to escape from their past, and she wondered how she could manage to do it all alone. She was going to have to formulate a plan and try. She grabbed her last pile of clean clothes with determination, hurrying to get a shower in before her aunt left for the lunch shift.
~
Calvin woke to an empty bed, disappointed to find her gone. He jumped up, checking the bathroom down the hall hopefully, but finding it empty. He went out onto the porch, looking up and down the street, but there was no trace of her. Now he was the one left behind, feeling abandoned, wanting more from her than she was willing to give.
The irony was not lost on him.
He went back to his room and flopped down onto his bed with a sigh.
Caledonia was an enigma. She was quiet and timid, but she’d chased off three grown men with a knife right before his eyes. She wolfed down food like a lumberjack, but seemed to be growing increasingly thinner. Strangest of all, she could bend animals to her will… And now she had him acting like a lovesick puppy.
He shook his head, disgusted with himself.
He finally got up to distract himself with breakfast, but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to keep his thoughts from straying back to her. Every little thing she said replayed in his mind, and he had a million questions he wanted to ask her. He finally gave in to the impulse, racking his brain to think of an excuse to go see her. When the idea occurred to him, he clung to the hope it would work.
Hidden away in her room, Caledonia was curled up on the air mattress, so immersed in her book that she didn’t even notice the air hissing from a slow leak that had started the week before. She’d been waking up on the hard floor every morning, so sleeping outside wasn’t really much different from staying in her room.
Sundays were particularly tricky, and she needed to make the most of the daylight hours in case Phil started in drinking early. Nothing really bad had happened yet, but she could sense the anger and frustration building up inside of him, and she wasn’t planning on being around when it erupted. She would probably be going for a walk tonight.
“Cal!” she heard him yell, startling her.
She sat up, her stomach lurching. He sounded angry.
“Cal, get down here right now!”
She rose with dread, peeking down the stairs to see Phil standing at the open door, glaring up at her in a cloud of muddy orange anger. Calvin was standing on the porch, casting his golden curiosity inside. He smiled when he saw her. She came down the stairs nervously, and Phil stepped up to block her path.
“Is your boyfriend back for another crack at you?” he snarled, brushing past her rudely as she flattened herself against the wall. Calvin flashed bright with anger, clenching his fists. He stepped forward and she rushed to block him; the last thing she needed was to have a fight break out.
Calvin glowered at the big man lumbering up the stairs; he knew a bully when he saw one. Phil reminded him of his father, and when Caledonia cringed, Cal saw red. If she hadn’t gotten between them he would have beaten the snot out of that man. He never considered himself to be a hot-head like Jarod, but once again, he found himself incapable of thinking clearly where Caledonia was concerned.
She pushed him over the threshold and closed the door behind them.
“Was that your uncle?” he asked, fuming.
“No, he’s my aunt’s boyfriend,” she said, dropping her hand from his chest. She flushed bright pink, and looked down, embarrassed.
“Well, he’s a real asshole,” Calvin said.
She looked up with a little smile, “Yes… Yes he is.”
When their eyes met they both started laughing for no real reason, and Calvin felt better immediately. He completely forgot what he came there to ask her, looking into her beautiful blue and green irises.
“Your hair looks really pretty today,” he said lamely.
She touched it self-consciously, “I just washed it.”
They both smiled
~
Calvin woke to an empty bed, disappointed to find her gone. He jumped up, checking the bathroom down the hall hopefully, but finding it empty. He went out onto the porch, looking up and down the street, but there was no trace of her. Now he was the one left behind, feeling abandoned, wanting more from her than she was willing to give.
The irony was not lost on him.
He went back to his room and flopped down onto his bed with a sigh.
Caledonia was an enigma. She was quiet and timid, but she’d chased off three grown men with a knife right before his eyes. She wolfed down food like a lumberjack, but seemed to be growing increasingly thinner. Strangest of all, she could bend animals to her will… And now she had him acting like a lovesick puppy.
He shook his head, disgusted with himself.
He finally got up to distract himself with breakfast, but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to keep his thoughts from straying back to her. Every little thing she said replayed in his mind, and he had a million questions he wanted to ask her. He finally gave in to the impulse, racking his brain to think of an excuse to go see her. When the idea occurred to him, he clung to the hope it would work.
Hidden away in her room, Caledonia was curled up on the air mattress, so immersed in her book that she didn’t even notice the air hissing from a slow leak that had started the week before. She’d been waking up on the hard floor every morning, so sleeping outside wasn’t really much different from staying in her room.
Sundays were particularly tricky, and she needed to make the most of the daylight hours in case Phil started in drinking early. Nothing really bad had happened yet, but she could sense the anger and frustration building up inside of him, and she wasn’t planning on being around when it erupted. She would probably be going for a walk tonight.
“Cal!” she heard him yell, startling her.
She sat up, her stomach lurching. He sounded angry.
“Cal, get down here right now!”
She rose with dread, peeking down the stairs to see Phil standing at the open door, glaring up at her in a cloud of muddy orange anger. Calvin was standing on the porch, casting his golden curiosity inside. He smiled when he saw her. She came down the stairs nervously, and Phil stepped up to block her path.
“Is your boyfriend back for another crack at you?” he snarled, brushing past her rudely as she flattened herself against the wall. Calvin flashed bright with anger, clenching his fists. He stepped forward and she rushed to block him; the last thing she needed was to have a fight break out.
Calvin glowered at the big man lumbering up the stairs; he knew a bully when he saw one. Phil reminded him of his father, and when Caledonia cringed, Cal saw red. If she hadn’t gotten between them he would have beaten the snot out of that man. He never considered himself to be a hot-head like Jarod, but once again, he found himself incapable of thinking clearly where Caledonia was concerned.
She pushed him over the threshold and closed the door behind them.
“Was that your uncle?” he asked, fuming.
“No, he’s my aunt’s boyfriend,” she said, dropping her hand from his chest. She flushed bright pink, and looked down, embarrassed.
“Well, he’s a real asshole,” Calvin said.
She looked up with a little smile, “Yes… Yes he is.”
When their eyes met they both started laughing for no real reason, and Calvin felt better immediately. He completely forgot what he came there to ask her, looking into her beautiful blue and green irises.
“Your hair looks really pretty today,” he said lamely.
She touched it self-consciously, “I just washed it.”
They both smiled
Similar Books
