Page 43 of Shake the Habit

“You really didn’t have to get anything. What could it be?” I wondered as I picked up the shoebox. Inside was a pair of very expensive tennis shoes, much, much nicer than the ones I wore.

“They’re for running,” he explained. “You’re going so much farther and you needed them. I got your size from your old ones, but I can exchange them if they don’t fit right.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I love them!”

“They’re pink,” he pointed out. “They match Sir’s collar.”

“This was so thoughtful. Sir, look at my new shoes,” I offered, and he did pick up his head for a moment before settling it again on Aunt Paula’s feet. If his mouth ever got near these, he would be in for it.

“I’m sorry I was late and missed so much of the party,” Caleb told me. “I had a problem at my house.”

“Oh, no.” My thoughts went immediately to the barn. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have any water.” He rubbed his knuckles against his lips. “It worked fine this afternoon, but when I turned on the faucet again later, there was only air. I had noticed that it was getting cloudier but it was never very clear anyway, and it always tasted terrible.”

“Did you call the water company?”

“We have a well, and I have no idea how my mother put that in. She probably had it dug in the cheapest way and probably not legally, if that’s even a concern. There’s more I have to learn about that topic.” He sounded less than thrilled. “Anyway, I’m going a hotel tonight.”

“Don’t be silly. You have another house,” I reminded him. “Come up and sleep on the mountain.”

“There are no extra beds.”

“We can pack more of your stuff at the farm and put your twin mattress in the truck. Sir and I can sleep on that because we’ll fit better than you do.”

“He’ll fit better than I do?” We both looked at the floor, where the dog’s sprawled body covered an area about as large as Middle Tennessee. “No, it’s my bed and I’ll lie on it.”

I had a strong desire to get Caleb out of that dark, sad farmhouse, in a permanent way. “You don’t know how long it will take to fix your well, and you don’t want to waste money at a hotel when you already have another house that’s perfectly fine.”

Being a person who was good at economic stuff, he eventually agreed with me. He did say that I wouldn’t pay him any rent for the time that he was in the house with me, though. We left the sleepers, Aunt Paula and Sir, and went to the farm to load his truck.

It was worse there at night. I had grown up on a street with other houses on either side, but I’d never been bothered by being out in nature. This, however…it was so still, but it wasn’t peaceful. It seemed to be waiting. I shivered as he unlocked the front door.

“Kayleigh?”

“Yes?” I answered.

“You’re standing on the backs of my shoes,” Caleb said. “You’re also holding on to my belt.”

“Sorry.” I gave him more room to breathe.

It didn’t take too long to carry down his bed, and he already had a bag packed for the night. “If I can’t get things fixed quickly, I’ll come back for the crap in my office,” he mentioned, frowning into that room.

“You know, I was thinking that you might want to rent a little space in town. They have really cute offices available in the old bank building, and I know for a fact that there’s air conditioning because Cassidy used to work there one summer.”

“It’s something to think about. Did you talk to her today?”

“She called, but I missed it. She and Jack left a message, singing to me. But she’ll be back soon to go to the doctor here. Shewants to have the baby in Tennessee.” Everyone knew about her pregnancy now, so Sir and I didn’t have to keep the secret. “Her voice has changed.”

“Mine did, too, around my fourteenth birthday.”

“No,” I said, smiling. “I mean that for the last few years, she sounded flat. Now it’s like there’s so much joy in her that it comes out when she speaks.”

He smiled too, but also covered it with his fist. “That’s nice.”

“Why do you do that?”

“What?” he asked, and I took his fist in my two hands.

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