Page 89 of The Healing Garden

Carly didn’t move; Anita didn’t move.

The seconds ticked by, and Bobby’s smile faded. He lowered his arm. “If this isn’t a good time, then maybe tomorrow? I’m back at my parents’. I, uh, things with Gloria went south. Again.” He gave a nervous laugh. “Not that it should be a reason to see my daughter, or not see her.” He blew out a breath and scrubbed his free hand through his hair. “Look. I’ll call next time. But I just wanted to see you.”

His gaze shifted to Carly again.

“Can he come in, Mom?” she said.

Anita opened her mouth to reply, but the words were stuck.

Carly seemed to recover much quicker than she. “Let’s sit on the porch, Dad,” she said. “We just got back from out of town, so I only have a few minutes.”

Relief crossed Bobby’s face, and Anita hated that she was glad to see it. Glad to see Carly’s dad care about his daughter for a change.

“Great.” He moved off the porch, and Carly sat down.

Anita left the door open as they sat down, a couple of feet between them.

She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but she also didn’t want Carly to feel like she was being cornered by her dad.

She walked to the kitchen and sat at the table. Emotions churned inside of her. This was good, right? Maybe Bobby had really turned a corner. Maybe he and Carly could have a positive relationship. She rose from the table and went about preparing the casserole. Maybe someday, she’d invite Bobby in. But it wouldn’t be today.

When Carly came into the kitchen, she found a vase for the flowers.

“Did he leave?” Anita asked.

“Yeah. He’ll be here all week, he said. And maybe on Friday, we’ll have another visit.”

“Are you all right?”

Carly nodded, but tears formed in her eyes.

Anita stepped close and pulled her into her arms. “I’m sorry it took him so long.”

She sniffled. “Me too, but I’m not going to dwell on the past.”

“Are you sure you’re not twenty-five?”

Carly gave a muffled laugh, then drew away. “He asked about you...and I told him you have an amazing boyfriend.”

“Uh, that’s not true, and kind of dramatic.”

Her daughter shrugged. “Well, it can be true.”

She only sighed. “All right. You win. I’ll call Wyatt after dinner.”

“Good.” Carly moved past her. “I need to get started on my homework. Call me when dinner’s ready.”

Anita stared after her. She sensed Carly wanted some time to herself, but her daughter was growing up before her eyes. Becoming a responsible adult. Anita knew she had Sam to thank for a portion of that. As well as Wyatt. And Phyllis. How did she get so lucky to have such amazing role models for Carly just when she needed them?

It ended up being nearly ten p.m. when Anita finally called Wyatt. She wondered if it might be late for him, since he ran early in the morning. But he answered almost immediately.

“Hey, it’s Anita.”

“Hey. I’m glad you called.”

This alerted her. “Is everything all right with your grandpa?”

“Oh sure,” he said in a soft voice. “I just didn’t know if you’d gotten sick of me on our trip. We were together a lot.”