26
All the changes Callie had been expecting—and dreading—came to pass in the next few days. Once she told her parents about her illness, her time at the farm was over. Diana and Boone insisted she move home.
It was only Wednesday, three days after Levi had left, when her father drove out to help her pack and close up the house. They no longer trusted that she was capable of taking care of herself, which was annoying and restrictive even though she knew it stemmed from their desire to keep her with them as long as possible.
Her parents weren’t the only ones making life more difficult. Her friends were also struggling to accept what was coming—and that included her assistant, Tina. Visitors came by often once she was back in town, but seeing them wasn’t the same kind of fun it had once been. And to make it all that much worse, Levi’s departure had left as big a hole in her life as she’d known it would.
The only positive things about having told everyone she was dying was that her parents finally met her doctor, she didn’t have to hide when she took her medication or feel guilty about deceiving anyone and if she was tired she didn’t need an excuse to nap. She was also rid of Chief Stacy, it seemed. When he found out she wasn’t long for this world, she stopped being a viable alternative for his future wife and he lost interest. She could tell when she spoke to him, briefly, about Levi. Oddly enough, he still seemed relieved that Levi was gone, even though her friends hadn’t revealed Levi’s true identity. Callie wasn’t sure why Chief Stacy had felt so threatened by him.
“You’re looking good,” Baxter told her when he came by on Thursday night after work.
They were sitting on the back patio not far from her father’s large garden, watching Rifle chase bees.
“Thanks,” she said. But she knew he was lying. He had to be. She was doing worse than ever. Since word got out and Levi had gone, she felt as if something inside her had caved in—like a dam washed downstream—and given her illness free rein. It was almost as if, by telling, she’d accepted her fate and could no longer avoid it.
The silence grew awkward. “How’s work?” she asked in an attempt to fill the void.
Baxter yanked at the tie he’d already loosened. “Fine. I should have a good month.”
They’d discussed this type of thing before. A good month meant he’d make fifteen to twenty thousand dollars. She smiled at his success. “I should’ve become a stockbroker.”
“Why? You’re an amazing photographer.”
“After all the work I put into my business, I never netted twenty thousand dollars in one month.”
“But you love what you do.”
She hadn’t even picked up her camera since she’d moved home. “Tina will do a great job with Reflections.”
Before he could object to what her statement implied, her mother called from the back door. “Callie?”
She twisted around. “Yes?”
“You’ve been up for quite some time. Don’t you think you should come in and rest, dear?”
Callie wanted to say she could rest when she was dead, but she knew that would only upset her mother. “In a minute.”
Baxter managed to unfasten another button on his expensive shirt. “Tell me something.”
“What?” she said.
He waited to make sure her mother was gone before continuing. “Has Dylan ever mentioned seeing me with...”
“With...”
“A guy?”
At this, she sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”
“I mean what you think I mean. I was on a date once. We went to Jackson to avoid running into anyone around here. But Dylan came into the bar with some fighter friend. I’m pretty sure he saw me. I’m equally sure he recognized me. And I’m convinced he knew exactly what was going on.”
Callie took a sip of the ice water she’d brought out with her. “When was this?”
“Before he got together with Cheyenne—a couple of years ago.”
“He’s never said a word. At least, not to me. Maybe he mentioned it to Cheyenne, though.”
His thumb moved thoughtfully over his cleft chin. “Dylan’s a cool dude.”
“He’s perfect for Chey. Really good to her. But what makes you ask about that now? After so much time? Wouldn’t you know if he’d outed you?”
He stared across her father’s carefully manicured lawn toward the cinder-block fence. Their yard wasn’t large, but her father’s landscaping was meticulous.
“Noah’s been acting strange lately. I’m afraid he’s guessed.”
Alarmed about what this might mean for Baxter, for their group, Callie shifted in her seat. “Strange in what way?”
“Going from one woman to the next. Sleeping around and telling me every sordid detail. I think he’s trying to let me know he’ll never be interested in me.” He laughed bitterly. “As if I didn’t know that already.”
“That could be a subconscious reaction,” she pointed out.
“I’m not sure. It’s almost as if...as if he flinches when I come anywhere near him. It was never like that before.”
“Callie?” her mother called again. “Honey, you really
need to rest.”
“Mom—” she started, but Baxter shook his head.
“I have to go, anyway,” he said, standing.
Callie didn’t want him to leave. But she knew he was probably eager to get out of his suit, and maybe he had plans. She’d never realized he was dating, but, of course, that made sense. She couldn’t expect him to remain celibate his whole life just because he wasn’t ever going to be with Noah.
“Thanks for coming.”
He gave her a hug. “Are you missing Levi?”
Her hand went automatically to the bird pendent at her neck. She was glad Levi had given her a keepsake to remember him by. “I’m happy he escaped this part.”
“I wonder if he is,” he murmured, but Callie pretended not to hear it.
Levi had to be happier wherever he was—or he would’ve come back.
* * *
His trophies were still on display. Levi hadn’t really thought his father would put them away. They meant too much to Leo, were more his badges of honor than they were Levi’s. But it was a shock to see that so little had changed in eight years. When he’d returned home after being discharged from the army, Levi had spoken to his father—or, rather, berated him—before taking off again. He hadn’t been here since he was nineteen and training every day.