Rett froze in the doorway to her bedroom. Turning slowly to face her mother, she replied, “He’s good. We’re, uh, we’re fixing up the old Turner trailer.”
“Hank’s?” Eliza frowned and put aside her puzzle book. “Rett, that place is a death trap. Why ever would you do such a fool thing?”
“That’s why we’re fixing it, Mama. Cal… He wants it to be our home when we’re done.”
“Oh, Retta…”
“It’s okay. Charles is helpin’, so it ain’t like we’re being stupid.”
“Well, good.”
“Hey, Mama?”
“Yeah, baby?”
Rett let out a sigh of relief. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now go get cleaned up. I can smell you all the way over here.”
Rett did as ordered, laughing quietly on her way into the bathroom.
The next morning found her sitting on the front porch, watching the sun inching its way past the horizon. As tired as she’d been when she went to bed, she hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours. It had been nearly five weeks since she sent in the application. She should receive a response soon.Should, if she were lucky.
Rett figured she was a lucky kind of girl. After all, she lived in a great town. She had wonderful parents, awesome neighbors, and a fantastic husband. While small, her high school was highly rated and gave an education worthy of more than its cost. Lucky, like she thought. So she figured the letter would come within the next few days.
Bringing her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her shins and rested her chin on her knees. She loved her town and almost everyone in it. Old Mrs. Murdoch left a lot to be desired; as cantankerous as the summer day is long, the woman made everyone’s lives a living Hell if they so much as looked her way. It was hard to avoid her, but everyone knew to stay away.
Mrs. Murdoch aside, the town was home and always would be. Rett might have wanted to explore the world for a year or two, but she knew she would always come right back and settle down like her parents and grandparents before her. She and Calum would raise a little family in Oak Creek when the time was right, and Rett would die and be buried in the earth right there in the town cemetery, next door to the little white church.
She wasn’t sure how much time, exactly, had passed, but before she knew it, Misses Claudia and Jeanie were passing by, Miss Agatha bringing up the rear with small hand-weights clutched tightly to her sides. The women called out greetings, and Rett waved with a smile. The neighbors on either side were moving around beyond their windows, curtains being pulled back and tied away from the glass, and kids tumbled out front doors to wrestle in whichever yard was closest.
It was a routine, a song and dance she’d always known. Yeah, she would miss Oak Creek while she was gone, but she would always come back home.
Charles’s truck appeared moments later, and Calum climbed out of the cab. Rett grinned, rising to her feet as he neared. Assoon as he was close enough, her arms looped around his neck, and she pulled him in for a soft kiss.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” he said when they parted, eyes twinkling in the sunlight. “Ready for another day of working on our home?”
Rett injected as much enthusiasm into her voice as possible when she agreed. It wasn’thisfault she really wasn’t that interested. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to find anything off in her tone. He just waited for her to shout through the screen door that she was leaving, then he laced their fingers together as they headed toward the truck.
As the vehicle made its way toward the woods, Rett wondered which response she would prefer.
fourteen
Calum
CALUM WRAPPED AN ARM over Rett’s shoulders, dragging her in against his side as the truck bounced down the path to the trailer. Her head tilted toward him, rested against his, and he smiled into the sun. She was his forever. She’d proved that. No matter what anyone said, Loretta Cox had chosen him, the once-outcast labeled the resident “bad boy” simply because of his past behavior. She chose him despite the warnings and the judgment. And now they were married and would be together for the rest of their lives.
Rett used a crowbar to pry the kitchen cupboards away from the walls, letting the pieces of wood crash to the floor. Calum helped Charles nail plywood to the crossbeams they’d put in the day before. His back ached by the time they finished, but it wasa job well done. The plywood didn’t creak, and it didn’t give way. He glanced over at Rett, frowning at the distance in her eyes.
Lunchtime came and went, and then the trio was back at it. Rett helped carry out the remnants of cabinetry and moved toward the bedroom while Calum and Charles ripped up the kitchen tiles. The subflooring in the kitchen wasn’t nearly as bad as in the living room. It still needed to be replaced. It would be just Calum’s luck that they’d leave it as it was only for Rett to hurt herself when it caved in.
They didn’t leave the trailer until long after sundown. Calum helped his wife into the back of Charles’s truck then climbed in behind her. The drive back to town was quick, but they were both nearly asleep by the time they reached Rett’s house. She all but rolled out of the bed, landing clumsily on her feet, and he leaned over the side to give her a kiss before Charles pulled away.
Calum barely managed to take a shower without dozing off. He dressed quickly in a pair of basketball shorts, forgoing a shirt, then collapsed into bed.
A loud slam echoed through the house, and he jolted away just as a body landed on the mattress beside him. He scrubbed sleep from his eyes before focusing on the wiggling form of his wife; in her hand was a piece of paper folded into thirds. On her face was the brightest smile he’d ever seen her wear. She waved the letter.
“Cal, Cal, oh, my God, I did it! I got in!”
