Nobody's Baby but Mine(124)

Ethan showed up around eleven o’clock. Cal hadn’t heard much noise from inside: some muted conversation, water running, Annie coughing. At least she wasn’t smoking these days. No way would his mother and Jane let her get away with that.

Ethan stopped on the bottom step. Cal noted with disgust that he’d ironed his T-shirt again.

“What’s going on here, Cal? And why’s your Jeep blocking the road?” He walked up onto the porch. “I thought they wouldn’t let you in the house.”

“They won’t. Hand over your car keys if you plan to go inside.”

“My car keys?” He eyed the shotgun propped against the house.

“Jane thinks she’s leaving today, but since she can’t get that rattletrap she drives out of here with my car in the way, she’ll try to convince you to drive her. I’m just making sure you don’t get tempted.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you. I hope you know that you look like a Wanted poster.”

“You might not mean to give her your keys, but the Professor’s nearly as smart as God. She’ll figure out something.”

“Don’t you think you’re getting just a little paranoid?”

“I know her. You don’t. Hand ’em over.”

With a great deal of reluctance, Ethan withdrew his car keys and passed them to Cal. “Have you thought about just sending her a couple dozen roses? It works for most men.”

Cal gave a snort of disgust, got up from the rocker, and walked over to open the broken door. He stuck his head inside just long enough to call out, “Hey, Professor. The Reverend’s come to visit. The same one who saw you naked as a jaybird.”

Pulling back, he held the door open for Ethan to enter, then resumed his seat in the rocker. As he extracted a frozen Milky Way from the cooler, he decided his lack of principles were a match for her brains any day.

Kevin showed up an hour later. Cal knew he should thank him for the press conferences, but old habits died hard. He scowled at him instead.

“What the hell’s going on, Bomber? Why are there two cars blocking the road?”

He was getting more than a little tired of explaining himself. “You don’t go inside unless you hand over your keys.”

Unlike Ethan, the kid didn’t give him any argument. He shrugged, pitched them over, and stuck his head in the front door. “Don’t shoot, ladies. It’s the good guy.”

With a snort, Cal crossed his arms over his chest, tucked his chin, and shut his eyes. Sooner or later she was going to have to come out and talk to him. All he had to do was wait.

At one o’clock, the old man arrived. Damn people kept coming, but nobody was leaving.

Jim jerked his head toward the road. “It looks like a parking lot.”

Cal held out his hand. “Give me your keys if you want to go inside.”

“Cal, this has to stop.”

“I’m doing my best.”

“Can’t you just tell her you love her?”

“She won’t give me a chance.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Jim tossed over his keys and went inside.

Cal hoped so, too, and he wasn’t going to admit he had doubts. Especially not to his old man.

Cal’s feelings for Jane were so clear to him now, he couldn’t believe he’d ever been confused. The thought of living his life without her left him with an emptiness nothing would ever fill, not even football. If only he could forget the way he’d thrown her love back at her that day she’d left him. It was the most precious gift he’d ever received, and he’d tossed it away like week-old garbage. Now she was doing the same to him.

Despite her brief flirtation with the dark side to get herself pregnant, she had more integrity than anybody he knew, and he had to put his trust in the belief that, once she loved somebody, it would last forever. Still, when he looked the truth straight on, he knew he deserved what was happening to him because he hadn’t possessed the good sense to value what God had given him. He also knew he’d sit out here for the rest of his life if that’s what it took to get her back.

The afternoon dragged on. The blare of rock music coming from the backyard signaled that an impromptu party had broken out, but still Jane didn’t appear to talk to him. He smelled charcoal and heard Ethan calling out, “Gin!” At one point Kevin ran around the side of the house to catch a Frisbee somebody had thrown. Everybody seemed to be having a great time except him. He was a stranger in his own family, and they were dancing on his grave.

He straightened as he saw two figures moving through the woods on the east side of the house. For a moment he thought Jane had convinced someone to help her sneak away on foot, but just as he got ready to bolt out of the chair, he recognized his father and mother.