Page 75 of Keepsakes and Kismet

My shoulders creep upward, as they always do right before I push that little sideways triangle. Sideways, which mirrors how I feel in my body, like my entire world tilts when I push play. Like the voicemail knocks me off balance.

“Hi, Cal, it’s Jeff.”

“And Tammy!”

I hear Jeff’s voice whispering. “One, two, three.”

“Happy twenty-first, Cal!” they both shout at the same time.

“Wow. Twenty-one. What are you doing for it? Are Mud Sundaes still your favorite dessert? Tammy sent your mom her recipe a few years back, and I snuck in a pack of gummy worms along with it. I know you only eat the red and blue ones, but I left a few orange and green in there on his behalf.”

Jeff’s voice cracks on the word “his,” and the sound of sniffling gets further away as Tammy’s voice comes to the forefront.

“I think if he could take one memory to heaven, it might be the one of you two on your thirteenth birthday at the indoor community pool. Do you remember your belly flop off the diving board? He pretended to be concerned, but he cracked up as soon as you went home with your mom. He laughed so hard that his cheeks turned the same color as your stomach.”

A few rustling sounds, then I hear Jeff. “Your mom told us that you and Sarah broke up a while back. That you’re still… struggling. If you’re listening, we’d like to see you. No—we’d love to see you. We sure do miss you. We miss both of you.”

The sound of a muffled sob, maybe. Then Tammy’s voice again. “We love you, Cal. And he loves you, too. Happy birthday.”

* * *

It’s dusky when we pull up to the drive-in. While I roll down my window at the booth, Peyton rummages through her purse for the movie tickets.

“Thanks. I’d like to pay you for them, if you’re good with that.” I take the tickets from her and hand them to the attendant. He gives us the all-clear, and we drive into the large grassy parking area. I find a spot in the back and leave some distance between my truck and the other cars.

She pulls her lips to the side, giving me a come on look. “Don’t be ridiculous. I already told you, I promoted an event on social media for the owners in January, and they gave me a yearly pass for half-off the cost. Plus, you brought all that.”

Peyton points out the back window to the overfilled truck bed stuffed with snacks, blankets, and anything I thought might make her happy.

I turn off the ignition and face her. “Yeah, but it’s a date. I want to pay for everything.”

Her eyes go wide, and she blinks rapidly at me.

Shit. Was this not a date?

I avert my eyes, awkwardly staring at my knees. “Erm, unless it’s not. I mean, it doesn’t have to be.”

She places her hand on my shoulder. “I really want it to be a date. I just wasn’t sure if this was ‘running into each other,’ or if you wanted it—us—to be, like, official.”

“Not sure if I…? Peyton, I want every time we hang out to be a date. From now until further notice, I’d like to be dating you. Is that okay?”

The corner of her lips turns up. “Yeah. So does that mean…”

I’m doing this all wrong. I haven’t asked anyone out since high school, and I’m definitely fucking this up.

I take a deep breath. “Peyton Moore, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes. I accept, Callum Galvin, Toledo-Lucas County Health Inspector.”

I groan. “Was it using your government name that gave away my inexperience with all this?”

Peyton snorts. “It’s a tie between that and you saying you wanted to date me ‘until further notice’ like I’m a restaurant you’re temporarily shutting down for a failed inspection.”

Her lips graze my jaw in a barely there peck. It’s clear she’s getting more comfortable with different types of unplanned touch, which somehow makes me feel both 10 feet tall and like putty in her hand. Knowing that she’s on a healing journey, like me, adds an extra layer to our connection. I never thought I could have this type of mutual understanding with someone else. With someone who just “gets it.”

Peyton smiles and opens the passenger door. “We should set up. Don’t want to miss the movie. It’s one of my top ten favorite films of all time.”

I get out of the truck and walk around to her side. “‘When Harry Met Sally?’ That’s in your top ten?”