Page 8 of My Song for You
“The Academy of Art University.”
“Isn’t that in San Francisco?”
Her eyes widened in surprise that I remembered. “Yes, but I was able to switch over to graphic design and take the program online.”
“Switch?”
Her eyes widened even more. “I should finish getting ready for the party. Mrs. Rogers will be over soon.” She didn’t give me a chance to say anything else. She was already out the bedroom door.
Logan showed me around his room, signing the names for the various items.
“What’s the sign for dog?” I pointed to his balloon.
He attempted to snap his fingers then patted his leg. I repeated the action and was rewarded with one of his contagious grins. He continued showing me his stuff, and I practiced the signs he showed me. I had no idea why I was bothering. It wasn’t like I needed to know them, or like I would even remember them beyond today. But it was fun watching his reaction when I got a sign right and when I purposely screwed it up just to see him giggle.
As Logan showed me his favorite picture book, a loud knock came from the front door. He didn’t even glance up at the noise.
A moment later, a woman in her early sixties entered the bedroom. She was dressed in a light blue blouse and navy pants, her gray hair skimming her shoulders. Logan tossed his book aside and hurled his small body across the room to her. She barely had enough time to react before his arms wrapped around her legs.
She laughed and hugged him back. “Hi, Logan. I see you have a visitor.” Her gaze swept over me, but not in the same way groupies and fans checked me out. I’d seen this look before, back when my parents had interrogated my sister’s old boyfriends before deciding if the guys were worthy enough to date her.
Apparently I met the woman’s standards. She nodded to some unspoken question in her head and smiled at me.
“Jared, this is Mrs. Rogers,” Callie said from the doorway.
“You can call me Sharon,” the woman said.
“Jared’s an old friend of mine from when we were kids.” Callie bit her lip again and suddenly looked like she longed to be anywhere but here, with me. I’d been getting the same vibe from her since bumping into her at the store.
Sharon’s face brightened as she looked between me and Callie. “Oh, is that so?”
Before I could figure out what she meant, Logan blurted out, “Look at balloon he gave me.”
Sharon bent down to Logan’s level. “Did Jared give you this balloon?”
He nodded. “And his friend has dog. I want dog.”
“His friend hasadog.” She emphasized the “a.” “I didn’t know you wantedadog.” Again she emphasized the “a.” I could easily see her as a teacher in another lifetime.
“Yes, I do. And he has flowers.”
“I see that. They’re pretty flowers. I bet your mom likes them.”
“They’re for you,” Callie blurted out in a way that came off as comical.
“How sweet. I haven’t had a gentleman give me flowers in years.” She winked at me. I chuckled and handed her the bouquet. They were my mom’s favorite spring flowers, so I’d figured Sharon might like them too.
We returned to the living room. Callie and Logan had been busy decorating for the party. Clusters of silver and purple helium balloons were tied to the backs of the chairs set around the elegant dinner table. The pair had also painted a birthday banner, with Logan’s handprints scattered over it.
The table itself hadn’t been ignored either. Purple and silver streamers curled around every available space. The Callie I remembered loved birthdays, and it looked like nothing had changed since she had grown up.
And for the first time in who knows how long, I realized how much I’d missed her. How much I missed her curiosity, her determination, her generosity. The last time I’d seen her was when I had been visiting my family for our weekly dinners. She’d been walking along the sidewalk near her house with a group of seventeen-year-old girls. All giggled when they saw me, except for Callie, who had turned bright red.
“So what do you do, Jared?” Sharon asked as we sat. Logan was next to Sharon. I took the only other available spot, next to Callie.
“I’m a musician.”
“He plays drums in a rock band,” Logan said.
