“I think so. I dated her roommate in college.”
Jack gazed at him curiously. “Not the rich bitch who dumped you?”
Heat rushed to Scott’s face. That wasn’t his favorite time to remember. “Yeah, her, but Sarah felt bad about Patrice dumping me like she did. She’s kept in touch. I think she’ll be safe.”
Making the phone call, he breathed a sigh of relief when Sarah agreed. While they waited, he tried to make Jack more comfortable, removing his jacket and cleaning up more of his cuts. No way was his cousin fine though, no matter what he said. He kept drifting in and out of consciousness and his pain level was high when he tried to move. Internal injuries were the biggest fear he had. The stubborn man could be bleeding inside right now. Dying. And Scott was sitting here allowing himself to be talked out of getting a doctor’s help. But if Jack was right and someone had done this on purpose, going to a hospital might be exactly what they wanted.
“Scott,” Jack called out, pulling at his hand. “Favor for me.”
“Anything, you name it.”
“If something happens to me, take care of Callie and Jonathan.”
“It goes without question. You don’t even need to ask. But you said you were fine, so I’m sure it won’t come to that.”
“Not only now. I need to get rid of Cabrini. Callie needs a man around the house.”
“Sure, I’ll simply move in,” he teased, hoping to lighten the situation.
“Yeah, marry her. Be Jonathan’s dad. You’d be great.”
What the hell? How could Jack even be thinking this way? “I’m not going to marry Callie when she’s in love with you.”
“But if I’m not around…”
“I think you hit your head harder than you thought. Callie certainly doesn’t want to marry me.”
“She likes you, respects you.” His voice was growing weaker. “She’s easy to love. You could do it.”
“We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves now. Let’s wait until Sarah gets here before we start reading your will. We’re going to stop Victor up at some point. Might need to call in the guys for reinforcements soon. Now get some rest.”
His most immediate worry was finding somewhere for Jack to stay while he recuperated. This trailer was out of the question. The place wasn’t safe for him anymore. And if Cabrini figured out their relationship, his apartment wouldn’t be safe either.
Maybe Heather would know somewhere. Her family had dozens of houses they never used. She offered them on numerous occasions. But Jack could hardly stay in one by himself. In his condition, he’d need someone taking care of him.
He smiled, remembering Callie and Jonathan were visiting with Heather in Vermont. Yeah, that might work if they were willing. Jack would be thrilled to see his son again, and Callie too. His cousin couldn’t hide his feelings for the woman who had given birth to their child. And as much as Callie tried to hide her feelings, too, they were quite apparent. Now to get Heather to suggest it. He knew exactly what he’d say.
* * * *
“It’s wonderful you and Jonathan decided to join me here for a few weeks, Callie.”
Callie looked around the spacious chalet and smiled at Heather. “I’m glad we came too. I need to simply relax and not think about everything that’s been going on lately. To get away from Victor’s presence. Even though he lives in New Jersey, it still seems like he’s there whenever I turn around. These past few days have been great and I’m sure by the end of next week, I won’t want to leave.”
Heather smiled slyly. “You know you can always stay here permanently if you wanted. My parents don’t use this place any more. If they want to ski, they go to Vale or Aspen.”
“I appreciate the offer, but my job is in Connecticut and even though I can do most of it from home, I still need to check in at the office every now and then. But not for the next two weeks. For now, I am free.”
The tone of Heather’s phone sounded and she quickly pressed the button to answer, mouthing, “I hope that didn’t wake up Jonathan.”
Callie shook her head. Not much woke her son when he was napping. At Heather’s indrawn breath, she paid closer attention to the conversation.
“You should definitely bring him here. He’ll be safe and we can take care of him. We’ll see you in a few hours.”
“What happened?”
Heather swallowed then her gaze turned concerned. “Jack was hurt on the construction site last night. It’s possible someone pushed a stack of lumber on top of him. He thinks one of Victor’s men may have found him there.”
“Is he all right? How bad is he hurt? Should he be in a hospital?”
