“Hell, I’m game,” I said. “Aruba? No questions asked. Count me in.”
“Yeah?” Avery grinned, slinging an arm over my shoulder. “You gonna bring a plus one?”
I scoffed. “Don’t make me laugh. I can’t even find a guy worthy enough to go on a second date with, let alone as a plus one for a destination wedding.”
“It’s not until this summer—maybe,” my mom said. “That gives you plenty of time.”
“Oh, okay. I know you’ve been out of the game—well, actually, you’ve never even beeninthe game, considering you’ve been with this one since you were sixteen,” I said as I gestured to my dad, “but the dating pool is currently more akin to a cesspool. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
Chapter 5
Sundays were family days.
I pulled through the gate of Cliffside Village that evening, waving to the security guard on my way through before slowly making my way up the winding road toward my childhood home.
I grew up in Cliffside, Bayport’s most prestigious gated community. Anyone who lived here came from money. Lucas and Blake also grew up in Cliffside, and we attended Newmont Academy together, the private school located in Bayport that served all of Halloran Island.
I lived across the street from Blake and Gabe, and our parents were close; our dads had the law firm together, and our moms were both doctors. Lucas lived up the street from us in the sprawling estate—the biggest in Cliffside—that sat atop the cliff the community was named for; his dad was a four-term Delmore County mayor, and his mom came from a long line of more wealth than most people could ever dream of. Having them up there feltfitting, almost like they were looking down on everyone else. Despite my dad and Lucas’s dad being best friends, his parents—hismom—never failed to make you feel like you were less than them. I don’t know how Lucas turned out as humble and down-to-earth as he was, but thankfully, he wasnothinglike his parents.
Growing up here is what made me a fan of the “little guys” in my line of work. Ihatedpeople who used their status or wealth to strong-arm others; it was something I’d seen a lot from those who called Cliffside home, overhearing them talk during neighborhood get-togethers where they would brag to my dad. They used their money and what it could get them as a scare tactic to get their way. When I became a lawyer, I vowed to always help the little guy when I could and never let them be intimidated by people like that. And I promised myself that I would never let anyone try to pay me off or bribe me, something I knew happened more often than not.
Thankfully, I had my dad to look up to. He was a hardass, but he was strong in his morals and values, and I looked up to him a great deal. When I took over as partner last year after he lost his battle with cancer, there was nothing more I wanted than to make sure I continued to build on the legacy he started. I could only hope I was making him proud.
I pulled into the driveway and shut off my car before slipping out and making my way up the walkway to the porch. “Hello?” I singsonged as I opened the front door and stepped into the foyer.
“In here!”
I walked down the hall, passing the family photos that hung on the alabaster walls before rounding the corner into the kitchen. My mom stood with her apron tied around her waistbehind the island. She smiled at me as I approached, turning her head so I could kiss her cheek.
“Hi, Ma.”
“Hi, sweetheart.”
I could smell the roast in the oven, and my stomach grumbled. I was half-tempted to steal one of the still-steaming homemade biscuits she had in a basket on the island, but I refrained.
Sunday family dinner was a Callahan tradition. When I was younger, I used to think they were annoying and pointless, but when I was away at college, I realized just how much I took them for granted. When I moved back home after finishing law school, I actually looked forward to them.
When my dad passed away, my sister and I promised we would be here every Sunday unless something important came up, knowing how much they meant to Mom, especially now that it was just the three of us.
“Where’s Hale?”
“She called a while ago and said she had to finish some charting, but she should be here any minute.”
My sister Haley was a nurse in the emergency room at Bayport General and was currently in the first semester of her master’s program, working toward becoming a nurse practitioner. My mom, a retired pediatrician, couldn’t understand why or how Haley enjoyed working in the ER—it was too chaotic for my mom, but Haley thrived on the unexpected chaos.
“Need any help?” I asked.
“No, but I appreciate the offer.” She smiled, pushing back a strand of her dark brown hair from her forehead. “How was your week?”
I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, uncapped it, and took a sip before answering with a nod. “Good. Nothing toocrazy or interesting. Unless you want to call Edwards slapping me with a contempt warning crazy or interesting.”
She gave me a look. “You’re lucky he was such good friends with your father.”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “He wouldn’t have held me in contempt regardless. You know how he is. He definitely has bark, but he’s no bite.”
“One of these days you might push him too far.”
I chuckled. “I’ll be fine, Ma. I’m a big boy.”
