Inside, the house was quiet except for the ticking of the old grandfather clock in the hallway. I dumped the security equipment on the kitchen table and poured myself a cup of coffee.
“So,” Caleb said, leaning against the counter. “You gonna tell me what’s going on with you and the baker?”
I shot him a look. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Right.” He smirked. “That’s why you spent the night at her place.”
“I was keeping watch.”
“Keeping watch.” He nodded slowly. “Very noble. And completely platonic, I’m sure.”
I set my mug down harder than necessary. “Drop it, Caleb.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender, but his eyes remained calculating. “Just saying. You barely know this woman, and suddenly you’re installing more security systems in her already-secured house and acting as her bodyguard? She has a family to do that.”
“Never can have too many security systems in place.” When he looked unconvinced, I continued. “She’s in trouble, and I’m the closest neighbor she’s got.” I started sorting through the equipment, avoiding his gaze. “She’s got a kid.”
“Yeah, I noticed. Cute kid.” He paused. “Looks a bit like Melanie, doesn’t she?”
The comparison hit me like a physical blow. I hadn’t allowed myself to think it, but he was right. Something about Nora’s determined little frown, the way she tilted her head when she was curious—it reminded me painfully of my daughter.
“That has nothing to do with it,” I said, my voice tight.
Caleb watched me for a moment, then sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to bust your balls. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
The concern in his voice seemed genuine, which only made me more uncomfortable. Caleb had never been the protective type—that had always been myrole.
“I’m fine,” I said, zipping open one of the trail cameras to check the batteries. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” He moved closer, lowering his voice. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re getting involved in something dangerous. These threats, the mysterious ex—it’s not your fight, Jake.”
I looked up at him then, really looked at him. The brother I remembered had been cocky, self-assured, always ready with a smart remark. This Caleb was different—harder around the edges, with something haunted in his eyes.
“What happened to your hand?” I asked suddenly.
He glanced down at the bandage as if he’d forgotten it was there. “Told you. Caught it in a car door.”
“Bullshit. And the gash in your side?”
“Caught it on barbed wire. Look, believe what you want.” He shrugged. “We all have our secrets.”
The statement hung between us, loaded with implication. I thought about Ella’s confession, about my own carefully guarded past. About the text messages from an unknown number.
“Yeah,” I said finally. “I guess we do.”
I finished my coffee in silence, then started packing the security equipment into a duffel bag. Caleb watched from the doorway.
“You heading back to her place?” he asked.
I nodded. “Need to get this set up before dark.”
“Want me to come with you?”
I considered it, then shook my head. “Better if you stay here. Keep an eye on things.”
He didn’t argue, which surprised me. The old Caleb would have pushed, would have insisted on being in the middle of the action. Instead, he just nodded and said, “Call if you need backup.”
As I loaded the duffel into my truck, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was building—a storm gathering force just beyond the horizon. My instincts had saved my life more than once, and right now they were screaming that I was missing something important.
