Page 131 of Let Me Be the One
“It doesn’t matter now. I don’t want—”
Kam interrupted. “The idea was to keep the animals, maybe even add a few more, and expand the garden. We’d have connected the two properties so the older kids could learn tree farming, gardening, caring for farm animals, along with all the related stuff.”
“They’d have been paid, of course,” Addie said.“Best way to teach kids to manage money is to show them how to use a budget.”
Tanner got in the spirit of it. “We’d have taught them the proper tools to use, maintenance of the shelters, yard, and even the house.”
“Cooking, shopping, and housekeeping,” Addie added. “But the house isn’t available. Our sweet Callie is there and we love having her for a neighbor.”
Kam lifted his tea. “And more.”
Tanner took his brother’s tea from him and set it back on the table. “Seems to me that Callie is already doing a lot of what I had planned.”
“She is,” Liam said. “The friends I brought over to help her paint, remove carpet and stuff—they all needed that work. Bad.” He turned to Callie, his appreciative smile going crooked with emotion. “You overpaid. You always do. You treated them like adults, and it meant a lot. The guys left laughing with nothing but respect for you.”
“You pay me to help with the animals,” Nell said. “Even though I’m not an official vet tech yet.”
“And you trust me with repairs,” Liam added. “I like the responsibility.”
Tears welled in Nell’s eyes, but with her smile they looked like happy tears. “At the halfway house, we all watch you online before bed. You’re so… I don’t know. Real and believable, and fun. No matter what, you’re upbeat. That video we did of your bruises—I figured if you could still laugh and joke with us, even when you could barely walk and you were black and blue, then I could stay upbeat too.”
Addie smiled down the table at her. “Sounds like you’re an inspiration, honey.”
“She is.” Her mother actually sniffled, and got a hug from her dad because of it. “I’m so proud of you, Callie.”
Tanner took her hand. “You don’t need to sell your house, babe. It’s already being used the way I imagined.”
For the rest of the meal, Callie stayed in a daze. While she’d been reinventing herself, she’d also been helping others—and hadn’t even realized it. Or at least, to any great extent. She felt like a fraud because she hadn’t set out to be selfless like Tanner. She’d just been determined to start living again.
Never, not once, had she imagined that her life would go this way. With so much personal meaning, not just for herself, but for others. It was invigorating and it gave her hope that she could, in fact, get it all.
A life of meaning, with a man she loved—and who loved her in return.
After they’d all devoured a homemade chocolate cake for dessert, Liam and Nell thanked everyone and left. It was clear to see they wanted time alone together. She might have worried more about Nell, except that Liam was such an exceptional young man, and Nell was savvy beyond her years.
They all pitched in to do the dishes, but that meant too many people were in the kitchen, making the large room feel much smaller.
When they finished, she asked Tanner to get the box of albums that he’d carried over for her.
“What’s this?” her dad asked.
“Photos that Uncle Reggie had in the attic. I thought you might like to see them.” She hoped it would softentheir memories of growing up in Hoker, especially now that they were experiencing a financial strain.
Her mother snatched up a loose photo on the top, then caught her breath. “Frank, do you remember us this young?” The faded image showed a small house with shingle siding. On the sagging front porch was an old glider holding three youths. Her mom was in the middle, with her dad on her right side, Reggie on her left.
They were all three laughing.
“I can’t believe Reggie kept this.” Even her dad looked emotional now. He took the box from Tanner and tucked it under one arm. “We’ll go through them all tonight. Thanks for bringing them over.”
“There are more,” Tanner said. “Reggie’s attic is filled with old stuff, including more photo albums and framed photos.”
“I actually miss him,” her mom said softly.
“Come on,” Addie said. “Let’s let these young people get on their way. I’ll show you up to the room you can use.”
Callie kissed her dad’s cheek, then hugged her mom. “Just so you know, he loved you both.” When her mother went to follow Addie, she had tears filling her eyes.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
