A Time for Us - By Amy Knupp Page 0,15

her emotions.

Cale squeezed her shoulder supportively as he retook his seat next to her. His mom put up a brave front, but he knew how hard the past few months had been on her, what with his dad’s tractor accident and subsequent health deterioration, having to close down the farming-implement store that’d been in the Jackson family for three generations, and now relocating to the island, where Cale and Mariah could help them out more easily.

When Cale had first suggested the move, his mom had protested as loudly as his dad had. Neither of them had ever lived outside of the twenty-mile radius from the farm store. They’d lived on the same ranch for the forty-some years they’d been married. But as the months had dragged on and she’d become responsible for more and more as her husband got worse instead of better, she’d had to face reality. Had to admit she couldn’t do it all anymore, couldn’t handle the ranch, pared down though it’d become, and couldn’t keep telling her husband and children she was okay when she wasn’t. She’d needed support, both physically and emotionally. It’d taken Cale almost a year, but he’d finally convinced them to purchase this condo.

“It was nothing, Mrs. J.,” Evan said. “Moving you in was the easy part. Looks like Cale’s going to stay busy with all the handyman projects you mentioned.”

The place was mostly handicap accessible, but there were a couple changes Ted insisted on, like a lower counter in the bathroom and a wider doorway to one of the spare bedrooms he planned to use as a den. Plus there was the list of updates Cale’s mom had made before she would agree to put an offer on the place. Cale had promised to do the work himself, even though his mom and dad were sufficiently flush after selling the implement business and the ranch and could have easily paid a professional to do the work. His mom refused to have a bunch of “strange workers” in her home, and Cale was determined to do whatever he could to make their transition easier.

“Yeah, are you sure you can handle everything yourself?” Mariah asked him, pegging him with a meaningful look.

“Looking forward to it. You know I like to do projects.” As soon as he said the words, he wished he could take them back and change the subject. He realized his sister was thinking about his own condo—the one he hadn’t managed to get back to remodeling since Noelle’s death.

“I wasn’t aware of that, no,” his sister said, keeping her tone light. That didn’t prevent the heavy feeling of dread that settled over him.

“Are you still working on your condo?” his mom asked, managing to sound slightly outraged with a side of scolding. “I assumed that was finished long ago, Cale.”

“I’ve...” A rock lodged itself in the bottom of Cale’s gut. “I had to take a break from it when Noelle died.”

Sympathetic looks from Clay and Evan made him sit up straighter. “As soon as I get done here, it’s probably time—okay, past time—for me to get back to it. It’s been so long that I don’t really remember everything I have left to do.” Time and a mental block had taken care of that for him. All he knew was that the last time he’d gone there, he’d left, well, a mess, to put it mildly.

“How can you live in a place and not remember what needs to be done, son?” Ted nodded toward the box of hamburger pizza and waited for his daughter to push it his way.

“He’s been living with me,” Mariah said. “I needed the help on the rent, and he needed to get away. Believe it or not, we do pretty well as roommates.”

Cale sent her a look of thanks for making it sound like no big deal.

“You pay rent at your sister’s and a mortgage on your place?” his dad asked in disbelief.

“Just a little rent.” And it’d been worth every damn penny. After Noelle’s death, just walking into the beach condo they’d planned to share as soon as they were married had been like a knife to his chest.

“It works, Dad,” Mariah said.

“I’m glad you two can get along. There were days when you were little that I wondered,” their mom said.

Bunking with Mariah had worked—too well. It’d been the easy way out for him, he realized now. Cale mentally kicked himself for taking her hospitality for granted. He’d overstayed his welcome, no matter