Finally, a text popped up on phone from Chalk.
Can we meet? Sarah and I would like to invite you for dinner.
Sure. Tomorrow night?
Yes. Works. 7?
7 it is. Kiss Sarah for me.
Will do. Thanks. Enjoy your day.
Now, tomorrow could not come fast enough. But really, I shouldn’t be excited to see him. It should be to see Sarah. Hell, who was I kidding? I was still in love with Chalk and he had already moved on.
I was back at Chalk and Sarah’s house for a re-run. I sat out front like an anxious school girl. I took a deep breath, gathered my turbulent thoughts, and stepped out of the car.
I knocked two times before Chalk came to the door. God damnit, he was so handsome. He oozed masculinity, and as he aged he’d only become sexier. I could see the old him mixed in with the new, more mature Chalk.
I expected Sarah’s little elephant hooves to clop out any minute, but they didn’t.
“Come on in. I thought we should catch up properly. Sarah is with Teresa tonight, you’ll still get to see her, depending on how long you wanna stay,” Chalk said, reaching his toned forearm up to stretch over his head.
“Teresa! Wow. I miss her. I’m so glad she’s been here to help you.”
“Yes, she’s been helping me out with things. I think I would have fallen apart if she didn’t,” Chalk admitted.
We were painfully slow at opening up to one another, but baby steps were better than none. Me being at the house was one of them. Chalk’s words always made me feel guilty for being sick, but as soon as the thought came in, I let it wash away like the rising tide. This had been one of the first things therapy had taught me. Guilt caused pain, then pain led to misery, then you were back to being sick. “Of course, you would need some help,” I admitted. I knew – I hoped – his mention of Teresa wasn’t an indictment of my absence.
I walked inside to his clean, but not overly kept house. There were some toys lying on the floor, a large couch, and a TV playing in the background. On the mantelpiece were a couple of framed pictures, and I gravitated towards them. I picked up the one closest to me and felt as if I might break down. The picture was one of all three of us at the beach when Sarah was little. She was wrapped up like a little bundle tucked into my chest and Chalk was looking down towards both of us.
“You kept this.” My throat clogged up with emotion as I stared at it.
“I did. Pretty windy that day. You remember that? We made that little butterball. You and me. We got that part right.”
“We sure did. I feel like I’m just getting to know her now. I’ve missed so much.” A heaviness weighed in my heart from not having been there for Sarah. I hoped she didn’t hate me later for it. I wanted her to grow up to be a fully functional and capable woman without having a lingering cloud of resent hanging over her head that her mother wasn’t present during her formative years.
The bubble of confusion about Chalk hadn’t gone away, but it was quelled by the poignant memories of yesteryear for a moment.
“You’re here now and she’s a pretty resilient little kid. She’s not going to hold it against you if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s been a tough road for all of us, she just wanted to see you get well.”
His words comforted and restored me. I spotted a basket of clean laundry on the edge of the couch with a full pile of the clothes neatly folded in there. I raised my eyebrows. “You folded these?”
Chalk squinted a little. “I can’t claim that. Teresa might have helped. I folded half the pile though. Do you want a drink or something? I’m going to cook.”
“A glass of water would be good. I have to adjust to this Mississippi heat. It’s smothering down here. California weather is a lot different,” I explained. I felt a flush of desire run through me as I watched Chalk’s tight butt while he walked into the kitchen. I gulped down my desire and crossed my legs.
“I bet.” Chalk pulled out a water glass from the cabinet and turned on the tap. From behind, he was impressive and the outline of the back of his triceps were defined…and his back, broad and chiseled.
No wonder Angie wants a piece of him. Any woman would.
I tapped the water glass for a beat. “This place looks the same. Feels like home.” I looked around, admiring and not knowing what to do without the water glass in my hand.
“That’s because it is home. May not be a grand palace, but we’re happy,” Chalk confirmed.
The conversation died for a beat. I blurted out nervously, “So…I saw Angie at the hospital the other day. She seemed to be looking in on a patient again.” I tried to sound calm because I wanted him to be open with me, but I didn’t know if I would to get anywhere. A hurricane of emotions hit me as I sweated on a response – if I got one at all. I smoothed down my hands on my jeans.
Chalk pulled out his chair and faced me, grasping my fingers in his. A thermal heat connected us together as he spoke. “Ah yeah, she’s working on something with Mia, the club lawyer. There’s an angle on a case that’s important to her.”
I gave him a weak smile. I didn’t really have the right to ask him anything truthfully. “Oh, that sounds interesting,” was all I could muster as I took another sip of my water. I unraveled my fingers from his and sat up in my chair straightening my shirt.