Here For You, page 2
“What exactly are your plans?” Dad demanded. “That’s assuming you have any, beyond seeing us and Cally.”
Lucy got up from her warm tiles and came over to him, resting her nose on his thigh. Chris stroked her sleek head. She was damn good at picking up on his moods. “I’m okay, girl,” he said softly.
Lucy didn’t move, however. Smart dog.
Still stroking her, Chris met his dad’s gaze. “I came here to make peace with you, to see Cally, and to make sure Hunter is okay. Once I’ve done all that, I’ll probably go back to Chicago.” There was one more task he needed to accomplish before that could happen, but he wasn’t sharing it. Because right then, he had no idea how long it would take.
“Do you want to stay here?” Mom asked. “Because there’s still your old room above the garage out back. It’s empty right now, but we do have a booking for it.” She gave a half smile. “It is the height of the season, after all.”
“I don’t want to be any bother.”
Mom huffed. “As if you’re a bother. And what else would you do? Find another B&B to stay in? In Saugatuck at this time of year?”
“Hey, there’s always the couch,” Chris joked. Not the most uncomfortable couch in the world, but fucking close. And there was always the car. Besides, he had no idea how long he’d be staying.
That sort of depended on Hunter.
“You’re okay for a night or two,” Dad told him. “After that? We’ll have to find you somewhere else—providing you’re still around, of course.”
Yeah, Dad had passive-aggressive down to a fine art. Not that Chris could blame him.
“One thing sure has changed around town since you were here. We seem to be attracting a lot more—” Dad coughed.
Chris bit his lip. “You can say LGBT visitors, Dad. And I am aware of them. The rainbow flags everywhere were a bit of a giveaway.” He wondered if any of them had stayed at the B&B. Chris would have loved to have seen his dad’s reaction. It would have been a lot like Lucy catching a rabbit.
Mom got up from the table. “Let me put some more bacon on. There’s more coffee if you want it too.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Chris drained his mug, then gave Lucy a scratch behind the ears as he stood to pour himself another.
“It’s okay, you know.”
Something in his dad’s quiet voice stilled Chris. His dad was never one for being quiet. “What’s okay?” He kept his eyes on the coffeepot.
“You being... bi. Like I said, it’s not as if it’s a big surprise. And I am glad you’re here. Your Mom missed you.”
Chris turned to face him. “Mom did?”
Dad smiled. “Okay. I did too.” His eyes sparkled. “She can’t handle a paintbrush like you.”
Chris laughed, and just like that, the tension in the room dissipated a little. The smell of bacon once again filled the air, and Mom took a couple of eggs from the chicken-shaped basket. “Scrambled okay with you?”
“Scrambled is good.”
Dad grabbed a piece of crisped bacon, broke off a bit, and held it out under the table. Lucy didn’t waste a second in hurrying over to him, sitting in front of him. “Why doesn’t she take it?” Dad proffered the morsel, but Lucy didn’t budge.
“She’s waiting to be told she can take it.” Chris peered under the table. “Good girl. You can have it.”
Lucy leaned forward and gently took the bacon, licking her chops.
“Lord, she’s a dainty eater. I swear, if I gave a piece of bacon to that mutt next door, he’d have my fingers off. Lucy eats like a lady.”
“That’s because she is a lady.” Lucy gazed at his dad’s hand, and Chris had to smile at her hopeful expression. “That’s it, Luce. No more.” Lucy gave a soft chuff and came back to Chris’s side. He patted her flank. “It’s all right. I’ll give you a piece of mine.” He took his seat once more, and Lucy sat beside him, leaning into his leg.
“Why didn’t you tell us what was going on? Why just run away like that?” Chris jerked his head up at his dad’s earnest tone. The hurt he saw tugged at Chris’s heart. “Did you think we wouldn’t understand? Was that it?”
“Or was it that you’d let things go too far, and you didn’t know how to stop them?” Mom regarded him thoughtfully. “I’ve thought a lot about this. Not surprising, really.”
He had to hand it to his mom. She’d gotten right to the heart of it—well, most of the way there. Hunter was the last little piece of the puzzle.
“It’s... complicated.”
Mom snorted. “This is not Facebook, y’know.” Chris gaped at her, and she shrugged. “So I’m on Facebook. So what? A lot of ladies in town are. We’re part of an accommodation network.”
“I had no idea.” Chris’s head was reeling. I go away for five years, and my mom gets with the program. He glanced at his dad. “You on Facebook too?”
Mom chuckled. “Your dad’s not a fan of social media. He says if anyone wants to talk to him, they know where he lives.” She pushed the eggs around the pan, keeping them on the move.
Yeah, that sounded like Dad. Chris didn’t think he could have coped if Dad had gone all hi-tech on him. It would have felt as if the world was coming to an end.
“You okay taking time off work?” Dad asked, between mouthfuls of coffee.
Chris nodded. “I’m owed a lot of vacation time.” That was putting it mildly. Since he’d started working with the canine center, he hadn’t taken a single day’s vacation. When he’d applied for time off, his boss had rolled her eyes and given him an it’s-about-time grin.
Mom piled eggs and bacon onto a warmed plate. “And that’s something else that wasn’t a surprise. You working with dogs.” She placed it in front of him, then gazed down at Lucy. “Doesn’t she need feeding too?”
“She had a big breakfast before we set off, and that was only three hours ago. I’ve got her food in the car.” Chris took a bite of his eggs and sighed. “There’s no place like home.” Lucy’s nose twitched, and he broke off a piece of bacon for her. “You are gonna get spoiled rotten around here, I can see it coming.” Between mouthfuls, he continued talking. “Where is Cally living these days?”
“They’ve got a house over on Mary Street,” Mom informed him. “Nice little place.” When Chris didn’t respond, she added gently, “And Hunter lives over on Culver, just before it becomes Lake Street.”
He couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks for that, Mom. That was a hint, right?”
“Well, you did say you were going to see him.”
“Are you gonna tell him?” Dad hadn’t changed a bit. Speaking his mind had never been a problem.
Chris paused, his forkful of eggs midway to his mouth, his stomach clenching yet again. “It wasn’t number one on my list of things to share.” He’d figured out long ago that his childhood best friend was as straight as they come. Hunter was never going to be able to give Chris what he wanted. Chris would settle for having his friend back, but that was going to take a lot of work.
Not to mention a miracle.
He finished his breakfast in silence, listening as beyond the kitchen door, his dad greeted guests with the same cheer Chris remembered from when he was a kid, and Mom made sure they had everything they wanted.
“And what about what I want, Luce?” he said in a low voice, rubbing her head. “Who’s going to make sure of that?” He was still reeling from his parents’ revelations. All those years of dreading coming out to them, and they appeared to have taken it in their stride. There was a tiny, angry part of him that regretted the wasted time, but he had no one to blame but himself.
Mom bustled into the kitchen. “There’s some coffee left if you want more.”
He handed her his mug. He’d eaten almost two thirds of his breakfast, but didn’t feel like eating more. He knew why that was.
His next visit would be to Cally, and she was going to be nowhere near as understanding. So what if she was blissfully married to Steve Dawson? That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to harbor a grudge.
Especially against the guy who’d left her at the altar.
Chapter Three
Chris had to admit, Cally seemed to have done well for herself, if the house was anything to go by. It was a pretty little place, surrounded by trees, just off the main street. A jeep stood in front of it, for obvious reasons—a boat took up the small driveway.
Lucy had stopped at his side, sneaking glances at the squirrel that darted from tree to tree across the street. Chris knew she wouldn’t give chase. She gazed up at him, as if to say Well? Are we going in or what?
“You think I’m procrastinating, don’t you?” he said quietly.
Lucy huffed, and he guessed that was a yes. There was nothing for it but to knock on Cally’s door.
He walked up the path that led to the wooden stoop, Lucy matching his steps, her harness snugly in place. The porch looked inviting, with two rocking chairs sitting in the shade, a small table between them. The front door’s black paintwork gleamed, and above it was a semicircle of stained glass, with the sun at its center, rays spreading out from it. Chris paused, his breathing quickening.
I should’ve warned her I was coming.
Too late to back out now. The drapes in the front window were already twitching.
Before he could ring the bell, the door opened, and Steve stood there, staring at him as if he’d grown a second head. He’d filled out a little since the last time Chris had seen him—the day before the wedding five years ago, when they’d gone for a beer at the bar by the lake front. Him and four others, one of whom had been Hunter.
Steve folded his arms. “You’re back then.”
Chris pushed down hard on the urge to respond with a sarcastic remark. It would have gone over Steve’s head anyway. “Yeah.”
Steve glanced at Lucy. “This your dog?”
A snatched fragment of conversation came to mind. He always was quick on the uptake. That had been Hunter’s line, and Chris still recalled the deadpan way he’d delivered it, not to mention Chris’s smothered guffaw.
“This is Lucy. And yes, she’s mine.” Chris cleared his throat. “Is Cally home?”
Steve’s set jaw hardly moved as he forced out words through gritted teeth. “Maybe. But then again, maybe she doesn’t want to see you.”
“And maybe you can let me make up my own mind?” came a loud voice from behind Steve. Cally sounded pissed. She appeared beside Steve, and Chris did a double take.
“Wow. Okay. This, I didn’t know about.”
Cally beamed, patting her extremely obvious bump. “I gotta say, your timing is good. If you’d turned up in a week or so, things would be very different.” She glared at Steve. “So, what? You were just gonna let him stand on the stoop while you gave him the third-degree?” Then her gaze alighted on Lucy, and her eyes widened. “Oh my God, she’s adorable! It is a her, right?”
Chris nodded. “This is Lucy.”
Cally gave Steve an impatient glance. “Weren’t you going to the store?”
“Yes, but—” Steve gestured toward Chris.
Cally folded her arms, and the sight took Chris back. He knew that look.
“But what? I’m gonna invite Chris and Lucy into the house, make some tea, and we’re gonna talk. He doesn’t need to talk to you. He came to see me. Right?” She peered at Chris, clearly expecting corroboration.
Before Chris could utter a word, Steve reached behind the door, grabbed a set of keys and pushed past him.
“You might want this?” Cally held up a piece of paper, her lips twitching. “Unless you’ve already memorized the entire shopping list.” She turned her cheek toward him, tapping it with her forefinger.
Steve took the list and sighed before kissing her. “If you need me, you call, okay?”
Cally’s eyes were warm. “I think you’re safe to leave me for an hour. But yes, if Nugget decides to put in an appearance, I’ll call.”
Steve gave Chris one last glare then headed down the path to the jeep. Chris watched him go, breathing a little easier.
“Now come on in, and I’ll make us that tea. Follow me as I waddle to the kitchen.” She stood to one side to let him enter, gazing down at Lucy with a wide smile as Lucy stepped across the threshold. “I love golden retrievers.”
Chris followed her through the house to the sunny kitchen. Cally filled a kettle and set it on the stove. She reached into a cabinet for a box of tea bags. “Will breakfast tea do? I’ve got some peppermint tea too.” She grimaced. “I’ve gone off coffee.” Cally patted her bump. “Thanks, Nugget.”
“Do you know what it’s going to be yet?” Chris sat at the table, Lucy beside him, her chin resting on his knee. He stroked her slowly.
“Yes—a baby.” Cally grinned. “We wanted it to be a surprise. You have never seen so many baby clothes in varying shades of lemon. All I can say is, this kid had better like dinosaurs.” When Chris arched his eyebrows, she smiled. “Let’s just say Steve went a little dino-crazy when he was decorating the baby’s room.”
“You look like you’re about to pop any second now. If that’s not too personal a remark.” She looked great. Her glossy brown hair was cut in a cute bob, and her face was slightly fuller than he remembered.
“From anyone else? I’d flatten them, bump or no bump. From you?” Her hazel eyes sparkled. “You get a pass. And I’ve got a week or two yet.” She dropped the tea bags into two mugs. “When did you get back?”
“This morning.”
“Have you seen your parents?”
“They were first on my list. You’re second.”
Cally beamed. “Well, aren’t I special?” She hummed as she waited for the kettle to boil.
That fluttering in Chris’s stomach wouldn’t go away. He’d expected anger, bitter recriminations, anything but this. Cally seemed... happy. Like, over-the-top happy. It was either an overabundance of hormones or... Maybe she’s waiting for me to say something. That seemed appropriate.
“Listen, I... I’m sorry for what happened.”
Before he could get any further, Cally held up her hand. “I do know why you left, you know.” Her voice was quieter, all the mirth vanished.
He stilled. “You do?” Then his brief flare of panic subsided. No way was this happening twice in one morning. Lucy let out a soft noise, and he resumed his stroking, letting the action calm him.
She nodded. “I figured it out. I mean, I’m not that nineteen-year-old kid anymore, the one who bullied her way into achieving her dreams. The one who never took your feelings into consideration.”
Okay, that shocked him into silence. This was nothing like the girl he’d grown up with. What do you know? Cally matured.
The kettle whistled, and Cally took it off the stove, pouring water into the mugs. She brought them to the table, then reached into the refrigerator for milk and a jar of honey. She sat facing him, staring into her tea. “I’ve thought about it a lot. After all, I was the one who started the ball rolling, remember? I was sixteen when I announced to anyone who would listen that I was going to marry you. I basically talked it into existence. And you went along with it. Until you saw sense.”
Chris couldn’t let her carry on. “Stop. You think I left because of you?”
Another slow nod. “It took me a few years to get to the point where I realized I had to take some responsibility for what happened.”
“I let it go on though.” Chris wasn’t about to argue all that much. They both knew she was right.
Well, partly right.
Cally cocked her head to one side. “Did you love me?”
That was a no-brainer. “I did. I still do. But—”
“But in your own way.” She took a sip of her tea. “I know you cared for me. I knew that since when I was a kid. Hell, you were like another big brother, only not as annoying. But I’m right, aren’t I? I railroaded you into it. Till we’d gone so far along the path that you couldn’t back out.” She bit her lip. “Well, until you did...”
“I still need to apologize. I keep thinking of all the expense you went to. The dress. The reception. And for me to leave you the way I did...”
“Hunter said you’d been acting weird all that morning. He put it down to wedding jitters.” Cally put down her mug. “Why did you go along with it for so long?”
Fuck. Chris gazed into the aromatic brew. “I can’t really answer that.” He could, of course. But that just wasn’t an option.
Cally regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. “I can think of a couple of reasons. Maybe... because marrying me was better than the alternative.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
She locked gazes with him. “Well, maybe you didn’t wanna come right out and say what was really going on.” There was the faintest smile. “And I chose my words deliberately just now.”
Fuck no. Not again.
Chris sat immobile, afraid to breathe, not wanting to give any sign that she might take as agreement or recognition.
“And my second reason? Maybe it was your way of keeping Hunter in your life.”
Aw fuck. Chris swallowed past the brick in his throat.
Cally sighed. “Yeah. I figured that out too. Of course, I wasn’t sure until just now.” Another keen stare. “You gonna go see him?”
There was no way out of this.
“When I get up enough courage.” Because he had yet to wade through the tide of resentment and long-buried anger that awaited him in the town.
Cally drank some more. “Yeah. I know Steve was an asshole just now, but he probably figures he has to act that way. Righteous indignation and all that... you embarrassing his wife... But... you might find most people in Saugatuck are not that hostile.”
Chris couldn’t think why that might be the case.
Cally cleared her throat. “I’ve been a kind of... moderating voice around here where you’re concerned. When people badmouthed you at first, I stayed tight-lipped, but when I started to think about it—about my part in it?—I spoke up for you.”
A wave of lightheadedness swept over him. “I’d always assumed you’d have me run out of town.”
