urgency in his voice made sense as he turned to the side and showed me the girl hiding in the playground equipment.
“Gemma?” I cried while Franklin yapped frantically.
Carson picked him up, instantly quieting the dog while Gemma jogged over to us and gave me a hug. “Callie! Look at you. You are so beautiful! And grown up!”
Even though Gemma was only a few years older than us, she seemed so glamorous, like she had her whole life together. And she was absolutely gorgeous with an ample hourglass figure and clothes that made her look both sexy and polished. Not like me in my pajamas and shower cap with a scraggly, yapping dog.
“Look at yourself! You look amazing,” I said. I could see why Joe always had a hopeless crush on her. “What are you doing in town?”
She and Carson exchanged a dark look, and she answered, “I’m helping Dad pack up.”
Ice filled my stomach as I glanced from her to Carson. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’m not the little girl I once was.”
Feeling reassured by her confidence, I gave her another hug. “I’m just happy you’re back. Carson has missed you and the others like crazy. How long are you in town?”
“Four days, but I want to get together with you and Carson. I have to know how he finally convinced you to date him. You know when you guys were twelve and you went to that party—”
Carson hooked his arm around her shoulders, ruffling her hair, and said, “That’s enough of that.” As Gemma shoved him off, he said, “I better get this one back to her hotel, but I’ll see you tomorrow, Cal.”
They began walking away, but I was still rooted to the spot. What had Gemma been about to tell me? I had to know.
Thirty-Two
CARSON
All day Saturday, I was on edge knowing Gemma was in the same space as Dad. Even though I was working a double shift at the pool, I kept my phone on Mrs. Mayes’s desk so she could let me know if she heard it ring. She thought I was hoping to hear from Callie, but the truth was I just wanted my phone to stay silent. No news was good news when it came to my dad.
My nerves were strung tight by the end of my shift, but when I checked my phone, there was a text from Gemma.
Gemma: I’m riding with Callie to Waldo’s. Everything went okay with Dad. Tell you more later.
My curiosity piqued, but I tried to focus instead on showering off and changing into the spare clothes I’d packed. One of the major gifts athletics had given me was the ability to focus on a specific task and block out everything else. I used that skill as often as I could—my mom called it a man’s “nothing box.” I called it survival.
I stayed in the nothing box until I got to the diner, but when I saw Gemma and Callie in the window, I came undone. The sturdy walls around my fears and worries collapsed, and my eyes got hot just watching them together. I was so thankful Gemma was safe. Thankful Callie would soon be safe from me.
I wiped at my eyes, removing the traces of moisture, and got out of the car. They were sitting at a booth midway into the restaurant, talking to Betty. She greeted me and took my drink order, then left me alone with two of the people I loved most.
I went to sit by Gemma, but she said, “Sit with your girlfriend! I want to bask in this moment.”
I rolled my eyes at her and sat next to Callie. Our thighs touched, and the heat from her body warmed me in ways I didn’t want to admit. Steeling myself, I took a deep breath and put on a happy face. It was what they both wanted from me.
“How was today?” I asked.
Gemma frowned. “You know, same ol’, same ol’. Dad blamed Mom for all of his problems, said it was her fault he got his work injury because she asked for help with you the night before and he was too tired to be safe, and then he threw a bunch of stuff and broke it.”
My fists balled, and my muscles readied me to stand, to fight. “He what?”
“Not at me,” she said. “It was just some of Mom’s trinkets, and it was after he’d had a few drinks. I got in with Callie pretty soon after.”
Callie gently rubbed my arm,