She and Cal filled paper plates with food and he guided her to an empty table. “That was real nice of you to get Julio and Jessica something.”
“It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Kathleen shrugged.
“Photographs aren’t cheap.” His blue-green eyes probed her, making her feel on edge for the first time.
“I had a prepaid thing I wasn’t going to use. I couldn’t get my money back, so I transferred half of it to them. I’ll give the other half to someone else. You know how frugal we Irish are.” Kathleen bit into a taco and groaned. These were homemade, even the tortillas, and they were delicious.
Cal finished chewing and swallowed. “Why do I get the feeling there’s more to it than you’re saying?”
She wiped her mouth and hands on a napkin. Why was she so reticent about it? Lee and Tamara were the ones who’d been in the wrong. But deep down she believed if she’d been paying closer attention, he wouldn’t have made such a fool of her. “It was a deposit for wedding photos.”
He remained silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Kathleen.”
“I’m not. Studio pictures should be of something happy and precious. They’ll be put to good use by Julio and Jessica.”
“I wasn’t talking about the photos.”
“I know. I don’t want to talk about it. I left all that behind six months ago.”
“It’s Callahan and his hot señorita,” a voice said from behind them.
Kathleen shifted around to see Hector, the man who’d gone down the elevator with Julio the day of the rescue. Had he just called her hot? And had he and Cal been talking about her?
Hector was short and stocky, with a wide chest. Not exactly handsome, but something about his overtly masculine features was very attractive. The woman with him was short and round and had a sweet smile.
“Hector.” Cal’s voice held a warning.
The man’s cheeky grin inspired one from Kathleen.
Cal rested his arm along the back of her chair, and she had to quell the urge to lean into him. The heat of his body reached out to her. He smelled of soap and some kind of masculine cologne with a clean citrus note. She was shocked at how strong the urge was to bury her nose in the bend of his neck and just breathe him in.
“Kathleen, allow me to introduce Hector and Carmella Martinez,” he said, breaking her momentary lapse of control.
“Nice to meet you. Why don’t you join us?”
Hector inclined his head. “Gracias, Ms. O’Connor.”
“Call me Kathleen, please. Carmella, that’s a lovely name.”
“It means garden. My mother named all my sisters after flowers, and I was the first one born, so I ended up being the whole plot.”
“You’re not going to believe this,” Kathleen exclaimed. “My middle name is Rose.”
They all laughed.
Carmella sat in the chair to Kathleen’s right. Hector left to troll the tables for their dinner. The two didn’t seem at all intimidated by her job in the head office, and Kathleen began to relax.
They ate, and the conversation flowed. Occasionally women wandered by, every one of them offering Cal a kiss on the cheek and a thank-you for saving their cousin or brother. Cal seemed embarrassed by the whole thing instead of flattered. After his second apology, Kathleen laid a hand on his arm. “You saved a member of their family, of course they’re grateful.”
“I’m not used to being kissed by one woman while I’m out with another. I’m sort of a one-lady-at-a-time guy.”
He didn’t know anything about her situation, but the comment gave her a punch to the gut. Were there really men who felt this way?
Julio and Jessica wandered over to visit. A couple of men followed.
“Is there going to be any change in scheduling for those of us working residential construction?” one of the men asked.
For a moment Kathleen didn’t realize he was addressing her. “I don’t know, Mr.—”
He glanced around, as if he was uncomfortable giving her his name. “Terrance Monroe.”
Cal leaned in closer to her, his body tense. “Terrance, she doesn’t have anything to do with the running of Wiley. Claiborne from the head office, Warren, and Tom are in charge of all work scheduling.”
Kathleen rested a hand on Cal’s knee and felt the edge of his prosthesis. The physical knowledge that his leg was truly gone hit her like a punch, and she swallowed against the sudden sense of loss. He was still a stranger to her, but the empathy she felt at that moment nearly overwhelmed her.
She forced her attention back to Monroe. “I’m in the design section, Mr. Monroe. I’m an architect. They hired me to draw plans for some of the commercial projects they’ve been hired to build. I went out earlier this week to look at a site and was given the project prospectus. I’ve already started the design process. So to sort of answer your question, the more commercial projects Wiley brings in, the more workers they’ll need to build them.”
The man smiled. “Draw good and fast, Miss. We get paid more when we work commercial.”
Kathleen nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
Monroe wandered off with his friend.
“I’m sorry, Kathleen,” Cal murmured close to her ear.
His warm breath caressed her neck, triggering a delicious shiver. “It’s all right.”
Jessica left to mingle with some of the other guests while Julio carried their small daughter into the house to put her to bed. It seemed natural to lean back along Cal’s side while they watched Hector and Carmella sway to the music together on the concrete patio.
“I never realized how hard it must be to be stuck in the middle,” he said.
Kathleen caught what he meant quickly. “I’m not a boss, so I’m not in charge, and I’m not part of the construction crew. So, yes, I’m stuck in between.” Later she’d be working with the crew and the project manager directing her designs, but right now she was just a worker.
“You don’t feel uncomfortable with me because I’m on the crew?”
“No.” She’d feel more uncomfortable working with Paul Warren when the time came. “I come up with the ideas, and you make them happen. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Take one part away, and the whole thing crumbles. It’s a shame there’s any kind of divide.”
Cal studied her for a moment. “Why did you try to run interference for me with Warren?”
She needed to warn him. Right now would be the perfect time. She remained silent for a moment, debating what to say, and decided to be straight with him. “Because he was being an asshole.”
Cal laughed, and she felt the effects all the way to her toes.
“Do you want to try that dance?” Cal offered her his hand.
Darn. He’d switched the subject too quickly. “Sure.” Kathleen placed her hand in his.
“I’ll apologize now in case I step on your toes.”
“I’ve been dancing with my brothers for years; trust me, I won’t even notice.”
Cal smiled and shook his head. He was so masculine and handsome, yet there was vulnerability in him she couldn’t help but respond to.
They wove their way to the patio, and he slipped an arm around her and clasped her hand in his, but hesitated.
“Don’t worry. I’ll follow you.” If he did step on her toes, she’d bite her tongue off before telling him.
But he didn’t. As they swayed and shuffled their way around the dance floor, Kathleen relaxed against him and enjoyed being held close. It had been six long months since she’d felt a man’s arms around her. He even rested his chin against her temple and clasped her hand against his chest.
She’d seen him with his friends, seen his caring and humor directed at them and at her. How had anyone survived war and ended up so…balanced? Or was that all a façade? Was he really as trustworthy and straightforward as he seemed? Or was she experiencing the same blindness she’d had with Lee?
Was she really going to allow herself to doubt both her instincts and the men she dated fro
m now on?
She wouldn’t allow herself to measure every man using the imprint left by an unfaithful asshole.
Cal deserved better than that. She hoped.
But she couldn’t get involved. He seemed a nice guy, but she was still grieving the loss of a relationship she’d counted on lasting a lifetime. No, two relationships counting her best friend, ones she’d believed would endure anything.
“You’re thinking really loudly,” Cal said close to her ear.
“Just enjoying the music and the company.”
“Then why have you tensed up?”
Kathleen forced herself to relax. He increased the pressure against her spine, urging her closer.
The physical attraction she’d been trying to ignore all night roared along her nerve endings like static, creating a hypersensitivity to his touch and the brush of his chin against her hair.
But she fought the urge to rest her cheek against his shoulder and lean into him. Her head was saying one thing, her body another.
Before the evening was over, she had to make a decision about whether or not she could trust Cal Crowes. His livelihood might depend on it.
Chapter 5
‡
The pressure built around the moment he would say good night to Kathleen. Since when did he become so worked up about a good night kiss? It was his leg that had issues. There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with his lips. But his mouth seemed to have frozen shut since they left the party.
This lack of confidence with women, and his inability to be open, had cost him dates and destroyed his last relationship. He needed to get over these issues.
Kathleen saved him from himself when she said, “You do realize Callahan is an Irish name.”
“Yes. So is Jameson, my middle name.”
“But Crowes is Native American.”
“Yes. My father’s family was originally from Colorado. His great-great grandfather was a Crow warrior.”
“That’s really interesting. You have the high cheekbones of your Native American ancestors.”
He hadn’t really thought about it before. “I guess so. Is your middle name really Rose?”
“Yes, after my father’s mother. My brothers used to call me Thorn. They said I was a thorn in their side when mom asked them to babysit me.”
Cal chuckled. “I only have one brother, and he’s a pain in the ass. I can only imagine with eight—”
This woman was so witty and easy to be with. What the hell had happened between her and her fiancé that they’d called the wedding off?
But if he asked, it would kill the moment, and he’d cheat himself of a good night kiss. And he really wanted one. Ah hell, he really wanted more, but he’d have to build up his nerve and then ease her into the idea. But Jesus, he’d have dreams about her mouth. She had the most kissable mouth he’d ever seen. Even now with her lipstick gone it looked sexy.
He hoped she wanted to see him again.
They pulled up in front of Kathleen’s car, and he pushed the gearshift into park and turned off the motor. The clicking of the engine as it cooled sounded loud.
“I had a good time. Thanks for asking me, Cal.”
The knot of tension released inside him. “Good enough that you’d like to do something else this weekend?”
She remained silent a moment. “I’m not sure I’m ready for any kind of romance. I dated the same man for three years and was engaged to be married a year. I ended the relationship six months ago.”
“I’m sorry, Kathleen.” His heart had been stomped on by three-inch spiked heels. He could empathize.
The parking lot lights slashed across her face. Her throat worked as she swallowed. “I caught him in bed with my best friend.”
“Jesus!” That ranked right up there with being Dear John’ed during deployment.
“Go out with me and shoot them a selfie. Let them know you’ve moved on with your life.”
She smiled. “Use you for revenge, huh?”
“We could get dressed up and go to a Ferrari dealership and take pictures in the car like we’re out on the town.”
Kathleen giggled. “What did you really have in mind?”
“Since you’re new to San Diego, you have a lot of choices.”
“Are you okay to walk all day?” she asked.
So she knew about his leg. And didn’t seem bothered by it. But the reality of seeing it was another thing. “Yeah, I’m good. I don’t swim anymore, so that knocks surfing out, and I can’t roller-skate, but other than those two things, I’m good to go. Who told you about my leg?”
“Someone mentioned it in passing.” She tugged at the hem of her skirt, though there was no need. She remained silent for a moment or two.
He released his seat belt and shoved open his door. When he came around Kathleen had already exited the vehicle.
“I’ll call you Friday with a plan for Saturday.”
She tilted her head. “A plan?”
“Yeah. Hector says women like to know ahead of time everything that’s going on so they can prepare.”
“He does?” She looked thoughtful.
They ambled the few feet to her car, and Cal took her keys to unlock the door. The dim lights in the parking lot reflected off her skin. Her eyes glittered.
“Since Hector has a wife and three daughters, I thought he might be right.”
Kathleen grinned. “Someone once told me too much planning took the spontaneity out of things. Just a general idea of where we’ll be going will be fine. As long as I have my purse, I’m pretty much prepared for anything.”
Yes! He’d worn her down. He hadn’t entirely lost his touch. “I’ve always wondered what you ladies have in there.”
“It’s kind of like your Marine tactical vests. Every pocket is filled with whatever you might need for any emergency.”
Cal chuckled. He’d laughed more being with her than he had in a long time. And despite the worry about his job, she made him feel…lighter. He really didn’t want to mess up with her by pushing.
“I’ve had a good time too, Kathleen.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. He wanted to linger, but forced himself to step back. “Let’s go to the zoo on Saturday. There’s a good restaurant called the Tree House where we can eat dinner after we’ve seen the sights. Does that sound okay?”
“Yes. It sounds great. I’ll wear walking shoes and sun screen.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll wait until I know your car will start before I leave.”
“Thanks, Cal.”
He watched until she drove away. She was something special. But hurt, really hurt. He understood all too well how that felt. He’d—they’d take things slow.
A tap on his driver side window startled him and he jerked his head in that direction. Paul Warren stared in at him. Cal took his time turning over the key and rolling down the window.
“What are you doing here, Crowes?”
His aggressive tone gave Cal’s self-control a slap, and he gripped the steering wheel hard to curb the desire to reach through the window and punch the guy.
“I gave someone a ride back to their car, which was parked here.”
Warren looked around the parking lot. “They’re gone now.”
“Yeah, they just left.” Cal reached for the key and started his truck.
Warren opened his mouth to say more, but Cal cut him off. “You have a nice evening, Mr. Warren.” He nodded once, rolled up the window, and pulled away.
There was no escaping it. Warren had a hard-on for him, and he was going to have to be as aggressive about keeping his job as Warren was about trying to get rid of him.
*
She should have told him. Keeping quiet and letting the chips fall seemed like the coward’s way out. It was the coward’s way out. Guilt filled her stomach with a sourness that had nothing to do with the tacos she’d eaten.
Maybe nothing would happen with Cal’s job, and she’d have gotten all worked up, gotten him all worked up, for nothing. She
rubbed the dull ache making itself known in her forehead. If she really believed that, she wouldn’t feel this way.
The last time she’d felt like this was….the last night she’d been with Lee.
She cut off the thought. She needed to leave all that behind. Starting now.
Kathleen poured a shallow glass of wine and wandered through the kitchen to the living room. Organized gear in duffle bags sat ready to be loaded along the wall next to the front door. Her brother Zach didn’t have to tell her he was going on a training tomorrow. The bags said it all. She worried about him, but he was doing what he loved.
The opposite wall worshipped the electronics gods. In the place of honor was one of the largest flat-screen televisions she’d ever seen, along with an Xbox and several other things she hadn’t attempted to even turn on. She ignored the tennis match being played on the screen and settled back on the opposite end of the couch from her brother to sip her wine and unwind before she went to bed.
“You’re home early. How was the date?” Zach asked, his attention on the female tennis player as she dove for a ball and returned it.
How could he watch a replay of a tennis match? That would be pure torture for her.
“It’s a work day tomorrow for us both.” She propped her pink fuzzy slipper-covered feet on the coffee table. “He seems like a nice guy.”
She knew what was coming before he even opened his mouth. She’d been listening to brotherly words of wisdom about other men and about dating since she went to her junior prom.
“He’s working his way into your good graces, hoping for more.”
Kathleen hid her smile behind her glass. “And you know this how?”
“I’m a guy, Kathleen. That’s what we do.”
“Zach, do you really think we women are so stupid we don’t know that?”
He tilted his head to study her. “You know I would be remiss in my responsibilities as your big brother if I didn’t warn you about guys.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’ve been living away from home since I was seventeen. Believe me, I know when a guy is on the make. I spent the last three years in college fending them off.” The first three they’d been after Tamara, and she’d been the best friend… Then later, after she worked so hard to lose weight, she’d begun to be noticed in her own right… “I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman with my own life. I don’t tell you who to sleep with, and you don’t get to tell me who I can’t.”
Breaking Boundaries (SEAL Team Heartbreakers Book 5) Page 6
