Kaleb shook his head and waved a hand. “Nora, I don’t like you like that. Whatever you think is wrong. I’ve been nice. I’ve been around because Jade is my sister. Brandon is my best friend.”
“But you look at me,” I said, cutting him off.
Kaleb scoffed. “I look at a lot of people, Nora. That doesn’t mean I want to date them.”
I didn’t think I could feel worse, but I did. I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. I bit on my cheek. “So, you feel nothing? You’re telling me that there wasn’t a single moment? Not one?”
Kaleb ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Nora, I’m not going to sit and talk about this with you. I’ve made it clear that I don’t feel anything for you like that. I won’t ever feel anything for you like that. I’m sorry if you got the wrong impression.”
I suddenly grew angry. “You bring me coffee, and you ask about my day. You even bought me flowers once. I don’t…”
“Nora, this feeling you have is one-sided. Please, stop mistaking my kindness for something more.”
I felt tears build up, and I bit hard onto my cheek. I looked away and swallowed. I squeezed my eyes closed, suddenly wishing I’d never said anything.
I turned. “Sorry. Tell Jade I left because I wasn’t feeling well.” I grabbed my purse from the counter and hurried toward the door. I didn’t bother to listen to whatever Kaleb was going to say. I didn’t care. I should have known better than to open my heart up. Just because Jade got her happily ever after didn’t mean I would.
Chapter 2 - Kaleb
I sighed heavily as I pinched at my eyes, looking away from the paperwork that Brandon sent me. But my mind traveled back to the last conversation I had with Nora. I knew I had been a little harsh, but I could see just how hopeful she was when she spoke. If I weren’t abrupt and rude, I knew she wouldn’t let me go.
I lied when she said she was sure I felt the same, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. Since returning home and seeing the shape of the pack, I knew I would never take a mate.
Growing up as the son of Dale, my life had always been a balancing act. I wanted to please my father but also stand up for Jade. But it was enough, so I figured maybe if I left, things would be okay. Nora was supposed to go off to school, and if I were out of the house, maybe our father would change.
I’d been wrong. Coming back, I listened to the way he spoke about Jade and being a single mother. I always hated how he spoke about our mother and just how deeply his viewpoints were embedded. I saw it when we came back. I knew if I wanted to help the pack and be a good part of it, I wouldn’t be able to balance it all like I had before.
I never wanted to be like my father. I didn’t want to grow up and focus so much on the job that I neglected my wife. I didn’t want to view one child as more important than the other. I never wanted to follow in his footsteps.
And a way to make sure that never happened was to never settle down. I could find happiness in being the best brother for my sister and being the fun uncle for Ilsa. I didn’t need to look for anything more.
“What are you doing?” I looked up from my papers as my father stepped into the kitchen. He walked to the coffee maker, starting it up. I pulled my papers into a neat stack. I made sure he never saw what I was working on. “Just some stuff for Brandon.”
I never gave my father details about what was going on. I knew better than to give him ammunition for whatever war he was trying to wage. Ever since his big blowout with Brandon, it seemed my father was extremely interested in what we were doing.
My father’s eyes looked at the papers before looking back up at me. “What are your plans today?”
“I have a meeting with Brandon and the guys in an hour. Jade and I are going to the farmers’ market later today.” I glanced at my phone, knowing I needed to shower before I left. I grabbed my papers and pulled myself up. “What are your plans today?”
“Lunch with a friend.”
I gave my father a nod before heading down the hallway. I took a quick shower and headed to City Hall, where Brandon’s office was. I found him flipping through some statistics that were on his desk, and I threw myself into a chair.
“Welcome in,” he said without looking up from his papers. “The door is always open,” he added sarcastically.
I gave half a laugh as I rolled my neck. “Where are the others? I thought the meeting was for now.”
Before Brandon could answer, Asher and Westley stepped inside. They both looked tired, and I knew it was because they were doing scouting for over nights. Brandon hada schedule where at least one of us had to be awake at all times. Just in case.
“Can we make this quick? I’m exhausted,” Westley said as he sank into a chair next to me. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his black hair looked wet like he’d just showered.
“Long night?” I asked.
The guys nodded. Asher rubbed at his neck. “We had a hybrid that came close to the border, so we went hunting. We lost it. Westley went to bed for a couple of hours, and I stayed up. We’re both going to sleep after this.”
“Was it just one?” Brandon asked.
They both nodded. “Yeah, just the one. We haven’t seen one in a couple of weeks, so it caught us all off guard.”
