Page 26 of Finding Home

“Come watch me, anytime.”

“Really? Okay, I will!”

I chuckle at his exuberance. “Do you play?”

“I wish. I’ve always loved live music, though. Especially classic rock.”

“That’s my jam, too. I tell you what. Whenever you’re feeling up to it, I’ll give you a drum lesson to thank you for loaning me Big Betty. Pick your favorite song, and I’ll teach you how to drum to it.”

Joe gasps. “Seriously? Holy shit, C-Bomb! Thank you. But only if you promise to call me, anytime, whenever you need help with the deck.”

“Deal.”

“Well, isn’t this a lovefest,” Aubrey teases. “Hey, Dad, does Mom work today? How long can we stay in Billings before you’ll need us to come back to pick up Raine?”

“Stay as long as you like, Shortcake,” Joe replies. “Yeah,Mom’s working today, and then she’s got a committee meeting for the festival. But I’ve gotten pretty good on my crutches, so I can watch Rainey on my own, just fine.” After we thank Joe, he adds, “When will you be coming by for Big Betty? I’ll make sure Raine’s had breakfast by then, so she’s not cranky when you come.”

Aubrey giggles. “Thank you. God knows, Caleb doesn’t need to meet Hangry Rainey any time soon.”

“I’ll take her, any way I can get her,” I say.

Aubrey looks unconvinced. But what she says is, “When will you be done with your counseling session?”

“Ten. It starts at nine and lasts a full hour.”

Aubrey returns to her father on my phone. “Caleb has a Zoom call he needs to do till ten, Daddy, so we’ll be there around 10:30 or so to pick up Big Betty.”

“I’ll have the munchkin ready to say hi to you.”

“Make sure to tell her Mommy’s nice friend, Caleb, who colored with her yesterday, will be coming over again. You know how shy she can be. Let’s get her primed and ready for him.”

“Got it.”

“Thanks, Joe. I appreciate that.”

“Oh, Rainey just walked in and heard your voices. She wants to say hi.”

My heart rate quickens. But when Raine’s big, blue eyes appear on my screen, it’s instantly clear she only wants to say hi to her “Auntie Aubbey,” and not to me.

“Hey, baby girl!” Aubrey coos to the little face on my screen. “Did you have fun with Grammy and Pop-Pop last night?”

“We pwayed Hungwy, Hungwy Hippos!”

“You did? Ilovethat game. Do you remember my friend, Caleb, here?”

“Hi, Raine,” I say, my heart hammering, as I try to flash her my least scary smile.

Raine doesn’t reply to me, so Aubrey quickly says, “Maybe Caleb can play Hungry, Hungry Hippos with us sometime soon.” But Raine is already gone—headed off to wordlessly follow whatever muse has diverted her two-year-old mind.

“She can’t get enough of me,” I deadpan, making Aubrey and Joe chuckle in concert.

“It’s going to take some time,” Aubrey says, patting my forearm. And just like that, the same electricity I felt last night at Aubrey’s touch returns with a vengeance.

As Aubrey wraps up the call with her father, I hand the phone to her and move a few steps away, in case my body reacts the same way it did in that hallway last night. And a few minutes later, when Aubrey returns my darkened phone to me, I say, “I’ve got an hour before my Zoom call, so I think I’ll take a walk while making a couple important phone calls.”

“Give me a second to throw on my sneakers, and I’ll be right back to walk with you.”

“That wasn’t an invitation. My phone calls are of a personal nature.”

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