“Yeah, you’ve been busy.”
“I was almost crushed by a truck, Alec. It’s not like I asked to go viral.”
“That one.” Alec nods. “But also, the two of you.” He shrugs. “I’d guess the two of you kiss a lot.”
I shake my head. “I’m lost.”
Callum’s cheeks puff out like he’s a chipmunk all ready for winter. He leans forward, getting the best view he can of me. “You haven’t seen it then. Someone recorded us kissing on camera at one of my games.”
“Wow,” I say, sitting back in my seat. “Iaman internet sensation.”
“Go ahead and talk about it,” Alec tells us. “Get it all off your chest.”
I wait for him to pull out his phone to record the whole conversation. Why not? As long as I’m getting internet time.
But with Alec’s permission, I have zero desire to talk about anything. I lean my back in my seat and peer out the window. I will be transparent another day.
I’ve been sitting for a minute when Alec nudges my arm with his. I turn, and he holds out a folded scrap of lined yellow paper to me.
I take the slip from his hands and open it up to a written note.
Are you okay?
Yes No
Callum’s made it easy for me. I don’t even have to write a word. I feel a little like a kid back in elementary school, but I don’t hate it. I don’t hate anything about Cal. In fact, I’m going to search for that video of us kissing when we land—it will make my daydreams so much more tangible.
I circle YES and pass the note back to Alec, who reads it before passing it on to Callum.
Our rental caris the first sense of peace we’ve had since chatty Alec followed Callum off the plane. I’ve laid my head back and closed my eyes the entire drive. Until?—
“Are you okay, Fran?” Callum says. I blink my eyes open to a driveway and a cream-stucco home. “Is this too much?”
I peer up at the house, wondering if my peace will be stolen again. “Too late now, even if it is.”
He sets his hand on mine, lacing our fingers. “It’s not. I’ll take you to a hotel right now. I need to see my family. But if this is overwhelming, I can share time?—”
I wink down at our knotted hands. “That wouldn’t be very fair to your mom.”
“She’d understand.”
Suddenly, the front door of the two-story home swings open, and a bellowing “Callum!” roars from the teenage girl who runs around the car to the driver’s side.
“My sister,” he says. “But?—”
“I want to stay,” I mouth to him as the girl flings his door open.
“Cal!” she bellows once more.
“Let me get out of the car, you goof,” Callum says as the girl smothers him, half inside the car herself.
He steps outside, and I watch as the girl leaps, flinging her arms around his neck. Their voices muffle in my head as I watch the scene. Callum and his sister. I’ve always wanted a sister. But then, I can’t imagine a better sister than Rosalie.
I step outside and peer up at the home where Callum grew up. An arched doorway and multiple windows draw my attention first. It’s a pretty home. Nothing like the apartment I grew up in.
From the driveway, there is a rounding walkway to the front door. Rather than grass, the yard is filled with tan rocks and potted plants. Purple, pink, and yellow flowers spill over the sides of each pot.
“They’re fake.” Callum walks up just behind me. He’s already grabbed our bags from the back, mine twice the size of his. The young blonde girl hangs on his arm. He nods toward the bright pink peonies. “Mom couldn’t work in the yard, and Dad didn’t have time. So, they opted for easy. Dad just has to spray for weeds once a year.”
