EIGHT
JULIE WASN’T SURE SHE’D EVER get used to having a security guy follow her around but at least she and Peter got along. She knew about his wife and new baby, and he was friendly to her while managing to scare away everyone else. The guy with her this time had barely said two words. She knew his name was Mac but that was about it, and he sure as hell hadn’t cracked a smile. It was okay; after all the trouble Eric went through she wasn’t about to complain. She’d keep a dozen sullen bodyguards around her if it made him feel better.
She couldn’t pretend it was all for him. Having Mac with her when she left Eric’s building made her feel better, too. Jackson didn’t seem to think Balducci would make a move on her again, but she’d never be able to forget what it had felt like being tied up in the back of that van. She’d deal with Mac or anyone else Jackson sent if it meant she didn’t have to be afraid.
The security might be taxing but having a car and driver was fantastic. It was another of Eric’s insistences. She couldn’t even pretend she didn’t love it. The car pulled up to the curb at the café and a moment later the driver was opening the door for her. No parking and no hassle. She thanked him and walked through the door to the café with Mac on her heels. The warm nutty smell of coffee and pastries washed over her in a delicious wave. At least she could count on tea out of the meeting.
She’d ignored the first three times Caleb called, letting it go to her voicemail. He’d finally sent her a text.
Please pick up. I’m sorry.
The next time the phone rang, she answered. Her brother didn’t apologize, not for real and she wasn’t sure she believed him. He was still her brother and if he was willing to say he was sorry, she didn’t think she could ignore him. When she answered, he said he understood what he’d done and that he wanted to make up for it. He asked if they could meet to talk, and she ignored the voice in her head that told her he was slime and she should cut him out of her life and agreed to meet.
Eric was already gone for the day. He had back to back meetings, and she didn’t want to bother him or tell him about Caleb over the phone. Their time in the city had given her some sense of how much work he’d been missing for her; she wasn’t about to add to it. She did call security and tell them she’d be going out, and followed the instructions Jackson had given her for the car to the letter. When Eric got home and she told him about meeting Caleb, she’d be able to tell him she did exactly what she was supposed to.
When Eric got home.It was funny how quickly she’d started to think of Eric’s place as home. It wasn’t the penthouse; it was the man that made everything feel right. Made wherever they were feel like home. She loved him, had loved him for the last decade, but their time together since Christmas was different. Factoring in the kidnapping and rescue, it had been really short, but everything was somehow deeper and richer. They weren’t kids anymore. They were both adults with a lifetime of experience. When they came together it was as two complete people not simply two halves, and it made the union that much sweeter. More powerful.
She caught herself smiling and shook her head to clear it. She’d deal with this thing with Caleb and then get to the penthouse before Eric got home. She’d figure out all kinds of ways to show him how much she loved him.
“Can I get something for you?” she asked Mac.
He looked at her like she was crazy, giving his head a shake before taking up a post along the wall that let him see the whole café and the front door.
Julie fought the urge to roll her eyes and ordered a pot of Earl Grey and a currant scone. The barista handed her a plate with the scone and a small pot that included the teacup on the bottom. Julie found a booth on the wall opposite Mac’s and sat, breathing in the citrusy scent of bergamot. Punctuality had never been Caleb’s strong suit, and she was halfway through her first cup of tea before she saw him walk through the door.
When he saw her, he grinned. Not the cocky smile she was used to, this was something sweeter and she felt a flare of hope that he might have come to his senses. Maybe they could salvage a relationship after all. Since her mother passed away, Caleb and her daddy were the only family she had.
He motioned for her to wait and went to the counter, returning a few minutes later with a huge coffee and a giant chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip had always been his favorite growing up, and she could still picture him trying to steal cookies off the cooling rack when their mother wasn’t looking.
“Thanks for meeting me,” he said, sitting opposite her.
She nodded and waited for him to say more. She wasn’t about to let a few smiles and the memory of him as a little boy erase the fact that he’d stolen and conned and ran his business so far into the ground he’d had to go to thugs for money.
“I wanted to tell you I’m sorry,” he said, and Julie could see the charm that had always made it so easy for him to get his way. “Eric was right. I never should have talked to you like that.”
“No you shouldn’t.” She took a sip of her tea not sure what to say next. When he’d said he was sorry on the phone, she’d assumed he meant for more than swearing at her.
“I didn’t mean to overreact. It’s just hard for me to know that I’ve got this problem and you could help me but you won’t.”
“Caleb Blake, you are unfuckingbelievable. Eric’s out a hundred grand because of you and you’re looking for more. What the hell?” As she set down her cup, her hand shook, and it infuriated her that he could still get to her so fast.
“No, you’re right. I know you’re right.”
He was back to his self-deprecating persona, and Julie braced herself for the pitch she was sure would come next.
“I can understand why you wouldn’t want to ask him for me, although I was a victim, too. I thought since you were sleeping with him, you might have some discretionary money.”
She leaned closer, her body tight with anger. She did not want to cause a scene, but she needed to be very clear with him so they never had to do this again.
“What exactly do you think he’d be paying me for, Caleb?” She laced her voice with as much indignation as she could manage which wasn’t hard considering her brother had basically called her a whore.
“Fuck, Jules,” he said, drawing in a deep breath. “I didn’t mean it like that. I swear I didn’t. Let it go, please. Forget I ever said anything. I made my own mess; I can clean it up.”
The turnaround was so abrupt. She sipped her tea and waited for the part where he asked her for a kidney.
He inhaled his cookie and washed it down with too hot coffee, sucking air through his teeth to cool off his mouth.
“Hot,” he said, shaking his head like he was surprised.
