to see Calder here with someone.”
Again, Thea wondered if she shouldn’t clarify their relationship—or their lack of one—and again, she didn’t. “I’m surprised he’s not married after all this time.”
“I’m sure he’d say the same about you.” Marie smiled, her eyes flashing mischievously. “Makes you wonder if it isn’t all part of some plan, huh? You moving next door to him, both of you still single…”
Thea laughed. “You sound just like my sisters.”
“I don’t mean to meddle. I’d just like to see him settle down, that’s all. I think we all would.”
Thea didn’t want to pry but the opportunity was too ripe to pass up. “Surely he’s gotten close?” she asked.
“A few times,” Marie said. “We never met them, of course. They were girlfriends of his when he was working in California and Hawaii.”
“What about since he’s been back in Magnolia Bay?”
Marie shook her head. “He hasn’t really had much time for that. Things here have kept him busy—as you probably picked up on.” Marie glanced toward the dining room where Calder and his father were still at the table. Thea had been around alcoholics before—she knew of the toll their addiction had on the people around them. Had Calder been dealing with this stress back in high school? No wonder he’d claimed to have been so distracted in those days.
“What about you?” Marie asked. “I take it you and Patrick Hogan didn’t last, huh?”
“Thank God, no. Patrick and I made the mistake of ignoring the death rattles of our relationship for the first year of college. In other words, I pined dutifully and chastely for him while he slept his way through two floors of his dorm at Clemson.”
Marie laughed as she lowered a stack of plates into the sink. “It doesn’t seem that long ago, does it?”
No it didn’t, Thea thought as she dried a serving dish. She glanced at the doorway to the dining room and saw Calder helping his father out of his chair. She smiled, moved by the patient way he guided the weaving, mumbling man away from the table and toward the stairs, surely for bed.
No wonder he was such a gifted doctor.
* * *
Once his father’s snores had finally fallen into the even rhythm of sleep, Calder closed the door to the bedroom, walked downstairs and out to the porch to search for his brother. The night was waning but he didn’t want to leave without mending whatever fence had been broken. He didn’t want to leave things unsettled.
He saw the light on in the store and crossed the driveway to the barn. Inside, he found Pete taking inventory of the store’s shelves of canned goods.
His brother’s eyes were feverishly wide, like someone who’d gone too long without sleep and had far too much coffee. “We need to call Pearson’s about getting another shipment of salsas. This will never be enough for the Festival crowd. I only hope they can deliver tomorrow.”
Calder stared at him, stunned. Was he honestly still planning on having their annual Strawberry Festival?
“You can’t be serious, Pete,” he said. “You can’t let people in here with Pop like this.”
“What are you talking about? Pop’s fine.”
“Marie said that he got into a fight with a customer the other day. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Marie exaggerates.”
Calder sighed. “Do you really think if you pretend this isn’t happening, it will all go away?”
“Don’t pschyo-analzye me,” Pete warned, pointing a finger at Calder and stabbing the air with it. “You don’t know the first thing about what I’ve been dealing with here. You left, remember?”
“Jesus, Pete. You make it sound like I ran off to join the circus. I left to go to med school. To become a doctor, to heal people.”
“Yeah.” Pete snorted, turning back to the shelves. “Everybody except the people in your own family, right?”
Calder shoved both hands through his hair and blew out a hard breath, determined not to take the bait. He
Again, Thea wondered if she shouldn’t clarify their relationship—or their lack of one—and again, she didn’t. “I’m surprised he’s not married after all this time.”
“I’m sure he’d say the same about you.” Marie smiled, her eyes flashing mischievously. “Makes you wonder if it isn’t all part of some plan, huh? You moving next door to him, both of you still single…”
Thea laughed. “You sound just like my sisters.”
“I don’t mean to meddle. I’d just like to see him settle down, that’s all. I think we all would.”
Thea didn’t want to pry but the opportunity was too ripe to pass up. “Surely he’s gotten close?” she asked.
“A few times,” Marie said. “We never met them, of course. They were girlfriends of his when he was working in California and Hawaii.”
“What about since he’s been back in Magnolia Bay?”
Marie shook her head. “He hasn’t really had much time for that. Things here have kept him busy—as you probably picked up on.” Marie glanced toward the dining room where Calder and his father were still at the table. Thea had been around alcoholics before—she knew of the toll their addiction had on the people around them. Had Calder been dealing with this stress back in high school? No wonder he’d claimed to have been so distracted in those days.
“What about you?” Marie asked. “I take it you and Patrick Hogan didn’t last, huh?”
“Thank God, no. Patrick and I made the mistake of ignoring the death rattles of our relationship for the first year of college. In other words, I pined dutifully and chastely for him while he slept his way through two floors of his dorm at Clemson.”
Marie laughed as she lowered a stack of plates into the sink. “It doesn’t seem that long ago, does it?”
No it didn’t, Thea thought as she dried a serving dish. She glanced at the doorway to the dining room and saw Calder helping his father out of his chair. She smiled, moved by the patient way he guided the weaving, mumbling man away from the table and toward the stairs, surely for bed.
No wonder he was such a gifted doctor.
* * *
Once his father’s snores had finally fallen into the even rhythm of sleep, Calder closed the door to the bedroom, walked downstairs and out to the porch to search for his brother. The night was waning but he didn’t want to leave without mending whatever fence had been broken. He didn’t want to leave things unsettled.
He saw the light on in the store and crossed the driveway to the barn. Inside, he found Pete taking inventory of the store’s shelves of canned goods.
His brother’s eyes were feverishly wide, like someone who’d gone too long without sleep and had far too much coffee. “We need to call Pearson’s about getting another shipment of salsas. This will never be enough for the Festival crowd. I only hope they can deliver tomorrow.”
Calder stared at him, stunned. Was he honestly still planning on having their annual Strawberry Festival?
“You can’t be serious, Pete,” he said. “You can’t let people in here with Pop like this.”
“What are you talking about? Pop’s fine.”
“Marie said that he got into a fight with a customer the other day. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Marie exaggerates.”
Calder sighed. “Do you really think if you pretend this isn’t happening, it will all go away?”
“Don’t pschyo-analzye me,” Pete warned, pointing a finger at Calder and stabbing the air with it. “You don’t know the first thing about what I’ve been dealing with here. You left, remember?”
“Jesus, Pete. You make it sound like I ran off to join the circus. I left to go to med school. To become a doctor, to heal people.”
“Yeah.” Pete snorted, turning back to the shelves. “Everybody except the people in your own family, right?”
Calder shoved both hands through his hair and blew out a hard breath, determined not to take the bait. He
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