“Yeah, Joshua’s a good friend of mine,” she said. “David too. Davidandhim are friends as well.” Adding this detail felt like the right thing to do at first, but once she’d said it out loud, she started to feel like maybe she was being too obvious. How would someone whohadn’tjust been caught flirting behave?
Callie’s heart raced when she realized her anxious demeanor was making her seem even more suspicious.
“David knows Joshua?” Sasha blinked quickly and tilted her head, as though staring at a picture turned upside down.
“Of course! Pretty much everyone knows everyone in this town, and Joshua’s farm is kind of locally famous. He grows some of the best vegetables in the state... if you ask me.”
“Hm.” Sasha nodded but seemed to be mostly lost in her own thoughts.
“Uh—how’s Dot?” she asked, hoping to bring Sasha’s attention onto another topic. “Is she still asleep?”
Sasha didn’t answer right away, her eyes darting from her feet to Callie who evaded her gaze while struggling to remain calm.
“Yeah, we got her in the car, and she conked out,” Sasha said eventually. “David turned the heat on, so she didn’t get too cold. They’re waiting for us at the curb up there.”
“Great.” Callie smiled wide and pushed down the panic that was welling up inside. “It was getting a little cold. I’m ready to go home and warm up. Oh—I know, we can make some hot chocolate. That sounds good, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess. But—”
“Oh, there’s the car. C’mon, let’s hurry before David gets annoyed. Otherwise, we’ll get a lecture on the environmental impact of idling in the car.” She picked up her pace, making it much harder for them to carry a conversation. Sasha fell silent as they scurried across the grass the rest of the way, and much to Callie’s relief, she didn’t bring up Joshua on the car ride home.
Chapter 3
When David turned onto their street, there was still a bit of tension in the air between Callie and Sasha, but luckily the sight of an unknown car in the driveway pulled everyone’s attention elsewhere.
“Huh,” Callie said softly to herself, looking inquisitively at the vehicle.
David parked next to the silver SUV and looked over his shoulder at Callie, who was in the backseat with the baby, frowning. “Do you know whose car that is?”
“Nope.” She shrugged. “Doesn’t look familiar to me. Maybe Mallory has a friend over?”
“Does she have any friends in town?”
Callie thought about it for a second. “Maybe?”
“Who?”
That was a good question, and one Callie didn’t have an immediate answer to. “Uh—well, maybe she doesn’t... actually. I think a few of the girls she used to hang out with growing up still live around here but I’d be surprised if she really kept up with any of them.” Callie unbuckled herself and then started to undo the straps of Dot’s car seat. “It’d be the first time she’d reconnected with someone from her childhood in her entire adult life, but I guess that doesn’t mean it’simpossible.”
“Oh, maybe she has a boyfriend!” Sasha said, smirking. “Do you think she’s dating anyone?”
David and Callie shared a look.
“That would be… surprising,” David said.
“How diplomatic of you,” Callie joked. “I’d say it would beshockingif Mallory had a boyfriend. But hey, stranger things have happened, I guess.” She got the baby the rest of the way out of the seat and scooped her up. “Does anyone want to take bets before we go in and find out?”
Sasha laughed but nobody actually took Callie up on her offer. Instead, they all filed inside, with Callie and Dot in the lead. “Mallory?” she called out. “Are you home?”
“Uh, yeah. One second!” Mallory sounded distinctly frantic. Callie handed the baby off to her mother and headed down the hall in the direction of her daughter’s voice. She was at the door to David’s office when it swung open and a tall, strapping man stepped out carrying a laptop under his arm and smiling. He had a strong jaw and thick, dark hair. His glasses were a little clunky, but that style somehow seemed to frame his face well—like Clark Kent.
Callie stepped back and gawked at him. Was Sasha right? Did Mallory have a boyfriend?
“Hi,” she said, stretching onto her tip toes so she could see Mallory standing behind the man. Mallory appeared flushed and more than a little nervous. “What—”
“Mom,” Mallory said, coming around so she was in front of the man. “Hey. Sorry for the surprise. This is the computer repair man. I accidentally spilled some coffee on dad’s laptop, and he was kind enough to try to fix it.” She looked down to the end of the hallway and winced. “Dad—I’m so sorry, but I don’t think it’s going to be salvageable.”
“Well, never say never,” the repairman chimed in. “There are still a few things that I can try, but I need to take it back to the shop where I’ve got more specialized tools and parts. If that’s okay with you, sir?”
