Page 17 of Just Add Friendship

“Really?” Why hadn’t Cal ever known that? Rachel was his dad’s sister, so why would she have his mom’s stuff?

“Yeah, your dad gave me her old clothing and a bunch of personal items.” She put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the stacked boxes and old furniture. “You can see if you want anything.”

The morning became a surreal kaleidoscope of memories as Cal went through the boxes of his mom’s stuff. He separated out a few things, such as some of her jewelry pieces and a box of mementoes he remembered her sharing with stories of her childhood.

“Is that all you want?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah, I don’t have room for furniture or anything like that.” He loaded his mom’s things into the trunk of his car, then he set about loading the neighbor’s borrowed truck with the rest of what Rachel was donating to the thrift store.

After he made that run to drop off furniture and boxes, he returned to Rachel’s to find her sweeping out the garage. She pointed to the rest of the boxes that she’d sorted and labeled. “Can you put those on the shelves—now that there’s actually room?”

“Sure thing.” Cal complied, and within another thirty minutes, the garage was completely cleaned out, and Rachel’s car fit inside.

“Lunch?” she asked. She looked like she was about to drop. Working all night, then cleaning all morning …

Cal didn’t want to be the reason she couldn’t catch a nap. “I’ll grab a sandwich later. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“No, thankyou, Cal.” She waved a hand. “For coming out to help me. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

He nodded. “Anytime. I mean it. I know I’ve been incognito for a long time, but I want that to change. You helped me out when I needed it most, and—”

“I shouldn’t have let your father come back that night,” Rachel cut in. “I’m sorry, Cal. I’m sorry that you felt trapped, and then you thought your only solution was to run.”

Cal swallowed against the dryness in his throat. “It was all a long time ago. I don’t know if I made the right decision that night, but it’s in the past now.”

Rachel wiped her reddened eyes. “Don’t be a stranger.” She stepped close and hugged him tight.

He returned the hug. “I won’t, and make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep.”

She laughed and pulled away. “I could say the same thing to you.”

After leaving Rachel’s, Cal went to the hardware store. He picked up a handful of things that he thought would help with a certain lawn. He’d be early to Steph’s, but he was hoping to get a treatment on the grass. Or at least talk to her about it. But when he arrived at her house, he was surprised that her car wasn’t there yet. It was well into the afternoon, but maybe she was running errands?

He knocked on the door, and after several moments, it was cracked open. “I’m not buying anything, so you can take your solar panels and—”

“Hello, sir. It’s Cal Conner. A friend of Steph’s.”

The door opened another inch. “Who?”

“Cal Conner. I used to live here when we were both in high school.” The memory might not do him any favors.

The door opened wider now, and a wrinkled face topped by a mostly bald head stared out at him. “You that boy with the motorcycle?”

“Yes, sir, or at least I was. I don’t have it anymore.”

The old man craned to look past Cal, and he stepped aside to make it easier.

“You drive a Honda?”

“Yes.”

The man’s face crinkled into what he guessed was a smile. “Grown up, have you?”

Cal nodded. “You could say that.”

“Well, then, what are you doing here? Steph has a boyfriend, you know.”

This was news to Cal, but he tried not to let it show on his face. “That might be, but your granddaughter invited me to dinner, and I thought I’d put on this lawn treatment first.”

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