The more he tried to hurt his father, the more he’d hurt himself.
A scenic view sign with a turnout for motorhomes and tourists came up on the right. Levi pulled into it and shut off his engine. Then he sat and listened to the caw of seagulls as he breathed in the briny scent of the beach. As much as he loved Oregon, he knew he didn’t want to live in Portland or work with his father. It was going to take a lot more than two years to overcome what he felt toward Leo. He was afraid he might never get beyond it.
But there was one place he desperately wanted to be. He hadn’t allowed himself to consider returning, had shoved the desire out of his mind every time it broke upon his consciousness. He knew the price he’d pay if he went back to Whiskey Creek. He didn’t want to watch Callie die any more than she wanted him to. He wouldn’t be able to stand seeing her suffer.
Not only that, sooner or later Chief Stacy would make sure he was arrested and charged for what he’d done to those officers in Nevada. If he went back, he’d essentially be turning himself in. And for what? How much time did Callie have left? Weeks?
That was the impression he’d gotten when he’d overheard her on the phone.
He’d made the right decision when he left. The cost of staying with her was too high.
But what if she needed him? What if he could make the end a little easier for her? After all, it wasn’t his practical side that was drawing him back to Whiskey Creek. It was some other part. A part of him that was willing to pay any price for just one more day....
27
On a Friday morning almost two weeks after Levi drove off, Callie sat with her friends at their customary large booth at Black Gold Coffee. It felt like one of a thousand other days, except for the surreptitious glances she received from her friends. They were worried about her, couldn’t help wondering if this get-together might be her last.
She could understand why they’d feel that way. It was odd, but ever since Levi’s departure she’d gone downhill fast. She could barely eat, had no energy, spent most of her time resting at her parents’. Every morning her mother would call the doctor to see if he’d arranged a transplant, and every morning he’d tell her not to call again, that he’d be in touch if a liver became available. Then she’d quickly wipe her eyes and force a smile before turning her wheelchair around to face Callie, as if Callie wouldn’t notice that she’d been crying.
“I tried to go there,” Ted said. “I couldn’t get her to answer the door.”
They’d been discussing the fact that Sophia hadn’t shown up since Ted had made that comment about Scott.
“Maybe she wasn’t home,” Eve said.
“I think she was,” Ted insisted. “Where else would she be? She hardly leaves that mausoleum they call a house.”
“Did you check to see if her car was there?” Noah asked.
Ted scowled. “How could I? They have a five-car garage but every single door was down.”
“She would’ve answered if she was there.” Cheyenne always stuck up for the underdog. But Callie had to admit it was a little ironic that anyone could consider Sophia an underdog. She and her gal pals had been merciless to anyone less fortunate when they were all in high school. As the daughter of their former mayor, she’d had the power to get away with just about anything, and she’d exploited it to full advantage. No wonder they had difficulty believing her transformation.
“Not necessarily,” Ted muttered.
“Give her a call,” Callie said. “Maybe you can reach her by phone.”
“I’m not going to keep bugging her,” he said. “If she doesn’t want to hear my apology, I won’t bother with it.”
Noah added cream to his coffee. “We’re just going to ignore the fact that she isn’t joining us anymore?”
The look on Ted’s face suggested he didn’t like this question. “What else can we do? It’s her choice whether or not to come.”
Callie felt like pushing their cups and plates aside so she could lay her head on the table. Instead, she took a deep breath and used a spoon to fish an ice cube from her water, hoping that might ease the nausea roiling in her stomach—a constant companion these days. “So you’re happy to be rid of her?”
Ted wouldn’t meet her eyes. “It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.”
Callie nodded but she was unconvinced. She suspected that Kyle, who’d picked her up and brought her here, remained skeptical, too. It was hard to tell. He sat next to her, but he was too busy watching her, looking concerned, to really participate in the conversation.
Callie ignored him. She hated the way they all seemed to be waiting for the moment she might keel over.
“I sort of miss her,” Eve said. “She was always very supportive.”
“Always?” Ted let loose a preposterous laugh. “Oh, how quickly they forget. She’s been nice the past couple of years. But only because her father has no more power in this town, and she doesn’t have any other friends. She’s always nice when she wants something.”
Baxter was eyeing Noah. His gaze strayed in that direction so many times Callie was afraid Noah would notice that this wasn’t the type of attention typical of a best friend. She didn’t feel well enough to keep up with the conversation, but for Baxter’s sake she spoke to distract them, especially Noah. “Has anyone seen Skip lately?”
No one cared about Skip, so it was a pointless question, but they didn’t call her on it.
Kyle shook his head. “He’s never home these days.”
If Callie had her guess, he came home often enough to knock his wife around, but she had no proof of that, so she kept her mouth shut.
“I bet he’ll be here for the Fourth of July next week.” Ted rolled his eyes. “He wouldn’t want to miss the parade.”
Every year, Skip followed the high school marching band, the Rotary Club float and the Kiwanis Club float down Sutter Street in one of his rare Ferraris while his daughter sat in the passenger seat tossing candy to the crowds lined up to watch. Callie could picture the expensive sunglasses he chose for the occasion and his Ivy League attire. His parents, also some of the wealthiest people in the area, drove a Lamborghini in the parade, while Sophia rode atop the Bank of Gold Country float, dressed in a sparkly evening gown and looking like Red, White and Blue Barbie. Riley, Noah, Baxter and Kyle used to mock her Miss America wave. Callie had even laughed along. But once Sophia started joining them for coffee, everyone soon realized how much she hated being put on display like that. Apparently, it was Skip who insisted on this “family tradition.” He was showing off. First his expensive car and pretty daughter. Then his wealthy parents. And last, his lovely wife.