Caleb Anderson: Berkley’s Bastards – Billionaire Romance (Berkley's Bastards Book 1)

by Kathi S. Barton

  “Mom wanted to help them through me.” Gus nodded. “All right. I’ve never been able to say no to her, and I don’t think now is a good time to start. So where is this Joey person? I’m sure you have enough information on him that I can hunt for him.”

  “I do. He’s actually not far from here, about an hour’s drive in the direction of Cincinnati. Joey had a job when he got out of the service, but that has since dried up. The place moved to another state, and while they offered employment to those that wanted it, there wasn’t the means for him to be able to move. With the cost of the funeral he’s still paying for, as well as trying to get his life back on track, it’s making it difficult for him to make ends meet.” Caleb looked at the picture of the other man. “I think you can see the resemblance between the two of you. Same eye color, as well as that dark hair. Your mom was a blonde, so you must have gotten it from him.”

  “Do you have a picture of him? This Berkley person?” He handed him a glossy 8x10, obviously a driver’s license photo. Stuck to the back of it was another photo. “I have no idea why, but I didn’t think he’d look this worn down. I figured for some reason he’d be a swagger-ish sort of man with dark curly hair and a mustache. He’s a good deal older than I thought he’d be too.”

  “You have to remember that you were conceived twenty-seven years ago. He was only in his early thirties at the time. He may well have been swagger-ish back then. I heard from those that knew him that he was slick. A pedophile, of course, but he could charm the skin off a rattler if he wanted something. Since no one would go after him when it came to having him in jail, he continued his reign of terror throughout the area until he was killed one night in a bar fight. Another specialty of his. Drinking.”

  “And I’m related to this charming person.” They both laughed, and he looked at the photo of the man. “Do you think it’s possible that one or two of the women got tired of him and his ways and hired someone to kill him in the fight? It would be something I’d do, I think.”

  “Possible. But I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. Are you?” He said he wasn’t. “By the way, I’ve heard from the Andersons. They said they had some things of your mother’s that they’d like to send here to you. Since I wasn’t sure what it might be, I had them send it. I hope that is all right.”

  “Yes. I’ve packed up a few albums that Mom put together and am taking them back with me when I go there in a couple of days. Kylie is working with the Andersons indirectly through Tabby Tillman. I told you about her.” Gus said she was a good person. “I hope so. I like her. And Kylie. Arthur is working out well with me. He’s very quiet, which I like until he has all his ducks in a row, then he speaks. He has some good ideas for the business the Andersons have.”

  “I spoke to Kylie last night. She said Tabby has some good ideas for the place. I did a quick check on Anderson Diversified. They’re a good company with some pots on the fire, so to speak. I think they could do much more, and from what Kylie was saying, they’ll be making a good profit in no time. She’s also hoping to bring morale up in the place.” He asked if it had anything to do with Shep being gone. “I asked. She said that few people had ever seen him, so it wasn’t like he was a big deal to them. However, Tabby was making a name for herself, I think, while she was running the organization.”

  “Good. She has the temperament for it. She reminds me a little of Mom in that she doesn’t hold back when she has something on her mind. I really like that about her.” Gus looked at him with a cocked brow. “Yes, all right? I really like her. She’s calming to me in ways I’ve never realized I needed before. And she makes me laugh. The last few months hasn’t had a great deal of anything to laugh about.”

  They spoke about a few other things in the will. Caleb received the bulk of the estate, and it was a huge one. Money went to the town for some things that Mom had been working on. Also, a scholarship had been set up for students that wished to go to college that didn’t have the means. That meant, he thought, about anyone in their town. Also, she’d left enough money for the football stadium, as well as the field, to be overhauled. They had enjoyed a great many Friday nights at the local field, and she wanted to make sure the kids had new uniforms as well.

  “What do you want me to do with the things she had in her safety deposit box? I’m not sure what would be in there after all this time, but the bank notified me that it was still sealed up.” Caleb asked him if he could take care of it for him. “Yes. I just need you to sign the paperwork for me to go in as your power of attorney.”

  Signing off on that, he leaned back in his chair and regarded the other man. “You’re not going to be my attorney anymore, are you?” Gus laughed and told him his mother would have been proud of him for being point-blank about it. “Don’t stall, Gus. Are you enjoying being the judge? I’m to understand that you’ve been offered the position. You should take it.”

  “I’ve not decided just yet. I’m leaning toward it, to be honest with you. My missus, she would have been so proud had she been around. I’m finding it’s not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I’ve been in this town long enough to know about every person that has a record, and then some.” He laughed a little. “Besides, I think my grandkids would murder me if I were to come back to working with you. They’re enjoying it very much. And Arthur was telling me that you already have him working on a couple of projects.”

  “He thinks outside the box.” Gus told him he’d never done that. “Not true. You have done it, but Arthur, he is spinning wheels in his mind all the time, and I’m thinking he’ll work well with me. Long term. I also see Kylie keeping him in line should he stew too long about anything. She’s a marvel at Post-it notes. I bet she has stock in the company.”

  “She might well have. I like the way she organizes them, too—by importance by color. Arthur has a notebook that he carries around. I’ve never actually seen him use it, but he has it in his pocket with a number two pencil that I think he used in grade school.”

  They spoke about this and that. Nothing earth-shattering, but it was nice to bounce ideas off him about upcoming projects. Gus also told Caleb that the transfer of Kylie and Arthur being his attorneys from now on wouldn’t cause any kind of ripple. Their names had been on his stationery for some time now.

  “I suppose I should ask you about their pay, but I’m so happy with them that I don’t care. I mean, I do, but they’re worth it.” Gus thanked him and said that Kylie’s pay was being paid by the Andersons. “I guess since she now works with them, that it should be. Arthur is going to be paid by me, so you can set that up for me, right?”

  “I can. Perks too?” He said for both of them if the Anderson’s didn’t provide them. “I believe they have, but I’ll check into that. When do you leave?”

  “The day after tomorrow. I have some things here in town that I need to see to. The building that Mom had started on before she got ill is finished and ready to be approved. I started working on the mockup before she passed away.” He thought about not having his mom at the house. “The house isn’t the same, Gus. It’s too quiet and lonely. Every place I go in it, there is another jolt of memories that take me back. None of them are bad memories. Mom and I made a great many good ones in that house. But she’s gone, and I can’t stand the place anymore.”

  “You want to put it on the market?” He said he was thinking on it. “All right. Wherever you go, you know that Mary and Ben will go with you. Even though they could officially retire, I think they might enjoy new digs as well.”

  He was shaking his head before Gus finished. “I talked to Mary about it this morning. She said that with the money Mom left them, they’re going to get them a home out west. Mary has some family out there, and she thought perhaps the weather would be good for Ben too.” He thought about it for a moment. “If you’ll have the things moved out of the house and put into storage, for now, I’ll have it put on the market. I’m not sure where I’
ll live for the moment, but I’ll find something.”

  He thought about the houses he’d seen where the Andersons lived and dismissed that. Living near them might be what they wanted, but Caleb was still coming to terms with things, and he wasn’t going to make a long-term commitment until he figured things out.

  After getting things set up for the move, he decided he’d had enough excitement for one day. Heading home, he thought about the projects here that were ongoing and realized none of them required him to live in the town he’d grown up in for them to be finished. He found himself by the apartment complex he and his mother had lived in when she’d been going to college, and he’d been nothing more than a kid.

  The place had been condemned about five years ago. When they’d been living there, he remembered all kinds of things that were wrong with the apartment the two of them were in. Windows were broken, and plastic had been put over them. There hadn’t been any air conditioner either, so having the broken window had served them well, he supposed. One burner on the stove had been a pain, but his mom had made it an adventure. Everything with her had been something of an adventure.

  “I miss you so much, Mom.” Pulling out of the drive, he made his way home. “I’m going to have myself a journey, I think. I’m going to go out to your parents’ house, get to know them, and then work from there. I have no idea what that might bring to me, and right now, I don’t know that I care all that much. I’m going to let myself flow with the current. And if I don’t care for this one, I’m sure I can think about getting myself into another one fairly quickly.”

  Caleb was excited now, more so than he’d been in some time. Going into the house, he saw Mary in the living room and hugged her tightly. When he moved back from her, she looked up at him with both surprise and love.

  “I’m putting the house on the market.” She smiled at him and told him she thought that was a very good idea. “I have them on occasion. Also, I’m going to have everything put into storage. I want you and Ben to take whatever it is you want. I’ve only just decided to start fresh someplace. Anything and everything is up for grabs.”

  “My goodness, that’s a change from the young man that left here this morning. What got into you? Not that I mind—it sure would be nice to have some of the things here, if you’re sure.” He told her that he was positive. “Then we’ll go through it. I’m so proud of you, Caleb. I know your mother would be as well. She wanted this for you. To get on with your life.”

  “I miss her terribly, but staying here, I won’t be able to move on. I think this house holds too many memories for me to go out and make my own.” He wiggled his brows at her. “Not to mention, I might get myself laid faster if I don’t have to travel so far to my bed.”

  “Go on you.” She smacked him on the arm, and he laughed with her. “Met someone, have you? What’s she like? Will I approve?”

  “I don’t know if I’ve met that someone yet. But I do like this woman named Tabby.” He’d been thinking about her a great deal since he’d left. “I’ll make sure you meet her before you move away. Or we can come out and visit you if it goes that far. She’s nice. And she is beautiful. I don’t know how she feels about me, because frankly, I’m afraid to ask her. She’ll have no trouble pointing out my many flaws.”

  “Good for her. She isn’t going to be a pushover to you.” He laughed when Mary did, feeling better more and more about all this. “You remember what your mother told you, young man. Don’t you dare use that thing for sex unless you know you can afford the consequences of your actions. Understand me?”

  “I do. More than anyone. Yes, I’ll be good.” He hadn’t thought of sex with Tabby, but now that it was mentioned, he could see them having a nice— “Mary, you’re going to be ever so proud of me. All of you will.”

  “See that I am.”

  Whistling, he made his way to his room. There was little here that he couldn’t live without. It had been nothing more than a place to sleep for a long time. But he was going to change that when he started over. He was going to maybe hire a decorator to make his house into a home if that was how it worked. Whatever he did, he was going to enjoy every moment that came his way.

  ~*~

  Tabby caught herself thinking of Caleb again and shook off the thoughts as best she could. The damned man had only been around her for one day, and she was acting like a lovesick cow now. The laughter behind her had her turning toward it.

  “Thinking of Caleb again, were you?” She asked Kylie how she knew. “Ah, so you are thinking of him. Good. He’s a wonderful man. And he’s got a good head on his shoulders. Unlike most of the men I date, he also has a job.”

  Tabby sat down in her chair. “I don’t know what it is about him that has me thinking about him. A random thought will pop into my head, and I find myself thinking of what he’d think about it or something. Anyway, what do you have for me today?” She handed her the paperwork that had color-coded sticky tabs on them. “This is wonderful how you give them to me in order of importance for the day. I know you’re not my secretary, but I do hope you train mine so that she’s this efficient.”

  “No one would be nearly as efficient as my sister.” They both turned to Arthur when he spoke. “Caleb will be coming by to see you this afternoon. He has some things he’d like to talk to you about on another matter. I don’t know what it is, so don’t pepper me with questions I’m not going to be able to answer.”

  “When has that ever stopped me before?” Kylie took the paperwork he had and put it on the bottom of the stack she already had in her hands. “You should know that as per requested, I’ve set up your 401k the way you wanted it. All the money you were paid for back pay is now in your checking account. If I were you, I’d think about putting more of it into retirement. That way, you aren’t going to be in a larger tax bracket.”

  “All right.” Arthur sat down when Kylie did. “I know you said you didn’t know what Caleb was going to ask me, but do you know when he is returning? I’m just curious because Sheppard asks me every time I see him about the return. Like I’d have some sort of special knowledge.”

  She’d meant it as a joke, but it had failed miserably. Arthur seemed oblivious to her attempt, but Kylie laughed. Changing the subject again, she looked down at the paperwork in her hands and tried to read what was there. She was embarrassed.

  “He said he was coming in later this afternoon. I’ve been looking for places for him to rent while he’s here this time. It’s going to be an extended stay so he can get to know Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.” Kylie asked if he was looking for a home to buy or a rental. “I’ve been lining him up with not just houses, but a couple of sites that he can use for his work. And I wasn’t told on rental or purchases. He just wanted a place of his own while here.”

  “That’s nice, right? Getting to know his grandparents a little.” Tabby nodded but was thinking of something that had popped into her head. “What? I know that look. You’ve thought of something else, haven’t you? Like where he can live, perhaps?”

  “No. Nothing like that. I was wondering if he’d be able to design the lunchroom. I know it’s a small job, but the people I’ve contacted about a design want to charge nearly forty grand for them to just design the room. It’s just going to be a breakroom for the people that work here, for cripes sake.” Tabby knew it cost money to go to college, and having a degree was really expensive, and the contractors might need to recoup some of that money, but.... She shook her head as she continued. “I only wanted a room on each floor, so I could shove a bunch of vending machines in there so people could have a variety of things to eat and drink.”

  Arthur left them after a few minutes. Tabby had noticed that he and Kylie had lunch together every day. She wondered what they could have to talk about and realized it wasn’t any of her business.

  When Kylie left her as well, Tabby started working on her office. She’d not expected an office of such grand
eur. Not only was it large, with all kinds of features she’d never had before, but it had a view. A beautiful view of the trees that started a deep forest behind the parking lot that belonged to this place. The parking lot was well maintained too, so it wasn’t that much of a hardship to look out and enjoy the view.

  Tabby stacked the water she’d brought in near the fridge. The sucker was as full as she could get it now. Her plan had been to load it with fresh snacks, but that went out the window when she realized how much work she had to do now that she was in charge. There wasn’t any way she’d be able to run on just a few carrots and some dip. Smiling to herself, she was gathering up her trash just as her cell phone rang.

  “I’m so glad I caught you in your office. Do me a favor, please. Can you look out your window and see my car? I’m standing next to it.” She knew the voice but didn’t want to be too obvious about how happy she was to hear from Caleb. Tabby told him she could see him. “Good. Come down and enjoy lunch with me. I have a couple of things I want to talk to you about. I have fresh subs from Mario’s. I’m to understand they have a meatball sub that is out of this world.”

  “Kylie told you.” Caleb laughed and told her to come and join him. “All right, but you’ll have to help me put together two chairs that I got. When it said some assembly required, I didn’t know that meant I had to practically build them. And I don’t think anyone had any sort of knowledge of how few tools I have here. Or anywhere, for that matter.”

  “Usually, they send the tools you need along with the order. But I will gladly come to your rescue. Are you coming down to enjoy this lovely day and have a meatball sub with me?” He cursed. “I forgot drinks. Do you happen to have any water there?”