This was originally at WattPad. Not sure what to do with it now, but here ya go!
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Callie Flores pushed through the doors of the HighFlyer outside of Vancouver, Washington, just after ten p.m. The HighFlyer was like any other truck stop on her western route-diner style seating, heart-attack-on-a-plate menu, endless coffee, men and women who would do anything for their fellow drivers-and Callie felt at home here as much as she did anywhere along I-5.
Most of the diners raised hands in recognition and greeting as Callie swept the Stetson off her head and raked her fingers through her hair. She waved back, but didn’t join any of them, feeling too tired to hold up her end of a conversation or try to one-up a fellow trucker on the weirdest shit they’d seen on the road. She’d had her share of unbelievable antics of other drivers and strange sightings, though she didn’t feel much like chatting tonight.
After hanging her thick, quilted jacket on the coat rack, she took a seat at the counter, several stools down from the nearest patron. Kim, the lone nightshift server, was at the other end, taking an older man’s order. She nodded to Callie to let her know she’d be right there. On the other side of the pass-through into the kitchen, Darryl concentrated on the grill, stirred pots, and checked the green order slips hanging from the edge of the window.
Callie didn’t bother looking at the menu. Pretty much whatever she wanted to eat at the moment, short of escargot or lobster, Darryl would whip it up on demand. She was only in the mood for Darryl’s signature bacon double cheeseburger and spicy tots. The meal would come fast, allowing her to get back to her rig sooner for some much needed sleep.
Kim snagged the coffee pot and a white mug on her way to Callie. She set the cup down and poured without asking if Callie wanted coffee, because everyone who came into the HighFlyer drank coffee. Good thing caffeine didn’t keep her awake anymore.
“How’s it goin’, hon?”
Callie took a couple of packets of sugar from the square ceramic dispenser on the counter and flicked them. “Good. How ’bout you? How’s Richie?”
Kim rolled her eyes. “Tried to do a wheelie off a ramp he and his buddies set up. Broke his arm. That boy’ll be the death of me one of these days.”
“Kids are like that.” Callie added sugar to the cup. “You stickin’ around for the holidays?”
From their many encounters over the years, Callie knew Kim and her son often spent a week at her parents’ place in northern Washington. The guy who replaced her on those occasions was okay, but didn’t have Kim’s efficiency or sense of humor.
Kim’s cheeks pinked as she smiled. “Rick’ll be in town. We’ll do the family thing at my place this year.”
Callie didn’t understand the on-again-off-again relationship Kim had with her ex, but if it worked for Kim that was all that mattered. Hell, she was no expert on relationships, not by a long shot. Callie raised her mug in salute. “Good for you guys.”
“Richie will be happy to see him.” Kim set the coffee pot down on the warmer behind her and pulled an order pad and pen from her apron pocket. “Are you going see your dad this year?”
“Absolutely,” Callie said. “He’s finally over that flu bug that’s been goin’ ’round.”
“Good. Glad he’s doin’ okay. What can I get you, Cal?”
Callie gave Kim her order, then took out her phone when the server turned to stick the ticket in the kitchen window. As expected, there were several texts from her dad giving her the latest football and basketball scores, as if Callie didn’t follow their favorite teams while on the road. Another text from her boss at Keenan Transportation, reminding her that a driver was out sick and an extra run was available. Not bothering to respond, she slid the phone into the back pocket of her jeans. Let someone else take the run. She needed to be home this year.
Knowing that Darryl would have her order up soon, Callie rose and headed to the restroom to pee and wash up. She greeted other drivers as she passed their tables, then turned down the short hall that lead to the bathrooms and shower rooms. Callie would grab a shower in the morning before hitting the road again.
As she pushed open the ladies room door, someone inside lurched backward to avoid getting hit. The young woman gave a yelp and bumped into the trash can behind her.
Callie grabbed the edge of the door before it hit her. “I’m real sorry, miss. You okay?”
The woman, a decade or so younger than Callie’s forty, had a cap of curly blonde hair and a very pregnant belly beneath her over-sized plaid flannel shirt. After steadying herself, she looked up at Callie with a pair of tired, red-rimmed azure eyes. “I’m fine. Just didn’t expect the door to open.”
Callie held the door and stepped aside to let her pass. “I shouldn’t have pushed so hard. ‘Pologize for startling you.”
The woman gave her a shy smile, nodded once, then headed back to the dining room. Callie watched her for a second, wondering what her story might be. Was she the wife of one of the drivers? A driver herself? Not too many questions were asked-or answered-at a place like HighFlyer. There was a comradery among truckers, but many drivers spent hours alone on the road and liked it for a reason. It was the peacefulness of driving that Callie enjoyed. She wasn’t afraid to be alone with her thoughts. Not having a hovering boss or coworkers to contend with was a definite bonus as well.
Callie tended to her business in the restroom, then returned to the counter. As she strode through the dining area, she looked for the blonde. The other woman sat in a back corner booth, staring down into a cup of coffee, a half-eaten plate of fries at her elbow. No indication that she was with someone.
Kim placed the cheeseburger and tots in front of Callie. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” Callie glanced over at the blonde and nodded in her direction. “What’s her story?”
While most of the drivers kept to themselves, Kim had a knack for learning bits and pieces about just about everyone. Her ability to relate to the most gruff and stoic trucker made her customers feel comfortable, which earned her some fine tips and some fine stories.
Kim gave the young woman a discreet glance, a look of consternation on her face. “Not sure,” she said quietly. “She came in about two hours ago.”
Callie squirted ketchup on the plate. “She isn’t with anyone?”
“Nope. Keeps looking at the clock or her phone or outside and shaking her head.”
Darryl hit the bell in the kitchen window. “Spare ribs up.”
Kim picked up the order and delivered it to a customer at the end of the counter.
Callie was determined to put the blonde woman out of her mind as she ate her dinner. Runaways and hitchhikers were always hanging around truck stops, looking for a ride. Places along the highway were popular with sex workers, and Darryl and Kim had been known to ignore all but the most blatant offers and exchanges being made. The only activity they wouldn’t ignore was drugs. Any hint that someone was using or dealing and they were out on their ear.
But there was something about the look on the younger woman’s face when they’d met in the restroom doorway that bothered Callie. It wasn’t that she’d been startled by the door opening suddenly. It was the redness in her eyes, the slump of her shoulders, that suggested weariness or emotion. The effect of pregnancy or something else?
Callie took the final bite of her burger, chewed slowly, and cast a surreptitious look to the back corner. The blonde had her phone out. She frowned down at the screen, tapped furiously, then set it away from her. She closed her eyes, and even from across the diner Callie saw the trickle of tears.
Shit.
Don’t do it, a little voice in her head said.
Callie swung around on the stool, debating with herself for a moment. The other drivers ate their meals and chatted, ignoring or unaware of the woman in the corner. It was understandable. Few wanted to get involved in a stranger’s plight. Paying her tab and heading back to her rig would have been the smart thing for Callie to do.
She rose and headed toward the blonde.
So much for smart.
The younger woman had returned her attention to the bottom of her coffee cup, but Callie noted the lines wrinkling her forehead. Giving her a closer look, Callie thought she was a few years younger than first figured, maybe twenty-five.
Callie stopped at the bench seat across from her. “Excuse me.”
The blonde’s head jerked up, her amazing blue eyes wide in question, in wariness. “Yes?”
A sudden flush of awkwardness warmed Callie’s cheeks. Why was she bothering this poor woman? Her worries were none of Callie’s business. “I don’t want to be rude or intrusive,” she said, “but I noticed you were a bit upset. Do you need help with something?”
She blinked at Callie as if unsure of what to say or why Callie was even standing there. The heat in Callie’s cheeks increased.
“I’m sorry,” Callie said, and started to turn away. “I’ll leave you be.”
“No, wait.” The young woman reached toward her but didn’t touch her. “I-I could use a friendly ear.”
Callie gave her a smile and slipped into the booth across from her. She stuck her right hand out. “Callie.”
The blonde smiled in return, but it was sad in a way that Callie had seen way too often. A sweet, honey scent wafted across the table. “Astrid.”
She took Callie’s hand, holding it for a little longer than a casual handshake required. Her long, slender fingers were strong, her palm somewhat callused, despite her overall waifish appearance.
“Nice to meet you,” Callie said. “You aren’t a truck driver, I reckon?”
Astrid laughed. “No. My ride flaked out on me. I managed to hitch here. Need to figure out what to do next. This is the only place open for miles.”
Callie gestured to the phone on the table. “And no one’s around to come for you.”
She shook her head. The muscles in her jaw tightened as if she was trying not to cry.
You are a sucker for a sob story, Cal.
“Where you headed?”
Astrid collected herself, sniffing into a crumpled napkin then wiping her nose. “California, for now. I have a friend to stay with. Then home to Minnesota, eventually.”
Callie didn’t hide her surprise. “You’re a long way from there, hon.”
“I was going to grad school in Seattle.” She stared down at her hands as she tore the napkin into bits. “Got into a bit of a fix,” she said, vaguely gesturing to her distended belly.
Offering to help Astrid didn’t mean she had the right to intrude into her personal life, so Callie left her questions about the pregnancy in her head. “I’m going south from here. Where is your friend in California?”
There was a company policy about picking up hitchers, but what the Keenan Transportation bosses didn’t know wouldn’t hurt. Besides, she was an independent contractor.
Astrid’s teary eyes met hers. “I’m not trying to push myself on you or anything.”
Callie gave her a reassuring smile and covered Astrid’s hand with her own. Her skin was soft beneath the calluses on Callie’s palm. “You aren’t pushing. I’m offering. Holiday spirit and all that.”
The blonde woman blinked back tears. “I-I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
“I’ve been in a pickle or two myself over the years,” Callie patted Astrid’s hand before moving hers away. “People did things for me. I promised I’d pass it on when I could.”
Astrid nodded and took another napkin from the dispenser to wipe her nose. “I’d be happy to do the same, one of these days.”
“You will. In the meantime, I’m kinda beat and need to get some shut eye. There’s a double bunk in my rig. You can have the bottom bed, since it’s a bit of a chore to climb up.”
A small part of her brain said she was a fool to offer a complete stranger access to her rig. But there was nothing worth stealing in the old Peterbilt, and nothing personal that wasn’t locked away or on her. If Astrid was going to try to rob her, she wouldn’t get a hell of a lot for her trouble.
The younger woman smiled with gratitude, and Callie’s heart hitched in her chest. Astrid was a pretty thing, a damsel in distress. How could she resist?
# # #
The I-5 corridor through Oregon was as familiar to Callie as the instrument panel of her rig. Every hill and curve between Portland and Medford was etched in her brain, but that didn’t mean she could lose focus on driving. There were too many variables like weather or wildlife or other vehicles to get complacent.
And now the mental distraction of a pregnant woman in the bunk just behind her seat.
Callie and Astrid had spent the night in the sleeper, with Callie in the usually stowed upper bunk with a sleeping bag. Astrid had been grateful, near to tears again even while Callie pointed out the limited amenities of the space. The sleeping area wasn’t as big as some of the rigs on the road, but its double bunks, ample storage, and mini fridge made it comfortable when Callie drove alone and only a little tight when her father used to partner with her.
“This is so nice of you,” Astrid had said, clutching her stuffed backpack as she sat in the passenger seat while Callie cleaned up.
Callie stowed a few dirty clothes and her paperback book in a cupboard. “It’s just a bed,” she said, smiling over her shoulder.
“It means more to me than you realize,” Astrid said softly.
What had the poor girl gone through, Callie wondered for the thousandth time since meeting her an hour before.
Astrid didn’t have pajamas, but Callie quickly changed while the other woman turned away. They settled into their bunks with only a few words passing between them. Both were tired for their own reasons. Callie listened as Astrid shifted on the bed below, finding a comfortable spot, then her breathing evened out in sleep. Callie soon drifted off herself, waking at six to the soft beep-beep of her watch alarm. After a quick shower and chasing off a flock of ravens that had converged on the hood of her rig, she headed south.
Now, as the sun rose over the Cascades, Callie downshifted to climb a grade, the 450 h.p. engine growling. There was a rest stop not too far away, and she wondered if she should wake Astrid or let her keep sleeping.
As if in response to her thought, she heard a thud and muffled curse behind her.
“You okay?” Callie called out.
“Yeah. I forgot where I was for a second.” Astrid’s voice was rough with sleep.
“There’s juice in the fridge,” Callie told her. “We’ll be coming up to a rest stop in about twenty minutes, but there’s a Go-Girl and wet wipes in the lower cupboard, if you’re desperate to pee.”
“Always.”
Callie grinned, figuring as much.
After another few minutes of Astrid moving around in the sleeper area and a couple of “Dang its” as she took care of business, she parted the curtain separating the cab and carefully climbed into the passenger seat. No easy task with her belly.
Callie slowed down to steady the rig. “Can you make it okay? I can pull over.”
Astrid plopped into the seat. Her short hair was in bed-head disarray, and her cheeks a bit flushed from the effort. Smiling, she said, “Got it.”
She worked the seatbelt under her belly and clicked it into place.
Callie couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer. “When are you due?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Astrid rub her tummy while she glanced at the side mirror then stared out the windshield. “Two weeks.”
It took everything Callie had to not let her shock show. Two weeks? Though she only knew pregnancy from a spectator’s standpoint, she was pretty sure two weeks meant “any day.”
“That’s, um, soon,” she said.
Perhaps sensing Callie’s nervousness, Astrid said, “It’s fine, I promise. No Braxton-Hicks contractions or anything. The baby hasn’t dropped or gone head down yet.”
The terminology was lost on Callie, but she knew babies typically emerged head first. Apparently the fact Astrid’s wasn’t in the “ready” position was a good thing for the time being.
“How long have you been driving?” Astrid asked.
Callie figured she was trying to turn the conversation away from the pending birth, and again wondered about Astrid’s situation. But she’d respect the woman’s privacy.
“Going on twenty years,” Callie said. “Went to trucking school right out of high school and started driving with my dad. Took over when he retired.” She laughed. “Well, semi-retired.”
“A semi-retired semi driver?” The smile in Astrid’s voice was evident even without looking at her.
Callie chuckled. “I didn’t mean it that way, really, but yeah, I guess so.” She stole a glance at Astrid and they shared a grin. Good lord, she had a beautiful smile. “He comes on short trips with me now and again, but mostly stays home in Bellevue tending his garden and critters.”
“That’s sweet,” Astrid said. “It’s nice that you’re close. My dad and I are too. We used to sit together and watch the Vikings play.”
“Hard on you both with you out here, I reckon.”
“Yeah.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice, but she recovered quickly enough. “I should be seeing him soon.”
Callie felt a bubble of happiness for the girl. If her situation was what Callie thought it might be, Astrid needed some goodness to come to her. But again, her curiosity overwhelmed her sense of social politeness.
“Does he know about…” Callie gestured toward Astrid’s belly. There were a few moments of awkward silence. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t pry.”
“No, it’s all right. Some people ask much more personal questions all the time, like being pregnant is an open invitation to delve into everything from my relationship status to my bathroom habits.” She sounded resigned to the fact. “I don’t mind talking to you, though. I feel like you-”
She cut herself off and Callie glanced over at her. Astrid was staring out the side window at the large mirror, her eyes wide.
“What’s the matter?”
Callie didn’t see anything unusual. As a matter of standard procedure, she checked her mirrors often as she drove. Other than a few passenger cars and pick-up trucks, there hadn’t been much traffic on the road this early.
“I thought I saw something coming up behind us,” Astrid said.
Callie double checked. There was a vehicle back about a quarter mile. “Maybe a bird or some trash flew across the highway behind us and caught your eye,” she said.
“Maybe.” Astrid kept staring at the mirror. She sounded more than a little concerned.
“What’s wrong?” Callie wasn’t one to get rattled, especially in the comfort of her own rig, but there was a vibe of fear coming off the blonde woman that had her checking the mirrors again.
“Nothing,” Astrid said with sudden, forced brightness. “I’m sure it was garbage, like you said. How long until we get to that rest stop?”
# # #
Callie and Astrid chatted through the day as they continued south, eventually driving out of Medford and crossing into northern California. They stopped a little more frequently than Callie usually did on the route, but she didn’t mind. Sure, time was money, but this time of year it was also smart to slow down a bit. A driver who was in a rush to get to their destination often found themselves regretting their actions as storms came in faster than expected, or a herd of deer decided to use the highway to get where they were going.
Besides, she found herself enjoying the company. Astrid was a smart and funny young woman, and when she smiled, the world seemed a little better and brighter.
You’ve got at least fifteen years on her, a snarky little voice said in her head.
Yeah, and she’d never see Astrid again after she dropped her off, but why not enjoy it while she could?
The sun set early in the day as winter solstice drew near. That meant driving in the dark in crappy weather a lot of the time, but so far it had only been cold and wet along the I-5 north of Sacramento. Riding above the headlights of oncoming vehicles was easier on the eyes for Callie, though now and again an approaching driver thought it was cute to flash their high beams. Keeping your focus off to the right helped to avoid being blinded by such foolishness, as long as the other guy lowered his lights quickly. Luckily, most did.
“Getting hungry?” Callie asked as she checked a sign for upcoming restaurants.
“A little,” Astrid said. “But don’t stop on my account. We’re getting close, aren’t we?”
They had purchased snacks at their last stop, and Callie always had something in the rig if she didn’t feel like stopping. It was another couple of hours to the town where Astrid’s friend lived. She had contacted them earlier, confirming they would meet at a gas station off the Willows exit.
“Not super close, but if you can hang in there we’ll keep going.”
Astrid glanced at the side mirror. “Yeah, let’s keep going.”
The nervous quiver in her voice worried Callie. Wherever they stopped, Astrid checked out each vehicle that pulled in after them, perused every face. She even searched the bare-limbed trees. She didn’t relax again until they were back in the rig and on the road, but even then she grew more anxious with each mile.
“What’s the deal, Astrid?” Callie glanced at the young woman. Though her face was hard to read by the dashboard lights in the cab, Callie saw her hands were on her belly making slow, comforting circles. “What sort of trouble are you in? Who’s after you?”
She didn’t respond, which kicked Callie’s nerves up a notch. Had she offered a ride to a fugitive? Damn it to hell. What made her think a pretty blonde couldn’t be trouble?
“Answer me or I stop right here in the middle of nowhere and you walk the rest of the way.”
Callie wouldn’t do any such thing, of course, but the threat was enough to jar Astrid into replying.
“The baby’s parents,” she said, finally. “Please, don’t stop. Once I get to my friends we’ll be safe and you won’t have to worry about us.”
“What do you mean, ‘the baby’s parents’?”
This was not a conversation to have while going forty-five on a dark, winding road, but there was nowhere to safely pull over either.
“I needed money while I was in school,” Astrid said. “I answered an advertisement. A couple needed a surrogate to help them have a baby. I agreed to do it.”
Callie had heard of such arrangements. “Agreed, but changed your mind? Didn’t you sign a contract?”
“I did.”
“But?”
“They aren’t what I thought they were,” Astrid said.
Headlights appeared in the distance ahead of them. At first, Callie didn’t think much of it, they were on a major highway after all. But not on a particularly straight or flat section. Oncoming lights shouldn’t have been seen until they rounded the nearest curve.
“Are they abusive?” she asked as she made the effort to keep the road in sight but avoid being blinded as the light grew brighter. “Did they threaten to hurt you or the baby?”
“No.” Astrid made a small sound in the back of her throat. “I got scared about what I was doing and bolted. I need time to sort things out.”
Callie downshifted as they approached a hill. The Peterbilt groaned in response, but when she depressed the accelerator to maintain speed, the rig slowed.
What the hell? She had just had a tune up, and every pre-trip inspection had been clean. This was no place to have engine trouble.
Without her touching the gear shift or brake, the truck decelerated then rolled to a stop in the middle of the dark highway.
“Shit.”
The needles on the dashboard gauges jerked wildly then bottomed out. The truck’s headlights and dash lights dimmed, flickered, then went dark. The chatter on the CB cut off.
“Double shit.” She shifted the transmission into neutral and set the brake with a pop and a hiss of the yellow knob.
The oncoming light grew in size and brightness. Maybe help was on the way. And hopefully the driver would change to his low beams.
Callie started to lever the door handle. Astrid grabbed her right arm.
“No, don’t,” she said, pulling Callie back.
“Why not? What the hell’s going on?” Anger joined the trickle of fear that shimmered down Callie’s spine.
The brightening lights illuminated Astrid’s face. She appeared almost serene as she looked at Callie. “Thank you for caring, for taking me in when no one else would.” She pulled Callie closer then moved her hand to cup Callie’s cheek. Her skin was warmer than it should have been.
The light outside grew brighter still.
Astrid tilted her head and leaned close. Callie did the same. Their kiss was gentle, the touch of lips, the mingling of breath. A quiet moan came from one of them, Callie wasn’t sure who. She frowned as they parted, confused. A strange ache encompassed her chest.
“Astrid…”
The younger woman kissed her again, then sat back, smiling beatifically. “Thank you, Callie. I’ll never forget you.”
The light of one hundred road flares filled the cab, yet there was no heat. Callie raised her hand against its intensity and closed her eyes tight. Wind blew around her, ruffling the pages of her log and brushing against her cheeks. A loud hum filled the air, vibrating in her chest.
Then, as if someone threw a switch, everything went black and silent.
Callie’s eyes shot open. She was parked in the middle of the highway, the engine of the Peterbilt rumbling. CB nattering filled the cab. The rig’s lights were on.
And Astrid was gone.
# # #
Spring had sprung in western Oregon, giving Callie plenty of daylight hours to drive, but when she saw the sign for the HighFlyer, she couldn’t resist pulling into the parking lot for an early dinner. Maneuvering around the half dozen other rigs in the large lot, she found a spot, flicked off all her lights, set the air brake, and turned off the engine.
She sat there for a minute watching another driver and his wife go inside the diner, wondering who else she’d find there. For the past four months, every time she went into the HighFlyer or any number of truck stops, rest stops, and gas stations along her I-5 route, Callie found herself looking for Astrid. Every blonde woman was her for a split second, until she wasn’t, and Callie could only smile sadly at her folly.
She’s gone her own way. Ducked out of your rig in the middle of nowhere, for whatever reason. Probably back in Minnesota by now.
When Callie had woken that night in mid-December-certain she had passed out or had had some sort of episode-to find Astrid gone, she’d panicked. Jumping out of the truck, she called and searched the best she could in the cold and dark. But there’d been no sign of her. Callie hadn’t been unconscious that long. How had a pregnant woman simply vanished?
Hurrying to the next town, she reported Astrid’s disappearance to the local sheriff’s office, leaving out the bright light and peculiar malfunction of her truck. What she’d experienced was just too out there for the cops to take seriously, no matter what she knew to be the truth. She simply told the authorities she had pulled over to check her rig and when she returned to the cab, Astrid was gone. The sheriff made no promises. Not that Callie expected miracles, even during the holiday season.
Heaving a sigh and reminding herself that some things-weird as they might be-just happened, Callie got out of her rig and headed into the diner. Ravens gurgled and cru-u-ucked from the roof. A particularly large specimen hopped away from her, a French fry in its black beak, eyes glinting as it watched her.
As expected, the HighFlyer was packed with other drivers and locals who knew a good meal was to be had there. Darryl was busy in the kitchen, and Kim hurried between customers, taking orders, filling coffee cups, and cracking wise.
All as it should be.
Callie shed her denim jacket and hung it on the heavily-laden coat rack near the door. She lifted her straw cowboy hat, ran her fingers through her hair, and found a seat at the counter. Nodding to the driver beside her, she thanked Kim when the waitress hurried over to fill the coffee cup at Callie’s spot.
“Back in a jiff to take your order, hon,” Kim said, tearing a green ticket off her pad and stuffing it into the clip at the pass-through window for Darryl.
“No rush,” Callie called after her, though she wasn’t sure Kim heard her.
The buzzing conversation, aroma of broiling burgers, bacon, coffee, and hot oil settled around Callie like a comfortable blanket. This was the life she knew, the people she enjoyed visiting with between stretches of highway. On the road, she was alone, but never lonely. Usually.
Kim took her order and spent a few minutes chatting. After a quick catch up, Kim was off again. Callie exchanged pleasantries with the man beside her. She recognized him from several other visits to the truck stop, but they’d never gone beyond polite pass-the-time conversation.
She had just finished the last ketchuped tater tot on her plate when she heard her name spoken right behind her.
“Callie?” The woman seemed uncertain.
Callie wiped her mouth with a paper napkin and turned her stool part-way around. Standing before her, dressed in a loose white blouse and a long skirt, her blonde hair a little longer and wind-tossed, was Astrid. At first, Callie thought the dark shape in front of the young woman was a satchel or purse, but then she realized no. Astrid wore one of those dark blue baby packs.
“Oh, my God. You-” Her voice caught in her throat.
Astrid smiled that beautiful smile that had flitted in and out of Callie’s dreams for the last four months.
“Me.” She pressed her lips to the top of the dark head peeking out of the carrier. “And Ari.”
They stood there for several moments smiling and staring at each other while Ari gurgled contentedly.
Callie snapped out of her shock first. “What are you doing here? Can I buy you a cup of coffee or something?”
Astrid shook her head slightly, her longer curls bouncing a little. “No, thank you. I-I’d like to talk to you,” she glanced around the bustling diner, “but not here.”
Digging into her back pocket for her wallet, Callie dropped sufficient cash on the counter to cover her meal and a generous tip. “Let’s go to my rig.”
She held the door for Astrid, noticing as the blonde passed that she was also carrying a large stuffed backpack, like one would take on a long hike.
“Let me get that for you.” She took the heavy pack for Astrid. “What happened to you that night?” Callie asked as they walked together. Ravens cooed and called to each other from the diner roof and nearby trees.
A pained expression crossed Astrid’s lovely face. “It’s a long story. One I want to tell you, but I’m not sure you’ll believe me.”
“After some of the things I’ve seen, especially that night?” Callie pulled open the passenger door of the rig. “I was worried. You disappeared, and I-”
Astrid leaned forward and kissed her. One hand still grasping the door handle, Callie slid the other to the nape of her neck. As with their first kiss, so long ago but burned into Callie’s brain, this one was sweet and chaste. Then Astrid framed Callie’s face with her palms and deepened the kiss. Sweet, like honeyed wine, and just as intoxicating. There was nothing more they could do with a baby between them, and after a moment they broke away, each breathing a little fast.
“I know, and I’m so sorry you were worried,” Astrid said, her voice low and rough. She glanced up at a nearby tree. “I had no choice.”
“The light that filled the truck.” Callie shook her head, remembering the impossible way the light approached them on the mountain road, the intensity of it that had blinded her. “Someone-something-came and took you away.”
Astrid nodded slowly. The baby fussed, and she gently jiggled the carrier. “I need to feed Ari. I’ll explain everything.” She grabbed the steel handrail to the left of the opening and stepped up. As she ascended to the passenger seat, she turned, smiled that amazing smile, her blue eyes sparkling, and asked, “What do you know about demigods?”