‘I’m so sorry, Blake.’ Callie spoke because she had to. She couldn’t take the pain in his voice any longer.
He looked at her now, smiled sadly. ‘Thanks, but I was in that relationship for the wrong reasons. For my own reasons. Julia had her reasons, too, so we were both wrong—though I do think she thought she was doing the right thing for Brent. She wanted to make sure that he never lacked for money.’
‘Wait—what?’
Blake shot her a confused look. And then he nodded. ‘Oh, yeah, I didn’t mention that. When we spoke about the divorce she told me she had only married me so that she could live the life she knew she and her son deserved. And then she realised that she was hurting him instead, and she didn’t want that.’ He shook his head. ‘That was pretty much the end of it.’
‘Did she get anything in the divorce?’ Callie didn’t want to ask, but it was one of the pieces of the puzzle she needed to understand him better.
‘No, the prenup prevented that. And Brent didn’t either, since the contract stated he needed to be legally mine before I was required to pay anything.’
‘Do you still see him?’
‘No, I don’t. Julia resigned shortly after we divorced and moved to back to Namibia, where she’s from.’
‘Blake...’ Callie shifted over and put an arm around him. ‘I’m sorry.’
He lifted his own arm, put it around her, and sat back so that she could lay her head on his chest. They sat like that for a while, and Callie wished she had words to say that would take the pain away. Suddenly everything made sense to her. His resistance to dating an employee. His pushing her away when she got too close. He was broken inside, and he didn’t want anyone to know.
‘I’ve created a trust fund for him.’ Blake spoke softly. ‘When he’s twenty-five—old enough to decide what to do with his own money—he’ll get something from me. It may not mean much to him—’
‘But you needed to do it.’ She leaned back and watched him nod, before putting her head on his chest again. ‘You’re a good man, Blake Owen.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CALLIE LOOKED AT HERSELF in the mirror and tried to be critical. She was wearing a blue floral dress with a white jersey and matching heels, and her hair was tied into a loose bun. She had to lead a meeting about the gala event that day, and she wanted to look her best. She placed a hand on her nervous stomach and forced herself to admit that she wanted to look her best for Blake, too.
He hadn’t stayed for very long after they’d spoken last night. Callie knew that telling her about his past had made him feel uncomfortable, so she hadn’t pushed him. Instead she’d brushed a kiss on his cheek and waved him away, all the while worrying about what it meant for them. She could no longer deny that there was something between them, but even the thought of it terrified her. Especially as they hadn’t defined it yet, and she didn’t even know how long Blake would be staying in Cape Town.
Or if he would be staying at all.
She shook her head and told herself that there was no point in worrying about it now, when everything was still so new and fresh. She would just have to wait and see how it played out. She sighed, and wished that was enough for her.
She grabbed her handbag when she heard a car hoot outside and locked up quickly, not wanting Connor to wait. Her car would probably be ready after the weekend, her mechanic had told her, and he had also cautioned her that it didn’t have much life left in it. This she knew—though part of her wanted to keep it, even if she left it in the garage, just because it reminded her of the days when she had been part of a family.
‘Hey, Cals. How are you?’ Connor asked as she climbed into the car and kissed him on the cheek.
‘Fine—no thanks to you. What were you thinking, throwing me to the wolves yesterday?’ Callie wasn’t sure why she’d said that, but somehow she felt it was what he would expect her to say if she hadn’t shared anything personal with their boss.
‘Sorry about that.’
He grimaced and she thought her gut instinct had been right.
‘Urgent matter at home.’
She looked at him in alarm. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘Not really.’ Connor focused hard on the road ahead of him and didn’t even look her way.
‘Connor,’ she said, in the stern voice she only used with him, ‘what’s going on?’
After a few more moments of silence he said tersely, ‘Elizabeth is pregnant.’
Her jaw dropped before she consciously realised. ‘Oh, Connor...’
‘She only found out a few days ago. Told me yesterday.’ He shrugged, though the movement was heavy with tension. ‘I guess I’m going to be a dad.’
Callie wished she had the right words for him, but she didn’t. Connor had been dating Elizabeth for less than six months. And, while she was a perfectly lovely girl, she knew Connor didn’t want to start a family this way. Family was a responsibility that deserved attention, and she and Connor had lived by that because that was the way they had been raised.
Her heart cracked for him, but she knew that all she could do was offer her support. ‘How do you feel about this?’
‘I’m not sure. I think I’m still a little numb from the shock. It wasn’t planned.’
She laughed a little. ‘Yeah, I got that part.’
He gave her a wry smile, and then sobered. ‘But...I want it, Cals. I want to keep the baby. And so does she. You know how much family means to me. And after Mom and Dad died I thought I’d lost that. Do you know what I mean?’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘Now I get to have my own...and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.’
‘Of course it isn’t!’ She felt excitement bubble inside her at the prospect of seeing her brother as a father. And ignored the voice in her head that threatened to temper it. ‘I think you’re going to be an amazing father. I mean, an amazing brother, not so much—but definitely an amazing father!’
He laughed, and she could tell some of the tension had gone from him. Feeling an urge to make even more of it go away, she placed a hand over his and said, ‘I think Mom and Dad would be so proud of you. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re going to give your child what they gave us—a good, solid, wonderful family.’
He smiled at her, and they drove the rest of the way to the hotel in silence.
She’d meant every word she had said to him. She could picture Connor running around with a little boy or girl in the backyard, could see herself spending holidays with him and his family. So why did she feel so strange? Perhaps it was because she wished her parents could have been there to see their grandchildren? Yes, she knew there was some truth in that. But something niggled inside her, and she knew that wasn’t quite all of it.
No, she thought suddenly, it was because now she wondered where she would fit into Connor’s new life.
Something inside her broke, though she couldn’t explain why. But before she could examine it they’d arrived at the hotel.
‘Thank you.’
‘Of course. Cals?’ Connor looked over at her. ‘Are you okay?’
She forced her doubts and her fears away, and smiled over at him. ‘Yeah.’ She got out of the car and hugged him when he joined her. ‘It’s going to be okay, Connor. I promise.’
She repeated the words to herself as she walked to her office, and then tried to force the situation out of her mind altogether so that she could focus on preparing for the meeting in less than an hour.
But her mind kept wandering, until finally she sighed and went to get herself a cup of coffee. Before she got to the kitchen she saw a flurry of activity around it, like bees weaving in and out of a beehive, and did a neat three-sixty turn and instead headed for the conference room.
Her heart beat a little faster as she knocked at the door, and it accel
erated one hundredfold when she heard the muffled, ‘Come in.’
‘Hey,’ she said as she walked in.
‘Hi.’ Blake smiled at her, and stood up at the end of the table. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you were going to prepare for the meeting in your own office.’
‘I was, but then I couldn’t really focus and I needed coffee. And, since nowadays coffee in the kitchen comes with the dozens of questions my colleagues seem to have every time they see me, I thought I might persuade you to share.’
‘No persuasion needed.’ He grinned and walked to the counter to grab a mug. ‘Can I pour you some?’
She nodded, and wordlessly took in how attractive he looked. She would never tire of it, she thought. Admiring him in a suit was definitely on the list of things that she most enjoyed doing.
‘Black, one sugar, right?’
She shook herself, and blushed when she saw the amused look on his face. ‘Yes, please.’
She walked to one of the conference room chairs and sat heavily, needing a moment to process everything. She was all over the place, she thought, and forced herself to be present. To be in the moment. She had so many important things to do. Her job depended on the tours she still had to do this week, and so did her brother’s. And while she was struggling with processing her brother’s announcement, she still wanted to support him. One of the biggest ways she could do that was to fight for the hotel he loved...and the job that he needed if he was going to be a father.
Then there was Blake, and all her feelings for him that were knotted in a ball at the base of her stomach. She took a deep breath in, and exhaled slowly.
‘Hey, is everything okay?’
Blake handed her the coffee and sat on the chair next to hers.
‘Thanks,’ she said, and then answered him. ‘Everything is fine. Just the usual concerns.’ She smiled, but she could feel that it was off.
‘About the event?’
She nodded, because she didn’t know what else to do.
‘Look, I know this isn’t your thing. I remember the night we met Connor mentioned it was out of your comfort zone,’ he elaborated when she looked up in surprise. ‘Which makes me respect your suggestion for doing it all the more. But you don’t have to worry. After the meeting today we’ll know exactly where we stand with the planning, and we can take it from there.’
She stared blankly at the cup of coffee in her hands, and blew at the steam in an attempt to cool it down. She had heard him, but her thoughts had almost immediately drifted away to Connor’s situation. What would it mean for their relationship? She knew his child would come first, of course, but would that mean that she would lose him, too?
‘Callie?’
‘Mmm?’ She looked up at Blake and realised he was waiting for a response when she saw the questioning look on his face.
‘Yes, I know it’s going to be fine.’ She laid a hand on his cheek, finding the warmth there comforting, and then stood. ‘I need to prepare. Thanks for the coffee.’
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
‘I’m fine.’ She brushed a kiss on his lips. ‘I’ll see you at the meeting.’
She walked out the door, her mind already wandering back to Connor.
* * *
Blake leaned against his car and resisted the urge to pace.
Callie had been so unlike herself today that he had wanted to corner her as soon as he could to demand that she give him something other than her generic ‘I’m fine.’ He hated to think that it was about him, but after what he had shared with her the previous evening, the thought kept strolling through his head, making him restless.
He knew he hadn’t stayed very long after he’d told her about Julia, but he’d thought it was best for them to spend some time apart to process what had just happened. Because something had shifted between them, and he’d wanted to give her space—and, yes, give himself space too—to come to terms with it.
He hadn’t worried that he’d done the wrong thing until he’d seen her in the conference room. She’d been pale, and her usual vibrant demeanour had seemed almost brittle. She had looked...fragile.
Again he despised the thought that it might have been because of him. But the more he’d seen of her that day, the more he’d thought that it might be. She had still been professional—she had handled the meeting with a grace and leadership that had had him thinking about her future at Elegance—but underneath it he’d been able to see that something was wrong.
So he had gone rogue and told Connor that Callie would be working late that night, that he shouldn’t worry about getting her home because Blake would drop her. Connor had dubiously accepted, but had thankfully been distracted enough not to verify it with Callie. He knew the man had been under a lot of strain lately, and there were rings under his eyes that looked like thunderclouds. But it would be over soon enough, and none of his employees would have to worry about their future any more.
He looked at his watch and wondered if Callie had got his message that he would be taking her home. He was just about to call when he heard the click of heels coming towards him. He looked up and was blown away by her beauty all over again. He had been right that first night they’d met, he thought, about her walking as though on a red carpet. She was so graceful, so elegant, that it made him square his shoulders and take his hands out his pockets.
She looked up at him and smiled—an utterly exhausted smile, but a smile nevertheless—and tightened her grip on the handbag under her arm.
‘Are you making up for lost time with these lifts?’ she asked easily, and something in Blake’s heart released.
‘Maybe. Or maybe I just like seeing if I can trick your brother into forgetting how protective he is of you.’
Her smile dimmed, and then she said, ‘We should probably get going.’
Blake frowned, wondering what he had said wrong, but he opened the car door and waited as she got in. Then he decided to drive to his house instead.
She didn’t say a word to him—not even when he drove in completely the opposite direction to her house. She only looked up when the gates to his house opened.
‘Where are we?’
‘My place. I figured I could make you some dinner.’
She looked at him in surprise. ‘You cook?’
‘Yes, I do. And I’ll try not to be offended by the incredulity in your eyes.’ He smiled at her. ‘Do you have anything against steak?’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CALLIE TRIED TO KEEP a neutral expression on her face as she looked up at the place where Blake lived.
The house was a combination of brick and glass, with brown frames outlining the doors and windows. A deck on the upper level of the house overlooked a vast estate, including a small pond that Callie could see from where she was standing outside his car. She walked forward, caught a glimpse of the city lights, and imagined that standing on his deck would be quite an experience.
When Blake had unlocked the large oak door he stepped aside for her to walk past and her neutral expression gave way to a jaw-drop.
Brick walls, wooden furniture and sparks of green were scattered across the living room in a design that screamed warmth. A fireplace was the focal point of the room—and rightly so, she thought as she took in its impressive design, and then walked through the room to a passage that opened onto the kitchen and dining room.
The kitchen space was huge, and had the same homely yet modern design as the living room. Granite counters were highlighted by pops of colour and a window looked out onto a garden that made her salivate. The dining room was more elegant—wooden floors and a black dining room set that was decked out with cutlery and crockery that looked incredibly expensive.
‘This is not what I expected from you.’
‘Did you think I lived in a cold black and whi
te room?’ He smirked as he said it, but his eyes grew serious when she nodded.
‘Something like that. This is a lot more...inviting than I expected.’
He looked around, as though seeing it for the first time. ‘It is, isn’t it? Though it’s wasted on me. I’ve barely spent any time here, and the decor was pretty much left to the interior designer I hired.’
‘Perhaps they decorated according to what they thought the house needed instead of thinking about its owner.’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘I’m not sure if you just complimented me or insulted me.’
She laughed, and felt a bit of the tension of the day leave her. ‘I was only agreeing with you that this house needs to be somewhere people are invited to.’ She ran a hand over the kitchen counter. ‘It deserves a family.’
The words felt fatalistic as she said them, and although she knew why it felt that way for her, she wasn’t sure what the expression on Blake’s face meant.
Then it cleared and he smiled. ‘Well, you haven’t seen the second floor, where I spend most of my time. It’s a lot colder than this.’
He winked and she laughed.
‘Now, shall we have some supper?’
She nodded, and settled back on a bar stool at the kitchen counter. Though she wanted to offer her help, there was something about watching him go through the motions of making a meal that helped soothe the turmoil inside her. She also wanted to speak, to tell him of all that was going through her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt what seemed surprisingly easy for him. So she just sat and watched him—watched as he spiced the meat, seared it in a pan, and popped it into the oven.
He took out two wine glasses, poured a liberal amount of wine into each, and handed a glass to her.
‘Now, will you tell me what’s happening in that head of yours?’
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