Her father sighed. “A buddy I used to work with said he could help replace it, but the materials are still costly. We’re hoping to just get that side done for now, but another bad storm and the rest could go.”
Bad storm? In Kansas? Yeah, the chances of that were well over 100 percent.
Callie nodded. “Then we’ll find a way to get this done,” she told them. “I have a little money left. Not much after my plane ticket, but I’ll make some calls and see what I can do.”
Her father wrapped his arm around her. “Honey, we didn’t expect you to rush home. There’s nothing you can do that I couldn’t do.”
“True, but I feel better knowing I’m here helping you guys.”
Her father stared down at her and then smiled. “You always were such a fighter and so determined. I’m glad you’re home, Callie.”
Yeah, that was her. Determined and a fighter. Too bad she’d been sitting around wallowing in self-pity over this accident. But now she’d at least feel as if she was helping.
And she wasn’t even going to ask if her sister had helped. More than likely she didn’t even know how bad off Mom and Dad were.
“Let’s get inside and catch up,” her mother said, reaching for the bag. “I want to hear all about Hollywood and the glamorous things you’ve seen.”
Okay, that was a topic she could definitely discuss because the things she’d seen in that office were fodder for girlie gossip and she could use the laughs with her mother.
The trip alone would be good for her. She needed time away from L.A., from Noah. And spending the evening with her mother was the perfect way to help her clear her mind.
* * *
Callie had forgotten how much she missed home-cooked food. Her mother had made biscuits from scratch and gravy with eggs and sausage. There was nothing like a meal full of carbs and calories to have her slipping into a state of euphoria while snuggled on the old, comfy couch watching television—an old war movie, of course.
Her mother sat beside her, and her father had planted himself in his recliner. Yeah, this was the simple life she both did and did not miss. It was nice to come home and get back to the simplicity, but at the same time, Callie knew she did not want to grow up and live in a small town where the most exciting thing in the evening was watching the news or doing crossword puzzles.
The doorbell cut through the room, causing the three of them to turn their attention toward the front door.
“Wonder who that is,” her father mumbled as he went to the door.
Callie remained in her seat as her father flicked the dead bolt and opened the door.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Oh, God. She knew that voice.
“I’m looking for Callie Matthews.”
She jumped to her feet, pulled her T-shirt down and stepped up beside her father. “Noah! What are you doing here?”
Dear Lord, she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her, but at the same time she was so shocked at his presence she didn’t know how to act. Inside she was jumping up and down with joy that he’d taken the initiative to come all the way here, but she didn’t want him to feel obligated to help her.
“Noah?” her father asked, opening the door wider. “This is the doctor you work for?”
Callie nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on Noah, who looked so…down-to-earth in his worn jeans, tennis shoes, plain gray T-shirt and a bag slung over his shoulder. If she didn’t know he was a top Hollywood surgeon, she’d guess he lived right here in Kansas.
“Come in, come in,” her mother chimed from behind her. “Don’t leave the poor man on the porch.”
Callie glanced around to the tidy, yet very well-worn living room. Nothing matched and all the furniture was from her childhood. But she refused to be embarrassed about her humble beginnings. This was the life she knew before meeting him, and while she might not want to be at this point anymore in her life, she wasn’t ashamed, either.
“I thought I could help.” Noah set his bag on the floor by the door. “Since you wouldn’t let me come with you, I thought I’d surprise you.”
Callie laughed. “I’m surprised, all right. I assume you looked up my emergency contact on my file at work to get the address?”
Noah smiled and that high-voltage smile was all Hollywood and should’ve been in front of cameras instead of hiding behind a surgical mask.
“I tend to get what I want,” he told her, holding her gaze for a brief moment. Then he turned his attention to her father and held out his hand. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Noah Foster.”