Page 35 of Love is Grand
“Don’t,” Shell said. “You don’t know.”
I inched another step closer. We stood there, two ships about to cross paths.
“I’m not the marrying kind. Didn’t see that type of shit growing up. My mother worked her ass off as a single parent, and the three of us were a handful. I cut up while Adam was the caretaker, and Becca was a loose cannon. None of it was predictable or what others had at home. So, I decided family life wasn’t for me.”
Shell scoffed at me. “I get the single mom part.”
“Well, you won’t want for anything financially.”
“Just stop. This is going nowhere. I hear you, and I’ll let you know how things are progressing and all that. But this is good-bye for us.”
After having her say, Shell blazed past me.
Truthfully, I didn’t know what she was getting so upset about. I wasn’t the type of man who would swing by and grab milk on the way home from work.
“Please, Shell. I’m doing what’s best.”
“Okay, Cal. Okay. Well, your best isn’t what I expected.” She didn’t stop to look at me on her way out of my room.
As the door slammed shut behind her, I knew I messed up, but it wasn’t in my DNA to know how to fix it. I did what I’d tell a client to—pay up and get what they wanted.
The question was, did I want to do that?
Shell
Looking toward the last table that had been sat, I froze and turned to my coworker.
“Marni, will you take that last table for me?”
She shook her head, patting her apron pocket. “Nope. He already warned me you’d ask, and tipped me to say no.”
Of course he did.
Cal had stayed less than twenty-four hours on the island after we talked—if that’s what he’d call it—and left the Monday after the wedding as planned. He’d texted that I owed him to stay in touch, and to let him know about doctor appointments.
I hadn’t. It had been a week since he left, and I hadn’t texted, called, emailed, or sent out smoke signals.
I was staying busy at work, helping my dad, and helping Weezie with her swimming in my free time—basically, anything but communicating with my baby daddy. My mom told me I was being stubborn, and she threatened to tell my dad.
In a last-ditch effort to get her to keep quiet for a few more weeks, I promised to message Cal. I wasn’t ready yet for the disappointment I was sure I’d see on my dad’s face when he learned the news.
“Welcome to Camila’s. What can I get you?” I stared at the guest, hoping he’d fade away into the horizon.
“Shell, we need to talk.”
Shaking my head, I said, “We definitely don’t. This is between your brother and me. I can’t even believe you’re involved.”
Adam pulled in a deep breath. “I’m involved because he’s a jerk. Because he doesn’t know what end is up when it comes to being there for someone. That’s my role. It always has been.”
Crossing my arms, a no-no when it came to serving patrons, I asked Adam, “Do you want a rum runner?” I had to move this discussion along, or else I’d sit down and tell him exactly what I thought of his brother.
“No, I don’t want a rum runner. I want you to call Cal. He’s an ass who messed up. I know this because every work call we have turns into a Shell-centered discussion. Rylan is getting impatient with me over my long calls because we’re leaving for London next week on our honeymoon. And I don’t like keeping secrets from her.”
“Yeah, what happened? I thought you were leaving a few days after the wedding?” Just like me, Rylan had secrets I wanted to know.
“We pushed it back. I had to take care of a few things.”
I glared at him.