by Alexa Davis
I got so swept up in planning my own dream, that I suddenly realized we’d spent hours longer than I’d planned, and I hadn’t updated Cal all day. When we got back to the site where Tucker and I had parked to carpool with Tom, I checked my phone, immediately anxious that she’d left so many more messages than I’d thought. When I opened them up, my blood chilled. Her last text made my chest constrict like it was in a vise.
“Bill is here. Don’t tell Dad. Come alone, and stay calm.” I showed my phone to Tucker, who instantly asked Jackson to hang out with him for the remainder of the day. I made my excuses and told Tom I’d see him later, then Xavi and I jumped in the truck and made the five-minute drive to Callie’s in a little over half that time. I opened the door silently, and carried my cane so it didn’t tap on the stone tiles of the floor as I walked in. Bill was sitting on the sofa in front of me, staring down at a bottle of water in his hands, Slinky cozied up against his knee.
I glanced around the corner and a wave of relief washed over me at the sight of Callie, unharmed and smiling as she prepared dinner. She handed me a bottle of water and suggested I sit down with the man I’d been chasing through the company paperwork for two weeks.
Bill didn’t say anything, and I didn’t know where to start. It didn’t surprise me that he’d come to us, but that he’d been alone with Callie after his actions up to that point made my gut clench. Xavi put his head on my lap and I ruffled his floppy ears while Callie headed out back to the grill. I inhaled the smell of coals and my mouth started to water at the sizzle of meat on the hot grill. It only took a moment for the smell of carne asada and lime to waft into the house through the open door. Both dogs perked up and ran outside to romp happily and beg for scraps of food.
“Bill, why’d you come here?” I finally asked once we were alone.
“I wanted to tell Callie I was sorry for hurting Slinky. I didn’t mean for it to happen, and I was truly sorry that it did.” I motioned to his hands.
“Didn’t you get those from saving her? I don’t think anyone figured your intention was to hurt a dog. You just wanted to cover your tracks, so we didn’t know it was you doing the stealing.” Bill laughed, a harsh, humorless sound.
“Don’t give me too much credit. I reckoned I was caught, all right. I was just mad that you figured it out so quick. I owe Tom a whole lot of hurt. When I couldn’t get it in the jobs, I thought I’d just make one last stand. If it hadn’t been for Callie’s pup, I would’ve claimed it right away.”
He scratched his head with the closed water bottle. “But, they’re working on passing that new law about hurting animals. Callie handed the petition around work, and I signed it, so I knew if I got in trouble for that sweet little thing being in there, I was done.” He stood up and shook himself before pacing the room.
“I don’t care about what I did to Tom. He deserves worse for what he did to us guys and his family. But, I sure don’t want to go to jail as an animal abuser. That didn’t sit well at all.”
My mouth gaped like a bass in a boat. I didn’t know where to even begin trying to unravel the things he said. I drank my water and glanced around the room for any distraction and saw the food Cal had already put out on the counter.
“Are you staying for supper?” I asked. His nod confirmed my suspicion. “Well, if Callie can invite you to stay, then I can show her enough respect to not drag you out of here and down to the station for the police to deal with.” I pushed the platter of chips and beans over to him. “But, you aren’t staying any longer than is polite. I don’t care how soft Cal’s heart is.”
Bill just nodded and picked at the tortilla chips. His head was bowed, and I didn’t know if I wanted to hit him or put my arm around him. I snarled my frustration and limped over to the fridge to grab a beer.
“Did you two talk yet?” Callie bumped the fridge closed on me and slid a platter of hot, fresh carne asada and grilled corn tortillas onto the counter.
“Not really, Miss Callie. We didn’t get very far into the conversation,” Bill admitted. He stared at the platter of meat until Callie shoved it in his direction, followed by her homemade guacamole and habanero salsa.
“Well, what you guys talk about isn’t really my business, but I think George deserves to know.”
“Wait. Know what?” I cut in, looking at Bill, who stared at the counter and sighed.
“Bill?” Callie asked again. He nodded and motioned with his hand for her to speak. “Remember how we talked about Dad’s affair, and him and Mom separating?” I nodded and she shrugged her shoulders.
“Dad was cheating with one of his employees. And, and she wasn’t single, either. I think Bill’s desire for revenge on the man who took his hard-earned joy from him is, well, I think it’s warranted.” She put a hand on each of Bill’s slouched shoulders. “I think the least he deserves for sacrificing his safety to save Slinky when he realized his mistake is a good dinner before we call the police.”
I picked my jaw up off the floor and shut my mouth with a snap. I couldn’t even imagine what I’d be capable of if someone I trusted had put me in Bill’s position. I took a long pull from my beer and exhaled a deep sigh.
“That’s why the money is still floating around the books, isn’t it?” I finally asked Bill. “I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t as cut and dry as it should’ve been. But, you weren’t doing it for money. You were doing it to break Tom’s contracts. You wanted him to be sued.”
“Best case, arrested and convicted of criminal fraud. But, I hadn’t had time with the books for a while because he put you on them instead.” He pointed at me with his water bottle. “God, I wish I’d left before I got sober.” I stared at him and he lifted his hands in surrender. “I was good, right up ‘til today. Today, I said ‘fuck it’ and bought a bottle of cheap whiskey…pardon my language, Miss Callie.” He dipped his head in apology as he tacked on the last for Cal’s benefit.
“Oh, please. Who do you think taught me to swear in the first place?” She rolled her eyes and plunked a couple more carne asada tacos on each of our plates.
I watched Bill eat and wondered how I was supposed to sleep at night, knowing I’d caused him more pain after everything Tom had done to him. No wonder Callie’s dad hadn’t wanted to call the police. He knew damn well what Bill had been trying to do and that he probably deserved it. I rubbed my face with a groan.
“Callie, we need to call your dad. And eventually, the police.” Her face fell and she glanced at Bill before nodding.
“I think Dad first. I’ll call and get him and Mom over here. Dad screwed us all when he decided he was too bored to stand up for his family and friends. He can damn well tell Mom and Bill to their faces why they get to be the ones who suffer for it.” She shoved a plate into the sink so hard it cracked in pieces, and she swore loudly as she fished the chunks of ceramic out and threw them away.
I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She hugged me back and slid the phone out of her pocket. She waved it above her head as she walked away, and Bill started cleaning up the dishes and food.
It wasn’t right that he’d potentially endangered the safety of the people who used Tom’s buildings. But, I was glad, that in the end, he’d never meant to get away with it, never intended for anyone to use the substandard structures.
I clapped him on the shoulder and tossed a dish towel over one shoulder. Together, we washed dishes while we waited for Bill’s ordeal to be over.
28. Callie
I called my mother and told her we needed to see both her and dad as soon as possible about Bill Allred. My father immediately took the phone and asked if I was all right. I let him know I was fine, but asked that he hurry to my place after letting him know George was with me. I rejoined the men who had begun cleaning up from dinner. I supposed it was a way to keep their hands busy while both of their (and my) hearts were sore and bruised to the point of breaking.
The life I’d counted on as a child, that had made me the person I was, s
eemed to be a stack of lies that had finally upended, tumbling me into a chasm of unhappy truths. My family was a lie. My father was not even half the man I, and everyone else around him, had thought.
I looked at George. The pure compassion in his eyes as he watched me across the counter was enough to bring me to tears, and I went outside to join Xavier and Slinky in the grassy dog run instead. I’d made dinner all by my lonesome. The two of them could clean it up.
I threw the ball for Slinky as Xavi watched closely. After four of five throws, he even chased the ball, but always let Slinky pick it up and bring it back. I smiled despite my mood. I couldn’t have imagined a better dog for George.
Even though my father turned out to be anything but the man he portrayed himself as, he’d spent so much time perfecting and showing me that face, that I’d been drawn to exactly the kind of person he taught me to be. Xavi reflected the characteristics George displayed: helpful, chivalrous, compassionate, strong, faithful, and charismatic. Everyone loved the man, and the more I saw of him, the more I was convinced that Xavier was the exact mutt-faced replica of his master.
A hand on my shoulder pulled me back to reality. I looked up into my mother’s face, pale and drawn with worry. I let her help me to my feet and gave her a hug. It was a long way from the apology I owed her, but I put my arm around her slender shoulders, and we walked into the house together, trailed by the pooches.
George was done with the kitchen and, true to form, had begun slicing the cake and plating it. I pointed to the freezer, and he grinned and pointed to the sink. In the bottom was the half gallon of ice cream I’d purchased earlier to go with the cake. He winked at me, earning himself a wan smile, and we sat everyone with a plate or a beer, as my father chose.
Bill hadn’t spoken since I’d come back in the house, and the mood over the room was gloomy and sad. I sat next to George and looked across at my father, who wore a scowl and glared at Bill while the other man stared at the floor. I hoped my dad did not mistake his posture for submission. I’d seen his face when he spoke of the pain Dad had caused him. He was lucky that there was a coffee table and three other people between them.
“Mom and Dad, I asked you to come here to talk to Bill. Or rather, to hear him out.” My dad grunted and raised an eyebrow at me.
“So, you’re taking sides against your old man?” he grumbled. I ignored him and spoke directly to my mother. “When I saw you with another man, I couldn’t get over the fact that you’d done it because what I saw splintered my image of my family. I’m so sorry.” I felt the hot sting of tears on the backs of my eyelids and sniffed. “I felt that Dad’s indiscretion was the lesser evil for me because it hadn’t been forced on me. It was selfish.”
I reached out for Bill’s hand and he looked up to meet my gaze. “Mom, did you know that Bridgette was engaged to Bill when she was sleeping with Dad?”
My mother’s face fell and she gulped hard. George leaned toward her as she paled and sank into her seat. She looked at Bill and shook her head.
“It never occurred to me that she wasn’t single, when we talked she said her fiancé had left her…I, I assumed she meant before she met Tom.” Bill scoffed.
“No, she and I were engaged when they met. In fact, I introduced them when Tom was looking for more office help. I guess I just wrongly assumed she’d be working at a desk for her paycheck.” My father jumped to his feet.
“Well, if you’re done with your pity party, it’s time for us to call the police. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I’m not going to just sit here and be maligned by the two of you.”
“Actually, Daddy, that’s exactly what you’re going to do.” His eyes flew wide, and I felt George stiffen at my side, ready to leap into action. I put my hand on his knee and gave him a little squeeze. “Sit down, Dad. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“I’m ready to go in anytime, Miss Callie. You don’t have to put yourself or your family through this for my sake.” I glanced over at my mom.
“No, this is going to be okay. Hang tight, Bill.” I took a deep breath and continued. “Dad, you forced your employees to be complicit in your deceit. They had to cover for you when Mom or I came around, didn’t they? They had to lie to Bill when they’d seen you together and lie to me when I dropped by unexpectedly.”
I knew there had been a time when the guys had treated me with kid gloves, but I’d always thought it was because George was away fighting, not because my father was screwing his secretary. I considered voicing the opinion, but looking around the room, I could see variations of exactly what I was feeling on the faces of my mother, George, and Bill.
“So, why are we all here then, Callie? To punish me more for something I’ve already apologized for and given up?”
“Have you?” My head jerked toward my mother. “When you come home late, are you working?”
“Of course I am. I love you. I promised I would never stray again.”
“You promised that the day we married, and you didn’t keep that promise very well.” My mother held up a hand. “I don’t want to argue in front of Callie or our friends. But, Tom, I won’t have your indiscretion looming over my shoulder for the rest of our marriage.” She fell silent and shook her head.
Bill stood up and paced the room, and I motioned to my father to sit down. The room was suddenly much smaller than I would have preferred with the former friends circling each other like sharks in bloody water.
“I lost everything, and I wanted you to know what it felt like to lose. I have no excuse for that. But, you still have almost all your money, your wife, your daughter, and I’ll be going to jail. So, I guess the lesson was for me, not you.”
“I don’t want you in jail, Bill.” My father sank into the nearest seat cushion, next to my mother on the love seat. “I want to forget anything happened. But, when you started the fire, you took all the power to make this right out of my hands.” Bill nodded.
“I know. I know that I made things worse for me than I ever could’ve for you. It just figures, huh? You get to be a lying, cheating bastard and get away with it. I get jail time for flaming a decrepit old trailer that would’ve burned down by itself someday, just from the faulty wiring.”
My dad leaned forward like he was going to launch himself at his old foreman, but my mother shoved him back, harder than I thought she had the strength for.
“Callie, George, please take Bill outside. My husband and I need to talk.” I hadn’t seen my mother this ice cold since the day I’d lied about a car accident I’d been in that totaled her car. It wasn’t the damage to the car that had made her so angry I was truly afraid, but the lie I’d told, which was weak at best, had put her over her violence threshold.
Without a word, George, Bill, and I escaped with the dogs into the backyard. The men sequestered themselves in the dog run with the animals, but I peeked through the leaves of my lemon tree at my parents inside the house.
I couldn’t hear what they said, but my father was still seated and my mother shoved down on his shoulders every time he tried to stand. I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid for him, or that he’d snap and hurt her. I snuck a look over my shoulder at George and Bill. They were standing near the gate to the run, throwing the ball for the dogs. Still, there was something in the way they stood that told me they were ready to run in if needed.
I turned my attention back to my parents just in time to see my mother draw back and slap my father, hard enough that his head snapped back like it was on a swivel. In an instant, all three of us were in the door, and I put myself between them. My mother was white-faced and still, not taking her eyes off her husband. I risked a look over my shoulder, where my dad was rubbing his jaw.
“Okay, Lanie, I get your point. And, Callie, you can stand down. I’ve never lifted a hand to your mother before, I’m not about to start now.” He leaned to one side to peer around me. “Are we getting closer to even yet?” he asked her drily. She nodded and massaged her hand.
“Closer. You sti
ll feel like sticking it out with me?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“Why not? I’ve always preferred living on the edge.” I looked back and forth between them, feeling a static shock threading between them.
“Gross.” I moved away from them both and grounded myself against the solid heat of George’s chest. “You two are going to go home and have angry sex, aren’t you?” I made the question a statement, and George shuddered behind me.
“No sex until Thomas fixes the mess he made.” He opened his mouth to argue, but Mom raised a finger and stopped him dead and his mouth shut with a snap. “You made this mess when you decided that everything you had just wasn’t quite enough. Well, I’m telling you, if you don’t want to lose half your business, your house, cars, and a healthy chunk of your business, you are done living in the fast lane and you will put your family first. Bill is family.”
My father nodded and held out a hand to Bill, who looked shell-shocked and suspicious.
“Bill, I went to high school with Cathy. We had barbeques, and you sat with us when Callie was a baby and she went into the hospital. I can only say that I did not chase Bridgette, no matter what she told you. But, that doesn’t negate what I did or how it affected you. I won’t be pressing any charges. And that’s only partly because my wife would kill me in my sleep,” he drawled.
“Never!” gasped my mother in response. “I’d make it look like an accident…probably on a job site. Maybe a bad electrical fire. Just a tragedy.” She glared balefully at him.
“Put some thought into that, didn’t you?” he groused.
“Poetic justice. No planning required, just inspiration.” She stepped forward until they were nose-to-nose. “If I didn’t love you so damn much, you wouldn’t even be getting this chance. But, I believe in you, Thomas Drake. So, make it right.” She reached up and touched his cheek gingerly, and he winced. George wrapped his arms around me and held me in place.
