Page 62 of Operator
I don’t know why I expected her to say something negative. Maybe it’s because my own parents have been so uninterested in my life—they haven’t even been by to visit the baby since she was born—that her interest in my news catches me off guard. “You aren’t upset?”
“Of course not, honey. I’m happy for you.” She pauses and seems to gather her nerve. “And Ian would be too if he were here.”
I nearly choke on my coffee. She hasn’t said his name in I don’t know how long. “Really?”
Bunny gives me a knowing look. “I don’t think he’d be happy about you and Cal, but I know he’d want you to be happy.”
This time I do choke on my coffee. “What?” My stomach does a somersault, and my cheeks begin to burn. Damn red hair. I bet it shows on my face like fireworks.
She waves away my shock and is kind enough not to react when I cough to catch my breath. “Please. I’m his mother. I know everything.”
“I’m sorry, Bunny. We never meant to hurt anyone. It just happened.” Face flaming, stomach dipping, I consider running for the hills, but this is something I have to face if I want to be with Cal, and because it is, I keep my butt planted firmly on the chair. No matter what happens, or what she says, this is the right thing to do. For Cal…and for Ian.
And for me.
I nearly get myself calmed down, and then Bunny sips her coffee and says, “You don’t have to apologize to me. The writing was on the wall with the two of you since you first met.”
Who is this woman, and what did she do with Bunny Reece? “You’re really not upset?”
Bunny leans back in her seat and crosses her legs. There’s emotion swimming behind her eyes, but her cheeks are dry and she’s as cool as a glass of sweet tea. “Of course, I wish it was Ian, but if I’ve learned anything since losing him, it’s to be happy with what I’ve got. And I’ve got you, I’ve got Todd and Callum. And I’ve got this sweet girl right here, so I’m choosing to be happy with whatever happens. Taking my own advice. Besides, Todd and I have always known about you and Cal. You think we didn’t hear you sneaking in his window a time or two? Child, please. I was young once. I tried to talk to him when he came back a time or two, but I should have known it was inevitable. He’s loved you as far back as I can remember.”
Loved me?That’s as much of a shock as Bunny’s acceptance. When I sit back in my seat, it’s more like a slump. I blow my hair out of my face and admit, “I have to say, that’s not the reaction I was expecting.” Which is an understatement. I expected tears and yelling. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Bunny had disowned the lot of us.
“Good. I like to shake things up every now and then and that’s not even the surprising news I have.” Bunny smiles her beauty queen smile.
I take a bracing sip from my mug. “Ohh…kay. Then what’s thesurprisingnews?”
She glances at Todd, who has just stepped in the doorway looking flushed, but healthy for the first time in months. “Todd and I are selling our businesses.”
Gobsmacked. I’ve never understood the word until now. I shake my head as though it’ll order the jumbled thoughts inside. “I’m sorry, what?”
They share an uncharacteristically fond smile. Todd says, “Yup. We’re going to sell all of our businesses and the house and we’re gonna get one of those fancy tiny homes and travel. We’ve earned it, I think. Besides, the only thing that lives in this house are sad memories. We want to make new happy ones.”
I stuff my face with a big forkful of blueberry pancakes to recover. This much astonishment requires copious amounts of sugar. “Wow.”
Bunny’s smile is sunny and bright. “What would you say to our first visit being to wherever your new job is?”
That surprises a laugh out of me, and I choke back the pancakes with a swig of coffee. “I think that sounds wonderful.”
* * *
By the time Violet and I head back home, my head is spinning. So many changes…for the better, I think, but changes nonetheless. There’s a lightness about my step, though. One that tells me it’ll all be okay. I still have to speak to Cal about taking the new job and what that could mean for us, but one step at a time. That’ll also mean reevaluating our relationship. He said he wasn’t going anywhere…but would he follow me across the country with everything between us still so fresh? I guess I’d have to find out. I’m done putting my life on hold. It’s time to start living it.
The baby is sleeping, so I make the walk home a leisurely one. Preemptively, I decide to make a quick call to Alec to warn him that Callum may be reaching out to harass him.
Alec answers on the first ring. “Hello?” My bright mood dims a little at the sound of exhaustion in his voice. Here I am being happy about everything, and he’s going through the worst thing a person can. I would know.
“Alec! Hey, it’s Gwen. Ian’s wife.” I wince at the phasing. Something about it doesn’t feel quite right anymore. I’d always be his wife, and I’d always love him. Always. But the truth is he’s gone, and Bunny is right. I deserve to be happy.
And despite his faults, Callum makes me happy.
“I’ve got your number saved, Gwen.” I hear the tired amusement in his voice over the line. “What’s up?”
“How’s Tana?” I ask, first of all. Tana and Alec have been married since they were fresh out of high school. She’s been with him through basic training, deployments, separation from the service and the birth of their two daughters. The sad thing is, I sort of know what he’s going through. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Alec blows out a breath, and the amusement in his voice is gone. “She’s still the same. The doctors say she’ll wake up when she’s ready. That her brain just needs time to heal from the swelling. They won’t know much more until it goes down.”
I wish I had more than words, but because they’re all I have for now, I tell him, “I’m so sorry. You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do, won’t you?”
