“Everything okay?”
He must not have noticed me getting dropped off at the end of the driveway as my voice startled him from his thoughts.
I turned to give a thankful wave to Cami as she drove away. The light snowfall had continued all afternoon, and by the time the sun was starting to dip and give us her daily art show over the horizon, the temperatures dropped as well. I was glad to have bumped into the fun, quirky thrift store owner at TimHortons, and even more grateful that she offered me a ride home.
“What?” Calvin said, finally releasing whatever thought was holding him captive.
“I just asked if everything’s okay?”
“Yeah,” he grumbled, even though anger was radiating off him like steam in this cold weather.
“Oh, okay. The sky is green, the grass is purple, and no one has ever thought about the noise a giraffe makes when it throws up.”
He looked at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was a little, but it made me crazier to see him so worried.
Sitting down on an Adirondack chair beside him, I turned my body toward his. “Now that we are both done telling ridiculous lies, want to tell me what’s really bothering you?”
“You’ve wondered what a giraffe sounds like when it throws up?”
“And you haven’t?” I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s not like an everyday thought, but it happens every time I’m sick. Can you justimaginehow long it would take!” I took a breath, I was getting too into this conversation, and that wasn’t the point. But it worked, and his face broke into a genuine grin.
“Can’t say that I have, but now it’ll be one of life’s burning questions until I find the divine answer.”
I loved the way he joked with me, but I still wanted to know what was on his mind. “So, what’s up?”
“Three of my guys quit today. Well, they left this weekend, I guess.”
“I’m sorry, Calvin. I don’t know how great I’ll be with an axe but you can put me to work wherever you need.”
His eyes darkened with the heat I recognized from Halloween for a split second before he chuckled. “No, Stella. I’m not handing you an axe. Plus, now that we’re getting snowfall, our jobs are just wrapping up anyway so we’ll manage.”
I had heard all about the winter wonderland that Hart and Heart Logging would transform into soon. Even though Calvin wasn’t willing to put me to work, I was certain that Trixie would with her plethora of decorations.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Calvin continued. “What did Nick do for work?”
“What?” What did Nick have to do with anything? The question seemed so out of left field, it took me a moment to understand what he was asking. “He did marketing and social media management for a couple high-class companies. What does that have to do with anything?”
His cell phone use was one of the main reasons I needed to abandon mine. He was on itconstantly;we couldn’t even spend time together on a date without it interfering. And I had no right to be upset either becauseit waswork.
“Anything in regards to logging?”
“What? No. Not at all. Calvin, why are you asking me this?” Was he feeling threatened by what Nick’s profession might have been? He had no reason to be. Nick on his best days wasn’t even half the man Calvin was on his worst. He didn’t shine a light to compare.
“All three guys left for a start-up company in Utah.”
Okay, that was odd, but also, Utah was fairly big. “And you don’t think that’s a coincidence?”
“I’m not too sure what to think.”
I didn’t really know how to respond to him after that. Was he blaming me for losing his workers? Was he concerned for my safety again? Was he stressed about his family business? It was the first time I couldn’t really read him, but it felt safer to change the topic then to try and press this one.
“I may have found a job today.”
“Really?” He smiled and I felt a bit of relief at that.
“Yeah, it’s at a hotel in Calgary so I’ll head out there next weekend?—”
“You’re leaving?” he cut me off and the concern that was back in his eyes ran bone deep.
