Cali jolted awake, struggling to breathe.
It had been a few days since the doctors rushed in and pushed her and Red out of the room. When they’d finally come out to talk to her, she’d braced herself for the bad news. It didn’t come. It was just the opposite. Uncle Cal was breathing on his own again and conscious.
She’d been so relieved her knees had given out on her and she almost fell over. Red, of course, had been there to catch her before she hit the floor.
Closing her eyes, she exhaled slowly. Even though she’d received good news, she’d been plagued with nightmares the last couple of nights. It was just a dream. She’d decided to sleep at Red’s house for the first time since he’d been home. But she was so exhausted she hadn’t even made it up to his bedroom. She’d fallen asleep right on his couch, with one glove and one shoe still on.
When she opened her eyes again, a big-haired, beautiful little girl was staring at her quizzically. “Hi,” Cali whispered and looked around the room for Red. “You must be Corrine.”
“Who are you?” Corrine asked. She was holding a stuffed bear in her arms.
Clearing her throat, Cali tugged her shirt down. “I’m Cali.”
“Do you live here?” the young girl asked.
Cali smoothed a hand over her head and swallowed. “No. I’m a friend of your dad’s.”
“His girlfriend?”
Boy, she’s tough. Nodding, Cali answered her. “Yes.”
The answer slid out of her mouth easier than she thought it would. She was indeed Red’s girlfriend, which wasn’t a problem—before he found Corrine. Cali couldn’t help but wonder if the beautiful little girl in front of her would take to her.
“You’re up?” Red asked as he walked into the room. “I wanted to let you sleep a little longer.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss. “I see you two have met.”
Cali wiped her mouth. “Yes, we have. Corrine asked me if I was your girlfriend.”
He sat down on the couch next to her, squeezed her leg. “Do you have a problem with that, baby girl?” he asked.
Corrine’s gaze darted back and forth between them and Cali wondered what the child was thinking. Finally she climbed up on the couch between them. “I guess it’s okay.” She looked up at Cali. “You’re pretty. Do you like Cheez-Its?”
Red laughed and Cali let out a sigh of relief. She’d passed the test.
A few hours later, Cali smiled to herself as she walked through the hospital toward Uncle Cal’s room. Corrine had talked her ear off before she’d left with Red to buy some essentials. They’d discussed hair, Cheez-Its, and the latest episode of her favorite Disney Channel show. Cali couldn’t help but be impressed by her. She was definitely her father’s child. She was intelligent and perceptive. Nothing got past her. Every time Red inched closer to Cali, Corrine inserted herself in the middle. That was something Cali used to do to Uncle Cal when he brought women over—which wasn’t often, but still.
“Uncle Cal?” Cali said, entering the hospital room.
“Cali, you’re here.”
Dropping her purse in an empty chair, she unbuttoned her coat and shrugged out of it. Cali had been running around, trying to get things ready. Uncle Cal was being released. “You’re up. I’m sorry I’m late. Did the nurse come in with your discharge papers?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
“I wanted to talk with your doctors to make sure I have everything covered.”
The low hum of the oxygen tank and the continuous beeping from his machines was a daily reminder that he was still very sick. But his condition had improved so much, the baffled doctors agreed that he was ready to be released. The only caveat was that he remain under the care of visiting nurses for a while.
Uncle Cal was chomping at the bit to be let out. He’d been calling her all morning, asking her when her estimated time of arrival was. Judging by the way he kept looking toward the door at every movement, she figured the moment he could leave wouldn’t be soon enough.
It was hard to believe that a few days earlier she’d been thinking about funerals, not planning his discharge. Red had insisted they return to his home, which relieved her. Driving all the way to her own home wasn’t going to work. She did wonder how they were going to swing living in the same house, since Corrine was there. Red wasn’t worried, though. He’d cleared out his office for Corrine and moved in a hospital bed and other things for Uncle Cal.
The nurse arrived shortly with all the necessary paperwork and a new prescription for Uncle Cal. Cali scribbled notes in her planner while the nurse described the aftercare plan. In the meantime, Uncle Cal flirted with an older nurse, flashing his signature smile multiple times during the conversation.
Later, Cali helped Uncle Cal into Red’s house. He was moving slowly, holding himself up on the rolling oxygen tank. Red greeted them at the door, a dish towel in his hand, and helped the older man to the couch.
Uncle Cal sat down. “Smells good in here.”
“Cali started a roast in the crockpot before she left,” Red told him, taking his coat and his hat from him.
“I found a heart healthy recipe online,” she added, noting the scowl on her uncle’s face when she said “healthy.”
“I don’t really have an appetite, baby.”
“It’s fine if you don’t. I bought a bunch of those protein shakes so you can have one of those if you’re not in the mood to eat solid food.”
Even though he was up and walking, she couldn’t forget that his prognosis hadn’t changed. But she’d purposed it in her mind to enjoy being with him.
“Thanks for making room for me, Jared.” Uncle Cal said with a nod. “I appreciate it. You’ve definitely been a godsend to us.”
“No problem. We’re family. But we’ve already had this conversation.”
“I hear you have another little house guest?”
“She’s in her room. I told her to go comb her doll’s hair. I wasn’t sure how you’d be feeling when you got here.”
“I’d like to meet her.” Uncle Cal turned to Cali. “Don’t you have work to do?”
That definitely wasn’t the question she’d expected. “I do have some work I could be doing.” Spending her days and nights at the hospital had put her behind. She’d pushed countless appointments back and even referred potential clients to other local event planners so that she could stay with him. It was time for her to get back into the swing of business, but she was nervous about leaving him for too long.
“I think you better get to it. I’m tired and could use a nap.”
Corrine bounded into the room, jumping up on the couch. “Hi, Cali.”
“Hey, Corrine. I want you to meet my uncle.”
The little girl stared at Uncle Cal and reached out to touch his silver cane. “What is this?”
“A cane,” he explained. “I use it to help me walk.”
“Okay. I’m Corrine.”
“Hi, Corrine.” He took her extended hand and looked at her in awe as she shook his hand. “Whoa, that’s a pretty good handshake you have there.”
“My daddy said a firm handshake is impo-tent. We practiced this morning. Then Daddy yawned and then gave Cali a kiss and hit her on her butt.”
Cali gaped at the little girl, and sputtered out, “Okay, let’s help Uncle Cal to his bed.” She’d told Red not to be overly affectionate on the first day. “You want to come with us, Corrine?”
“I saw the man bring a new bed,” the spunky little girl continued. “I pushed the buttons for you already. It works.”
“Well, thank you, young lady,” Uncle Cal said. “I appreciate you testing the bed out for me. Let’s go.”
The walk to the bedroom took three times longer than normal, not because Uncle Cal was moving slowly but because Corrine had insisted on showing him everything she thought was awesome with Red’s condo, like the blue nightlights in the hallway and the cool floor good for sliding on in her socks.
Once they got Uncle Cal all settled in his bed, Corrine insisted on reading him a story because her mom read her a story one time when she was sick. Uncle Cal listened intently to Corrine reading Green Eggs and Ham with enthusiasm. At one point, he was even reading along with her, making funny voices with her.
“Okay, Uncle C—” Corrine kept forgetting his name. “It’s time for you to take a nap. You look tired. I’ll be back to check on you. Daddy put me in charge of bringing you water.”
“Thanks, little one, for helping me today. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Bye.” Then she was gone, her little feet shuffling across the floor as she walked.
Cali turned to Uncle Cal. “She’s something else, huh?”
“Reminds me of someone else.”
Corrine did remind Cali of herself. They had so much in common—energetic, stubborn, smart. Cali knew that as time went on, Corrine would come to depend on her. That’s what little kids did. They needed consistency and love. But could she be the person Corrine needed? Cali couldn’t stop thinking about her own mother and how she was pretty normal—until she wasn’t. If there was even the slightest possibility she’d end up like her mother, she’d leave Red. As much as it would hurt her, she wouldn’t risk ruining their lives.
Speaking of my mother…
Turning her attention back to her uncle, she said, “I wanted to ask you something. One night, while you were in the hospital, you were calling my mother’s name.”
He lowered his gaze. “Did I? I don’t remember that.”
“Do you think about her a lot?”
“Sure I do. She’s my sister.”
“It’s just that… it seemed odd.”
“Cali, I want to talk to you about your mother.” He shifted in the bed.
“Can we not?” she snapped. “I really have nothing to say about her.”
“There are some things you don’t know, baby,” he insisted. “You need to know all the facts.”
“Uncle Cal, stop.” She threw her hands up in the air. “I understand what you’re doing. But I can’t do this right now. I need to be focused on you and Red and work.”
“I think this is important, too.”
“You’re right, but not today important.” She didn’t want to spend another minute talking about her mother. “Maybe tomorrow important?”
He sighed heavily. “Fine. So tell me about you and Red and this instant family you got here.”
Cali froze. “Instant family? That’s not what this is.”
Corrine was a wonderful girl, and Cali liked her a lot. But she wasn’t ready to be a stand-in mother for her. The idea of getting close to her scared Cali. She didn’t want to disappoint an innocent child—especially one who’d already had so much heartache.
“That little girl is adorable.”
“She is, but she’s not my daughter,” Cali said in a firm voice.
“You’re with her father, living with him.”
“Temporarily,” she added, tossing a piece of paper into the tiny recycle bin nearby.
“Cali, you can’t stick your head in the sand and pretend that your whole relationship hasn’t changed because of this,” he said.
“Trust me. I know things are different. But I told Red that I’m in this with him,” she said defensively. “I’m not trying to take Corrine’s mother’s place. But I’ll be there for Red—and Corrine.”
“Why are you refusing to see how serious this is?” He coughed a bit and adjusted the small tubes in his nose.
It was very serious. One false move, one bad decision, and Corrine would be… her. Every time Cali looked at the little girl, she saw herself.
“Uncle Cal, you should rest. I’ll go ahead and bring you a glass of water so you can take your medicine.” She headed to the door, stopping at the threshold and turning to look at her uncle. “Uncle Cal?”
He looked at her, his face solemn. “Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby girl.”
* * *
It could be hormones, or just plain exhaustion, Cali thought as she stared at her computer screen. For the past hour, she’d attempted to focus on weddings and centerpieces. But she’d spent forty minutes of that hour crying silently. When did she become such a big baby?
She ran a shaky hand over her face and sighed, dropping her head on the keyboard. “Ugh, get it together, Cali,” she grumbled to herself.
“Cali?”
She whipped her head up, startled by Corrine standing in the doorway. The teary-eyed girl was clutching a doll in her arms and rubbing her eyes.
“Hi,” Cali said. She still hadn’t figured out a nickname for the child, which made her feel like a mean old lady for some reason. “What’s wrong? It’s very late.”
“I miss my mommy.” Corrine twisted the hem of her nightshirt. “I want to know when she’s coming to get me.”
Aw. Cali patted her lap and opened her arms. “Come here.” Corrine walked over to her and climbed onto her lap. Cali pushed her wild curls out of her face and kissed her forehead. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie.”
“I know you do.” Tears pricked Cali’s eyes and she was transported to a time when she’d cried herself to sleep over her own mother. “I know exactly how you feel.”
“You do?” she asked.
“When I was a kid, my mother left. But before that, she wasn’t around very much.”
“Daddy keeps telling me that Mommy is away. Where is she? Can I call her?”
Cali was still irritated with Red for not telling Corrine that her mother was in jail and not coming back anytime soon. They’d argued about it a few times, but Red thought he was doing what was best for her as her father. She didn’t want to overstep, but sitting there with a hurt Corrine, she wasn’t sure if she could hold it in much longer.
“Sweetie, sometimes people can’t see a person they love.”
“But why?” Corrine asked. “Mommy always told me she would call me. I think they have a phone where she is. Why can’t I call her?”
Cali’s heart broke for Corrine. She hadn’t truly realized how much their situations mirrored each other. They were both blessed with good fathers, but cursed with crazy mothers. Cali remembered crying herself to sleep at night, wondering where her mother was and why she’d left her. Thinking back to that time, she wished someone would have told her the truth about her mother. Maybe she should do that for Corrine. “Actually, your mother may not be able to get to a phone.”
“But why?” Corrine asked again.
Cali was at a loss for words. Why? It was a simple question with a not-so-simple answer. “Do you remember when we watched that movie and the woman that froze the whole town got locked away?”
“Yes, but she didn’t do anything bad.”
“I know, but she made a mistake and people got hurt,” Cali explained, hoping the inquisitive girl would get it. “Sometimes that happens in real life. People make mistakes and other people get hurt. Your mommy made a mistake, Corrine. Now she has to go away for a while.”
Corrine’s eyes widened. “She’s in jail?”
“Cali?” Red said, walking into the room, his lips pulled into a frown.
“Daddy, Cali was telling me a story about Mommy,” Corrine said.
“I heard her,” Red said, glaring at Cali. “Why are you up this late, baby doll?”
“I miss Mommy,” the little one repeated.
Red lifted her into his arms. “I know. Maybe she’ll call soon so you can talk to her.”
Cali shook her head as Red left the room. Sighing, she unlocked her laptop and attempted to actually get some work done.