I grab the suitcases as I walk back inside. Callie is mopping up the last of the water.
“Did you get it turned off?” She asks as she lifts the soaking towel. Droplets of water hit the floor as she tries to get it under control.
“Yes, but you can’t stay here without water.”
She drops the towel and it hits the floor with a thwack. So much for all the water she cleaned up.
“We’ve got power, we’ll be fine.”
Why is this woman so freaking stubborn? It’s not like I’m telling her to move in with me.
“I understand that. But you won’t be able to cook, go to the restroom or take a shower. It may be a few days before a plumber can get out here. I’d rather know you’re comfortable.”
“But what about school? And I’m supposed to start a new job.” She’s looking everywhere but at me because she knows it’s a weak argument.
“Pack enough to get you through the middle of next week. I have a shower and y’all are welcome to stay as long as you need.”
“It’s unnecess—” She begins but I cut her off.
“There’s no argument here, Callie. I’m helping you and Lexi, get whatever you need and let’s get back to my house so I can make some calls.”
“Fine.” She stands and leaves the towel in the middle of the floor as she stomps toward the bedrooms.
If having her stay those few days was a bad idea, this is probably worse. For her, at least, I’m ready to get to know more about this version of her.
Fourteen
Callie
This is ridiculous. I’m sitting on Peter’s sofa while he’s pacing and calling every plumber he can think of. While I appreciate him helping us when we’re in a bind, I hate that it’s happening so frequently.
Lexi sits down beside me with a book in her hand. “You should be less grumpy. We could be at home with no water.”
“I’m fine.”
She snorts. “Okay. But seriously, I don’t understand why you’re so upset with us being here.” She glances at the romance book she’s reading and then back at me. “Unless it’s because you like him.”
Good grief. She’s hitting close to the mark and she doesn’t even know about the crush I had on him when we were kids.
“Yeah, as a friend. It doesn’t mean I want to stay here when we just moved into our house.”
“Mmhmm.” She doesn’t say anything else, but goes back to reading her book.
She doesn’t believe me. I’m not surprised. She reads way more into situations than she should. I guess I’ll have to get a handle on my reactions around Peter. Otherwise, Lexi may get the wrong idea.
Or, maybe she has the right idea. Peter seemed to take his sweet time putting a shirt on a few days ago. Even though he’s put some distance between us since that whole situation, he’s more attentive than anyone I’ve ever known.
It’s frustrating that we’ve needed this much rescuing, but it’s nice not to have to take care of everything on my own. I can’t remember the last time that happened. Maybe in the beginning of my relationship with Conrad. Back then he did everything he could to let me know he would take care of me. Until he didn’t. Not emotionally, financially, or faithfully.
There’s no way I should have stayed with him as long as I did. I shake my head. This isn’t the time to be going down memory lane, especially when it’s all the bad times. Right now, I need to deal with the problems in front of me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Peter slide his phone into his pocket. He takes a few steps toward us and plops onto the recliner. Why do I get the impression he’s about to say something I don’t want to hear?
“Well, I have good news and bad news.”
“Can we start with the good? I don’t know if I can handle the bad news first.”
He leans back and clasps his hands together. “The plumber can come out to fix your water.”
