Page 15 of Coming Home for Fall
“I’m not going to ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask me.”
“No–I–I don’t really know if that’s... I need to think about it.” She slid off the stool and pushed the plate of apples to the other side of the island towards Callie. “Thanks for the snack. I’m—I’m gonna to take Dot to the park.”
“Okay... Do you want a ride, or—”
“I’ll walk,” she said curtly. “I could use the fresh air. I’ll be home for dinner. Thanks.”
Callie watched as Sasha took her baby girl into her arms and marched out of the kitchen. She knew she’d said something wrong, but she couldn’t place her finger on exactly what her transgression was. She sighed to herself and ran a hand through her short, gray hair, remembering the times she used to accidentally irk Mallory without understanding why.
At least with Mallory, Callie could always count on David to go check on her and get to the bottom of things—but with Sasha—Callie had no idea where the lines were.
Chapter 7
While David cooked dinner, Callie sat at the kitchen island. “She probably thought you wanted her out of here sooner rather than later,” he said nonchalantly.
She ran her fingers through her hair and knitted her brows, thinking she’d misheard him. Callie had a stressful day, grading papers that were far less coherent than she would’ve hoped, and she was still stuck on the whole bookstore job debacle.
“What?” She half laughed.
“I think she probably assumed you wanted her to leave the house—”
“No, I heard you, I just don’t understand what you’re getting at. Why would she think I’d want her out of here?”
“Maybe she thinks you want to get her a job so she can find her own place,” he suggested, stirring the pasta sauce on the stove. “It’s only been a week, you know? Don’t put too much pressure on her.”
“Who’s putting pressure on her?” Callie scoffed, throwing her hands up in the air. “That’s the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do!”
“Okay—”
“I don’t care if she gets a job,” Callie said, talking over him. “I was the one who said she could stay as long as she needed, and I meant it! It’s just that Kate mentioned she was looking for some help, and I thought Sasha liked the bookstore... I was just trying to help.”
“I know that,” David said, “but Sasha might not. I was doing some research on some of those women’s shelters, and a lot of them require you to have a job, and if you lose the job, you can be kicked out.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I’m not sure if the one Sasha was in was like that, and I understand why they have those policies, but it might make Sasha a little sensitive. You just need to make it clear that she’s welcome to stay here even if she doesn’t get a job right away.”
“That’s a given!” She straightened up in her seat and tapped the counter.
“But she might not know that.” He glanced back at her over his shoulder. “Maybe you should just tell her outright, make sure it's clear to her.”
“I’m happy to do that. I just wish you’d been in the room earlier when she and I were talking! You could’ve cleared everything up and she wouldn’t have left in a huff.” She sighed and let her head rest heavy in her palms. The granite countertop was cool underneath her arms.
“Why does this feel like a déjà vu,” she mumbled.
“What do you mean?”
“You just seem to understand Sasha in a way I don’t. And you’ve connected with her in a way I haven’t. It reminds me of Mallory. You two always had a special way of communicating. Like you had your own language.”
David chuckled. “I could say the same about you and the other two. Taylor and Ariel basically worshiped you and I was always second best.”
Callie smirked, but her head was still down so David couldn’t see. “That’s not how I’d phrase it… And it’s not the same. Taylor and Ariel talked to you sometimes. You could getthrough to them. But with Mallory... I always felt like I was talking to a brick wall.”
“Is that how you feel with Sasha too?” he asked.
She paused, then shook her head. “No, it’s not that bad. I’m just being dramatic. It’s been a long day, that’s all.”
