He froze for a second. It seemed as though his shoulders tensed up, but I couldn’t be sure. Calvin turned back. “That would be my ex, Lisa.” He folded in his lips and went back to stirring the pot.
I chewed on my words, unsure of what to say, but then they all tumbled out. “You know they say an ex will purposefully leave something behind after a breakup just so they have a reason to come back.”
“Well, I hope that’s not the case.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because she’s dead,” he said.
I swallowed and broke into a coughing fit. Calvin quickly pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. I understood why he said it in such a matter-of-fact way. That’s what death was. You’re either alive or you’re dead. There is no in-between. He handed the glass to me, and I drank nearly all of it.
“You all right?” he asked, giving me a small pat on the back.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Just swallowed wrong.”
He nodded and returned to the stove.
“I’m sorry about your ex.”
Calvin turned off the burner and took a swig of his beer.
“May I ask how she died?” I added.
“Car accident . . . about a year ago.” He rotated the bottle in his hands a couple of times like he was deciding whether or not to say more. “We had actually broken up the night she died, but I’m sure we would have gotten back together. We always did.” He wasn’t looking at me when he spoke. He was staring at the white wall as if there were something important for him to gaze at.
“I’m sorry, Calvin.” I didn’t know what more to say because I wasn’t good with these sorts of conversations. I had encountered death many times throughout my life but seeing it and talking about it were two very different things.
His eyes swung back to me.
“That’s life, I suppose.” He shrugged and shook his head like his thoughts and feelings were an Etch A Sketch that he could just shake away. “Ya wanna beer?”
The subject was changed.
I nodded. He pulled one from the fridge and popped the top off.
“Do you not have service here?” I held up my phone as he handed me the opened beer.
“No, ma’am. Gotta go into town for that, but I do have a landline if you need to make a phone call.” Calvin pointed to a pale green phone hanging on the wall. A long, coiled cord connected to the phone and the base, practically stretching down to the floor like it had been pulled too tight at one point.
“Oh, I just wanted to send a quick text to a friend to let them know I arrived safely. What about Wi-Fi?”
“I did. But the router needs replacing.” He leaned against the counter and took another swig.
The breath got stuck in my airway as I tried to release it, and I nearly choked. I took a quick swig. There was no mention in the listing about a lack of cell service. You’d think that would be something to note but perhaps that was the norm around here. No Wi-Fi was frustrating as well, but then again, maybe I was just too attached to being attached.
“You all right?” he asked. His eyes were full of concern.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
It wasn’t the time to make a fuss over cell phone service or the internet. I had just gotten here, and I was here to relax. Besides, it was probably for the best that no one would be able to get ahold of me.
4.
Calvin
“What’s on the stove?” Grace asked.
She looked at me a little different now that she knew about my ex. Death always changed how we viewed the world and one another. I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake by mentioning it.
“My specialty. Baked beans, bacon, and hot dogs,” I said with a smile.
Her face remained in neutral. Grace was clearly not impressed with my cooking skills. If I had known how pretty my guest was, I would have picked up something a bit more civilized, but her profile picture on the site was grainy at best.
“Do you want some?” I offered. Food was included in her stay if she wanted it. Most of my guests only used the ranch as a place to rest their heads at night, leaving early in the morning and returning late in the evening. It was nice to have someone here for dinner.
Her nose crinkled up but she quickly relaxed it. She shook her head. “I planned on grabbing something in town, and I wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience.”
“Nonsense. You’re not an inconvenience. Besides, it’s getting a bit late to be driving on these roads. Lots of wild animals come out at night.” I grabbed two bowls from the cupboard and filled them up.
“You’re not one of them vegetarians, are you?” I asked, placing the dish and a spoon in front of her.
Grace looked at the food and then up at me. “No, not at all. I just . . . I don’t really eat this type of thing.”
Taking a seat beside her with my food and beer, I immediately shoveled a spoonful of it into my mouth. The sweetness of the beans, the meatiness of the hot dogs, and the saltiness of the bacon melded together with each bite.
Her eyes were wide, and she hovered the beer right in front of her mouth as if she were trying to hide her reaction from me.
“Just try it.” I smiled. “I promise you’ll love it, and if you don’t, I’ll eat yours too.”
Grace set the beer down and hesitated for a moment before picking up the spoon. She scooped up a single bean.
“You’ve gotta get the bacon and the hot dog too.”
She glanced in my direction and then dove her spoon into the bowl. Holding it in front of her, she stared. “Here goes nothing.”
Grace closed her eyes and pinched her nose shut with her other hand and stuck the spoon straight into her mouth. It was rather dramatic, but I’d expect that from a woman like her. While she chewed, she kept her nose plugged and her eyes closed. When the flavors hit just right, just like I knew they would, her eyes burst open and her fingers let go of the sides of her nose.
“That’s actually really good.” She happily scooped up another spoonful.
“I told ya so. You’ve gotta trust me.” I chuckled.
We ate quietly for a few minutes. The only sound was our spoons clanking against the bowls.
“So, you said you don’t eat stuff like this. What do ya eat?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“Normal stuff.”
“Oh, so I’m not normal?” I teased.
She laughed and told me that wasn’t what she meant.
“I’m just joshing ya.” I smiled.
There was another silent period for a few minutes. It was like neither of us knew what to say, or perhaps we were both being cautious with our words.
“Tell me about yourself, Grace,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
She took a swig of her beer and looked at me, her blue, blue eyes fixated on mine. It was the only way I knew how to describe those eyes of hers. Blue, blue.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything, but let’s start with, what do you do for a living?” I folded my arms in front of my chest.
“I work in banking,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Impressive.” I took another drink, and she nodded.
“Your turn. What about you, Calvin Wells? What do you do for a living?” She cocked her head.