Page 66 of Love is Grand
“Good. It’s settled then.”
“Cal?” Shell’s voice was full of apprehension, and I wished she didn’t feel that way with me—ever.
“Yes? Ask anything you want, Shell.”
“Are there nanny services? I assume so. Maybe we can have a date night? I mean, I’ve never used a service like that, but I assume they’re vetted.”
“Yes, there are. I know because of clients. Good ones. Excellent ones. Date night, it is. Let me look into flights, and we can talk more about this tomorrow.”
“You mean, your assistant?”
She had me there. “Not this time. I’m going to handle the flights myself. He may handle the rest, but I have to work.”
Shell chuckled. “It’s fine. I was only kidding.”
I absorbed the easiness that had settled over us, relaxing into it.
“Night, Cal,” rang in my ear and went straight to my groin.
“Night, Shell. I’ll touch base in the morning.” Before we hung up, though, an idea came over me. “You know what? Can you hold the phone to your belly?”
“Yes.” Her tone was quiet, as if she suspected what I wanted to do, and it touched her. “Here I go.”
“Hi there, fella. It’s your dad. I can be an idiot, but it doesn’t mean I don’t love ya.”
I didn’t wait to say anything more to Shell. This whole scene was too much for me to make sense of, so I hung up.
For the first time in my life, I was acting and living based on feelings.
And it didn’t feel bad at all.
• July •
Shell
Bright sunlight hit my face as Weezie and I stepped off the small charter jet that had brought us to New York.
I’d texted Cal that we could fly commercial, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, Weezie and I flew to the States like rock stars. We were ushered into a small customs area where they checked our passports before leading us through a door where Cal was waiting on the other side.
It was a Friday afternoon, and he’d insisted on meeting us, saying the city was shutting down as everyone escaped to the shore for the weekend.
“Cal!” Weezie ran to him like he was the ice-cream truck. Then again, he was better with private planes and vacations.
“Hey, Weez. Welcome to New York,” he said, bending down to give her a hug.
I got a “Hey” when I got close, and then without warning, Cal pulled me in for a kiss. His arm wrapped around me, and his lips pressed to mine. It was the first time we’d been intimate like this in front of Weezie, and when we broke free, she didn’t seem the least bit fazed.
Cal leaned close and whispered in my ear, “Welcome to New York,” then brushed his lips along my cheek. “Come on.”
He took Weezie’s hand and led us toward the doors. Outside, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ve gotta call for our ride.”
I nodded like this was an everyday thing for me, but it wasn’t.
“Excited?” he asked Weezie while we waited.
She nodded. “Do you live near the American Girl doll store?”
“Weez! I told you maybe,” I said.