Chapter Thirty-Nine

Callie’s last appointment took longer than expected. She didn’t mind spending extra time with clients. In fact, she loved it. She prided herself on developing relationships, not just taking measurements and deposits. Good service mattered, especially with word of mouth.

She’d benefitted from the Marry Matchmaker moniker, but not enough to alleviate her worries. She had her fingers crossed that if Vivian’s feature released with Bride magazine, she’d be so busy she’d need to hire help.

A glance at the wall clock told her she might make it in time for dinner at the inn if she hurried. She’d taken all of two steps when someone knocked at the front door. She literally stopped breathing when she saw her sister’s face through the cut-out glass. Brooke hadn’t said a word about visiting. She hadn’t been in touch at all since Thanksgiving.

“Hey, Cal.” Brooke added a wave to her greeting.

Callie unlocked the door, stunned at her sister’s sudden appearance. “Hi. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

Brooke strode inside, dropping her duffel bag on the hardwood floor. “Everything is fine.” She looked around the cottage. “Wow, this place is great.” Her eyes connected with Callie’s. “You did good.”

Callie stood there, taken aback from having her sister in the same room, and shocked at the compliment. Her sister didn’t give congratulatory praise. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”

“Really?”

Callie needed a minute—or a thousand—so she walked back to the kitchen. Brooke showing up out of the blue threw her for a giant, carousel-size loop. Callie had resumed her therapy appointments to work through her issues (one of which was sketching Hunter instead of dresses) and now she had one of her biggest stumbling blocks in her home.

“Are you thirsty?” Callie asked.

“Water would be great, thanks.” Brooke sat at the small kitchen table. “I love this setup. Did you put in the French doors separating the store from your living quarters?”

“No, it was already there.” Callie poured them each a glass of water, then took a seat, too. “Where are mom and dad?”

“Still in Florida.”

“How long are you staying?”

“Just the weekend. I didn’t want you to be alone on Christmas.”

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with my sister?”

Brooke’s face fell. She took a minute to read all the emotions crossing Callie’s face. “I’ve been that bad, huh?”

Callie shrugged. “I’ve tried telling you.”

“And I’ve always ignored it and taken you for granted. Sorry about that.”

“I’m not sure what’s happening right now.” Brooke never apologized. Had her sister changed in the months they’d been apart and was it a change Callie could count on?

“I’m sincerely sorry is what’s happening.”

“Is that why you’re here?”

“Yes. It finally clicked for me when I met a woman around our age who had lost her sister because of a natural disaster, and I thought, I’m losing mine because I’m selfish and unavailable. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t do something about it before it was too late.”

“So here you are.” Callie felt happy tears sting her eyes. She blinked over and over to keep them away.

“Christmas was always your favorite holiday. Is it still?”

“Yes.” She squeezed her sister’s arm. “And I’m really glad you’re here.”

“I hope I’m not ruining your plans,” Brooke said in that no-nonsense way of hers. Only this time hopefulness laced her words, too.

“I do have a wedding to go to tomorrow, but Christmas is all yours.”

“I’d like that. I thought about giving you a heads-up, but I was afraid you’d tell me not to come.”

“I’d never do that.” Callie always wanted more time with her sister, even when she felt like Brooke didn’t prioritize their relationship.

“Deep down I know that, but sometimes I think, Today is the day my sister outgrows me, and insecurity sets in.”

Callie stared at her older sister, surprised to hear she had insecurities, too. On the outside, nothing looked different. Same pretty brown eyes and straight brown hair. On the inside, though, there’d been a shift. A realization.

“We have a lot to talk about,” Callie said, gathering the courage to have a meaningful conversation. “I just need to quickly send a text. She grabbed her phone and sent a group text to Mary Rose, Kennedy, and Nova, letting them know Brooke had shown up so she wouldn’t be making it to dinner tonight.

“You’re looking at me weird,” Brooke said.

“I haven’t seen you in person in almost nine months. When I came home from Africa and you guys weren’t home, it hurt. A lot. And then you kept extending your trip like being apart was no big deal. Having you here now is taking me a minute.”

“I get it. But, Cal, we were needed. And you’ve always been so independent and focused on what you love doing that we didn’t stop to think about it. I’ve always been jealous of your independence.”

“What?”

“You’re fine on your own. You stand on your own two feet, free to do whatever you want and confident in your choices. I envy you that.”

Callie rubbed her ear. She couldn’t be hearing her sister right. “And you’re not?”

“I work with Mom and Dad,” she answered as if that explained everything. When Callie waited for more, she added, “I do like it, but I didn’t have a choice. Dad made the decision for me.”

“You could have said no.”

Brooke fidgeted in her chair. “I could have, but I didn’t because I wasn’t strong enough to go out on my own. You’ve always been able to handle anything that came your way. You fought to get back to normal after your accident a thousand times harder than I would have. And ever since then, I’ve selfishly coasted through life.”

Callie sat there with so many questions and emotions swirling through her veins, she didn’t know where to start. “You guys have forgotten about me over and over again like it’s no big deal. Like I’m an afterthought.”

“I’m sorry if you’ve felt that way.” Sincerity ran deep in her apology. “It’s not true. If we’ve treated you that way, it’s because we know you can handle it. Honestly, when it comes to our constant trips and last-minute plans, we go on autopilot. And knowing we don’t have to worry about you because you can take care of yourself is a comfort. It sounds like we got it wrong, though.” Regret creased her forehead.

“I might be independent, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need you guys. You haven’t made me feel like a priority in a long time. More like I’m mediocre and easily forgotten.” Phew. It felt good to say that and know her sister was really listening this time.

“That’s not on you, but them. Trust me. I’ve been there, too.”

“You’ve been there with Mom and Dad?” Talk about having a conversation ten years too late. Callie wished they’d teamed up like this before, but they couldn’t change the past.

“Yes, but I’m much more like them than you are, so my feelings aren’t hurt as easily. And I don’t mind their ups and downs like you always have.”

“You’re talking about their marriages?”

“And divorces. They’re not exactly the picture of a stable, loving relationship.”

No shit. “How does that not affect you?”

Brooke shrugged. “They do the best they can.” She reached over to squeeze Callie’s hand. “We’re not our parents, Cal. Especially you. You have more love in your heart than anyone I know.”

Callie sniffled, emotions overwhelming her again. “Promise me we’ll keep talking like this. Tonight. Tomorrow. Next year.”

“I promise.”

“Are you hungry? Want to order a pizza?” For the first time in a week, Callie wanted to eat because she was happy.

“It’s on me.” Brooke ordered online, and thirty minutes later, they had a steaming hot mushroom-and-olive pizza.

“So tell me what’s been going on here.” Brooke pulled a string of cheese off her pizza slice. “I want to know everything. Whose wedding are you going to?”

Callie told her about the wedding and the ambassador competition.

“I’m sorry you didn’t win.”

“Thanks, but I’m happy for Hunter. He deserved the position. His articles were… They flowed with an ease and way of thinking that was relatable and meaningful.” She was so proud of him. So moved by his words.

“And I do have some good news.” She filled Brooke in on the article Vivian was writing and the Marry Matchmaker nickname. Lastly, she shared what had happened with Hunter.

“Oh my God. You and Hunter Owens. Cal, he has had a crush on you forever.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because when I once tried to kiss him—with total attitude by the way—he told me no and that the only Carmichael he’d ever kiss would be you.”

Callie rolled her lips together as yet another wave of emotion pressed against her chest. When they’d talked about first kisses, he hadn’t said anything. Probably because he didn’t want to portray her sister in a negative light. Which was just like him—to safeguard Callie’s feelings about herself and her family. “I really miss him.”

“Then what’s stopping you from going after him?”

“Fear.” She’d kept her heart closed off, afraid of the ups and downs of true love and worried if she gave away her whole heart and trusted someone else with it, she’d no longer be in control and they’d have the power to hurt her.

“Pfft.” Brooke flicked her hand like, That is not a good reason. “Do you know what the opposite of fear is? Confidence. And you have that. Who’s the girl who came back from a life-threatening accident completely whole?”

“Me.”

“And who’s the girl who started her own design business with no help from anyone else?”

“Me,” she said, grateful her sister recognized that.

“And what has keeping your distance from Hunter gotten you?”

“A broken heart.”

“So, if it’s already broken, what more do you have to lose?”

Hunter. She had Hunter to lose.

And tomorrow she’d watch him walk down the aisle in his best man suit and then watch him fall in love with someone else.

Unless she did something about it.