CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Beck’s next few weeks were filled with sorting his grandmother’s things, research into the best flowers to plant for blooms in spring, summer, and fall, evening rides, and sex with Cal every chance he got. Cal often stayed the night now or had Beck stay the night with him. When Beck slept at the farmhouse, he stayed in Cal’s room until everyone headed out to the barn or the fields. Then he headed home or out somewhere to sketch. While he still didn’t like it, hiding didn’t feel as bad as before. They were co-conspirators rather than Beck being Cal’s dirty secret, or at least he liked to tell himself that.
After the night they fucked face-to-face, sex became even more intoxicating. But it grew more painful too, because each touch, each orgasm Cal wrenched from Beck was a reminder of how good they were together, and Beck knew this could never last. What was even more damaging to his sanity were the little moments of tenderness, the shy, sweet looks Cal gave him, the way he brushed Beck’s hand with his even when others might be looking. He could feel Cal’s longing, and it was all he could do not to beg Cal to let this all be real.
On an afternoon when the air hung hot and heavy, Beck worked quickly to sort the last few boxes in his grandmother’s sweltering attic. He only had a few hours before he and Cal were due to make a final list of supplies for the flower garden and arbor. As he wrestled the next-to-last box down the stairs, his phone rang. It was Warren.
“Hello.” Did he sound as anxious as he felt?
“Don’t worry, it’s good news.” Warren’s idea of good news and Beck’s might not be the same.
“They want to interview you.”
“Yeah?” What should he say?
It’s better to get the job than not, even if you ultimately turn it down.
“Yes. They were quite eager when I extolled your virtues.”
“Thanks! So when will they schedule the interviews?”
“That’s the tricky bit. Is there any chance you can come down Friday?”
That was the day after tomorrow. Beck had thought he had a lot more time to consider whether he really wanted to teach again. “That’s unexpectedly fast.”
“I know it’s last minute, but they’d like to interview you before any other candidates.”
“Wow.” He should feel honored. Instead, there was a knot in his stomach.
“They’re in a hurry because they want the position filled before the school year ends so the new hire can do some training over the summer.”
“Oh, that makes sense. I just haven’t thought about what to say.”
“I know it’s crazy, but I thought you could come up tomorrow, and I’d give you some pointers and tell you more about the school. You can even stay with me. I’ve got a spare room.”
Beck tried to think quickly. If he didn’t work with Cal that night, he could pull up some samples from his lessons and think through what he might be asked.
A beep interrupted his thought.
“Hang on a second. I’m getting another call.”
“Sure.”
It was Cal.
“Hey, I’m on the other line. Can I call you back?”
“Don’t worry about it. I was just calling to say I might not make it tonight. It looks like Fern’s going to have her foal soon.”
“Oh, that’s great. Do you need anything?”
“No. The vet’s on the way.”
“Call me if you think of something, and let me know when the baby comes. I’ve never seen a brand new foal.”
“Yeah, I will. Okay, gotta go.”
Was this a sign he was meant to go to Charlotte?
He clicked back over to Warren.
“Hey, sorry about that. I’m doing some event planning for a local farm, and that was the owner. Tomorrow sounds great. When should I plan to be there?”
“Anytime after four.”
“Okay, I’ll see you a little after four, then. Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. It would be great to work with you.”
If Beck had to start over at a new school, having a friend there would surely help. “Yeah, it would.”
Several hours later, he fell asleep over his old teaching notes. When he stirred, he realized he’d never heard from Cal. It was eleven thirty, so he was probably still up.
How’s Fern?
A few minutes later, Cal called him. “Sorry. I’m just now making myself some dinner, so it’s easier to talk and use my hands to stir.”
“What are you making?”
“My specialty. Ramen noodles.”
Beck laughed. “I would’ve brought you some homemade mac and cheese if you’d asked. I have plenty.”
Cal groaned. “That sounds great, but I’ll be fine. Fern’s fine too. It looks like it was a false alarm, but I still didn’t want to leave her. You want to do the shopping tomorrow?”
“Well, a friend from Charlotte called, and he”—Beck didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want Cal knowing he’d applied for a job—“needs some help. I’m going to head down there tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll be back by dinnertime on Friday.”
“Oh. Did this just come up?”
Beck didn’t miss the strain in Cal’s tone—he didn’t like this sudden trip.
“Yeah, that’s who I was on the phone with when you called. I didn’t think it would be a problem if we put off getting supplies for a few days.”
“Um… No, it’s not a problem.”
A few seconds passed in silence. What was Cal thinking? Beck tried to figure out how to say something that didn’t sound guilty or paranoid.
“What kind of friend?” Cal asked, with even more of an edge to his voice.
Ah, he was jealous. Beck shouldn’t like that, but he did. “A friend, not someone I’m going to sleep with.”
“I didn’t mean— Okay, I did. I don’t want anyone else touching you.”
“I don’t want that either.” At least not while we keep this up.
“Good. So you’ll be back on Friday.”
Beck closed his laptop as he talked. He was ready to go to bed. “Yeah, sometime in the late afternoon.”
“We can go shopping then.”
“That sounds good,” Beck said as he headed up the stairs.
“Okay. Well, have a good time.”
“I’ll try.”
Beck heard the clank of a metal utensil. “My noodles are ready, so I’m going to go.”
“Okay. Sleep well.”
“You too.”
Beck ended the call and then closed his eyes and exhaled. He was in way too deep with Cal, which made him even more determined to see the interview through. If he did decide to stay in Ames Bridge—not that he thought he would, but if he did, it would be because he wanted to, not because he had no other prospects.