it wasn’t her brother. He was just the same age and build.
“Excuse me, miss, my friends and I wanted to know how to rent the house up front.”
Elowen burst out the back door, Knuckles at her side. “Can I help you?”
The man turned, and his body stiffened when he saw Knuckles.
"Um, my friends and I were staying at a hotel not too far from here, and we heard the people who were staying at the big house talking about how good the place here was. We like taking vacations in groups, and we wanted to know how to find this place to rent it."
“Oh, sure. Let me get you a card.”
Knuckles came to stand beside Calla, nudging her hand to get Calla to pet her.
“That’s a big dog.”
Calla glanced down, then back at the guy. "Yeah, she's good." She felt awkward standing out here with the stranger. Luckily, Elowen came back and handed him the card.
“Here you go.”
Gravel crunched under tires, and Calla saw Griz pulling up. She felt safer.
Did she feel unsafe because the guy could hurt her, or did she feel weird about him because of everything that had happened to her? Her life had been filled with horrible things, all because of Brent, but not everyone was as evil as her brother.
“That’s my husband,” Elowen said.
"Oh, nice. There are four of us. We were stationed together when we were younger and became friends. Luckily, all of our spouses get along."
