Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Caroline

I stare at my bedside clock. 6:23. The sun isn't even awake yet.

I don't know what I was thinking agreeing to leave town. Especially now, at this point in my life with so much going on.

Granted, Calvin can be extremely persuasive. When he looked me in the eye, his strong presence only inches away, I could do little more than agree to his offer. Sure, having downtime after my health scare would be wonderful but who has the luxury for that?

Is it too late to back out?

Given that he may already be on his way here, the answer is yes.

My phone buzzes with two messages. Evie and Sam.

I know Sam wakes early for work and kids but I wonder why Evie is texting at this hour. She has more flexibility.

Last night, a text came in from Mo. U gd? was all she wrote.

I responded with a thumbs up emoji.

In fairness, her checking up on me is as kind as it is unexpected. We are far from friends. More like rival territories forced to maintain a truce because of shared allies.

I probably should give Sam and Evie an update on how I'm doing. They can pass it along to Barbie.

Since both women are awake, I put in my earbuds, grab my suitcase and set it on the bed, tossing in the flannel pjs I found in the back of my closet. Can't recall where I got them. Probably a gag gift from Evie.

"Hey Siri, call Evie."

There's a lag and then she answers. "How's the fugitive?"

"Funny."

"Seriously, do you take any rules to heart?"

"Sure, legal ones, for example."

Evie chuckles. "Touché. Did Dr. Handsome tell you I got your decision date pushed off?"

"He did. My attorney left me a message as well. Thank you," I say.

"You're welcome." A pause. "You're not mad that I took your matters into my hands?"

"It was a good idea," I say, despite having taken pains not to tell her about it. Thanks to a chat with Calvin, she gathered enough details to pull this off. "I never would have had the wherewithal to ask for an extension."

Evie exhales. "What a relief. Now, please tell me you'll spend the time taking care of yourself before going into battle. If that's what you decide to do."

I must have wavered fifteen times on the subject. Giving up my rightful inheritance is as hard as it sounds. "Actually I'm going on a retreat. Leaving in about an hour."

"Really?" I hear the skepticism in her tone.

"Yup."

"I'm so proud of you!"

I'm buoyed by her positivity. "Want to come along?" I know the answer even as I ask the question. The noises in the background confirm what I suspect. "Where are you?"

"At the airport, waiting to board my flight back to Reno."

My heart sinks. She's leaving again. I'm thrilled that Evie met the love of her life but devastated that he lives in a national park so far away.

Evie's regular flights have become the equivalent of a bus commute in the sky. Yet, the thought of her coming to New York less often makes me sick to my stomach.

I keep my voice even. "Maybe it's time for Adam to buy you a private plane."

"He did mention it."

"I was joking!"

Evie was never in the poor house but the lifestyle Adam is offering her now is far more lavish. Like mine used to be. We're like Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd in Trading Places or The Prince and the Pauper, switching lives. Me being the pauper.

Evie breaks my derailed train of thought. "Given how our last vacay attempt went, it's probably best that I'm not going with you."

She's referring to our perfectly planned trip to Yosemite for her 50th. That was the first time I ended up in the hospital. Still, if given the choice, I would take my chances and bring Evie along. Being alone in a house in Vermont has the potential to be restorative or achingly lonely.

I won't ask Calvin to stay with me. Not that he offered. He took a great deal of time off from his important job to join the mission in Tanzania. I won't guilt him into babysitting me in Vermont.

I toss my fluffy slippers into the bag followed by a book I found at the local bookstore titled, Living with Less. It was thirty-five dollars. Ironic.

"Gotta run," Evie says. "Call me from your retreat. And rest. I need you around, Caroline."

The change in her demeanor makes me choke up. Actually, everything of late gets me this way. My emotions are all over the map. My feelings for Calvin are no exception. Analyzing them is pointless given my screwed up mental state. I'm irrational and know it. All I need is time to return to normal.

"Safe travels," I say. "Love you."

I click off and see I missed a text from Calvin. He'll be here in ten.

I zip up my bag and call Sam.

Before I can say hello, she blurts, "We have an emergency."

I plop down onto the bed, bracing myself.

So much for a few stress-free days.