“That’s what you were doing on the phone?”
He nodded.“Amongst other things, but yeah.She needed something better than the local pet-friendly motel.Something to take the edge off of what’s going to be a huge pain in the ass to fix, but not too far from her job and community.”
He’d thought of all that?Her heart squeezed.“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.”
“I’ll pick up the cost,” she insisted.
He flicked the packet again.“It’s already taken care of.”
“I have a bunch of Dominic’s money sitting in a trust.I can use—”
“It’s taken care of.”
His expression showed no willingness to negotiate.Appreciation swelled in her chest.She reached across the table and grabbed his hand.“Thank you.”
“We need to go to my office to debrief.After we get Alicia squared away, we can hit the road.”
“What happens after we talk at your office?”
“They’ll have a safehouse ready for us by then.”
A glimmer of excitement and nerves spun in her belly.“Who will be there with us?”
His eyes narrowed.“Is there someone you want to bring along?”
She shook her head.Alone in a house with Callum?With nothing to do except wait for a meeting.“No one else.”
Mauve arrived with their food, and they thanked her.Callum dug into his overflowing plate.The quiet didn’t keep her mind from sprinting through what was to come.No distractions.No roommates.No reason to ignore what they’d started.She couldn’t wait until they were alone.
Except… he terrified her.
She did not know where his supposed long-term interest had come from.He might not realize this was nothing more than a curiosity or an itch that needed scratching.He’d been the one sharing.She was the one who had always wanted him, and when—if?—this all came crashing down, he’d walk away unscathed, and she’d be more shattered than from anything Dominic had put her through.
But Callum wouldn’t hurt her.And if he said they had a future, even if she couldn’t see how it would work, then she should trust him enough to give them a chance.
Wait.
He hadn’t said they had a futurenow, only that theywould haveif the past were different.Her subconscious was making promises when none had been given.They didn’t live in the same places, though she didn’t actually live in any one place.And her brother would go ballistic if he thought about them together.
But again, she was an adult.He’d get over it.Still, Grace didn’t even understand why Callum had left the Army.There were so many unknowns that idealizing the future was unrealistic.
She cut her pancakes.“Hayden will freak out about the fire.”
“He’ll be fine.”Callum pushed hash browns onto his fork.“Out of everything he can get upset over, a broken window won’t—”
“It was a Molotov cocktail.”
“You’re not hurt.He’ll be interested in why it happened, but he won’t freak out.”
“You know him better than I do, I guess.”Maybe she could ease Callum into the discussion about the Army.“Did you think you’d both get into West Point?”
His eyes narrowed.He chewed the hash browns for a long time.“We didn’t compare stats.”
“What does that mean?You both wanted to join the Army.That was a great way to—”
“Why are you asking?”
