by Sherri Hayes
Letting his thoughts drift, they landed on the new unknown in the mix. Rachael Michaels. He’d done every type of search he could think of and still came up with nothing.
There was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. Cali, although not coming out and saying it, hinted that he might be jealous. He’d thought about that but came to the conclusion that he wasn’t.
Rachael’s stunt on Saturday hadn’t helped his mood in the slightest either. They’d just been about to leave to visit Cali’s father when she showed up on their doorstep, unannounced. Thankfully, Cali was quick on her feet and explained Matthew’s presence by simply saying that as he had business to discuss with her father, had offered to drive her. It sounded lame to him, but Rachael seemed to buy it, and that was what mattered.
The day was awkward to say the least. Matthew and Cali had to keep their distance while in the presence of others, which after their fight the day before was difficult. It was the weekend, and their time together in the car was supposed to be without prying eyes. Rachael’s presence complicated things. His fingers tingled, wanting to hold Cali’s hand while he drove.
Rachael stuck to Cali like glue the entire day. And when they arrived back at the mansion, she invited herself in. It put them in a precarious situation, as they couldn’t let her know he was living there. So he’d asked to use her bathroom, snuck up the back stairs to his room, and grabbed the GPS device from the previous night along with a panic button.
Thankfully Cali caught on to what he was doing, offering to walk him out. Angling himself to block the view from the house, he tried to place the tracker in her bra again and explain the new device, but she protested. That was until he looked at her with all the emotion and concern he could muster and asked, “Please.” She relented.
It’d been a long night. Rachael stayed until just after midnight, and Matthew and Cali’s day together had been lost.
***
Sunday wasn’t much better with his brother and Lisa showing up unannounced at noon. Jason brought his usual armful of goodies, ready for the game. The last thing Matthew wanted was to spend another day of his weekend around people and keep his hands to himself. Thankfully, Lisa had to go home after the first game.
As soon as Jason’s car pulled out of the driveway, they quietly made their way upstairs and didn’t come down for the rest of the night.
Monday came, and it was back to the routine they’d set the previous week.
***
Ironically, they ended up spending more time together their first two days back at the office than they had over the weekend. Although he’d only known her for a month, he couldn’t imagine his life without her, and it terrified and amazed him at the same time. He didn’t have forever with her, only weeks.
His phone beeped, reminding him to check in on Cali. With the push of two buttons, her face came up on the small screen of his phone. She was sitting at her desk talking on the phone. Her hair was up in a messy bun with little tendrils falling around her face. The yearning to free it and run his fingers through her curls gave him the determination to get his work done quickly so he could go up and have lunch with her today. Placing the phone down on his desk, he turned his attention back to the tapes.
Two hours later, Matthew clicked the last screen closed. Everything was clean.
The tapes didn’t capture any suspicious activities last night, but he wasn’t naïve enough to believe that meant much of anything at this point—not until he’d found his mole. Turning, he reached over to grab the next thing on his to-do list for the day, the mail.
He’d started having Cali’s mail diverted to his desk first after she’d shown him the anonymous pictures and messages she had received. Matthew hadn’t been able to trace them. They were gathering dust along with the other things that didn’t add up.
The mailroom separated his mail from Cali’s by placing a rubber band around her correspondence. As usual, his pile was small today. There was a resume from a local college graduate looking to get into corporate security; no experience from what he could see, but one never knew. The rest consisted of companies trying to sell him things. Tossing everything aside, he moved on to Cali’s stack.
Her pile was larger than his. There was an invitation from the Chicago Museum of Art to a fundraiser next month. He had no idea if she’d feel it necessary to attend, but it was something he made a note to ask her about. Flipping through a few more nondescript envelopes, his fingers fell on what he knew he’d been looking for.
Just like the others, it was a plain white envelope, almost an inch thick with a Chicago postmark. He didn’t need to open it to know it contained more pictures.
An empty feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as he reached for his letter opener.
***
By the time lunch rolled around, Cali was more than ready for a break. Her phone had been ringing off the hook. There’d been a board meeting yesterday, and a few of the members were not happy that shipments were still in danger. The knowledge that all but a few had been saved from hijacking didn’t seem to ease tensions much, and it seemed today those same members decided to reiterate their displeasure on a personal level via the telephone.
So, when a knock sounded at her door around noon, she sighed; but when Matthew stepped through the door, she couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face. “Hi.”
“Hello,” he said closing the door behind him.
Instead of coming to her as he usually did, he walked to the conference table and laid out their lunch. She knew immediately something wasn’t right. Walking over to the table, she took her seat but didn’t reach for the food he set in front of her.
“What’s wrong?”
Matthew stopped with his sandwich inches from his mouth. He didn’t look at her when he spoke. “You got more pictures today.”
“Oh,” she said, swallowing. Reaching for her food, she took a minute to gather her thoughts. “Can you tell when they were taken?’
He didn’t answer right away, and Cali looked up. Matthew’s eyes were on his sandwich, the table, anywhere but her. “Yes,” he finally answered in a flat voice.
A little taken aback by his emotionless response, she decided it best to keep things neutral. Something was obviously bothering him. It may not have anything to do with the pictures. Cali knew she wasn’t the only thing he had to worry about. “Well that’s a good thing, right? I mean at least that’s something.”
“Yeah, it’s something,” he muttered. He almost sounded sarcastic.
Okay she wasn’t about to just sit here and take this. Even though she knew she should just let it go, she couldn’t. Her hand reached out and halted his arm from its upward motion. He looked up at her, meeting her eyes for the first time since walking through the door. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
He didn’t answer right away, just watched her. “The pictures were taken Friday, at the club.” Matthew set down his sandwich and placed his hands flat on the table.
“They were there, Cali. Inside. With you.”
Cali paled. “I didn’t see anyone.”
Matthew snorted. “I seriously doubt you’d see them unless they wanted to be seen.”
She watched him closely, noticing how he kept looking away from her. Her mind raced. Was there something else in the envelope? Another message maybe? “Is that all?” He looked up at her then. “I mean…,” she started and then sighed, picking up her discarded straw paper and twirling it absently around her finger.
“You seem…I don’t know…distant. Was there a letter, too? Did it say something I should be concerned about?”
His eyes began searching hers. He seemed to be looking for something from her, but she wasn’t sure what. After what seemed like forever, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “There were several pictures. All were taken inside the club. Most of them were taken of you…and a man…dancing.” The way he paused before he said dancing made her stop.
Cali sat back in her own seat. She hadn’t thought about Lance since that night. It was a memory she’d prefer to forget. Glancing up at Matthew, she saw the conflict in his eyes. Did he think she’d cheated on him? Was he jealous? They’d never talked about boundaries or other people, but she wouldn’t do that to him.
He didn’t know that, though.
As she continued to look at him, she realized her mistake. It wasn’t that she’d danced with someone else; it was that she hadn’t told him. His face didn’t hold anger; it held hurt.
She decided to rectify that. Now. “His name was Lance. We danced. He got…well, he took a few liberties, and I took care of it.” Cali made sure she looked him in the eye when she said the next part. “It was an experience I’d rather forget, which is why I didn’t say anything. I’m sorry.”
Matthew shifted in his seat. “You don’t owe me anything, Cali,” he said softly.
It was as if he’d slapped her, pain stabbing her in the chest, and it hurt. “How can you say that?” she asked quietly.
He sat up then and just shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does! Matthew I…” She wanted to tell him she loved him, but she couldn’t get the words out. She had no idea how he felt about her. Did he really think it didn’t matter, they didn’t matter, she didn’t matter? “I care about you. You have to know that.”
His eyes came up again, and when they met hers, they were softer, more like what she was used to from him. “I care about you, too.” Matthew intertwined his fingers with hers. He gave a gentle squeeze and smiled.
They sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the moment, when they heard a throat clear. Both their heads snapped up to find Lisa standing only a few feet away with a small smirk on her lips. Their secret was out.
Matthew and Cali stared at Lisa for one, very long minute, not moving. Their fingers were still linked, but the easy comfort that was present moments before was gone.
Matthew contemplated how to react. He could, of course, play it off and pretend as if he was just showing Cali something, but that thought didn’t sit well with him.
It was one thing to keep their relationship a secret; denying it existed when the evidence was staring someone in the face was something else entirely.
Lisa meant them no harm; he knew that. He also knew she’d suspected something for a while now. Jason had hinted as much. Trying to dismiss what she’d witnessed probably wouldn’t work anyway.
In the end, he turned his attention back to Cali. She watched him, waiting for his reaction, his direction. His heart swelled with love as he realized she really did trust him. Waiting for his decision was so small, but the meaning of it was beyond measure.
Bringing their hands up to rest on the table between them, he gave another gentle squeeze before turning back to Lisa.
Cali’s personal assistant still wore that knowing smirk. The only difference was that she also looked expectant. She wanted answers, a confirmation of what she’d suspected, what she’d known had been going on under her nose.
For some reason, that bothered Matthew.
Raising his chin and squaring his shoulders, he met her gaze head on. Instead of answering the unspoken question, he asked one of his own. “Was there something you needed, Lisa?”
Her brow furrowed, making it clear this wasn’t what she’d expected him to say.
But to her credit, it only took her a second to recover. “Um…yes.” Turning her attention to Cali only, she said, “Your father is on line one asking to speak with you. If you’re available,” she added in a slightly suggestive tone.
***
Cali seemed to have regained her bearings by this time and returned her assistant’s gaze. “Sure.”
She stood up and walked to her desk. Matthew followed.
She paused before picking up the phone. Cali could feel him behind her. Although she knew they should still keep public displays to a minimum, she felt a desperate need for his touch just then. Hundreds of scenarios flew through her head, and she secretly hoped it was the same for him.
Turning, she was surprised to find Matthew standing only inches away. Her eyes came up, meeting his a split second before his lips found hers.
It didn’t last long, and it wasn’t a soft kiss goodbye either. His lips were firm against hers, and even though it was their only point of contact, Cali felt her entire body floating, lost in feeling.
As he took a step back, she opened her eyes to find his full of heat. Her pulse kicked up, and if not for her phone beeping behind her as a reminder of her father’s call, she might have jumped him right there.
Instead, she took a deep breath to calm her erratic heart. Cali almost laughed when she noticed Matthew do the same. “I’ll see you at five,” he said. She nodded and watched him walk out the door.
Cali saw Lisa hovering to the side with a huge grin on her face. She knew she’d have to face her friend sooner or later, but thankfully it would have to be later. She had a call waiting.
Taking another deep breath and smoothing her hands down the sides of her business suit, she sat down and picked up the phone. “Hi, Dad.”
***
Cali’s prediction had been right. Once she hung up with her father, Lisa marched into her office, demanding an explanation.
There’d been no point in denying it. She’d seen too much to be persuaded nothing was going on between them. So, Cali smiled and tried to answer Lisa’s barrage of questions.
Lisa wanted to know all the details. When Cali told her things came to a head the day after the gala, she looked a little hurt.
“Two weeks?” she asked. “You’ve been together two weeks, and you didn’t tell me? Why?”
Cali explained, but the reasons didn’t sit well with Lisa. In the end, she just grumbled, “You should have told me.”
It was quite evident her friend felt betrayed no matter what Cali said. Then Lisa asked if Rachael knew. After explaining that no one knew, not even her father, the furrow of Lisa’s brow eased.
“Wow. I can’t believe we’re dating brothers.” Her laughter was free now, and Cali was glad the gap separating them was closing. Lisa’s expression became serious again as she looked Cali over with increased curiosity. “So does that mean you’re staying?”
Cali didn’t answer right away. It was something she’d been thinking about more and more. She couldn’t imagine her life without Matthew, but was that what he wanted? They’d never talked about the boundaries of their relationship beyond her time as acting CEO. Everything was so new, and there’d been so much going on outside of just them.
But even as those thoughts scrambled through her mind, she knew the truth. It didn’t matter. Over the last month, Chicago had become home. Her father was here, and her friends were here.
It’d been so long since she’d had girlfriends. Rachael was a friend, yes, but with her, it was different. Cali never felt she could really open up and share with her.
She was so different. Lisa, Jen, and Becky were ladies she could just hang out with and have fun.
Plus, if her father’s little mid-life crisis and resulting injuries were any indication, he needed her, too. It was very good to be needed for something other than her medical abilities as a doctor—to be needed for her.
She realized she still hadn’t answered her friend. Meeting her expectant stare, she answered with honesty. “I’ll probably stay.” And then she hurried to add, “But not because of Matthew.”
Lisa’s eyebrow went up skeptically. Cali ignored it. “I’ve missed Chicago. And my dad. I still don’t want to run the business no matter how much fun this last month has been.” This last comment actually got a smile out of her friend.
Then Cali shrugged and leaned back in her seat. “I don’t know. I’m sure I could get a job at one of the local hospitals. I have plenty of trauma experience so an ER is definitely an option.”
Lisa was silent for a while, just watching. Then she asked, “Does he know that?”
Cali knew which ‘he’ Lisa referred. Cali shook her head. “No. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything.” Lisa looked like she was about to argue. “I mean it. Not to Matthew and not to Jason. He’s got enough to worry about right now without that, too. We’ll deal with it later. If there is a later,” she added.
“Cali—”
But Cali interrupted her. “Please, Lisa. Just let me handle this my way.”
Reluctantly she nodded. And as timing seemed to be everything today, there was a knock on the door. Lisa got up and walked over to open it.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Rachael said with a smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back later. There just wasn’t anyone out here so I thought…Well it doesn’t matter.”
Cali stood and walked over to greet her friend. “No, Rachael, it’s fine. Lisa and I were just finishing up. Come on in.”
Rachael walked into the office and took the seat in front of Cali’s desk while Lisa slipped from the room, leaving the door open behind her. “I never did tell you how impressed I am with this room. This is some pretty nice stuff, you know? A lot better than what passed for your office in Eldoret.”
Cali laughed and took her seat. “Yeah, my dad has good taste.” She paused. “Or at least the interior designer he uses does.”
They both laughed together before Rachael got to the reason for her visit. “So Cali, I was thinking… You. Me. Dinner. Tonight.”
Her smile was so bright. It was clear she really wanted Cali to accept. Hating to disappoint her friend but also knowing Matthew would require more information, she asked, “Where were you thinking?”
Rachael’s eyes lit up with excitement. “There’s this little place I’ve been hearing about called Ruby’s. They’re supposed to have the best steak in town.” She paused and then lowered her voice. “Also, I’ve heard the waiters aren’t bad to look at either. Who knows, maybe we won’t be going home alone.”
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