Page 34 of Take Me to the Valley

Calista has been giving Cody and me some space, cleaning, and doing laundry. I hate that I can't help her. But one time when I offered to fold laundry while I sat here, she about bit my head off about resting and how it does not include laundry.

“Hey boys, I'm going to pick up Skye from school and get some groceries. Do you have any special requests, Evan? "

“You should request her blueberry French toast casserole,” Cody nods my way.

“I've been told to request your blueberry French toast casserole,” I say to her with a smirk.

“I'll grab what I need. You okay with bacon with it?” she asks.

“That's like asking if I want air with it,” I chuckle, and she rolls her eyes.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” she says and gathers her things before heading out.

Once she is gone, I decide to talk to Cody and poke around a bit.

“She doesn't say much about her time in Chicago,” I say, hoping to get him to open up and talk.

“Even though she wasn't a fan of the big city, she loved her job. She did a turn in the ER and another in surgery recovery, but when there was a management shift in the hospital, she got stuck with a boss who didn’t appreciate nurses and couldn't keep his hand to himself. HR tried to sweep his behavior under the rug because of the spotlight having him brought to the hospital, and donors liked him,” Cody says, finishing off his coffee and setting it on the coffee table.

“Is that why she came home?” I ask.

I know I've heard updates from her family, but I didn't pay much attention to her being so far away. It took all I had to learn how to be a single dad with a full-time job, and then Skye starting school. I feel like I'm just now catching my breath.

“No, she started doing in-home care, which led to her being recommended for hospice care. She did a few months there before it was too much, and she started talking about needing a change, so my brothers and I started trying to convince her to come home. It didn't take much persuading because at that point, she was ready for a change. I'm glad she was here when you needed her. How is it working out having her here?”

I know I should be honest and tell him about the kiss and about my feelings, but this is my best friend, and he's made it perfectly clear since we were kids that his sister is off limits.

His family is the only family Skye knows, and I can't lose him if whatever this is with Calista should fall through. Skye would lose everything because of me, and that isn't fair to her.

If Skye weren't in the picture, I’d probably risk it all, but as it stands, I need to make sure there are more than a few stolen kisses with Calista before I talk to Cody.

“She has been a lifesaver. What made her choose Chicago after school?” I ask.

“She moved out there to take care of our grandparents, Mom's parents. They needed help, but couldn’t move to Montana and didn't want to move to assisted living just yet. They had a daytime nurse while Calista worked, and Calista was with them at night. A few years ago, Grandma was diagnosed with kidney failure, and she went fast. Grandpa had no desire to live without Grandma and went shortly after her,” Cody says.

“Can you imagine being so much in love that you don’t literally stick around long after the other goes?” I ask in awe, wondering if something like that is in the cards for me.

“I think it's possible. Just have to find the right one and not let fear stop you from taking a chance,” Cody says with a far-off look.

“Sounds like you have a particular lady in mind,” I say. Cody just shakes his head. “Nothing to talk about, but if that changes I will let you know,” he says.

“Not even a hint at who it is?” Now, I really want to know.

“She doesn't want anything to do with me, so it’s not worth talking about,” he says.

We talk some more about what is going on with the distillery and with his family before Skye comes running through the door.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! I got a sleep over invitation!” Skye pushes a card in my face.

“She is so excited about it,” Calista says, placing groceries on the counter.

“Need help carrying any more in?” Cody asks, standing up.

“Yeah, there are a few more bags, thanks,” Calista smiles.

While Cody goes out to her car, Skye grabs my attention again. “Can I go, Daddy?”

I take the card and read it over.

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