The Plan (29 page)

“And don't they?” Mitch asked.

“Well, yes.” Callum laughed. “Anyway, I decided to live my dream of being in Texas by spending one semester taking some business courses at the University of Texas.”

“Just for fun,” Mitch added. “ 'Cause, that's what people do, you know. Take business courses for fun.”

Claire laughed. She loved the banter between all the men in the group.

“I'd met some nice bucks in my classes and we all went out for a night on Sixth Street.”

“That's where all the bars are,” Mitch said.

Claire nodded. She already knew this as she'd read up on Austin before their trip. She'd been trying to learn about all the cities they'd visit, though she didn't mention this to anyone in the group. They'd tease her for being such a nerd.

“I might've had a few too many,” Callum said. “I ended up in this tattoo parlor. My buddies all already had tattoos. Little ones. Their girlfriends' names, flags, skulls, those sorts of things. But, I, being Mister Tough Guy, decided to show them how it's really done. So, Mango and I picked out the most complicated tattoo in the book. Even now, I find it to be quite intriguing.”

“Whoah,” Mitch called out. “Back up there, buddy.
What
was the guy's name?”

Clearly, Mitch had heard this story a few times and enjoyed Callum's telling of it.

“Mango. His name was Mango.”

“Whose name was Mango?” Claire asked.

Callum, Mitch and Frank all laughed. “The tattoo guy,” Callum said. “That was the name of the guy who gave me my tattoo.”

“Mango?” Claire squealed. “Seriously? You got a tattoo from a guy named
Mango?”

“I did. And, apparently, at least according to him, that's his real, on-his-birth-certificate, given name.”

Mitch glanced over at Claire. “You can't make this crap up.”

“What'd he look like?” Claire asked, curious now.

“Oh, that's the best part,” Mitch said. “Tell her what he looked like.”

Callum chuckled. “He looked like a guy named Mango who would give you a tattoo.”

“Meaning he was covered in them himself?” Claire asked.

“From head to toe,” Callum replied. “Actually, I take that back. I didn't actually see his toes. But his head was definitely covered.”

“Really?” Claire asked. “His whole head?”

“Yep. His entire head. Face. Neck. All of it. He also had a whole lot of face piercings and those earrings that make big holes in your lobes.”

“Of course he did,” Frank mumbled from the back.

“But let me tell you,” Callum said. “Nicest guy you'd ever meet. Married. Kids. Total suburban dad.”

“Or not,” Mitch said, looking in the rearview mirror. “Tell Claire how you got to know him so well.”

“Well, as it turns out, you can't get a big tattoo like that in one visit. I had to go back, multiple times, over the next few months. When I sobered up, I thought about not continuing, but by then, I had so much of it done, it seemed like I might as well go ahead and finish it. It turned out very nicely, in my humble opinion,” Callum said. “And the ladies love it. Don't they, Claire?”

Claire felt her face blush a bit, but not as much as it would've a few weeks ago. She and Callum weren't exactly an item, but they were spending a great deal of time together. The team knew something was going on, though what it was, no one was sure. Not even Claire.

“Yes. Sexy. Very sexy,” Claire said, giggling. She'd meant for the “sexy”
comment to come across as sarcastic, but if she were to be honest, his tattoo
was
sexy. Mango did nice work.

“And there you have it,” Mitch said. “The tale of the tattoo. Hey, Callum, you planning on seeing Mango while you're here?”

“You bet. I stop by every time I'm in town.”

•  •  •

“You want to go see the bats?” Callum asked Claire, after they'd settled into their hotel rooms and met for coffee at the shop next door.

“The bats?”

“Yeah, didn't you read about them in your Austin tour book?”

Claire blushed. He'd caught her. So much for trying to hide that she'd been studying up on each city.

“I might have heard something about them.”

Callum smiled and took a sip of his coffee. “Oh, I see. We're going to play it cool. I like it.”

Claire shrugged and sipped her own drink. “Sure. What time do they come out?” It was a known-answer question.

“Right around sunset.”

“Okay, sounds good to me.” She'd read all about the Austin bats and was anxious to see them. It blew her mind that Austin was home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Claire'd been planning on asking Alison to go with her one evening, but going with Callum was even better. She was growing to love their time alone, and though they were traveling together constantly, time with only him was rare.

“How about you and I meet in the lobby around a quarter to seven and walk over there?”

“Walk?” Claire asked. She knew he could, but also knew, by now, he rarely did.

“Yeah, I think so. With the crowds and trying to see over the bridge, it'd be better if I were standing.”

“Okay,” Claire said.

•  •  •

“You look great!” Callum said, as she walked into the hotel lobby.

“You don't look too shabby yourself.” He was wearing lightweight khaki pants and a fitted button-down shirt that was snug enough in all the right places.

It was a bit startling to see Callum standing. She'd seen it maybe a half-dozen times since they'd met, but it still caught her by surprise each time. Usually, he was in his chair. She'd asked him why that seemed to be his preference. In her opinion, standing seemed like a better option.

He'd said to her, “The difference between me and all those soldiers you see coming back from war is this: I was born this way. I've never known what it's like to have two legs or two arms. I learned to crawl without any limbs. I learned to get around the house and the kitchen, mostly on the ground. I didn't even utilize a real wheelchair until I began school. My mam just kept me in a stroller when we went out and, if I needed to get down, I just got down and kinda scooted around.”

“So, that's how you're most comfortable?” Claire had said. She'd never given much thought to how each amputee's situation was different.

“Exactly. Maybe if I'd had legs once and lost them, I'd want them back. If you grew up walking, losing that ability must be devastating. I imagine you'd want to do everything you could to regain some semblance of it.”

“But you don't feel that need?” Claire had asked.

“To be honest with you,” Callum had said, “I find they kinda get in the way.”

“Legs do?”

“Oh, yes. And the arm. Especially the arm.”

“Really?” Claire had asked, incredulous. She'd seen some prosthetic arms and they were incredible, with moving hands that could pick up the tiniest pea.

“The arm is the
worst.”

“I don't get it. Wouldn't it be easier to have two hands?”

“Sure, I guess. If you'd grown up with two hands. But I know how to do most everything with one, and pretty quickly, if I do say so myself. In the time it takes for me to figure out how to get that damn arm moving, I could be done with whatever it is that needs doing and halfway across the room. That's why I rarely wear it. The legs do prove to be practical at times. But, the arm? Oh, just shoot me now.”

Claire had laughed and then realized how uncomfortable he must've been on their first date in an effort to impress her. It hadn't been necessary. She'd been impressed with him the first moment she'd heard him speak. But the fact he'd worn the arm for her touched her heart.

As expected, Callum was not wearing his other arm tonight. With his sole hand, he took hold of hers.

“Ready, my dear?” he asked, as he gently tugged.

“Lead the way.”

•  •  •

There were already a number of people on the bridge when they got there. Despite the crowd, they were able to find a spot along the railing.

“We should have a perfect view from here,” Callum said.

“I can't wait.”

“I got that feeling,” Callum said. “The jumping up and down kind of gave you away.”

“I was not jumping up and down,” Claire huffed.

“You were jumping up and down in your head when I suggested we come here. Admit it, love.” Callum pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“Maybe a little. Teeny tiny jumps,” Claire said with a smile. She liked his hand so close to her face. She wished he'd let it linger a moment longer.

While they waited for the bats, Callum told her about the workout he and Mitch had snuck in that afternoon. Callum and Mitch were trying to convince Alison and Claire to work out as well.

“I can't have you collapsing on stage because you're so out of shape,” he'd said to Claire, his accent as thick as potato soup. She was thankful he hadn't said something about her gaining weight. Though still thin, she knew she'd added some pounds to her frame from all the snack food and restaurant meals on the road. Eventually, she'd have to start watching her food intake, or else need to be hauled around in Wyatt's truck, but for now, she was happy to once again be enjoying food.

She'd been eating like a bird for way too long.

“Oh, look!” Claire squealed, as they gazed into the east. “I see a bat!” She was pointing to the air in front of her. “There's another.”

Claire could feel Callum's eyes on her. “You'd better stop staring at me and start looking for bats,” she said, keeping her eyes on the sky above the water.

“Yes, ma'am,” Callum said. “I think that's one over there.”

And then, as if the bat cave door had been flung open, the sky was suddenly awash with flying bats. They swooped up in front of Claire and Callum with such rapid speed, Claire took a step back out of fear one might flap into her face. The sight was spectacular. Claire turned to look behind them, to the west. The purple sunset was a magnificent background to the swarm of wings. From a distance, Claire bet it looked like a million birds gliding through the sky. The site was so beautiful. The way they hovered against the radiant sky was spectacular.

She couldn't help but think about how her kids would've loved this. The girls might have squirmed at the thought of all those rodents flying so close to their hair, but Luke would've relished every second. The grosser, the better.

Callum seemed to sense her thoughts, because he turned around
and rested his back against the rail, just as she had. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her close. And then, with the softest of touches, he placed his lips on her hair and kissed her gently.

“I'm glad that's you and not a bat on my head,” she said, smiling as she stared out over the water. “I'd heard some people get pooped on when they stand here.”

She looked up at him. With his legs, he was actually taller than her. His face was soft and serious. Something about his expression told her to tilt her chin and, as she did, he bent over and kissed her, ever so tenderly, on the lips.

In that moment, as the bats rose far above their heads, Claire felt her heart climbing with them. For the rest of her life, she'd remember it was then, when the last of the bats ascended from the bridge, that she fell in love.

Again.

Claire couldn't remember the last time she'd been this exhausted. Or happy. Or exhausted.

Did she mention exhausted?

The next few months were a whirlwind of U.S. cities and events. The stop after Austin and Fort Worth had been Arizona. Claire had finally gotten to see the Grand Canyon for the first time. She and Alison and Mitch had even hiked partway to the bottom. She'd hesitated doing the trek when she realized Callum had felt it'd be too much for him.

“I'm good on these legs, but not
that
good,” he'd joked.

“You can always ride the donkey,” Mitch had quipped. “Like Alice, the housekeeper, on
The Brady Bunch.”

“Nah,” Callum had shot back. “I've seen enough asses in my life.”

“Boys,” Alison had scolded.

“I can stay back,” Claire had said when the two of them were alone. She'd meant it and didn't really mind too much. She'd always wanted to hike the Grand Canyon, but Callum mattered more to her. If he couldn't do it, she was willing not to do it, either.

“Claire,” Callum had said seriously. “I don't know about you, but I don't view our relationship as a sprint. I view it as a marathon. So, if this is going to be a marathon, there are a few things we need to get straight right now.”

“Ground rules?” Claire had asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Sure. Ground rules. The first one being, I'm not about to hold you
back in any way. If you want to do something, then do it. If I can do it, I'll be happy to join you, assuming you want me.” He'd winked then. “But, if I can't—and, though I hate to admit it, there are some things I just can't do, at least not easily—I still want you to live that experience.”

“But,” Claire had protested.

“There is no but,” Callum had said firmly. “I can't be in a relationship where I feel I'm holding the other person back. That's not fair to you and, frankly, it's not fair of you to ask me to bear that burden. I can't live in a constant state of guilt. Besides, I find great pleasure in making you happy.”

He'd kissed her then. They'd been doing a whole lot of kissing since the bridge in Austin. A lot of kissing and snuggling and spending time together.

He made Claire happy. And she liked being happy. She'd been sad for way too long.