Page 42 of Semper Fi

Cal glanced at Jim. “Not today, I don’t think. But I’ll try and visit really soon. Thank you for your card, by the way.”

“I love my dollhouse so much.” She tugged his hand. “You have to come see it!”

“Honey, you’re going to be late.” Jim picked up Sophie’s lunchbox and handed it to her.

“It’ll just take a minute!” She scrambled down the hall with Cal in tow and Adam following.

“One minute!” Jim called after them.

The ring-ring of the bell on Mrs. O’Brien’s bicycle sang out, and Adam changed course, speeding outside to greet her. Jim followed, squinting in the sunlight. “Good morning, Mrs. O’Brien.”

She twirled Adam in her arms before resting him on her hip. “Good morning.” She glanced at the Cadillac. “I see you have a visitor.”

“He stopped by last night. Wanted to see how we were doing after the storm.”

“Ah. That was very kind.” She gazed at the orchard in the distance, littered with ruined apples on the ground. Many left on the trees were equally bruised. “I wish there was better news. What are you going to do, Jim?”

The knot of anxiety in his gut swelled. “I don’t know. We’ll get by.” God, please let us get by.

“If there’s anything I can do, don’t hesitate.”

“Thank you, but you already do more than enough.”

As Sophie and Cal came outside, Mrs. O’Brien clucked her tongue. “You’d better skedaddle and catch the bus, young lady!”

Cal hugged Sophie and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Go on. I’ll see you soon. I promise.”

“Okay.” She turned to go, but then spun around. “You promised, so you can’t take it back now.” With that, she shot off down the drive with her lunchbox in hand.

Mrs. O’Brien kissed Cal on the cheek. “How lovely to see you again. I do hope you’ll be staying.”

“Thank you.” Cal glanced at Jim. “Maybe.”

Maybe?

“I’ll leave you to it then.” She disappeared inside with Adam.

Jim cleared his throat. “Cal, we talked about this.”

“I know. Look, just hear me out. Let’s go for a walk.” He started toward the orchard.

Jim had no choice but to follow .

Once they were alone in the trees, sidestepping ruined apples, Cal stopped. He glanced down at the borrowed shirt. “I hope you don’t mind. I was feeling a little underdressed. I’ll have it cleaned.”

Jim shook his head. “I don’t care about the shirt. I care about you making promises to Sophie you can’t keep.”

Cal took a deep breath. “Maybe I can.”

“Cal—”

“Let me say this. Please?”

Exhaling sharply, Jim nodded and crossed his arms. Why Cal insisted on making this more difficult was beyond him. He couldn’t bear to be near Cal and not touch him much longer.

“I’m not going to London. Or Cardiff. I never was.

I quit in July. Or was fired, depending on your perspective.

Had it out with the old man, and it’s over.

I’m never working for him again. I’ll never be the son he wants, and I need to stop trying to be, even half-heartedly.

I realize I’ve said it before, that I’m done with the bank. But this time I mean it.”

Jim wasn’t sure what to think. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“You know, I was sorry for a while. Right up until yesterday.” He gazed at the trees. “But now I know what’s really important. What I want. I just hope you want it too.”

“Cal…”

“You said you’d let me finish.” He cleared his throat.

“Okay, the way I see it, we both have a problem. You have an orchard full of fruit you can’t sell.

I have more money than I could ever need, and an acute case of boredom and aimlessness.

But last night I realized there’s a solution to both our problems.”

Jim sighed. “We’ve been through this. I’m not taking your money, Cal. I won’t.”

“So make me your partner. All on the up and up. The orchard will be half mine. I won’t be giving you anything. It’s a business investment.”

“An investment in an orchard with a ruined crop that barely keeps afloat on a good year? It doesn’t make any sense. I appreciate the offer, but we both know you’re full of it. ”

Cal’s face split into one of his beaming smiles. “Me? Full of it? Why, Jim Bennett, that’s harsh talk coming from you.”

Jim couldn’t help but smile along. “Stop distracting me. Yes, you’re full of it.”

“What if we could turn the damaged apples into profit?”

“If we had a magic wand, sure.”

“We’ll make cider. The hard stuff. I have a buddy in New York who owns three pubs, and I can sell it to dozens more.

” His eyes were alight. “If there’s one product that’s a sure thing, it’s booze.

I’ll get my cousin in Philly to make the hydraulic press and we can build a cider house. It could work.”

Jim couldn’t help but be a little swept up in Cal’s excitement, and his heart thumped. “But how long does hard cider take to ferment?”

“A couple of years.”

“ Years? Cal, I don’t have years. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the winter.”

“It’s an investment. We harvest the undamaged apples and sell them like usual. The others we’ll turn into cider. In the meantime, you’ll have the money from the sale. If I’m going to go in fifty-fifty, I need to buy my share.”

Jim frowned. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“Why not? If I buy half this orchard I’m paying fair and square.”

“But…” Jim paced back and forth, tugging at the collar of his navy work shirt. “I know you’re only doing this for me.”

Cal’s laugh was unmistakably sad. “I’m doing it just as much for me.

Yes, I want to help you, and I’m sorry if that’s something your pride can’t bear.

But I love you, and I love Sophie and Adam.

I love this place. I’ve never been so happy in my life as I have been here.

I want a piece of Clover Grove for myself.

I want—no, I need something to live for. ”

Jim swallowed hard. “You know I want you to be happy. Of course I do.”

Cal stepped toward him, smiling softly. “So say yes. Sell me half the orchard, and let’s build something great together. A business that’ll be more than just enough to get by on. We can do it, Jim. I know we can.”

Despite himself, hope bloomed. Jim tried to tamp it down. “But you know we can’t…be together the way we want. It’s just going to be harder if you’re here. It’s impossible.”

“It’s better than nothing, Jim. I don’t have to live here.

I can come out every week or so. Every two weeks, or every month.

Whatever works. That way I can still see the kids.

Can still see you. No matter what’s happened, or what will happen, you’re my best friend.

God, I’ve missed you.” He looked at his shoes and murmured, “Haven’t you missed me? ”

It took everything in Jim not to go to him. He balled his hands into fists. “Of course.”

Cal glanced up, his eyes hopeful. “Really?”

“Don’t ever doubt it.” He took a deep breath. “Cal, I want you as a friend. But we can’t let it go any further. For all the reasons you left in the first place.”

“I know. It’ll be fine, Jim. We were friends for much longer than we were…” He trailed off, the word unsaid but hanging in the air.

It echoed in Jim’s mind. Lovers.

“I don’t know what to think.” He looked around at his trees and the battered, useless fruit. “Harvest should begin in a few weeks, but I’ve got to start picking up the fallen apples now. And we’d still need to build the cider house, and have the press made.”

“Leave it to me. You get some help in and start collecting the apples. I’ll do the rest.”

“I can’t believe I’m even considering this.” Jim rubbed his hand through his hair.

Cal smiled. “You’re not considering it. You’ve made up your mind.”

“I guess you know me pretty well, huh?” Jim chuckled. He pondered it quietly for another moment, letting the hope run wild. Maybe everything would be okay after all. He could save the orchard, and at least he and Cal could be friends again. “You really want to do this?”

“I’ll have a lawyer draw up the papers today. ”

“All right. Yes.”

Cal leaned forward as if to pull him into a hug, but apparently remembered himself. He extended his arm. “Friends. Business partners. Nothing more.”

Jim took his hand, ignoring the flare of need that shot through him. “Deal.”