“Thank you. I just need to wait for my friend Stacey to get here. She’s agreed to watch Nick for a few hours.”
“Your mom can’t?” I ask, knowing full well that I’m prying when I probably shouldn’t.
“She’s had a rough day,” Calliope replies with a tight smile. “And Nick can be a handful. It’s just easier this way.” Just as she finishes speaking, something clatters in the kitchen. She flashes me an alarmed yet apologetic smile and darts away, leaving me in the living room with the urn.
It’s similar to the one I got for my mom that sits in pride of place in a display cabinet back at my old place. Staring at this one brings an odd pang of guilt to my gut.
Should I have brought Mom with me?
The guilt remains even as Calliope’s friend arrives ten minutes later and they have a quick changeover in the hallway. Nick’s being granted pizza for dinner, so it’s Stacey’s job to keep him distracted and away from snacks until Calliope’s back. After delivering her detailed instructions, she’s ready to go and we return to my car.
“Oh, it’s so cold,” Calliope whimpers as she huddles in her seat, tucking herself so deep into her coat that she almost disappears.
“My favorite time of year, but the cold, yeah, the cold is insane.”
“And you chose this time of year to come to San Francisco?”
“Honestly?” I laugh softly, adjusting the heat as I drive. “Somehow, the cold here is worse. I don’t know if it’s because we’re so close to the coast or something, but back in New York, it always felt like it was there but almost held at bay. But out here?” A shiver darts across my shoulders at the thought. “It’s bitter.”
“It’s only going to get worse.” Calliope chuckles. “But the summers are worth it. If you’re still here by then.”
Ideally, I will be. “Depends on the gem situation.” Jimmy made it clear that the acquisition was to remain under wraps until everything was signed, and Buster is of the same belief until he’s had a chance to go through all the paperwork.
“Isn’t it weird that you’re the CEO and you came out here to check shipment quality? Don’t you have people for that?”
My shoulders lift as I glide my hand around the steering wheel. “It’s Christmas. My people have families to spend time with. I don’t.”
“You don’t have anyone?” Calliope stares at me for a moment, eyes wide.
“Nope. Not anymore.”
“What happened?” As soon as she asks, she immediately retracts it. “Oh, I’m sorry, that was so rude of me to ask.”
“No, it’s fine. You’re fine. My dad passed when I was younger and my mom died a couple of years ago. It’s just me.”
“Oh.” Her voice shrinks slightly and silence grows between us while I weave through unfamiliar streets on the way back to Angelic Jewels. “My Dad…” She hesitates, and her lower lip briefly vanishes into her mouth. “He died of an aneurysm back in June.”
“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
Her smile is weak. “It was so sudden. One day he was here, and then next he was just… gone. I don’t understand it. I didn’t then and I don’t now. It’s painful that something can just… happen like that.”
“The lack of answers makes it difficult,” I agree softly. “My mom was sick for a long time, which I thought meant I had time to prepare. I did a lot to make her happy but in the end, it was still an impossible shock.”
“Does it get better?” Her voice quavers slightly.
“No,” I reply honestly. “And yes. I think… it stays the same. You just learn to survive with it.”
“Mmm. Thought so.” Her cheeks puff out and she shakes her head. “They called me when he collapsed, and I thought he would be fine because he was always getting into accidents. They told me he died instantly, but I still hate myself for not rushing there to see him.”
It’s one thing to face the long, drawn-out journey of losing a loved one to illness, but the sudden, abrupt removal of someone from your life can be just as killer, if not more so.
“I’m sorry,” Calliope says suddenly, sucking in a sharp breath. “I don’t know where that all came from.”
“You clearly needed to get it off your chest, especially if you were scared earlier.”
“Maybe. Sorry. Not exactly appropriate, is it?”
“I won’t tell anyone,” I tease. “Our secret.”
