I wasn’t sure how Janelle would take it but I knew he wanted to check the situation out for himself. After a moment I nodded. There wouldn’t be any dissuading him, I could tell that much.
Janelle was sitting in the living room drinking a beer with an unfamiliar man when we walked in.
Her gaze immediately went to Cal, remaining there as she tracked his physique with unapologetic appreciation. Clearly she liked what she saw and wasn’t afraid to show it.
“Janelle, this is Cal,” I introduced. “Cal, my sister, Janelle.”
“Can we show you our room now?” Max pleaded.
“A minute, bud,” Cal replied, his eyes on the man who sat to Janelle’s left. “Who’s this?” he asked my sister as though he had every right in the world.
Cal had a way of owning any space he was in. This was no different.
Her gaze narrowed at his demand, the appreciation gone and replaced with anger. “My friend Bobby,” she snapped.
Cal turned his hard gaze to the man. “Do me a solid and give us some time here.” He ordered, though it was disguised as a request.
Bobby considered his options for only a moment before nodding once. “See you later, Janelle.”
Obviously he didn’t want any trouble.
When the door shut behind Bobby, Cal turned to me and reached for Mason. “I’ll go hang with the kids. Give you and your sister a chance to talk,” he told me, shocking me by kissing my temple briefly before following Max and Emmie down the short hallway.
It took me a moment to recover before I could address my sister. “Brought you some pizza.” I held up the box.
“Thanks,” she replied, her tone cool.
When she didn’t invite me to sit I made myself comfortable on the couch, outwardly at least. Inside, my nerves were a mess. “We had fun with the kids,” I began. “I’d love to see them again tomorrow if possible, after the funeral maybe?” I asked.
“Maybe.” She nodded.
“You’ll be there, right, Jan?” I asked, trying to conceal the hope in my tone. I shouldn’t have to ask but with the way things were I did.
“Yeah, we’ll be there,” she agreed, taking a sip of her beer.
“Are you angry with me about something?” I asked, hoping to clear the air of tension between us.
“No, why would I be?” she asked.
“Jan, I love you. You’d let me know if you needed anything right?” I pressed.
She made a sound of exasperation but relented with a nod.
I stood up, tired of her attitude. Not once had she asked about me. Not once had she made the slightest effort to bridge the gap between us. I was tired of trying to build it alone. “All right, well I’ll go say good night to the kids and I’ll see you tomorrow.” I huffed, unable to hide my frustration.
She merely took another sip of her beer in response.
I found Cal and the kids playing in Max and Emmie’s room. Emmie was sitting in his lap while Max showed him his toys as Mason toddled around the room. I scooped him up and smiled down at them.
“Aw, do you have to go?” Max whined, sensing what I was about to say. The kid was too smart for his own good. Always had been.
“We do. But we’ll see you tomorrow, ok?” I asked.
“For Gran’s funeral?” he asked with wide, serious eyes.
“Yeah, honey,” I replied somberly.
Neither of the kids had seen much of Gran in recent years, other than when I visited and took them to her, but I knew they still felt her loss. Gran had a way of leaving a mark on you in a way you didn’t forget.
