Calliope Reynolds comes to Charming to take over Cara Cara when her Aunt Luanne dies. She and her fifteen-year-old daughter settle into life in the small town until something happens to catapult her back into her past.
Happy Lowman knows how much se...
Callie shook her head at the pile of invoices on her desk and sighed. Only her aunt would be this disorganized, she thought as she grinned and stood up to grab her bag and stride through the door. As she entered the main reception room of Cara Cara, she saw Lyla and Ima sitting on a couch talking. She walked over and smiled at Lyla, completely ignoring Ima.
"I need to go pick up Parker from school. She stayed late today for softball tryouts. If Bobby comes by, tell him to meet me here tomorrow around noon and we'll work on the budget."
Lyla smiled and nodded as Ima turned her nose up in the air. Callie just growled to herself and walked out to her Escalade. She liked almost everyone that she had met so far, but she just couldn't bring herself to like Ima. The girl thought entirely too much of herself, and Callie could only hope that one day when karma decided to kick back, she would be there to see it firsthand.
As she drove into Charming, she frowned, thinking that she needed to make a trip to Stockton to check on her uncle Otto. He'd taken Luanne's death hard and she seemed to be the only one that he was ever happy to see. Callie ran a manicured hand through her chestnut curls and thought about what was on her schedule for the rest of the day. She lit a cigarette as she sat at a stoplight and grinned. Gemma was coming by later to chat over a glass of wine.
Gemma was the first person Callie met when she and Parker first came to town two weeks before. The older woman was certainly a ball-breaker as Otto described her, but she was also very loving and helpful to whoever she deemed as part of her family. The moment she had met Callie, she'd decided that the younger woman needed a mother and had proceeded to take that role very seriously.
Callie knew that Luanne had been partners with SAMCRO in Cara Cara, but other than Otto, Bobby, and Gemma, she had yet to meet anyone else with the club. She had a meeting set for two days from then with Jax Teller, Gemma's son and the Vice President of SAMCRO. Callie had known bikers all her life, so she wasn't a bit nervous about being partners with them. Hell, Parker's dad was a biker, so to say she was comfortable was an understatement.
As she pulled into the parking lot of Charming High School and parked, she thought about how she ended up here of all places. After her boyfriend had died, she had found out she was pregnant with Parker and hadn't known what to do. She couldn't rely on his club to help out. She wasn't an old lady, after all, just a girlfriend. She had been lucky that his best friend Kozik had offered to help her move out of her boyfriend's house and found her a small furnished apartment in another town. His house would be sold and the money would go to his mother, who had been in ill health for years.
She had missed Tacoma but knew that she needed to make a life for herself and her child away from any memories from before. She had no family other than Luanne, her mother's sister, and her husband Otto, but she didn't want to depend on them to help her either. She had worked two jobs and put herself through night school, earning a degree in Business, which she later turned into a Masters.
As she watched Parker jog across the parking lot to where she was parked, she grinned to herself. She had done well for both of them, and she'd done it by herself, which was something that she would always be proud of.
"Maybe Gemma can pick me up from practice on the days that you're busy at work."
Callie looked at Parker as her daughter handed her another dish for the dishwasher. "I can handle it. Being in charge, I can pretty much come and go as I please. No need to put Gemma out any more than we have to."
Before Parker could reply, the doorbell rang, and she grinned before running off to answer the door. Soon, Callie heard Gemma asking Parker about her day and the teenager telling her that she had won the pitcher's position for the girl's softball team.
"That's great, sweetheart! You'll have to let me know when your first game is. I'm sure all of the guys will want to come cheer you on. I know Clay and I will. Probably Bobby too."
Callie walked into the living room carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. Parker excused herself to go do homework as the two women settled in for some adult time.
"If you ever need me to pick her up from practice, just shoot me a text and I'll get her."
Callie nodded as she sipped her wine. "I will, thanks."
Gemma nodded as she stared at the younger woman. "You never talk about her dad."
Callie shrugged. "Not much to say. He's dead. He died before she was born." Her lips twisted into a sad smile. "Actually, I found out I was pregnant a week after he died." She shook herself and gave Gemma a bigger grin. "Anyway, he was out of the Tacoma charter. I doubt you knew him since it's been years ago."
Gemma shrugged. "I might, you never know. The Tacoma guys are down here all the time for one reason or another. What was his name?"
Callie chuckled, making Gemma frown at her in confusion. Callie shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's not the question, just a memory." She sighed. "See, his name never fit him. I always thought it was funny."
Gemma lifted a brow and smirked. "Now, I'm intrigued."
Callie shook her head again. "Nothing as mysterious as that, I'm afraid. His name was Happy. Happy Lowman."
