Page 54 of Forever Endeavor

“What?”

“I knew from the first day she came to town that she was your type.”

“She’d be any red-blooded man’s type,” he replied. “I’m just the lucky dog who gets to spend time with her.”

Cal grinned. “Yeah? You two been spending time together?”

Sonny nodded. “Billie thought we oughta tell ya. I guess she feels bad about keeping it a secret."

“Hey, listen, I think Billie is terrific and I can tell how much she cares for you. You should’ve seen her pacing with worry the other night you didn’t come home. I knew right then something was going on, even if neither one of you was about to own up to it,” Cal said. “She’s got a tender heart and a nurturing soul, and I think that’s exactly what you need. Mind if I ask how you feel about her?”

Sonny took a long swig and a hard swallow. “Like I haven’t felt about anyone in a long time. Maybe ever. And before you say it, yeah, I realize that’s gonna be a big problem.”

“Because Billie’s leaving and you don’t want her to go,” Cal said.

“Because she’s leaving and I can’t give her a good enough reason to stay. What do I have to offer? I’m a mechanic in a hick town living on borrowed time in a rental house my ex-wife still owns. Not exactly a compelling case for a woman to rebuild her whole life here with me.”

Cal shook his head. “What Billie needs is a good and faithful partner who cherishes her. Someone she can love and lean on and maybe show her that it’s never too late to live happily ever after,” he said. “I want that for Billie. Hell, Sonny, I want that for you, too.”

“I--I have to think on it. I can’t rush this.”

“Unfortunately, time’s not on your side. You’ve got to make up your mind and tell her how you feel. Trust me on this, if you don’t put yourself out there, it’ll be one of the biggest regrets of your life. You don’t want to get to be my age and still be wondering ‘what if?’” Cal suddenly smacked his hand against the side of Sonny’s leg. “Wait right here.”

Cal went back inside, probably to take a leak. It gave Sonny a few moments of solitude to drain the last of his beer and absorb what he’d heard. No one knew Billie’s heart or understood what it had been through like he did. In a very short time, they’d formed a genuine connection, making it impossible to imagine a day without her being part of it. His mind replayed a reel of wonderful little Billie-isms starting from the moment they met out on the highway until they’d woken up in each other’s arms that very morning. Riding next to him in the tow truck. Sitting in his audience at The Pell. Dropping in with coffee at the shop. Going toe to toe when they sparred and being toe to toe once they’d kissed and made up. How could he let Billie go knowing he’d probably never find anyone like her again?

The porch door squeaked open behind him. “Brought ya something,” Cal said.

Sonny held his hand over his head, anticipating chilled aluminum hitting his hot palm. Instead, a small wooden cube was placed into it. He turned the box over in his fingers as he examined it. “What’s this?”

Cal perched on the step. “Open it.”

Inside was an antique diamond ring, its yellow gold band accented with an intricately engraved design. Sonny had a vague recollection of the bauble, like he’d dreamt it up once upon a time. The old mine jewel caught the sunlight and gleamed brilliantly in its six-prong setting. “This is Grandma’s ring, isn’t it? It’s beautiful. Where’d you get it?”

“Grandma wanted her only daughter to have it, and then, before your mom passed away, she gave it to me with the promise that someday, I’d give it to you. I’ve been saving it for nearly thirty years.”

A wave of warm, wet emotion welled up behind Sonny’s eyes. “But why now?”

“You know why, Sonny.”

“I mean, why didn’t you give this to me before I got married the first time?”

Cal laughed. “You think your mother would’ve wanted to see Grandma’s ring squandered on that trollop? She wasn’t good enough for you.”

Sonny hadn’t the slightest inkling that Cal wasn’t fond of Melissa. “You knew we were doomed?”

“I knew it was only a matter of time before she showed her true colors. I’m only sorry it hurt you so damn bad when it happened.” Cal put a hand on Sonny’s shoulder. “That’s why I insisted on moving in here. I recognized your pain. I’ve been there myself and I didn’t want you to go through it alone.”

“What are you talking about?”

Cal proceeded to tell him about the dark days after his partner was killed. As a boy, Sonny had overheard adults talking about it, recalling the sadness and heaviness that followed mention of the uncle he’d barely known. In some people’s view, Cal should’ve pulled his trigger and fired a lethal shot back at his partner’s assailant. The notion that he didn’t do more to shield them from taking fire in the line of duty made him a coward cop to some. But now, after hearing Cal’s side of things for the first time, Sonny realized how harshly unfair their judgment had been.

“I believed the only way to escape that kind of despair was to relieve myself of it entirely,” Cal said, revealing how scarily close he’d been to taking his life. “I was a shattered man trying to piece my life back together. I was in no shape to come back to help my sister, God rest her soul, when I could barely summon the strength to get through each day myself. I’m sorry, Sonny. I’m sorry I wasn’t here more for her…or for you.”

Sonny’s head spun. He had gone from being an angry child to an angry man, holding tight to a deep-seated grudge against Cal most of his life when all along, he could’ve asked. He should’ve asked. Why didn’t he just ask Cal for the truth?

“I’m grateful that your mother forgave me for my absence before she died. That time we spent together in her final days meant the world to me. I spilled my guts and she listened to it all like the good big sister she’d always been. Even though I knew I’d let her down, in the end, she was the one who alleviated my burden and comforted me. She was a helluva woman.”

Tears blurred Sonny’s vision as he saw Cal wipe the wetness from his own eyes. He’d never seen the old man cry before, not even at a funeral.

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