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“You’re only here for the summer. What about when you have to go back out on the road?”
“You’re right,” he admitted. At least he wasn’t denying it. “We have flights already booked and ticket holders that would be quite upset if we suddenly cancelled all their tickets. But we have time off. I want Maplewood to be my home base. I want to come here anytime they send us home.”
“And the store?” I asked. My words were still tight and guarded. I couldn’t bring myself to believe what he was telling me. Some part of me still believed he was simply trying to trick me into giving up the hardware store. It didn’t matter that there wasn’t much logic to this. I couldn’t stop worrying that his actions were somehow selfish and designed to hurt me.
“I meant what I said. I should have talked to you about it first. The truth is, I talked to my lawyer about it, and before I knew it there was an offer. I really thought I could make you feel better about selling.”
“It’s not about the money,” I said. “It’s never been about that.”
“No, I know that.” Callum dropped his head. “It was dumb of me to think that offering you more money would somehow make up for all the memories you have of that place. But I wanted to make it easier for you. If you don’t want to sell, I totally get it.”
“And the plans for the recording studio?”
“I really do want to do that!” Callum said. “If there’s a spot to record here then it means more time at home. More time with the people I care about.”
His words from the radio interview echoed through my head: I’ll have a home near people I love.
“I’ve been in a lot of recording studios that are cold and dark. It’s supposed to be a place to inspire creativity. A place to take risks and allow musicians to find the true sound and feel of their song. I want to help people find that.”
His eyes sparkled as he spoke of the place. It was an excitement and energy I hadn’t seen from him before.
“You’ve really thought about this,” I said.
“It was only a distant thought when I first came here. But then I met someone.”
My breath caught in my throat as he said it.
“And the more time I spent with you, the more I saw a future here in Maplewood.”
Callum took my hands in his own, and I felt the warmth radiating through him as he tried to express his feelings to me.
“I love my music,” he continued. “And I can’t imagine a world without being able to express myself through songs. I never imagined I would care about anything else except my music. But everything changed this summer. I’m starting to think there’s room for other things in my life. Music isn’t enough anymore. Call me selfish, but I’m ready to love more than just that.”
I felt my heart leap in my chest as he said this. He leaned down and kissed me then and I felt how cautious he was. He was asking me a question with that kiss, and I wasn’t quite ready to give him the answer. I kissed him back, but I was tentative, and Callum could feel it. He pulled away and waited for me to speak.
His words were racing through my head, and I felt overwhelmed by the information. Something inside of me was holding back, still skeptical. I knew Liz would say my break-up with John had left me less trusting of others. I could almost hear her words echoing through my head. But Liz and I were different people. She was quick to trust. For me, I needed proof.
“Let’s go,” I said, pulling on his sleeve. I walked down the hall and hoped he would follow me.
“Where are we going?” he asked. “Doesn’t Liz need us?”
“We’ll be back in time for the show,” I assured him. He followed me outside to the school parking lot. “Do you have your guitar?” I asked, turning back to him.
“My guitar? It’s in my trunk.”
“Grab it,” I said. I fished out my keys and unlocked my car as he rushed to his own. He moved his guitar from his trunk to my back seat before jumping into the car with me. He didn’t ask me again where were going, but I felt his eyes on me as I drove and couldn’t miss the slight smile on his face as he embraced this next adventure.
20
CALLUM
“Okay, so show me.”
I stared back at Darcy. We had just walked through the door of the hardware store and now we stood, looking out into the room. My guitar sat on the floor next to me.
“Show you what?” I asked.
“What you want to do with the place,” she said. “Describe it to me.”
