When We Found Home

by Susan Mallery

  He hurried inside but came to an abrupt stop as he saw his brother being led away in handcuffs.

  “What is going on?” he demanded.

  The cops ignored him and Paulo didn’t look at him or say anything. Santiago started to follow, but stopped when he saw Callie and Malcolm. Malcolm made sense but Callie?

  She saw him and went pale. For a second, he thought she was going to run, but why? And what about his brother?

  “Tell me what the hell is happening,” he demanded as he approached. “Why is Paulo being arrested? What have you been doing here? Dammit, Malcolm, if you’re screwing with my family...”

  “It was Paulo,” Malcolm told him. “He was the one stealing from us. He set up the whole thing and wanted one last score before we computerized the rest of the warehouse.”

  Santiago stared at him. “No way. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “He did it.”

  “You made a mistake.”

  Callie looked at him. “It was him,” she said quietly. “He blackmailed me into helping him because he knew about my past and he wanted to pin the whole thing on me. He said he messed with the alarm and the security system. He said he could get into the accounting programs, so you’ll want to check that.”

  He didn’t believe her. He couldn’t. “You’re lying.”

  Malcolm stepped between them. “She was wearing a wire, Santiago. We all heard him.”

  He couldn’t believe it. “Not my brother. I got him this job. He’s family. He would never...” He glared at Callie as anger burned hot and bright. “What did you do to him?”

  “Me? I didn’t do anything. He threatened me. I went to Malcolm right away. And if you’re going to ask why I didn’t tell you, this is the exact reason.” She swallowed. “I knew when it came to your family, you would side with them regardless and I was right.”

  She took a step toward him and met his gaze. “You’re wrong about me and you’re wrong about your brother. I didn’t do anything, but you can’t see that, can you? It can’t possibly be Paulo. He’s one of you and I’m just that piece of ass.”

  He flinched. “I never said that. You’re not being fair.”

  “Me? What about you? You’re accusing me of setting him up. Of making this happen. What else am I supposed to think?”

  She was making sense, only he couldn’t seem to believe her. Someone had to be to blame and it couldn’t be his brother.

  “He’s family. I have to stand with my family. He’s the one who—”

  She took a step back. “Matters. He’s the one who matters. You’re right. It was never going to be me, was it? Because for all you said, all you promised, in the end, I’m just the girlfriend and they’re your family.” She looked at Malcolm. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

  “You don’t have to. I’ll take you home right now.”

  He took Callie’s hand and pushed past Santiago. Together they walked out of the warehouse.

  Santiago stood staring after them. He should go talk to her, he thought. Tell her...

  Tell her what? That it was okay? It wasn’t. What she’d done couldn’t be forgiven. She was right—family was family and she was just...

  He sucked in a breath, not sure how to define exactly who she was. Not that it mattered. He had bigger problems than her walking out on him.

  chapter thirty

  Callie spent Tuesday morning with the Alberto’s Alfresco attorney, giving her statement to the police. Once the paperwork was signed, she went back to the warehouse to start her shift. While parking, she realized she hadn’t bothered to tell her supervisor that she would be in late. As she considered her options, hysterical laughter, brought on by exhaustion, threatened. She supposed she could simply tell him she was part owner and that she was giving herself an excused tardy. That would go over really well.

  She hadn’t slept at all the previous night. Of course she was upset about what had happened with Paulo but what really got her was her conversation with Santiago.

  She’d believed him, had trusted him and in the end, he’d betrayed her. He hadn’t even once thought about the situation from her point of view. When push had come to shove, he’d walked away from her. She’d been busy falling in love with him and he hadn’t cared about her at all.

  She was still trying to reconcile herself to that ugly truth and she had a feeling there was plenty more pain to come.

  She walked into the warehouse and went to clock in. On her way to the locker room, she spotted Frankie. Her friend stared at her before hurrying over.

  “Is it true?” Frankie demanded, her gaze sharp, her tone edgy.

  “Is what true?”

  “All of it? That you’re not who you said. That you’re Malcolm Carlesso’s sister and really rich and that you were in prison and that you had Paulo arrested.”

  Callie came to a stop and emotions flooded her. Shame, fear, anger and regret all blended into a stomach-churning mixture that left her barely able to stay upright.

  “Is it true?” Frankie demanded. “Is that why you were here? To spy on us? To report back to your brother on all of us? I thought we were friends. I looked out for you.”

  Callie wanted to scream. This was so like the conversation she’d had with Santiago the previous night, only this time she was the bad guy.

  “It’s not like that,” she began, wanting to explain so Frankie understood. “I wasn’t spying.”

  Frankie’s eyes went cold. “So it is true. You lied about everything, didn’t you?”

  “I—”

  Before she could say anything else, Frankie walked away. Callie stood in the center of the hallway, aware of people walking past her, watching her, whispering about her, judging her.

  She wanted to yell that it wasn’t her fault—that she’d done the right thing. Paulo had been the one stealing, not her. Only she had a bad feeling Frankie’s accusations didn’t have very much to do with Paulo. Instead they were about Callie—what she’d told them and what she’d concealed.

  She saw Beverly, one of her work friends, and moved toward her. Beverly shook her head.

  “No way. Don’t even think about it. You lied and I don’t forgive that.”

  Callie felt the awfulness of the situation and didn’t know how to fix it. She wanted to call out that she was the reason they had a new lever in the basket department and she’d been the one to get Malcolm to change the leave exchange policy, but she knew that wouldn’t matter. As much as she felt betrayed by Santiago, they felt betrayed by her.

  She left and drove home. She climbed up to the second floor and walked into her bedroom. She looked at the pretty decorations, the elegant furniture, then crossed to her closet.

  She didn’t belong here. She’d never belonged here, she’d only been fooling herself. She was some kid from nowhere, an ex-con who couldn’t help screwing up no matter what. She would never fit in, never be comfortable anywhere. Certainly not here.

  She grabbed the battered suitcases she’d brought with her when she’d flown to Seattle and tossed them on the bed. After opening one of them, she began dumping in the contents of her dresser, then pulled clothes from the closet. Only they didn’t fit. The first suitcase overflowed and there was no way she was going to get it closed.

  Fine! She would leave everything. Just leave it all. She would get in her car and drive. She had money. Not just the trust, but her paychecks. Except for clothes and the gifts she’d bought Keira and their mani-pedi dates, she hadn’t spent much. She could drive until she found somewhere that made sense. Or maybe just a place where she could get lost and—

  “What are you doing?”

  She spun and saw Keira staring at her from the doorway to her room.

  “What are you doing home?” Callie asked, surprised to see her sister. “It’s barely noon.”

  “It’s the last week of school. We only
have half days.” Keira’s eyes were wide and filled with fear. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

  Callie felt the stab of the question all the way to her heart. “I have to,” she whispered. “I can’t explain it, but I have to. I’m sorry.”

  Keira began to cry. “You said you loved me. You said we’d always be together.”

  “I know, but—”

  “No!” Keira’s voice was a scream. “No! You’re not leaving me. You can’t. I need you. I know where there’s more luggage. I’m coming with you. You have to take me with you. You can’t leave me behind. Callie, you can’t. You promised.”

  The teenager’s pain and fear were tangible forces in the room. They grew and filled every corner, sucking out all the air and burning all they touched. When Keira sank to the floor and started to sob into her hands, Callie realized she’d damaged someone she’d promised to always care for. Until this second, she hadn’t realized the awesome power of love and trust.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, hurrying over to her sister and sitting next to her on the carpet. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She pulled Keira close. “I was wrong. I was so wrong. Oh, Keira, please, please forgive me. I won’t leave you. I swear I won’t. Not ever. Even when you want to move out and be on your own, I won’t let you or I’ll go with you. You’ll be sick of me. I’m sorry. I love you. I love you so much.”

  Callie rocked her as they both cried. Pain was everywhere, but so was the dawning realization that she’d brought all of this on herself. She’d been the one to insist no one know who she really was. She was the one who had concealed her past. If she hadn’t done that, Paulo couldn’t have used it against her and Santiago wouldn’t have been mad and broken her heart.

  She knew that it was better she know where she stood with him now—the more time they spent together, the harder it would be for her to get over him, but still, it hurt so much.

  “You okay?”

  Callie looked up and saw Malcolm walking into her bedroom. He glanced from them to the suitcases.

  “Tough morning?” he asked, joining them on the floor.

  “You have no idea.”

  He put his arms around them both. “Tell me what happened.”

  Keira sniffed. “Callie was going to leave and I said I had to go with her, but then she said she wasn’t leaving, which is really good because you would have had to come, too, and what about Grandfather Alberto? He needs us and we need him. You adults make things really complicated.”

  Callie flopped back onto the carpet and stared at the ceiling. “I’m an idiot.”

  “You’re not.” Keira patted her arm. “You’re really smart about a lot of stuff. You just have to stop running as a way to deal with your problems. It’s better to face them and find solutions. Problems don’t go away. They’re like that stain in the rug that keeps popping up. You have to find out what’s underneath.”

  Callie turned to Malcolm. “You’re the one who put her into therapy. I blame you for the insights.”

  Keira grinned. “It’s great, isn’t it?”

  Despite everything, Callie smiled. “Yes, it is.”

  * * *

  Malcolm stayed with Keira until he knew she was all right. Around four o’clock she was picked up by a friend and her mom for an early movie followed by a sleepover. She’d assured him, to quote her, “57 million times” that she was okay and promised to text him on the hour.

  One problem down, a dozen others to deal with.

  He returned to Callie’s room and found her putting away her clothes. She motioned to the mess on the bed.

  “I might have overreacted,” she admitted, then told him what had happened at work.

  “It’s my fault,” she concluded. “I’m the one who lied about everything. I should have come clean from the start.”

  He motioned for her to join him in her sitting room. “I’m going to fire him.”

  She flinched. “You can’t. What happened between us is between us. It’s not about work.”

  “Has he called you?”

  She dropped her chin to her chest. “No.”

  Anger burned inside of him. He’d trusted his friend with his sister, and Santiago had hurt her. “I’m going to fire him,” he repeated.

  “Do you think that will make me feel better?”

  “It might brighten my mood.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Callie.”

  “Me, too. He’s being a dick. I’m not willing to say he is a dick. I haven’t decided yet.” She tried to smile. “I’ll be okay. I just need some time.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  She thought for a second. “I’m going to quit my job. It’s too hard being there. I should hear on my fall application at UW in the next week or so. In the meantime, I checked with the closest community college and I can register for a couple of summer classes. There were a couple of culinary classes that looked interesting.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  She hesitated just long enough for him to know she was thinking about Santiago. “I want to move on with my life. No more hiding, no more lies. I am who I am. Some people will be fine with it and some won’t. I’ll have to deal with that, but I’ll be doing it honestly.”

  “That’s totally your call.”

  She looked at him. “I’m interested in food development. I’m thinking I’ll major in management, go heavy on the science and marketing classes, and take it from there.” This time the smile was genuine. “I want to be a part of things for real—not just working at the company because I’m family.”

  He wasn’t the least bit surprised. He’d known Callie long enough to have a good sense of her character. She would want to earn her place, not be given anything. He thought maybe they had that in common.

  He’d been doing a lot of thinking since the arrest last night. About what had happened to her, and how she had changed him. Not just Callie... Delaney, too. Watching Santiago screw up things with Callie had made him wonder what mistakes he was making. Was he holding back because of what had happened with Rachel or was he moving forward? Delaney was amazing—she deserved his best and he wanted to give it to her.

  “Do you like living here?” he asked.

  She blinked. “There’s a subject change. Do you mean in the house or in Seattle?”

  “Both.”

  “Moving out so you can start a new life with Delaney?”

  He hadn’t been able to articulate what he was feeling but as soon as Callie said it, he realized she was right. That was exactly what he wanted.

  “What would you think about that?”

  She grinned. “You’re thirty-four. That’s kind of old to be living with your grandfather.”

  “Not answering the question.”

  “I know. Okay, so truth. I like Seattle and I love this house and if you’re asking how I feel about staying here with Keira, I’m happy to be with her for as long as she needs me. Maybe just a little longer than that so I can be annoying.”

  “I’d still be close and I’d honor my commitments.”

  “I know. You’ve grown, little grasshopper.”

  “You’d have to deal with Grandfather Alberto more than I would.”

  “He’s sweet, plus Carmen is here. Do you think they’re sleeping together?”

  He winced. “Stop asking me that.”

  She grinned. “Keira brings them up every now and then. Should one of us mention that we know and they can stop hiding?”

  “Go ahead. I’ll lead from behind.”

  She grinned. “You’re a coward.”

  “About some things, yes. Happily so.”

  “Then we have a plan. You’re going to move out on your own while I take over this gorgeous house and decorate it in crimson and cream.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Oklahoma crimson and Ok
lahoma cream. For the University of Oklahoma? How can you not know that?”

  “It is astonishing. You’ll have to take that up with Carmen. I’m not sure she wants Sooners memorabilia in the dining room.”

  “You can’t possibly know that.”

  “I can guess. Plus you’re going to be a Husky. University of Washington—Go Dawgs.” He leaned toward her. “You okay?”

  Her smile disappeared as if it had never been. “No. My whole body hurts. I miss him, but I have to figure out how to deal with that. They say time heals. I hope they’re not lying.”

  He thought about how much he would like to gut punch his friend, then how he’d felt after he’d found Rachel with his father.

  “I know you don’t think it now, but you will start to feel better. The process is slow and takes a long time, but you’ll get there.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get through it. I’m tough.”

  She was. Tougher than she knew.

  * * *

  Hanna brushed away tears. “I’m fine,” she said, sniffing as she spoke. “Or I will be.”

  Santiago knew she was lying but wasn’t sure calling her on it would help either of them. He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around what had happened. He couldn’t imagine what Hanna was going through. She’d just found out her husband had committed a felony—that he’d been stealing from his employer for months, maybe longer—and she’d never had a clue.

  “Have you been to see him?” he asked.

  “No. What am I supposed to say? He did this himself. He ruined everything.”

  They sat at her kitchen table. The kids were at summer camp and Hanna hadn’t started her new nursing job yet. Santiago knew that she’d been planning on taking the kids to visit her folks for a week before she and Paulo were to take a few days just for themselves.

  “Are you ready for me to bail him out?” he asked.

  “No. I’m not.” She looked at him. “Does that make me a horrible person?”