“That’s not up to you, Daddy. That’s up to me. You can’t control emotions. They just happen. And maybe I made a fool of myself with Joey Mac.” More tears rolled down her cheeks. “Maybe I feel hurt and embarrassed and like a complete fool. But I’d rather be a fool who tries for love than an unhappy, lonely person like you who refuses to love again.” With a sob, she ran out the open bay door.
Cal tried to go after her, but his daughter was one fleet-footed teenager. By the time he got outside, she was already halfway down Main Street.
“She didn’t stay long at the party, sir.”
Cal turned to see Nathan standing by his truck. “How do you know that if you were at rehearsal?”
“Because I didn’t pick her up at the party. I picked her up at Miss Applegate’s.”
“Jolene’s?”
Nathan nodded.
Cheyenne had been with Jolene last night? Jolene hadn’t said a word about it when she called. She’d said she was tired and going to bed early. A lot of emotions hit Cal all at once—hurt being the main one. Cal had come to trust Jolene. He’d felt like she was the one woman he could completely count on to be honest with him. But she’d out-and-out lied to him. And it hurt almost as much as when Clarissa had left him. He knew it was foolish to compare Jolene to Clarissa. Their betrayals were on two completely different levels. Clarissa had lied about loving him. Jolene had just lied about his daughter being with her. But if she could lie about that so easily, she could lie about other things. Like feelings and emotions. And Cal couldn’t survive falling in love with a woman he couldn’t trust.
Falling in love?
The thought totally blindsided him. He wasn’t in love with Jolene Applegate. They had a no strings, no attachments relationship. He’d made that perfectly clear.
But if the hurt he felt was any indication, his heart had completely ignored him.
Chapter Thirteen
Jolene glancedat the clock on the wall and smiled. Only forty-three minutes until closing. Only a little over an hour until she’d be back in Cal’s arms. She’d missed him last night. She had made a special dinner from a chicken casserole recipe she’d found online and had borrowed a folding table and chairs from the bank’s break room so they’d have a place to eat.
Once she had everything ready, she’d realized she’d forgotten the salad dressing and had run to the Simple Market to get some. She was on her way back when she discovered Cheyenne. The poor thing had looked so forlorn there was no way Jolene could’ve left her alone. Once she brought Cheyenne home, she’d put the casserole in the refrigerator and called Cal to cancel. Jolene probably should’ve told him his daughter was at her house. But she sympathized with Cheyenne. Her own teenage years had been tough and made even tougher by an overprotective father who got mad first and asked questions later.
Still, Cal needed to know the truth. And Jolene planned to tell him tonight—once she’d butteredhim up with chicken casserole, a bottle of expensive wine, and some sweet loving.
She smiled. Their loving was sweet . . . and hot. Cal knew exactly where to touch her to make her melt. And she knew exactly where to touch him. After Kyle broke their engagement, she’d worried that her performance in the bedroom had been one of the reasons he left. But Cal’s response to her lovemaking had disabused her of that idea. She loved to make him moan and beg for more. Her newfound sexual confidence had turned her into a truly wicked woman.
She pushed off with her feet and whirled around in her office chair, giggling with glee. When she finally slowed to a stop, she checked the clock again. Maybe she wouldn’t wait until closing time to leave. Maybe she’d take off early and spend a little more time getting ready. She’d ordered some sexy lingerie and it had arrived yesterday. Maybe she’d greet Cal in nothing but the black lacy bra, thong panties, and her pink high heels. If her father got mad at her for leaving early, who cared? He couldn’t fire her. She was part owner of the bank. As an owner, she could make her own hours.
With the decision made, she shut down her computer, locked up her files, and grabbed her purse from the bottom desk drawer. She had just started to open the door when the phone rang. She thought about ignoring it. But what if it was Cal?
She headed back to her desk and picked up the receiver. “Hello. This is Jolene Applegate.”
“And this is Charlotte Applegate.”
“Lottie!” Jolene hugged the phone to her ear as if it were her sister. “I’m so glad you called. You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to call you, but I didn’t want to interrupt your tropical vacation. So how is Maui? I bet it’s amazing.”
“It’s pretty amazing.” Charlotte hesitated. “But not as amazing as the engagement ring on my finger.”
Jolene’s eyes widened as she flopped back down in the chair. “Matthew asked you to marry him?”
Charlotte released a squeal that almost broke Jolene’s eardrum. “Yes!” She continued to talk in a high-pitched excited voice that had Jolene switching to speaker. “It was the most romantic thing in the world, Jojo. He took me to this restaurant right by the ocean and after we finished eating an amazing dinner—complete with champagne—he suggested that we go for a walk on the beach. And right there on the sand, glittering in the moonlight, were these beautiful shells. They spelled outMarry Me.” Her voice thickened with tears. “Then he got down on one knee and pulled out this gorgeous diamond ring.”
Jolene couldn’t help it. She started crying. “Oh, Lottie. I’m so happy for you.”
“I know you are.” Charlotte sobbed right along with her. “You’ve always been happy for my happiness. You are the best sister a girl could have. And I wanted to call you last night, but with the time change, it was too late. And then this morning . . . Matthew and I kinda slept in.”
Jolene laughed and wiped at her eyes. “I’msure sleeping was all you were doing. So tell me everything about this amazing vacation.”
Charlotte was happy to comply. While she described in detail her wonderful Hawaiian adventures, Jolene should’ve felt jealous. She didn’t. A vacation in sunny Hawaii might be fun, but it didn’t compare to the fun Jolene had been having right here in Simple. It was the best stay-cation ever. Complete with a hot mechanic who knew how to spark her plugs.
“So what about you?” Charlotte cut into her thoughts. “What have you been up to? Let me guess. You’ve been working at the bank until late, then going home to read. You really need to start having some fun, Jojo.”
A smug, satisfied smile spread over Jolene’s face. “Actually, I have been having fun.” She paused for only a second before she revealed her secret to her sister. “I’ve been having a secret affair.”
