“I’ll box it up for you. Take just a minute.” Carly disappeared into her backroom, leaving me alone. I wandered to the large front windows and looked out at the downtown area. Other than seeing my mother and her cronies, being home was going better than I anticipated. Most people were friendly to me, and the familiarity of it all was comforting. In Austin, I’d been very much on my own. Here, there was more of a sense of community.
Not that I planned to stay. My sights remained set on returning to Austin and finally opening my own business. The path there had taken a massive detour, but with Brian’s help, I felt so much more positive about getting my money back and mending my friendship with Mel. He came out of the sheriff’s office just then.He didn’t make it two steps down the sidewalk before being stopped. His hands went to his hips, a typical stance for him, as he talked with a couple who were walking a dog.
I shouldn’t stare at him like I was, but my feelings for him were getting increasingly difficult to ignore. I’d lashed out at him in anger a few nights back partly because of the encounter with my mother and partly because I’d been hurt that he wasn’t automatically on my side against her.
He knew me better than that, or so I’d thought. Of course, I knew that was unfair. As close as I’d felt to Brian at one time, I’d still held a lot back. We both had, or I would have seen the breakup coming. I’d thought that my brother coming home would signal a turning point in our relationship, that we’d tell Ethan that we were together, and that it would mean things were getting serious. But instead, Ethan’s return had signaled the end.
Brian laughed at something the woman said, clasped his hand briefly on the man’s shoulder, and got in his patrol vehicle, which was parked at the curb.
“Well, shoot,” a woman’s voice said from nearby. “I should have stopped at the sheriff’s office first.”
“Huh?” I swung my head to see Brian’s mother, Laura Thorne, standing there. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I’d missed the sound of the bakery door opening.
“I’ve missed him again.” Laura smiled at me. “But I’m happy to see you. Amy told me that you were back in town working at the diner. Welcome, sweetheart, it’s good to see you again.”
“Thanks, but I’m just here temporarily,” I said. “How have you been, Mrs. Thorne?” Again, I felt bad that I hadn’t contacted the family after Laura’s husband and son were killed in the accident.I also wanted to ask about Cal and how Laura felt about meeting and building a relationship with the son she’d given up for adoption, but I wasn’t sure how to approach the topic. It felt too much like overstepping—but Laura’s generous nature seemed to perceive that.
“You can call me Laura now, you know, and I’m doing well,” the older woman said. “There have been a lot ofchangesin my life lately. Good ones.”
“I heard.”
I wondered if Cal realized how lucky he was to find himself part of such a great family. What would it have been like to grow up with a mother like Laura, who was kind and giving? I’d had the merest taste of that when Laura had come to my rescue one day when I’d been in the eighth grade. I remembered that rainy day so well. I’d won the county’s art contest, not just in the kids’ category but overall, up against adults from all over the county, but I’d had to go to the awards ceremony on my own.
My parents had chosen to go to Ethan’s game instead, and then they never came to pick me up. My painting had been destroyed while I stood in a downpour waiting for them. Laura, an organizer of the contest, noticed me and gave me a ride home. I had refused to cry in the car, but I’d had to bite my lip to keep my emotions in, especially when Laura was so nice to me.
McKenzie remembered my watercolor and brought it up when we were out on that ride. At the time, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that it’d been destroyed.
Seeing Laura now, I wanted to tell her how much I appreciated her that day and thank her for saving me from further humiliation and misery.
“I guess you would have, being Brian’s houseguest.” There was no malice or condemnation in Laura’s tone when she spoke. “It was a shock to meet Cal, especially since he looks so much like Luke, but I’m happy to know him and know he was raised by good people.”
“I’m glad for you. I guess it’s fortunate the rodeo brought Cal to town.”
“Sure is.” Laura smiled and pointed across to the sheriff’s office. “I meant to stop over there and see Brian after I got a cup of tea from Carly.”
“I could give him a message if you like,” I offered. “I’m heading home soon and can pass it on.” It was funny to think of Brian’s house as home, but it was starting to feel that way. There was a calmness there. Even though Brian was working a ridiculous number of hours, he still went out of his way to make sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed.
Being around Brian made me feel safe. More than that, I felt seen and appreciated. There had been some awkwardness between us at first, but while watching television with him the other night, I’d realized that the tension that’d been simmering between us was gone and in its place was something I couldn’t quite define.
That very same something kept surfacing in the way he looked at me, and earlier today when he’d taken my hand.
I was probably reading too much into it. Any chance of a real relationship between us had ended years ago when he’d chosen not to jeopardize his friendship with my brother by being with me. That had hurt deeply, but I’d understood it, too.
And I’d been completely over it, I’d thought, until I’d started spending time with him once more. I couldn’t be falling for him again, could I? Because that would be a mistake. There was no future for us. I glanced away to where Carly was re-entering the room to prevent Laura from reading too much on my face.
“It’s nothing important,” Laura said about my offer. “I was just going to say howdy while I was in town. He used to come out to the ranch for Sunday dinner but with the rodeo so close, he skipped the last two. He still checks in, of course, but chatting on the phone just isn’t the same.”
She sounded so sad that she couldn’t spend more time with Brian. I couldn’t remember a single time either of my parents expressed any genuine interest in spending time with either me or my brother. We were an obligation when we were kids, and then, as we got older, we became an inconvenience.
“Your order’s ready, Caitlin,” Carly called out. “Don’t eat this cake all by yourself. Hi, Laura, what can I get you?”
“Hello, Carly. Can I get a chamomile tea to go?” Laura asked.
“Sure thing.” Carly turned away to prepare the tea, and I suddenly felt awkward standing there with Brian’s mother.
“Celebration?” Laura asked with a nod to the cake.
“No, just…” I felt a blush come to my cheeks. “Just a gift for a friend.”
