Page 95 of Love By The Falls

“I’m not your concern anymore.”

“I care about you, Charlotte.” He reaches for my arm, but I step back. “Make sure he’s home by three. See you later, Jason.”

Charlie’s waiting for me in the kitchen. Sage has poured him some cereal and Caleb’s still standing in the foyer with his arms crossed. “Is everything okay?” he asks.

“Just dandy.” Then, I turn to Charlie. “Jason’s going to take you to Grandpa's place. Once you finish your breakfast, you can go.”

Charlie inhales three bites of cereal before putting on his shoes at the front door. I walk up to him and give him a hug. “Bye, sweetie. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Mom. Bye, Aunt Sage. Bye, Caleb.”

I kiss his forehead and let him go, watching him run up to Jason’s red sports car. His smile grows twice its size when he opens the door and whistles at the interior. His happiness eases some of my anger toward Jason, but I wait until he pulls out into the street before shutting the door.

I turn to Caleb, acting nonchalant. “Ready?”

He stares for a few seconds, then nods. “I just need a minute to get dressed,” he says and walks back to my bedroom.

I sigh and sit at the kitchen table next to Sage, who’s eating a banana. “Wow, the drama in this place is betterthan Reality TV. I’m placing bets on who you end up with.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “This isn’t funny, Sage. This is my life.”

“I know, honey. Enjoy it while it lasts. You’ve got two men wanting you. These are the kind of problems most women fantasize about.”

“I don’t have two men wanting me. In fact, I don’t have any man right now.”

She shakes her head while mashing a large bite into her mouth. “Girl, do those hormones affect your eyes? The way those boys were acting, how could you not see that this was a pissing contest just now?”

True to his word, Caleb walks back into the kitchen just a few minutes later, wearing tailored gray pants and a thin black sweater. Both items look like they cost more than this kitchen table. He looks at me. “I’m ready.”

Sage smiles while taking another bite. “A freaking fantasy, babe.”

*

“How far is the bank from your place?” asks Caleb when we’re in the car.

“Just in town, not far.” I run my fingers along the shiny black interior. While Jason’s car is smaller and sportier, Caleb’s car is larger and more luxurious.

As we drive into town, we pass by Sunset Ridge. “This is the neighborhood I was telling you about.”

Caleb lifts his foot off the gas, looking from one side of the road to the other at the century-style homes.

“Oh,” I say, pointing to a large white and yellow house up ahead. “This one’s my favorite, Cedar Manor.”

“That’s quite a big lot and house, too. Who lives in it?”

“No one. One of the town’s founding fathers built it. Years ago, a foreign investor bought it, but never moved in. He rents it from time to time in the summer because it has a beautiful stream in the back that runs directly into Cedar Brook Falls. But people rarely visit the town and stay for longer than a couple of days.”

Caleb stops the car in front of the home, and I take a closer look. It saddens me to see the once magnificent house reduced to peeling paint and an overgrown garden.

“It’s got charm,” says Caleb.

“Exactly.”

“It just needs some love.”

Ha. Don’t we all?

“Why doesn’t someone buy it and fix it up?”

---