Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella) (7 page)

The chime of the doorbell caused Cambri’s heartbeat to quicken. She drew in a deep breath and double-checked her appearance in the small, hallway mirror. She’d taken extra care with her hair and makeup and had pulled out a flattering mint green shirt that she’d been saving for a special occasion. Tonight, she wanted to make a good impression.

After another calming breath, Cambri opened the door with a ready smile. “Hey, Grandpa Cal.” Her smile faltered slightly when she realized he was alone.

He offered one of his sympathetic looks. “Jace couldn’t make it. Sorry, sweetie.”

“Oh, no worries.” She forced her smile back and gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“If your cooking’s anything like your mother’s, how could I say no?”

Cambri closed the door behind him, trying to push her disappointment aside. “I hate to break it to you, but no one can cook like my mother—least of all me. Tonight, you’re going to get a very subpar meal.”

“I doubt that. It smells delicious.” A twinkle appeared in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Can’t wait to try it.”

Cambri linked her arm through his and led him back to the kitchen. Throughout dinner, she tried to put on a happy front and participate in the conversation, but her mind kept wandering in the direction of Jace. Why hadn’t he come, or at least called to tell her himself? Did he hate her that much?

Cambri pushed the green beans around her plate with a frown. If he continued to avoid her, if he never let her explain—well, there wasn’t much she could do about it. She’d just have to learn to live with it, the way she lived with a slightly crooked finger after she broke it during cheerleading practice.

Cal’s hand patted hers, bringing her back to the present. “Your dad just challenged you to a game of chess,” he said.

Cambri’s frown deepened. Chess? She hated that game. Every time her father had coerced her into playing when she was younger, he questioned every move she made, making her feel like they were all wrong. Then out of the blue, he’d say “check mate” when she had no idea he was in a position to do that.

No. Things were just getting peaceful between them. She wasn’t about to ruin it with a game of chess.

“I’ll pass, thanks.” She stood and started clearing the dishes. “I think I might go for a walk, if that’s okay. I could use some air. Why don’t you two play?”

Call patted his protruding belly. “I’d better get going too. That meal was delicious, Cambri. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought your mother had made it.”

Cambri smiled her thanks, even though the meal had been a minor league effort. But sweet Cal was the last person in the world to ever admit that.

“You’ve always been such a toady,” huffed her father to Cal. “That tasted nothing like one of Rose’s meals. The fish was dry and the beans could have been put in a jar and sold as baby food.”

“It’s called tact, not toadying,” Cal shot back. “And I happen to like my beans that way.”

“Hogwash.”

Cal threw down his napkin. “I wasn’t planning to stay, but now I’ve changed my mind. Someone needs to bring you down a notch, and I suddenly want that person to be me. Where’s the chess set?”

“Where it always is. In the hutch,” Harvey shot back.

Cambri shook her head at the interchange as she finished rinsing the dishes. Then she grabbed her hoodie, said goodnight, and walked out into a brisk, April night. When she reached the sidewalk, she paused and looked around. Across the street, a few tulips swayed in the breeze as though they, too, wanted to get out and walk. Too bad for them they were stuck.

An invigorating sense of freedom lifted Cambri’s mood as she strolled up the street. Budding branches looked ready to open any day now, with the shrubs and irises not far behind. Springtime in Bridger was her favorite time of year with all the flowering trees and blossoms that rained down every time the wind kicked up. She used to love to walk the street during those windstorms and feel the pattering of petals on her skin. It made her feel like she was in her own little fairyland where anything was possible.

A strange sort of wistfulness washed over her as she passed home after home of the people she’d once thought of as family. In only a few weeks, Cambri would be leaving, and while she was excited to get back to her job and her friends in Charlotte, part of her wished she could stay. She missed this place, the people, the slow way of life—a lot more than she’d realized.

As the sky darkened and the streetlights flickered on, Cambri pushed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. She continued to walk, not caring about the chill, and eventually found herself hanging a left on Rose Street and strolling toward the one house she’d always thought of as hers. She paused and studied the home. The front room glowed lightly through the blinds, but the rest of the house matched the darkened sky. Cambri couldn’t help but wonder who lived there. Who was updating it, and what plans did they have for the rest of the house, including the yard?

The flower beds had been stripped of all plant life, probably so the renovator could replace the siding, and the rest of the yard was becoming a jungle. Cambri couldn’t help but picture a flagstone walkway with a Japanese maple, an Alpine evergreen, and some spirea and lilies. Over there she’d plant an autumn yellow bracken fern and a pink bleeding heart, along with a new maple tree. It would be a tamed sort of wildness. Beautiful.

The light in the front room flickered off, and the door opened. A woman about Cambri’s age, with long strawberry blonde, hair jogged down the steps and stopped when she saw Cambri.

“Lydia?” Cambri asked. “Is that you?”

Lydia moved slowly forward, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

“It’s me, Cambri Blaine.”

A wide smile appeared. “Cambri?” She strode forward and threw her arms around Cambri, reminding her of one of Grandpa Cal’s hugs. He’d taught his granddaughter well. “It’s been forever! How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?” Cambri said, pulling back. “I had no idea you were still around.”

A light breeze blew some strands of hair in Lydia’s face, and she tucked it behind her ear then hugged her arms to her chest. “I never really left. I went to school in Ft. Collins and took a teaching job there. ”

Cambri gestured to the home behind Lydia. “Well, it looks like you’ve done okay for yourself. That’s got to be the most beautiful home in all of Bridger. I’m a little jealous.”

Lydia glanced over her shoulder. “Oh no, that isn’t my house. It’s Jace’s.”

Cambri froze. What? Jace owned this house? The house she used to make him drive past on their way home from school so she could daydream about living in it one day?
He
was the one renovating it?

Her gaze traveled to the spot where the old maple used to stand. She pictured the tree as it had been six years earlier, with its large canopy shading the side of the road where Jace had stopped his old Mustang that day.

“Why do you like this house so much?” he’d asked. “It’s so
…
old.”

“It’s got character,” she’d said.

“You have a funny definition of character.” He leaned over her to point out the window. “That shutter’s missing, that one’s all skiwampus, the siding looks like it’s from the Dark Ages, and just look at the screen door. It’s falling apart.”

Cambri poked him in the ribs. “All it needs is a little TLC.”

Jace shook his head in a
whatever
kind of way. His face had been so close and his eyes dark and beautiful. “You and your projects.”

“What projects?”

“This house.” He dropped his voice. “Me.”

She laughed and pushed him away. “Please. You’re hardly a project.”

“I’m awkward, too skinny, and drive a baby blue mustang that is more rust than blue. I’m the guy in those movies who the beautiful, popular girl is challenged to fix.” He grinned. “So far, you’re failing.”

He said it in a joking way, but there was a hint of honesty in his words, as though he actually believed it. Cambri wasn’t okay with that. Impulsively, she kissed his cheek. “I’d never want to change you. I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

His gaze captured hers, and Cambri couldn’t look away. He moved closer, and she didn’t stop him. When she felt the warmth of his breath on her face and caught a whiff of mint, her heart pounded so hard she could feel the reverberations in her ears. She closed her eyes, his lips touched hers, and she—

“Earth to Cambri,” Lydia cooed, waving a hand in front of Cambri’s face.

Heat rushed to her face when she realized where her thoughts had headed—and right in front of Jace’s sister. “I’m sorry. You caught me off guard. I didn’t realize this was Jace’s place.”

Lydia looked confused. “You’re not here to see him?”

“I was just out taking a walk and somehow ended up here.”

A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose, as though Lydia didn’t quite believe her. “Your dad’s house is over a mile from here.”

“I know, but your grandpa came over tonight, and he and my dad started a game of chess. I didn’t really want to hang around, and a short walk wasn’t going to cut it.”

Lydia laughed. “You sound like me on their fly tying nights. I always find an excuse to leave.”

“Oh,” said Cambri. “Are you living with Grandpa Cal?” How like her friend to stay with him so he didn’t get lonely. Yet another example of loyalty in the Sutton family.

Lydia’s gaze dropped to the ground, and she shuffled her feet as if embarrassed. “After Mom and Dad moved away, it made the most sense. Grandpa had someone to look after him and keep his fridge stocked, and I got free rent. I’m saving up for a place of my own one day, but for now, life is really
…
good.” The way she said it made it sound like she was trying to convince herself.

Cambri placed her hand on her friend’s arm. “He’s lucky to have you.”

“Thanks.” Lydia nodded toward the house. “I just dropped by to bring Jace some dinner. He met with a bunch of suppliers in Denver today and won’t be home until late. Knowing him, he hasn’t eaten much and will be starving by the time he gets back.”

Oh, so that’s why Jace couldn’t make it to dinner. “That was nice of you.” Not that Cambri was surprised at all. That was the Sutton way—always thinking about each other and everyone else they happened to know. Once upon a time, Cambri had been the recipient of a lot of kindnesses like that, and her heart now ached with a sense of loss.

Lydia shivered then cocked her head toward her car. “Want a ride back? It’s kind of cold out here.”

“I think I’ll pass. I, uh
…
have some more thinking to do.” Cambri suddenly felt vulnerable and uncertain and needed to sort out her thoughts and find a way to regroup. As much as she’d love to catch up with Lydia, now wasn’t the time.

Lydia nodded in understanding. “I’ll stop keeping you then. Just promise you won’t leave town until we have a chance to hang out. I want to hear all about what’s been going on with you.” She gave Cambri another quick hug. “It’s so great to see you.”

“You too,” said Cambri. “I’ll call you.”

“Okay.” The door shut, the engine rumbled, and Lydia waved goodbye as she pulled from the driveway. Cambri watched until her tail lights disappeared then she shoved her hands into her pockets and gave the house one last look. It was time to start back. Time to refocus her thoughts on the life she’d made for herself in North Carolina. But instead of turning away, her feet carried her toward the house. She walked up the crumbling path and finally stopped on the cold, hard earth just outside the large front window. Although it was dark inside, if she pressed her nose against the glass, she could make out a staircase with white painted wooden slats and a dark stained handrail. What appeared to be a new hardwood floor spread through the front room and back into the dining area, and everything from paint cans to left over wooden planks cluttered a table beyond. It was still a work in progress, but the inside was shaping up to be as beautiful as the outside.

An engine rumbled in the distance, glittering stars reflected in the window, and Cambri waged a war in her heart. She’d gone to a great school, gained a valuable education, and now she had a wonderful, fulfilling job. Why did she feel like her life had veered off course? That she belonged here and not in North Carolina? It didn’t make sense. Other than her father, there was nothing here for her in Bridger anymore. No job. No future. No life. Moving back would be nothing more than a constant, in-her-face reminder of what she’d given up.

This was her past. Charlotte was her future.