Page 6 of You Shouldn't Have Come Here

“May I ask how she died?” I added.

“Car accident... about a year ago.” He rotated the bottle in his hands a couple of times like he was deciding whether or not to say more. “We had actually broken up the night she died, but I’m sure we would have gotten back together. We always did.” He wasn’t looking at me when he spoke. He was staring at the white wall as if there were something important for him to gaze at.

“I’m sorry, Calvin.” I didn’t know what more to say because I wasn’t good with these sorts of conversations. I had encountered death many times throughout my life but seeing it and talking about it were two very different things.

His eyes swung back to me.

“That’s life, I suppose.” He shrugged and shook his head like his thoughts and feelings were an Etch A Sketch that he could just shake away. “Ya wanna beer?”

The subject was changed.

I nodded. He pulled one from the fridge and popped the top off.

“Do you not have service here?” I held up my phone as he handed me the opened beer.

“No, ma’am. Gotta go into town for that, but I do have a landline if you need to make a phone call.” Calvin pointed to a pale green phone hanging on the wall. A long, coiled cord connected to the phone and the base, practically stretching down to the floor like it had been pulled too tight at one point.

“Oh, I just wanted to send a quick text to a friend to let them know I arrived safely. What aboutWi-Fi?”

“I did. But the router needs replacing.” He leaned against the counter and took another swig.

The breath got stuck in my airway as I tried to release it, and I nearly choked. I took a quick swig. There was no mention in the listing about a lack of cell service. You’d think that would be something to note but perhaps that was the norm around here. NoWi-Fiwas frustrating as well, but then again, maybe I was just too attached to being attached.

“You all right?” he asked. His eyes were full of concern.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

It wasn’t the time to make a fuss over cell phone service or the internet. I had just gotten here, and I was here to relax. Besides, it was probably for the best that no one would be able to get ahold of me.

4.

Calvin

“What’s on the stove?” Grace asked.

She looked at me a little different now that she knew about my ex. Death always changed how we viewed the world and one another. I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake by mentioning it.

“My specialty. Baked beans, bacon, and hot dogs,” I said with a smile.

Her face remained in neutral. Grace was clearly not impressed with my cooking skills. If I had known how pretty my guest was, I would have picked up something a bit more civilized, but her profile picture on the site was grainy at best.

“Do you want some?” I offered. Food was included in her stay if she wanted it. Most of my guests only used the ranch as a place to rest their heads at night, leaving early in the morning and returning late in the evening. It was nice to have someone here for dinner.

Her nose crinkled up but she quickly relaxed it. She shook her head. “I planned on grabbing something in town, and I wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience.”

“Nonsense. You’re not an inconvenience. Besides, it’s getting a bit late to be driving on these roads. Lots of wild animals come out at night.” I grabbed two bowls from the cupboard and filled them up.

“You’re not one of them vegetarians, are you?” I asked, placing the dish and a spoon in front of her.

Grace looked at the food and then up at me. “No, not at all. I just... I don’t really eat this type of thing.”

Taking a seat beside her with my food and beer, I immediately shoveled a spoonful of it into my mouth. The sweetness of the beans, the meatiness of the hot dogs, and the saltiness of the bacon melded together with each bite.

Her eyes were wide, and she hovered the beer right in front of her mouth as if she were trying to hide her reaction from me.

“Just try it.” I smiled. “I promise you’ll love it, and if you don’t, I’ll eat yours too.”

Grace set the beer down and hesitated for a moment before picking up the spoon. She scooped up a single bean.

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