Page 39 of Rough Hands, Soft Lips
“That’s not very convincing,” he said, but she turned his head and kissed him. “But you are,” he had to admit. “OK, I’ll talk to the next customer.” He narrowed his eyes and added, “But if I make a fool of myself, you have to admit I was right.”
“You won’t,” she assured him.
One more kiss, and he was on board, waiting for the next customer to show up and consider buying a piece. Not too longwent by before a young woman showed interest in one of Cal’s photos. It was the one with the doe stretching for leaves, the one April had told him was framed nicely. The girl was looking at it for long enough that Cal knew it was time to approach.
“Do you like that one?” he said to her.
She jumped a bit at the sound of his voice but smiled when she saw him. “It’s so peaceful,” she said. “I thought it would look nice in my dorm. I’m leaving home this year for the first time, and my dad told me college can be stressful. But this photo looks so… quiet, I guess.”
“It was really quiet when I took it. Peaceful, just like you said. That’s a meadow near my home. We were waiting all morning for the wildlife to show up, and this doe finally did.” He decided to follow April’s example and tell the story of the shot. “My son accidentally broke a twig while the doe was there. Usually, they bolt the second they hear you, but this one just looked our way and kept snacking. Maybe she knew we were only there to take her picture.”
The girl turned back to the booth to see Owen playing with April. “Is that your son?”
“Yeah,” Cal answered. “His name is Owen.”
“He’s really cute.”
“I agree.” Cal smiled. This wasn’t so bad. This was easy, and he detected no judgment from the girl talking to him. “Thank you.”
Then she made an assumption. “He has his mother’s smile,” she said.
The girl had assumed April was Owen’s mother. Cal didn’t know how to correct her. So, in a moment that was more instinct than anything, he opted not to. “He does.”
“My name’s Jen,” the girl said.
“Cal,” Cal said.
“I think I’d like to buy this.” She gestured to the photo they’d been discussing. “How much?”
Cal thought about it. He was feeling generous and warm, but he should cover the frame at least. “Tell you what,” he said after a few seconds. “I’ll give it to you for fifteen.”
Jen turned back to the picture. “Really? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Consider it a kind of housewarming gift.” Cal took the picture down and carried it over to April. “Fifteen for this,” he told her. “She’s moving away from home for the first time, so I thought she could use it.”
April shook her head with a smile and wrapped up the picture for Jen. Then she collected the cash and handed the package over. “Thank you so much!” she said to the girl. “And good luck in college. Some of my best memories are from college. Try not to let the stress get to you too much.”
Jen hugged the package to her chest. “I know exactly where I’ll hang this. Thank you.”
“No problem,” Cal said. “Enjoy it.”
After Jen left their booth, April gave Cal a knowing look. “See,” she said. “I told you it would be fine. Just… try not to give everyone a massive discount, or you won’t break even.” She laughed.
Cal cringed. “Sorry. She looked so worried.”
April threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight. “I love that you have a softer side. Especially for young people. You’re going to be an awesome father when Owen grows up.”
April always knew how to compliment Cal in a way that made him feel strong. She made him want to be a better person, a better father, a better everything. He could not see how her presence in his life would ever be anything other than positive.
CHAPTER 18
APRIL
More often than not, though she was grateful for her job, April lamented that it didn’t leave her much time to think. But over the last few days, she wantedlesstime to think. If she had time to think, she had to admit to herself that she was falling in love with Cal. And then she had to admit to herself that he wasn’t exactly normal. But wasn’t that what she liked about him?
Would it be right to change him, even if she did it unintentionally? She supposed it was too late to consider the ethics of that. He had already changed. Because of her, he was now spending more time in town, talking to people, letting his son spend time with people outside his family.
She tried to picture her life with him, and every time she did, she struggled to come to grips with it. While living on the mountain in a cabin in the woods was appealing to her romantic self, the reality of it got in the way. The commute, for one, would be significant. Seeing her friends would not be easy. She thought she could probably do without all the creature comforts, but for how long?
