When Summer Comes (Whiskey Creek #3)(72)
Author: Brenda Novak

Callie got herself a glass of water from his fridge. “An advanced directive.”

“Which is…”

“Basically, a power of attorney.”

“For what?”

“So my parents can make decisions in the event that—” she tried to think of a euphemistic way to state the bald reality “—I can’t make them myself.”

When understanding dawned, he didn’t bother reading the fine print. He dropped the paper on the table, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. She’d caught him on a Saturday morning, just rolling out of bed. She’d known it was a little early to show up at his place, but Levi was only going to work half a day. She wanted to take care of this while he was busy. Now that she and Levi were sleeping together as well as living together, she had less privacy than before. He overheard her telephone conversations, went into her purse for change or a pen if he needed it and was comfortable enough in her bedroom to do as he pleased. She no longer had her own space. That meant it was harder to find a safe spot to hide her meds. She’d had to take them out of the cupboard above the refrigerator and hide them in a shoebox she kept under the porch. But she didn’t dare put this directive there. It needed to be in the hands of someone who knew what to do with it.

Baxter scowled at her. “And I’m the lucky recipient because…”

“I can’t give it to my parents. Not yet. Just hang on to it for them until I break the news or…you know.”

“If you’re planning to break the news soon, like you’ve been talking about, you can probably hang on to it yourself.”

“It’s safer this way.”

“You mean, in case you happen to wait too long.”

“That’s what I mean.”

His glasses skittered across the table as he tossed them away. “Tell me what’s happening with you and Levi. Somehow I like hearing about that more than when to pull the plug should you go on life support.”

“We’re happy,” she said. “He might be a…a vagrant, a rambler, someone who’s been driving around America on a motorcycle for almost two years, but…for me, he’s home. I don’t know how to describe it any better.”

Baxter crossed one leg over the other. “And yet you still don’t think you should tell him about your condition.”

She rubbed her forehead. “Yes. I should tell him. I should’ve told him from the beginning. But it didn’t seem necessary at first. And now…every time I try, the words get stuck in my throat.”

“So what are you going to do? Let him be surprised?”

“No.” She folded her arms to give her statement more conviction. “I’ve decided I’m going to get well so I won’t have to tell him.”

“I like that idea.”

She sat next to him and covered his hand with hers. “I’ve felt great this week, Bax. I think recovery might be possible.”

He wouldn’t quite meet her eyes, which told her he was afraid that was wishful thinking. “Why weren’t you at coffee yesterday?”

“It’s hard to be around the gang right now. I don’t like deceiving them.”

“They’re freaking out. After all the years we’ve been friends, you’re withdrawing for no apparent reason. It’s been all I can do to stop them from showing up at your place en masse.”

“Really?”

“It all started with Kyle.” He sent her a look that warned her he had something unpleasant to impart. “Callie, he blew the whistle on the friends-with-benefits thing last Sunday.”

She felt her jaw drop. “He did what?”

“He flat out made the announcement. We were all on the phone, trying to figure out what’s wrong with you, and…he said he thinks you’re avoiding everyone because of him. He feels like shit.”

She smacked the table. “I don’t want him to feel like shit. I’ve told him—”

“It doesn’t matter what you told him,” Baxter broke in. “Your actions are speaking so loud he can’t hear your words.”

“But he was the one who didn’t want to tell! Actually, I didn’t really want everyone to know, either.” She propped up her chin with one hand. “That’s not the legacy I want to leave behind.”

“Another reason to get well.”

She braced herself. “So…what did everyone say?”

“They were understanding, for the most part. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why hasn’t anyone said anything to me?”

“Besides the fact that you won’t answer your damn phone?”

“Argh!” She leaned back in the chair. “I’ve got my life so screwed up.”

He frowned in sympathy. “I need to warn you about one other thing.”

“And that is…”

“My attempts to stop them from coming over have finally failed. We’ll be at the farm tomorrow. They’ve had about all they can take.”

“Wait…it’s an intervention or something?”

“They want to assure you that no matter what’s going on, they’re still your friends and will support you through it. Whether it’s sleeping with your best friend or…or suffering from liver disease,” he added more softly, “but, of course, they can’t say that.”

“I don’t want to deal with this while Levi’s here!”

“Sorry. Like I said, I’ve put them off as long as I can. They were going to come last Monday, but that was the night I supposedly took you to San Francisco.”

“When I was in the hospital.”

“After that, I was afraid having them show up might upset you and cause a relapse. So I told them you were fine. That we had a blast. That you’re just busy. I said to give you some time to get over the embarrassment of getting too close to Kyle. I almost had them convinced to let you be. If only you’d come to coffee yesterday….”

“You couldn’t have given me a heads-up that coffee was so important?” she asked glumly.

“I didn’t know! That was just when everyone started talking about you and got so worked up they wouldn’t listen to me.”

At least he’d done all he could.

She considered what having her army of friends show up tomorrow morning might mean—to her and to Levi. “Do they know how I feel about Levi?”

“I’m sure Kyle’s guessed,” he said with a wink.