Page 7 of Changing Caleb
“Oh, honey, are you two an item again?”
“Definitely not.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. He’s such a sweet young man.”
Sweet? The only time Caleb was sweet was on our first official date. He was a true gentleman that night. Shocked the hell out of me. That night he opened the door for me, paid for our meal, andkissed me on my cheek when he walked me to my door. I was a goner. I jumped right on the rollercoaster ride and held on for years.
“You ladies need anything else?”
“No, sweetie. We’ll be finishing up soon.”
Soon means another hour of gossiping about everyone in this town. If you go to church, they gossip about the committees you don’t serve on. If you don’t go to church, well they gossip about you going to hell. It’s a lose/lose situation.
“Holy shit! It’s Casey Fucking Wells!”
My cheeks flame red at Avery’s outburst. She grins over at me and takes a seat at the bar, her jean shorts so tight they’ll give the ladies something new to gossip about.Not like they aren’t already gossiping about her being back in town.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite Randall,” I say and take a seat beside her.
I was so caught up in my frustration at Caleb last night that I didn’t even speak to her. I was heartbroken when she left Hollis. She was like a sister to me, and she was gone. I understand why she left, but it didn’t keep me from missing her any less.
“Didn’t think I’d see the day when you returned to Hollis.”
“I am not here to stay,” she says adamantly. “In fact, I’m kind of surprised you’re still here. You’re going to school in Redbud, right?”
“Yeah, but it isn’t that far of a commute.”
“True, but there’s nothing in this shit town. You should’ve headed for the hills after you got rid of my brother.”
“That’s always a possibility.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “You’re a Hollis lifer.”
“You make that sound like a death sentence.”
She shrugs. “Maybe for me it is.”
“Why’d you come back then?”
“I came back for Caleb. He was ready to come home, and he asked me to come with him. He’s been through a lot. I’m sure you have too. But he’s been doing really good, and I didn’t want to derail that by sending him here alone.”
“You were worried he’d see me and fall off the wagon.”
“With the way you behaved last night, it was possible.”
“Me? What about him?”
She levels her gaze at me. “You were trying to pick a fight, Case. He didn’t engage with you, for once.”
I sigh. “Fine. You’re right. I was trying to pick a fight. He just waltzed back into town and is acting like nothing happened between us.”
“He was in hell, and it took him some time to crawl out of it. He came back for you. To prove to you he’s changed. I don’t give a shit if you decide to take him back or not. What I care about is my brother. Don’t you dare fuck up his sobriety.”
“We just need to steer clear of each other. Avoidance is best.”
She laughs, standing up and heading toward the door. “This is Hollis. There’s no such thing as avoiding someone.”
Her point is proven when she pulls it open. Caleb and Brady walk in. Definitely no such thing as avoiding someone in this town.
