“I’ve got them. You finish with Jason.”
“Not sure I like the sound of that,” Jason mumbled as Abby headed inside with Paige.
“But it gave you the excuse you were looking for.” Calliope waved him over. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Yeah. Well.” He bent down beside her, his handsome, angular face caught between a grimace and smile of approval. “It’s about Xander Costas.”
Calliope groaned. “Not you, too.”
“Not me, too, what?”
“You’re not helping Abby and Paige play matchmaker, are you?”
“Ah, no.” Jason chuckled. “That’s their bailiwick for sure.” He started pulling carrots free of the soil and dropping them in the basket at Calliope’s side. “I just think there might be a bit more behind Xander’s decision to take on this project than he’s saying. You know I go back east fairly frequently. And that I worked in Chicago for a time.”
“I do.” She refrained from asking anything further, choosing instead to wait for whatever it was Jason thought she needed to know.
“I just remember when I first came here, you helped me see some things I’d been ignoring. I wasn’t in a really good place.”
“I remember. Things change.” Calliope couldn’t imagine Butterfly Harbor without Jason now. He just...fit. Unlike some people.
“That’s the kind of thing Xander’s looking for. I don’t know how much you know about him and his family—”
“Only what he’s told me. That he’s the second oldest of five and his mother has the patience of a saint. I inferred that,” she added with a smile.
“He has a lot riding on this sanctuary design, Calliope.”
“So do we.”
“No, I get that, I do. It’s just...how would you describe me when we first met?”
“Lost.” Grieving. She could only imagine how difficult losing a sibling must be, but for Jason to have lost his twin brother? Yes, lost was most definitely the word.
“Not all of us are lost in the same way. His family’s really gone through it the last year. And Xander’s taking the weight of most of it. I know you’re working with him on this project. Word is the two of you don’t exactly agree on things.”
“That would be an accurate assessment.” At least where the sanctuary was concerned.
“Just do me a favor, Calliope? Go easy on him.”
“Are you calling me pushy, Jason?”
“I’ve never known you to be, no. But I’ve also never heard of you arguing with someone in public before. At the diner.”
She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that day hadn’t brought out her best qualities. Becoming town gossip wasn’t on her list of things to do, however. She didn’t want to inadvertently turn other people against Xander when she was the one who had issues.
Even if she wasn’t entirely certain what those issues were.
“You’re telling me it’s time to sit down and have a talk with him.” She finished filling the baskets and pushed to her feet. “A real conversation, not a battle of wills or ideas.”
“I’d never tell you to do anything.” He stacked the baskets and picked them up. “Just making a friendly observation. As important as the sanctuary is to Butterfly Harbor, I think it might be just as much if not more important to Xander and his family. Food for thought. So to speak.”
“That you would come to me like this after knowing him such a short time says something, Jason.” She brushed her hands on her skirt. “And I do not take that lightly.” She felt her schedule for the day tilt on its side. “Is he still up at the site?”
“He is. Looked to me like he was planning on settling in for the better part of the morning. Probably out of coffee by now.”
“Hmm.” Calliope angled a glance at the suddenly innocent-looking Jason Corwin. “You’re taking lessons from Abby after all. I appreciate your advice, Jason. Now I’m going to give you some.”
“Okay.”
“Let Abby choose whatever napkins she wants for the wedding.”
Jason laughed as they headed back to the house. “Way ahead of you.”