It wasn’t her. It was never her. It was another job request.
“This place is looking good.”
Lock leaned against the counter. “You saw it before?”
Kayden shook his head. “Not for a while, but I know old man Peterson lived here for sixty years before he passed, and he never updated or fixed a single thing. It was a dump for a long damn time. You’ve done good.”
“It’s getting there.”
“It is. But my question is, when did you buy it?”
“A bit over two years ago.” There was no point in lying.
Kayden frowned as he pieced it together. “You bought it for Callie.”
“I bought it for both of us.”
If possible, the frown deepened. “I didn’t know you two were that serious back then.”
“I loved her.” No, not loved…love. Present tense. And that was something that would never change.
Kayden’s features softened. “I’m sorry you haven’t been able to work things out.”
“I don’t know what to do. I know I hurt her, but I didn’t expect her to disappear. I thought after the few weeks it took my team to eliminate Malone, I could return and explain myself.” Why he was telling his brother all this, he wasn’t sure. Maybe he just needed to get it out. Neededsomeoneto hear.
Kayden cocked his head. “She said she wanted time, right?”
Did Eastern just broadcast every fucking thing from last night, word for word? “Yeah.”
“So, do it. And in the meantime, just be her friend.”
“Callie and I have never been friends.”
Kayden lifted a shoulder. “Just because you’ve never done something doesn’t mean you can’t.”
He was right. And friends…well, it was better than nothing. He just wasn’t sure she wanted that, either.
His phone vibrated again, and he expected to see another unknown number, a local asking him to fix something around their house.
It wasn’t.
It was Callie.
She was calling him.
“Honey, stop looking so worried.”
Callie shifted her gaze from the road in front of her to her father. “I’m not worried.”
“Your fingers are wrapped so tightly around the wheel, your knuckles are white.”
Dammit. She forced her grip to loosen, but there was nothing she could do to unravel the tightness in her chest.
“Okay, maybe I’m a little worried.” Worried and sad and frustrated and a million other things. She shot another look at her father, taking in the new lines etched into his brow. The shadows under his eyes.
Slowed speech, balance problems, challenges with swallowing…
They were all symptoms the doctor said could develop. And that was on top of the fatigue and muscle pain he already had. Her heart clenched at the thought of her strong, independent father going through this.
