Page 41 of The Muse
She turns back to me. “Yes.” Her gaze clings to the cup in her hands.
I wait for her to elaborate, but she doesn’t. It feels like an invisible line I shouldn’t cross.
“What’s your degree?” Flynn asks, unaware of the invisible line.
Callie’s forehead tightens, and she dismissively waves her hand. “I have several degrees. Nothing important.”
“Sounds like a waste of money,” Flynn says. Then he puckers his lips for a second. “Wealthy people don’t care about wasted money, huh?”
“Well”—she nervously laughs, lifting her teacup to her mouth—“I can’t speak for all wealthy people, but my father and grandfather were frugal with their money. They reinvested almost everything. My grandma used to say they were rich because they lived as though they were poor. When my father died, though, my mother spent her money more freely. She had the mentality that life is too short to save it all for death. But I’m an only child, so yes, college wasn’t a financial burden. And at the time, it didn’t feel like a waste of money.”
Flynn looks at me with an indecipherable expression.
“June, do you have siblings?” she asks.
“No. I’m an only child too.”
“I had all kinds of siblings,” Flynn says. “If you’d call them that. Just other kids in foster care.”
I know he doesn’t want pity, but I can’t help my sad smile.
“You have a lot in common with my husband,” Callie says to Flynn.
He squints. “Mr. Rawlings was in foster care?”
Callie sips her tea before nodding.
“He told me about his mom and brother, and then about his father, but I just assumed he was an adult by then and just …” Flynn shrugs. “Moved on.”
“He was twelve when his mother and brother died. His dad went to prison. Rupert lived with his grandparents—his mom’s parents—but they weren’t financially able to take care of him, and his grandfather had cancer. His dad’s parents were divorcedand had basically disowned his father years earlier, so Rupert ended up in foster care. Then he ran away and got into trouble, so he spent time in a detention center. When he turned eighteen, he enlisted with a recommendation from his detention officer.”
“It’s late,” Flynn says while standing. “You’d better put your husband to bed.”
I’m caught off guard by his abruptness, as if he’s not interested in anything Callie has to say about Rupert. Perhaps it stirs up bad memories from his own past.
Callie grins. “He’s a big boy. If he doesn’t make it to bed on his own, that’s his problem.”
I scoot back in my chair, following Flynn’s cue to leave. “Thank you so much for the tea.”
Callie looks at me and nods. “It was my pleasure. Please feel free to come by anytime. It’s … nice,” she says with a somberness to her voice.
“I guess I’ll see ya in the morning,” he says when we step into the kitchen where I put my cup in the sink.
Callie rests her hands on his cheeks, and his body stiffens. “Take good care of her,” she says. “Manners and respect. Okay?”
I tuck my chin to hide my smile. Flynn doesn’t know it, but he officially has a mom.
“Sure,” he says, handing her the kitten. When he turns his back to her, he gives me a little eye roll like Callie is crazy. I’m not sure Flynn knows how to let people genuinely care for him.
That’s kind of heartbreaking.
Chapter Ten
Flynn
“That was odd,”I say, starting my car on the second try.
“What was?” June asks.
