His shoulders slump. “I know.”
I ruffle his hair. “But I’m glad you’re here. Whatever goes on between me and your mom doesn’t affect you. You’re always welcome here.”
He nods and takes a gulp of his juice.
“All right. Here’s what you need to know about walking Maverick. He loves to sniff everything. Sometimes you have to give him a little tug because he’ll stay in one area sniffing every blade of grass if you’d let him.”
Brandon giggles.
“He loves meeting other dogs, but you have to be careful because other dogs aren’t always friendly.”
Maverick sits at Brandon’s feet, blinking up at me as if he’s part of our conversation.
“He also likes to run. Once you get used to walking him, you can bring your skateboard or your bike, and he can run with you.”
Brandon’s eyes widen. “That would be awesome!”
I glance down at my pajamas. “I’m going to run upstairs and get dressed. I’d like to come with you on your first walk to make sure everything goes okay. After that, you’ll be on your own.”
He pumps his fist in the air. “Thanks for letting me do this, Callie.”
I squeeze his shoulders. “Of course.”
After washing up in the bathroom, my hair gets twisted into a bun. I throw on a pair of running shorts and a tank, and then we’re out the door.
I show Brandon how to wrap the leash around his hand. “When Maverick starts to pull you, keep his leash short so he can’t get too far ahead.”
“Got it.” Brandon’s eyes narrow, and his lips are pressed into a firm line. He’s taking this job so seriously it’s adorable.
We walk down the block and across the street, stopping every few feet to let Maverick sniff mailboxes and bushes.
“Do you think you and Mom will make up?” Brandon asks.
“We will,” I say, even though I’m not so sure myself. “All friends get into fights every now and then.”
“I didn’t understand what they were talking about.” He pauses, looking down at Maverick. “Uncle Cole seemed really angry.”
“Cole was there too?”
He nods. “They’ve been doing a lot of whispering lately. I don’t get it.”
I smile and drape my arm over his shoulder. “My parents used to whisper a lot when I was a kid. My mom would always catch me sneaking around so I could hear what they were saying.”
“Did she yell?”
I shake my head. “She’d say, ‘There will be plenty of time for grown-up secrets when you’re older.’”
“Guess she was right.”
If only Mom could see me now.
I often wonder what advice she’d give me.
“I’m worried about Uncle Cole.”
My feet stop, and I tilt my head. “Why’s that?”
Brandon bends down and scratches behind Maverick’s ears. “I think he’s sad.”
I lower myself until I’m sitting on the sidewalk beside them. “Well, he went through a divorce. Those are tough to go through.”
“When Mom and Dad said he’d be coming to live with us for a while, they said that he’d lost his family. I didn’t really understand what that meant.” His curious brown eyes lock with mine. “How do you lose your family? Does that mean they died?”
Oh, God. My chest burns at the thought. Did Cole have children?
“I’m not sure what happened to him,” I say. “I know he and your mom lost their parents pretty close together. Maybe that’s what she’s referring to.”
I hope that’s all it is.
He’s quiet for a moment. “He doesn’t like to be around us much.”
I tip Brandon’s chin. “It’s not because of you. I need you to understand that. But sometimes, when you’re going through a difficult thing, you don’t want to be around other people.”
Brandon nods. “Are you sad because you can’t have kids, Callie?”
“I am.”
“I’m really sorry.” He wraps his arms around my neck and pulls me into a hug. “You would make a good mom.”
Tears flood my vision as I tighten my grip around this sweet boy. “It’s okay, B. I have you and Miles and the twins. You guys are like family.”
And the thought of losing them to my fight with Josie only twists the knife in my heart deeper.
Fourteen
Cole
“Callie!”
She swings her car door shut and turns her head in my direction.
I jog across the street, pulling off my hard hat. “Hey. I’m glad I caught you.”
She glances up at her house before looking back at me, and I can’t stand how nervous she looks.
“What’s up, Cole?”
“I wanted to come by your house earlier this week, but I didn’t know if you’d answer the door.”
“I don’t think that would’ve been a good idea.”
I heave a sigh and kick a pebble with the toe of my boot. “Look, Josie has been upset all week, and I feel like it’s my fault. I didn’t mean to cause a fight between you two.”
Callie shakes her head. “It’s not your fault. She’s your sister. I don’t blame you for saying something to her.”
Of course she doesn’t blame me. Callie Kingston never blames anyone but herself. It’s infuriating. I wish I could rip those stupid sunglasses off her face and see her.
“Why didn’t you tell her the truth, Callie? Why are you pushing your best friend away?”
“I can’t do this right now.” She attempts to walk around her bumper, but I step in front of her.
“She wants to help you. You shouldn’t go through this alone.”
Her lips form a hard line, nostrils flaring, frustration rolling off of her. “You’re one to talk. You’ve been treating your sister like crap since you got here, and you’re hiding away in that damn pool house.”
“Yeah, and then someone pointed out how shitty and ungrateful I was, remember?”
“Is that what this is?” She huffs out a humorless laugh. “You’re here to tell me what a bad friend I am?”
“No.” I edge closer. “I’m telling you that Josie just wants to help you.”
“Well, she can’t.”
“Because you won’t let her.”
“Can she help you, Cole? Can she help you with whatever you’re going through right now?”
“That’s different.”
She plants her hands on her hips. “Is it? Because I don’t think it is. I think it’s a hell of a lot easier to dole out advice than it is to take it. Maybe you should listen to yourself.”
I dip my head down, grinding my teeth together. “What I’ve gone through is done. There’s no undoing it. My sister can’t help me. No one can. But there’s still hope for you. You don’t have to live stuck in this pathetic excuse of a life. You can get out … before it’s too late.”
She lifts her chin. “I love my life. I don’t want out.”