Page 31 of Against The Tide

“Maybe.” My whisper dries up at the sound of the girls laughing as Rowan sprays the hose at them while Rhett and Caleb go at him with water pistols.

“You can talk to me. You know that, don’t you?” Combing her fingers through her hair, she levels me with a questioning stare.

The longer I take to get my words to match my thoughts and convey what Rhett told me the other night about talking to someone impartial, the more worried she looks, eyes darkening to a denim blue.

“I know, but you’re Callie…you’re my friend and…”

“It’s not easy to talk to your friends sometimes.”

“Yeah.”

“I get that.” She leans back, kicking her legs so that the swing rocks a little more. “It’s good to see Iris happy.”

“It is, and I think maybe it’s a sign that I need to figure out what I’m going to do now. Where we’re going from here. Our entire life is back in DC, but…” I pause, looking around us. “But I don’t know if I can go back there and face everything. Carl and Dad’s death. Every time I think about going back, I feel like I’m about to suffocate.”

“That’s a good sign as any to hang around here a little longer,” Jo says, startling me. “Heck, you could come stay here if you get tired of living with that rowdy bunch.”

“You know, maybe you can stay while we’re in DC. I mean, you can stay at our place, but if you don’t want to be alone, Jo could probably do with the company too.”

Brushing my hair from my face, Jo nods in agreement. “You bet. In fact, I insist on it!”

Callie gives me a knowing grin. “I told you, she’s a pushy one.”

Yeah, so was my mom, and while the three of us lay the table for dinner, a few specks of rain cool the evening air…just like Dad used to love. As much as it hurts, it’s comforting that he’s still here, nudging me to carry on, find my happy. He was so good at that, and in hindsight, knowing what I know now, I wish I’d listened. I wish I hadn’t fought with him over something as petty as Carl’s ego. While I can’t change what happened, I can learn from it.

CHAPTER 10

RHETT

I’ve barely made it up the porch steps when Iris comes tumbling through the front door with Breeze running circles ahead of her and Cap following behind. Her blonde hair is twisted into two knots on either side of her head, and a broad grin cuts her face in half as Avery calls her back into the house.

“Hi, Doc,” she chirps sheepishly.

“Hey, champ.”

High-fiving me, she turns back inside. For someone so young, she’s one hell of a whirlwind. I can see why Scarlett loves her so much, and why Iris is missing her so terribly.

“You’re not wearing your doctor clothes again.” She inspects me as I take off my shoes, her eyes pausing on my lilac chino shorts and quirking higher. “Snap! I’m wearing purple too!”

“Good color.”

“We got five chicks now.” Iris holds up her hand.

“Yeah, so we’ve got Marvin, Milky, Mustard, Maisy and…?”

“Moo.” She shrugs. “This one is so fluffy and spotty. It has black and yellow feathers.”

“Are we going to call Scout tonight so we can show her?” Without warning, she takes my hand and guides me toward the kitchen where Avery is clearing up. “Can we, Doc?”

“Are you going to eat your dinner?” Avery asks her before adding a soft “Hi” over her shoulder.

Her long, dark hair is up in a ponytail that falls to the middle of her back, grazing the low scoop of her blouse. When she turns to look at me, I notice the makeup she’s wearing.

Beautiful doesn’t cut it. Avery is heart-stoppingly stunning with her big eyes and the faintest of freckles sprinkled over her nose and apples of her cheeks. And when she smiles, it’s pure sunshine.

Pure. Fucking. Sunshine. The ultimate drug. A holy grail of hope.

“Hey,” I manage to croak.