Lily Dale: Discovering Part 36

"Close by? You mean . . . you're thinking of staying in Lily Dale, too?"

He nods. "Not in Ramona's guest room, though."

"But you're . . . getting along with her. Right?"

"Right!"he says enthusiastically. "We're getting along great!"

She can't help but smile. "I noticed."

"You're sure you don't mind, Calla? Because you've been awfully quiet lately."

Yes. But not because of her father's new relations.h.i.+p.

"Why would I mind, Dad?"

"Maybe it's too soon for you to see me spending so much time with a woman who's not your mother. But, Calla, your mother and I . . . we were living separate lives toward the end. If it weren't for you . . . I don't know that we'd have still been together."

"But . . . that's so sad."

"Your mother and I loved each other very much. But we were never a perfect match. It took me a long time to realize that. When we met, got engaged, got married-it was a whirlwind. Maybe a little too much of a whirlwind. You know your mother. She always liked to have a plan."

"You mean getting married was her idea?"

"It was our idea, but I remember being dazed that this beautiful, successful, amazing woman wanted a guy like me. It was too good to be true. Now, looking back, I think she wanted me because I was safe, you know- after all she'd been through."

"I know she loved you, Dad."

"And I loved her. But I think we both eventually realized that we didn't have a whole lot in common other than being your parents."

"Dad . . ."She hesitates, then voices the question that's been on her mind all weekend. "Did Gammy tell you about . . . Mom and Darrin? I mean . . . about this past spring?"

"Yes. She did. Look, Calla . . . I don't know what was going on between the two of them, but whatever happened, I have to forgive your mother. And so do you."

"I'm trying."

"I hope you'll try to forgive me, too."

"Forgive you? For what?"

"Nothing is ever all one person's fault, Calla. If the marriage was failing . . . we were both responsible. The other thing is, I shouldn't have gone off to California in August and left you to deal with everything on your own, in a strange place- and I mean that in the most literal sense."

But not in a bad way, she realizes, seeing the affectionate smile on his face.

"I wasn't on my own, Dad. I had Gammy."

"Yes, and she's been great. And I guess I was just so devastated by what happened that I couldn't think clearly. But now that the fog has lifted, I know that you and I belong together."

"In Lily Dale."

"For now, yes. For a while, at least. But I can't stay with the Taggarts forever. I figured I could look for a place to rent, and see if I can get a teaching position."

"What if you don't? I mean, right away?"

"I won't have to worry,"he levels a look at her, "if I sell the house. But I don't know how you feel about that."

"Sell it, Dad."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

It will mean cutting their last real tie to Tampa.

But that, Calla realizes, will be a relief.

It's time to move on.

"All right, then. I'll get the ball rolling on that. I was worried about how you were going to take it."

"It's just a house. And you can probably get a lot of money for it."

"Let's hope so."

"I could never live there again, after what happened there. With Mom, and then with me. Every time I saw that stairway, or the pool, I'd remember all the bad stuff. And I just want to forget."

"So do I."He puts the keys in the ignition. "I guess that's all decided, then?"

"All decided."

"So we're going home to Lily Dale now?"

"Yes,"she says with a smile, settling into the pa.s.senger's seat. "We're going home to Lily Dale."

THIRTY-TWO.

Ithaca

Sat.u.r.day, October 13

8:31 p.m.

The drive home to Lily Dale has been far more pleasant than the outbound trip. Calla and her father haven't done much talking, but their silence is companionable. Now that there's a sense of resolution for their future- as a family, and as individuals- the tension between them has all but dissolved.

It's almost like the old days.

Almost . . . but not quite.

Things will never be the same. Mom is gone, and Calla is growing up, and Dad is moving on, with Ramona.

Calla's excited about what the future might hold for her, but a part of her might always feel wistful for the past.

Maybe that's how it's supposed to be. Maybe that's how it is for everyone. The older you get, the more memories you've made. You can't help but think about the way things used to be.

Especially when you've lost someone you love.

Darkness has long since fallen by the time Calla and her father arrive at the Lily Dale gates.

"Your grandmother is going to want to hear everything,"Dad comments as they drive along the rutted, deserted street.

"About . . . Jack?"Calla can't bring herself to call him her grandfather. Not aloud. Maybe someday, but not yet.

"About Jack, and about your decision to stay here for college."

Calla nods. Odelia isn't the only one who will want to hear that.

"Dad? Do you think you could drop me off at Jacy's?"

She fully expects him to protest, but he nods. "That's fine. Just don't stay long. It's getting late, and it's a school night."

"Thanks, Dad."

She's about to tell him how to get there but he's already making the turn in the right direction.

"You know where Jacy lives?"Calla asks in surprise as they pull up in front of Walt and Peter's house.

"Sure. What do you think I am, an outsider?"

Calla can't help but grin at that. Dad, too, has become a part of this strange little town. Who would have ever guessed that would happen? Who would have guessed any of this?

"Thanks, Dad."She leans over to give him a hug. "For dropping me off here and for . . . everything."

"No problem. Don't be long,"he reminds her as she climbs out of the car. "Your grandmother will be waiting to hear all about it, and she'll want to hear it from you."

Calla waves and hurries toward the porch, hoping Jacy will be home. She's never just dropped in before, but . . .

It's okay, right? He's her boyfriend, after all.

Warmed by the thought, she hurries up the steps and rings the bell.

It doesn't take long for the front light to flick on. In Lily Dale, even in the off- season, people are quite accustomed to doorbells ringing unexpectedly.

Balding, bearded Peter Clifford opens the door, probably expecting a walk- in appointment for a reading.

"Calla!"

"Hi, Peter. I'm sorry to just barge in but I wanted to talk to Jacy if he's home?"

"No problem, he's upstairs taking a shower. Come on in."Peter holds the door open.

She steps into the entryway and admires the decor, as always. Peter and Walt have painstakingly remodeled the old cottage with authentic Victorian wallpaper, fixtures, and furnis.h.i.+ngs, capturing the period style without frilly, fussy overkill.

Peter calls to Jacy from the foot of the stairs. "Are you out of the shower? Calla's here!"

"What? Really? Tell her I'll be down in two seconds!"

"He'll be down in two seconds,"Peter echoes dryly. "How's your grandmother? I haven't seen her in a few days."

"I haven't, either,"she admits. "I've been away, looking at colleges."

"Really? Where?"

She tells him, and his eyes light up.

"I went to Cornell. I was premed. Of course that was way back in the olden days."

Peter, she knows, used to be an M.D. Somewhere along the way, he made the transition to psychic healer and wound up in Lily Dale.

"So are you applying there?"he asks Calla.

"To Cornell?"She shakes her head. "I want to stay close to home."

"Jacy will, too. I wish we could afford to send him away to school, but . . ."He shrugs.

Calla-who hasn't been able to get much out of Jacy when it comes to talk of next year-is glad to hear that he won't be going far. Absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder, she acknowledges, thinking of Kevin.

Footsteps creak down the stairs and Jacy appears. He's barefoot, wearing gray sweats, and his hair looks as though he just rubbed it dry with a towel.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"He seems pleasantly surprised to see her. "I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow night."