"Not crazy," she replied, her bare arms chilled in the cold and her loose black hair whipping in the wind. "Just determined." *** She flushed lightly. "Could you do blue with white stars?"
"No! No! You're insane! I'm sure of it!" *** She nodded. "Definitely. Sounds cute. Lift your arms for me?"
"I get stuff done, Landon," she said sharply. "That requires a little bit of crazy." *** The girl obliged, her small face troubled.
He sighed in frustration. "How on Earth are you my soulmate?" *** She began taking measurements and writing them down, her tongue sticking out in concentration.
She shot him a look, mostly annoyed. There was a small, strange emotion there, though. Hurt, maybe. "No idea." *** The girl stood very still. "He really shouldn't pay for it," she mumbled.
He sighed, his eyes off as he didn't meet her gaze. *** Callie sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I know. There's nothing I can do, though."
She was quiet as she drove, and she turned the corners quickly. She didn't look back at him and after a few minutes, her shoulders shook ever so slightly. *** "I could talk to my mama," the girl offered.
He hesitated, leaning close to her. ".. Hey.. Are you okay?" *** "No," she said, "what I'm saying is that nobody needs to pay."
She didn't look at him and only nodded. *** "I'll talk to my mama," she said matter of factly. "Maybe she'll change her mind."
He frowned, his voice low. " I'm sorry." *** "You don't have to," she said softly. "I mean, when I was a kid, I always got in trouble if I mentioned money."
"It's not you," she said, her voice tight with tears. "Can we just not, please?" *** Regina frowned. "Me too," she admitted. "But..." She shrugged uncomfortably.
They parked at his corner and she didn't look back at him, wiping at her face angrily. *** "Thank you, Ms. Meiz."
He got off, handing her the jacket. "Don't catch a cold, okay?" *** She nodded. "you can call me Callie. Can you get the next kid?'
She wiped away a tear and nodded. "Sorry. You too." *** The girl hurried back to her seat, and a small, bright-eyed boy by the name of Michael came back, answering to Arlo's summons. "Hello, ma'am!"
"No need to apologize," he said soothingly, his tone sympathetic. "Feel better, okay?" *** "Hey Michael," she said, jotting things down. "I'm making some sweaters.. so do you have any favorite colors?"
