Autumn Leaves (3 page)

Rebecca blushed, hefting her gaze to the mug. She didn’t want to seem so narrow-minded. Small-townish. She just couldn’t help it.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t!”

Callie’s smile was with a hint of pain, but she left the topic at that, which was fine with Rebecca. Now that she actually slowed down, she was hit with a wave of exhaustion she wasn’t able to acknowledge before. An average of two hours of sleep for a few days in a row would do that to a person. She pressed her hands against her temples with a sigh.

“I’m really sorry, but it’s been the week from hell with one kid sick and the other panicking over chemistry, with absolutely no help from Mommy. They lost me a couple of grades ago.”

“Don’t worry. You know you’ve got a neighbor with an endless supply of strong black coffee.”

“That’s heavenly.” On the first sip, Rebecca closed her eyes. “I might be falling in love with you after all.”

“You don’t want to see if I have anything else to offer?”

This time, Rebecca knew she had asked for it, and she was ready with a comeback.

“You know, life was really boring before you came along.”

“Glad I could help,” Callie said triumphantly. Their shared laughter was interrupted by the doorbell. “Sorry, I’ve got to get that. Should be the mail. I’ll be right back.”

Listening to the muted voices, Rebecca came to the conclusion that the coffee, while tasting wonderful, didn’t do much. She was just so very tired, but there was no time for catching up. She leaned forward, resting her head on her arms, just for a moment. The voices faded away.

* * * *

“I’m sorry. I didn’t really want to wake you, but that can’t be comfortable. Besides, I guess it’s almost time to get the kids from school,” Callie said regretfully.

“What the—” Rebecca jumped to her feet, avoiding the
f
-word at the very last moment. “Oh no. I need to stop visiting you, because every time I do, I say or do something that’s more embarrassing.”

“You’re tired. Nothing embarrassing about that.” Callie touched her shoulder, but took her hand away quickly. “I could drive you. I know you’re awaiting your hubby tonight, so how about we just get pizza for lunch?”

“Uh...I don’t know. We don’t really do that.”

“Have pizza?” Callie asked incredulously. She truly had a way of making Rebecca self-conscious, and yet it was hard to get irritated with her.

“I try not to expose them to junk food too much,” she explained. “Of course I can’t always control what they eat outside the house...Does that sound bad?”

“No. No, not at all. It sounds to me like you’re a mom who cares.” Callie gave her a mischievous smile. “Of course just this once won’t kill them, right?”

“I guess not. You won’t believe this, but I’m usually better organized,” Rebecca said ruefully.

“I have no reason not to believe a woman who can fix a faucet. Come on, have another cup of coffee. I’ll shower and dress in the meantime.”

“Thank you.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?”

Rebecca pondered that while she heard the sound of the shower in the bathroom. It was maybe a bit early to give themselves that label, but somehow, it sounded just right to her. Friends. She discovered she was grateful for just another caring person in her life. Besides, the idea of some empty calories was appealing at the moment. Everything would be back to normal starting tonight.

* * * *

“Pizza for lunch? That’s cool!”

Rebecca gave Dina a suspicious look which earned her a sheepish smile in return. It was getting harder to keep some rules in place once teenage-hood caught up with them. She was trying, anyway. Rebecca was happy that the girls liked Callie instantly. It only took a few minutes for Maggie to start chatting about school to her. Dina was convinced the moment it became clear that the impromptu lunch at the pizza place was Callie’s idea.

“It is, huh? How was chemistry?”

Dina made a face. “I hate it. I don’t think it’s going well.”

“I’ve never been a fan of the sciences either,” Callie revealed. “Couldn’t seem to figure it out to save my life.”

“So true.” Dina laughed. “Are you going to college?”

With some inexplicable chagrin, Rebecca noticed that Callie actually looked young enough to be a college student.

“Oh, no. I’m writing books. Novels.”

“Wow, that’s so cool!”

Rebecca secretly agreed with her daughter even though she wished the topic wouldn’t have gone this way. She wasn’t sure what she wanted Callie to say—or not to say.

“It actually is, but a lot of work too.”

“Still, a lot better than stupid formulas.”

“It sure is.” Callie laughed. “Now, what do you want to order?”

During the meal, the subject of conversation stayed in safe waters, so Rebecca was content to sit back for a while and watch her daughters interact with Callie. She was proud of them, she realized once more. They were smart, happy, and confident girls, and little setbacks in chemistry wouldn’t change that. Callie was just great with them.

After an ice cream for dessert Rebecca felt the sugar high even more than the girls. She finally made it through the week, unexpected incidents, presentation, and all. She had enough time to prepare dinner while the girls would be busy with their homework.

“Thank you,” she said when they parted at Callie’s front door.

“You’re welcome. It was fun, right? If you’re really worried about the food, next time we’ll go to the vegetarian restaurant. I’m kidding! I don’t even know if there is a vegetarian restaurant in Autumn Leaves. Could you come in for a moment? There’s something I’d like to give you.”

Rebecca just smiled at the torrent of words as she followed Callie inside. Callie disappeared into another room and returned with a couple of books.

“I’m afraid there’s not really anything for Dina’s age, but Maggie might like this.”

The Girl Who Lived in a Castle,
Rebecca read. “That’s fine, thanks. Maggie really is the one you find with her nose in a book just about any time you call her to meals. Dina’s more starting to have her bad-taste-in-music phase. Like all teenagers, I’ve been told.”

“We’ve had our own, didn’t we?” Callie hesitated for a moment before she handed the second book to Rebecca. “If you like, this would be more appropriate for adult age. Don’t worry, it’s pretty tame. I was kind of joking about the erotica too.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll let you know.” Rebecca took the book carefully, as if it might jump at her.

“Please do.”

Chapter Two

Rebecca always welcomed the beginning of the weekend. Even though she didn’t have to work outside the house, her days were nevertheless structured by the kids’ schedules. In addition to that, she had David’s work hours to consider when the company, for once, didn’t send him around the country. Just the thought of sleeping in and some leisurely time with her family afterwards lifted the veil of tiredness that hung over her all week. Well, maybe spending time with Callie played a part in that too. Her young neighbor was fun to be around, open-minded and intelligent. As much as Rebecca loved her girls, when David was away for longer, she sometimes missed the adult talk. Her friends weren’t always available outside of Saturday brunch, so it was nice to have Callie with the easy smile and wonderful coffee stash.

While she waited for the oven to heat, she picked up the children’s book, leafing through it. There was a sad-looking girl on the cover, the “girl living in the castle”. Kids wanted to come and play where she lived all the time, but none of them was a real friend to her. Rebecca put both books into the shelf in the bedroom. She’d get to them later.

When David’s car pulled into the carport, Maggie was by the door before David could ring the bell.

“Daddy!”

Rebecca smiled to herself as she stirred the sauce in the pot, the last thing she had to do for dinner. She couldn’t leave the stove for now, but for sure she was just as excited for David’s return. She listened to Maggie’s chatter about school things. There was something funny and he laughed. It was hard to think that the same girl had been a cranky sick child just a few days ago.

Then again, Rebecca didn’t feel as exhausted as she had in the past few days, Callie’s magical coffee notwithstanding.

“Hey, beautiful.” A moment later, he embraced her from behind. “Something smells very good.”

“Hopefully tastes that good too,” she said, all of a sudden giddy with anticipation. David leaned close to kiss her neck, taking his time.

“Hm, sure does.”

Rebecca laughed. “I’m glad.”

“Well, don’t mind me.” The sound of Dina’s voice made her turn around. Dina got herself a soda out of the fridge, closing the door soundly. She rolled her eyes at her parents.

“Must be great to be in love.”

David sent Rebecca a questioning look after Dina had left.

“Chemistry.”

“Oh.”

“Right.” Rebecca finally turned off the stove. “I was no help, so we might have to think about a tutor. How did those meetings go? They must have been important if the company had to keep you on the road for another week.”

“They were.” David sighed. “Important, and dragging without end, but we got some good deals out of them. Can’t tell you how happy I am to be home though.”

“Me too. Why don’t you unpack tomorrow? Get out of that suit, have a shower—I’ll get dinner ready in the meantime and we’ll make it an early night?”

David smiled. “Sounds like a plan.” He kissed her gently before he headed upstairs for the bathroom.

* * * *

“Mom has a new best friend.”

By dinner time, Dina’s mood improved greatly as a couple of days with no tests or early mornings lay ahead. Someday, Rebecca thought, it would be either the job or the family who’d make those early mornings a habit, or both. Rebecca liked sleeping in, but more than that, she needed a bit of time for herself at the beginning of each day. She’d go crazy otherwise, or become completely unorganized at the very best.

“Is that so?” David asked, amused. “I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. I spend a lot of time on the road doing boring stuff and you two go to school. That’s pretty dull, always being alone.”

She knew he only meant to be funny, but his words caused a surge of defensiveness in Rebecca. She certainly was not bored in the past two weeks. Having a coffee with a neighbor couldn’t mean she had too much time on her hands.

“Somebody finally moved into the house across the street,” she explained, willing to let the negativity go, trusting that David hadn’t meant it that way. “It’s the owner’s niece.”

“That’s nice. Are there any other kids?”

“No, just Callie.”

“Betty and Charles still coming to dinner on Sunday?”

At first, Rebecca didn’t quite follow. She had completely forgotten about the dinner invitation. As much as she liked spending time with her friends, she wasn’t too happy about the prospect at the moment. She and David needed some time to themselves, but they had already cancelled on the LaRues once. Besides, Betty had babysat sick Maggie for which she deserved more than dinner.

“I guess so.”

“I know,” David said, as usual understanding without asking, “but what do you say we invite the new neighbor? Maybe she would like to bring a date too. If we have to entertain on Sunday night, we might as well include her. What did you say her name was?”

“Callie. Callie Bryan.”
Sure, David, because it doesn’t matter at all if I cook for six or eight.

“That sounds familiar.”

“Maybe. She’s a writer,” Rebecca said with just a trace of being uncomfortable. She didn’t quite know who she was trying to protect here. David was one of the most open-minded people she knew. Betty and Charles LaRue were their oldest friends in Autumn Leaves, basically since they had moved here shortly after their wedding. They might be somewhat set in their ways, but you could always rely on them. Callie had to have known what she was in for, moving into a small town like this. There were always compromises.

“I’ll ask her, in any case.”

She didn’t think David was familiar with lesbian literature. It would work out fine.

They’d watched a little TV, until David settled on the last minutes of a game. Rebecca kept a light on in the bedroom, finally leafing through
The Girl Who Lived in a Castle
. It was cute, thoughtful, and, as Callie had promised, child appropriate. The girl eventually realized that her true friends didn’t care about her parents’ money and all the toys she owned. Rebecca frowned a little at Dana, the friend who was described as having two moms. Wasn’t it all a bit too cliché? Rebecca wasn’t quite sure if a children’s book needed that much political correctness. Maybe she was simply, like all parents, afraid of being confronted with questions she didn’t know how to answer. However, there was nothing harmful in the book, so she’d give it to Maggie to read.

She took a look at the clock on the nightstand and, startled, realized how much time went by. In the living room, Rebecca found her husband lightly snoring, fast asleep in front of the TV. She had to smile at the image as she turned off the set.