Her Best Men

“Fine by me,” she said. “What do you want to talk about.”

“I’m up for anythin’. I’m just glad I’m gettin’ some time with ya. Haven’t had much since ya been back.”

“And that’s my fault, Caleb. I’m sorry. I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to plant my feet and get these jobs secured and read through these papers.”

“You ain’t gotta explain nothin’ to me. I hired you for these jobs, remember? I know how swamped you’re gonna be for a while,” I said. “Plus, I should’ve pushed for the time more if I really wanted it.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve pushed for it now,” she said with a smile.

“Can I just ask ya one question?”

“Of course you can, Caleb. You can ask me anything.”

“Was Whitney the one that helped ya with the drinkin’ in college?”

“Ah, and we’re back to this topic.”

“I just saw the way she was lookin’ at ya when she was here. In the hot tub and at the weddin’ and stuff. Was she the one that helped ya?”

“She was. Lizzie and I are close because I’ve known her for so long, but Whitney and I are close because she helped me through a really troubling time in college,” she said.

“You got it in check now?” I asked.

“I do. Have for a few years. I don’t stop myself from drinking, but I’ve got hard and fast rules I live by. No drinking before six—”

“In the evenin’, I hope.”

“Yes,” she said, giggling. “In the evening. No more than three at a time, and I always drink with someone. Never alone.”

“Them’s some good rules,” I said. “It hurts my heart you were strugglin’ like that, but I’m glad you’re better.”

“I think that was another reason why I stuck around with Michael longer than I needed to.”

“Did he help, too?”

“To keep me on track, yeah. Whitney was the one holding my hair back and convincing me I had an issue, but Michael was the one that kept me on track with my rules. Went with me to all my parties and helped me keep my grades up. The rules were his idea in the first place. I wanted to stop cold turkey and never touch the stuff again, but he wanted to be able to enjoy a drink or two with me every once in a while. So, the rules were born from that.”

“Sounds like he was a good guy once,” I said.

“Once. But, things change. Like I told Dylan, I think Michael was good for me then, but he wasn’t good for my future. We fit when we needed to, then didn’t once we’d run our course. But because he did all that stuff for my mother’s funeral and flew me back and forth when she was sick, I figured I owed it to him.”

“Listen here, Katie. You don’t owe nothin’ to no one. Not me. Not my brothers. Not Whitney. And you sure as hell don’t owe Michael anythin’.”

“I’m coming to find that out. Everyone thinks I’m strong, but it’s only because of who I surround myself with. I don’t do it on my own. I’ve got support.”

“Many people have that support, too. But they don’t tap into it ‘cause of pride. You ain’t got that kinda pride, and that’s why you’re strong. People who don’t like pain hide behind pride and never move forward. You have. Every damn time life knocked ya to the ground.”

“Thanks, Caleb.”

“You don’t owe me thanks for the truth, Katie. Can I ask ya another question?”

“You don’t have to ask me if you can. Just ask it,” she said.

“What is it ya really wanna do with your life? I mean, we’ve given ya a job, and ya got a place to stay, but that’s immediate. Fills an immediate need. Whatcha want—I don’t know—five years from now?”

“Like with my life? Or my career?” she asked.

“Start with your career. Paint the picture for me,” I said.