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He took a long swallow of beer. “He seems like a nice guy. Although I only spoke to him that one time.”
“He’s okay I guess. He just wants me to talk about stuff that I’d rather not relive.”
He got the distinct feeling there was a lot more to Callie’s past than he knew. “I can’t say enough good things about the girls’ therapist. Believe it or not, when we first came back to Whittler’s Creek, Madison barely spoke.” His youngest daughter was making up for it now with her constant chatter.
“I’m glad it worked out for them, but I was doing just fine without bringing up the past.”
“And that had nothing to do with why you’re doing community service and forced to talk to a psychologist?” The words were out of his mouth before he thought them through. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be argumentative.”
She took a long swallow of her beer, her head back and her neck elongated. “You’re right.” She uncurled her legs and stood. “If I hadn’t confided in a certain jackass, who then used my past against me, then I wouldn’t have been forced to do any of this.” She walked by him to the front door.
He reached out to grab her arm to stop her. The look she gave him made him release her immediately.
She continued to the front door, paused with one hand on the screen door and stared at him. “Thanks for the beer.” She lifted the beer bottle in a toast. “Good night.”
With that, she disappeared into the house, leaving him to go over their conversation and where he’d gone wrong. Not a difficult thing to figure out. Note to self: avoid talking about what she did that caused her to come back to Whittler’s Creek against her will.
Suddenly the front screen door came open and Callie appeared out of breath. “Quick. Your daughter needs you. She’s screaming her head off. Sounds like she’s having a nightmare.”
Tyler jumped up and took off up the stairs to the girls’ bedroom. Just when he was comfortable enough to brag about how well adjusted the girls were, one of them was having a nightmare.
He recognized Madison’s screams before he opened the bedroom door. He rushed to her bed and gathered her in his arms until she quieted. “Hush,” he whispered into her hair. “It’s okay. Daddy’s here. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re okay now.”
Madison’s heart pounded rapidly against his chest and her breathing was quick and shallow, even after she finally stopped screaming.
When she seemed calm again, he laid her back on her pillow. Her eyes never opened and she probably wouldn’t remember the episode when she woke in the morning. Thankfully, she rarely did.
If only she could forget the reason for those nightmares in the first place.
* * *
CALLIE HAD FOLLOWED Tyler up the stairs, ducking into her own room while he headed straight to his distraught daughter down the hall.
To make sure everything was okay, Callie stood right inside her doorway to listen. Her entire body was shaking. Hearing one of the little girls crying out in fear had affected her more than she ever would have expected.
Did the girls often have nightmares? What had they been through? Tyler hadn’t shared any details. But obviously something traumatic had occurred if they’d been seeing a therapist regularly.
Tyler’s soothing whispers could be heard as the child quieted to a whimper and then there was silence. Callie found herself comforted by his tone, as well. Her breathing slowed as she began to feel normal again.
After a few more minutes she heard him leave his daughters’ room. She quickly closed her bedroom door as quietly as possible. She didn’t want him to know she’d been listening.
She got ready for bed, hoping to have a dreamless sleep. Like every night of her life, she left the light in the bathroom on so she wouldn’t be in complete darkness while she slept.
CHAPTER FIVE
BY LUNCHTIME ON Friday Callie was relieved to be cooking food to serve for dinner that night at the community center’s monthly soup kitchen.
Though she’d never be known for her cooking, after two days of heavy cleaning she was glad to be doing something that had nothing to do with dirt and grime.
Today she was following Poppy’s directions in the kitchen. She’d peeled more potatoes than she’d ever seen in her life. Thankfully the community center kitchen was equipped with a food processor, so she used it to slice the potatoes instead of having to cut them all by hand. She’d never make it through the first round in one of those TV food challenges because her knife skills were far from the best.
When the potatoes were sliced and put into large aluminum pans, she covered them with cold water. Poppy had told her earlier that they would be making au gratin potatoes, a dish Callie had eaten many times but never cooked.
Alone in the community center kitchen, she dried her hands and went looking for Poppy to get her next instructions. She stepped into the large dining room that was set up for dinner and found most of the volunteers seated at a table near the door. They were taking a lunch break. Poppy looked up from her conversation with Gino and waved Callie over.
“Get your lunch and join us,” Poppy suggested.
“We’ve got plenty of room here,” Gino added as he rose. He gently nudged the person next to him to make room at the table and then slid a chair into position for Callie.
“Thank you.” Her words were barely a whisper. She was once again overwhelmed by how welcoming these people had been to her. They’d all been so friendly, asking about her as if they were really interested. She wished she’d known them when she’d lived here. Maybe then she’d have felt like she had someone safe to confide in about her home life.
“Callie James? Is that you?” A woman about Callie’s age with a bright pink stripe in her jet-black hair had stopped eating.
“Yes, that’s me.” Another second went by before Callie realized who the woman was. “Riva?”
Callie’s childhood friend smiled wide. “That’s me!” She got up and came around the table to Callie’s seat. Callie stood and the two women hugged. “How are you, girl? I haven’t seen or heard from you since high school graduation. You’re not even on Facebook or Twitter or nothin’, ’cuz I’ve searched for you.” Riva spoke as if Callie had committed a mortal sin.
“I’m doing well,” Callie told her, not adding that she wasn’t on social media because she didn’t want her family contacting her. She looked at the table and realized everyone was watching them. She and Riva had been pretty good friends in high school but they were practically strangers now. “How are you?”
“I’m okay.” Riva gestured to where she’d been sitting with her lunch. “I better finish eating. But let’s get together later and catch up.” She obviously didn’t want to spill her guts in front of an audience, either.
“Sounds good. Maybe after we serve dinner?”
“Works for me,” Riva said as she stepped away.
Callie sat back down and opened her salad. She needed to find something else to eat besides the prepackaged food from the local grocery store. She’d tried each of their salads and was getting sick of them already. At her office, she kept a supply of frozen, healthy microwavable meals, but here in Whittler’s Creek she didn’t always have a microwave available.
The afternoon sped by and, before she knew it, some extra volunteers had arrived to help serve. Callie assumed they were coming there after their day jobs ended.
“Are there always this many volunteers?” Callie asked Poppy shortly before they began serving.
“We usually get a pretty good turnout. Since the recession several years ago, everyone in town seems ready to pitch in to help those who haven’t yet recovered.”
From the amount of food they’d prepared, Callie guessed there would be many diners tonight. Personally, she hadn’t been as affected by the recession as others. Being here in Whittler’s Creek put it all into perspective, though.
“Put those potatoes on that burner over there.” Poppy pointed to a place on the long serving table set up with the food. “You did a good job on them.”
Callie warmed with pleasure at the compliment, no matter how slight. It might actually be the first when it came to her cooking. “Thank you.” She was pretty proud of her accomplishment. Au gratin potatoes might not sound like much to most people, but it was huge for Callie who’d never been taught to cook.
From across the room, Callie saw Tyler walk in. He was wearing his uniform. Her first thought was that he was here on police business until he began greeting people and shaking hands. He finally made it over to the food table and they made eye contact.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“Pretty well.” She gestured to the table overflowing with food in metal catering dishes over flaming kerosene canisters. “Looks like we’re expecting a lot of people tonight.”
Tyler nodded. “I seem to remember we get anywhere from a hundred and fifty to two hundred.”
Callie’s eyes widened. “Really? I’m surprised there are so many in need of a hot meal in this area.”
“They come from all over. We don’t ask for any proof of need. Some people just show up because of that.”
“So why are you here? To make sure I’m working?” She tried to make it sound like she was kidding, but she knew there was an edge to her voice.
“No, I figure Aunt Poppy will tell me if you’ve gone AWOL. She’s here frequently to help out.” He smiled and it softened his words and made her heart flutter erratically. “I usually try to come by and lend a hand when I can. It’s not easy with the girls.”
“Where are they? Did someone else pick them up from the bus?” Callie realized Poppy had been at the community center all day.
Tyler nodded. “They’re having dinner at a friend’s house tonight. The friend’s mother brought the three girls home from the bus. I just talked to her on my way here. They were playing in the sprinkler and planning to watch a princess movie after dinner.”
She nodded. “That’s good. I’m glad they’ve made friends in town.”
“Five minutes, everyone!” Poppy made the announcement and then looked over the table to make sure everything was in order. She’d given out assignments and Callie was to serve her potatoes.
“I better wash up.” Tyler disappeared into the restroom and Callie went into the kitchen to put on clean gloves. By the time she came out, Tyler was standing at the station next to hers, ready to serve green beans, with an apron covering his uniform and latex gloves that matched hers.
She wondered if Poppy had purposely put them beside each other and then decided probably not.
Poppy had more sense than to play matchmaker where Callie and Tyler were concerned. Or so she hoped.
* * *
TYLER WAS PRETTY sure Aunt Poppy had put him next to Callie on purpose. Since he’d been back in town, she’d made no secret of the fact that she thought his daughters needed a mother and he needed a wife.
He disagreed, at least with the wife part. He’d done that once and it had turned out poorly to say the least. Disastrous was a closer description.
He glanced at Callie next to him. She was certainly attractive. With her hair in some kind of knot on the back of her head and a minimum of makeup, she still touched something inside him that had been dormant for years. Even the apron she had on over her jeans and fitted, light blue T-shirt didn’t detract from her beauty. Neither did the cheap sneakers and latex gloves she wore.
She had a way of making him feel the same way he had when they were teenagers. He’d glimpse her in the school hallway and his hormones would go into overdrive, just like now.
“Hey, Chief, how’s it going?” Tyler’s thoughts were interrupted by the man on the other side of him serving ham.
He turned in his direction. “Not too bad, Jim. How’s the furniture business going?” Jim was the oldest son of the Pratt family, probably in his late forties, who’d taken over his dad’s furniture business and had expanded it into Tyler’s dad’s old hardware space on Main Street.
The two men exchanged pleasantries for a minute or two before diners began entering the building. Business was steady as people moved down the line for nearly an hour before it slowed.
“Looks like stragglers now that the initial rush is over,” Jim commented to Tyler.
Tyler nodded and scooped up green beans to serve to the next person in line. “Green beans?” The words had barely come out of his mouth when he realized Wendy Carter, Callie’s stepsister, was holding a plate of food and waiting for him to put beans on it. “Oh, sorry.” While he emptied the spoonful of beans onto her plate, he said, “Is that you, Wendy?”
She nodded.
He hadn’t seen her since he’d been back in town. She’d certainly changed since high school, and not for the better. Her hair was clumpy, as if it hadn’t been washed or even brushed in days. She was slightly hunched and didn’t meet his gaze, as if embarrassed to be seen getting a free meal.
He didn’t know what else to say and she remained mute until she reached Callie and her potatoes. Tyler watched the exchange between the two women. At first Callie didn’t notice Wendy and Wendy hadn’t looked up to see that it was Callie serving her.
“Wendy?” Callie mimicked his surprise at seeing Wendy.
Wendy raised her head and as soon as she saw Callie, the expression on her face turned to anger and something else. Hatred was the only word he could come up with.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Wendy’s vitriolic question was barely loud enough for him to hear. She didn’t let Callie speak before going on in an angry whisper. “You always thought you were so much better than us. I guess there’s no denying that now.”
“Wendy—” He shut his mouth when Callie put a hand on his upper arm. She met his gaze with eyes pleading for him to let her handle it. He barely nodded and she turned to face Wendy.
“Would you like potatoes?” Callie held a spoonful of potatoes out to Wendy as if nothing had happened. Wendy accepted the potatoes and moved down the line.
When she was out of hearing range, Tyler asked Callie, “Why is she so angry at you?”
Callie shrugged. “Who knows? She’s been angry at me since she and her mother moved in when I was three and she was two.”
“Really?” He had a hard time computing that information. Wendy had always been nice to him, especially when they were teenagers. In fact, he’d always thought Wendy might have had a crush on him, but he hadn’t been interested. At the time, Callie was the only one who’d interested him.
And now he was finding that interest in her renewed.
* * *
THE KITCHEN AND dining areas were nearly cleaned up a few hours later when Riva came up behind Callie. “Some of us are going to Abbott’s when we’re done here. You want to join us? You’re welcome, too, Tyler.” He’d been drying the large catering dishes that Callie had washed.
“I don’t know—” Callie was still pretty shaken up after her run-in with Wendy and didn’t feel like going to a pub.
“Come on, we haven’t seen each other in years,” Riva reminded her. “Just come for one drink so I can hear what you’ve been up to. It’s Friday night, for heaven’s sake.”
“We’ll be there,” Tyler answered for her.
“Great. See you there!”
As soon as Riva stepped away, Callie turned on Tyler and spoke more calmly than she felt. “What was all that about? Saying I’d be there? You have no right—”
He held up a hand, palm out. “Hold on. You obviously need to unwind. All work and no play will put you in the hospital with a nervous breakdown.”
She tilted her head and scowled at him. “Not likely.”
“Then what if I say that for every hour you spend having fun, I’ll count it toward your community service?”
Her eyes widened. “You can do that?”
“I can do whatever I want. I was given authority over you and your service hours. I just need to sign off to say you completed them.”
Callie quickly looked around to see if there was anything else to be washed. She pulled the plug to drain the water from the sink, rinsed and dried her hands, and untied her apron. “Then, let’s go.”
The clock in the nearly empty dining room said almost nine, which meant she’d worked a twelve-hour day. No wonder she was tired.
But she was also anxious to catch up with Riva, so she headed out the door ahead of Tyler.
“We can drop your car off at the house and take my truck if you want. No need for two cars.”
Abbott’s was a few miles from Poppy’s and his suggestion made sense. So why was she hesitating? “Sure. Thanks.” Probably because she’d noticed that being close to him brought back all the old feelings she’d had for him when they were teenagers. The feelings she’d been forced to keep hidden or face the wrath of her stepsister who’d thought Tyler belonged to her. But Wendy no longer had any power over Callie and any feelings she might have for Tyler were grown-up feelings that had grown-up consequences.
She had nothing to worry about as long as she kept her thoughts to herself. Which shouldn’t be too difficult since she was pretty sure he considered her a nuisance that he was saddled with for the next few weeks.
When they reached the house, they each went to their own bedroom. Callie would have liked a shower, but didn’t want him to wait for her. She merely washed her face and put on fresh makeup. At least she hadn’t been doing manual labor today, just cooking and cleaning up afterward. She released her hair from the bun she’d worn all day and fluffed it enough to make her reasonably happy with it. She donned fresh skinny jeans with a white tank top and canvas wedge sandals before heading to the front door.
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