He was proud of the company he built. As she walked through the area taking it all in, talking with his men, she would glance occasionally over to him. He knew she was proud of him, too.
After meeting the employees, he remembered he didn’t see Ethan. He asked one of the other workers where he was and was told he was inside the yacht on the floor. He didn’t want Cali climbing inside so he went inside to find him.
“Ethan. I have a new employee I would like you to meet.”
“Sure thing.” Ethan used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.
Owen stepped out first, followed by his brother. She stood with her back to them, talking with another employee. “Ethan, I would like to introduce you to …” Cali turned at the sound of his voice.
Ethan’s eyes widened slightly. “Caliana Crawford.”
“That’s me,” she replied, smiling. She reached her hand out for him to shake. Ethan wiped his on his pants before accepting.
“I’m sorry. I’m all dirty and sweaty.”
“No worries. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Are you sure? The last time you did was a little rough.”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. Shit happens, I get it,” she said, laughing quietly.
Owen noticed him rubbing the back of his neck. If he didn’t know better he would think Ethan was embarrassed. “I’m sorry about what you saw and what was said. I wasn’t in a good place. Desperation causes me to do stupid things.”
Cali gently placed her hand on his forearm. “Don’t worry. We all have our moments.”
Ethan laughed. “You’re very kind, but my moment lasted years.”
Owen could see that they both were warming to each other and hoped they continued to get along. He loved having his brother in his life once again .
They made small talk for a few more minutes. Owen was content to watch their interaction. She told him what she would be doing for the company and Ethan apologized a few more times. They parted ways, agreeing to have lunch on Friday, the three of them.
* * * * * * * *
When they arrived back at her office, Cali saw Avery was standing waiting for her. She looked irritated, but Cali didn’t care. She was here to help Owen and his new charity, not fight with the blonde bitch standing in front of her. She put on her best game face and said, “Hi Avery. Have you been waiting long?”
Avery smiled, not a genuine smile, but still a smile. “No, only a few minutes. Are you ready? I’d like to get started.” Cali nodded. Owen said he would see her later for lunch, but that he was only a door away if she needed anything.
They both sat in the red, suede chairs, neither saying a word. Cali figured she should break the ice. “Listen, I know you don’t like me and I don’t really care. But we have to work together, so let’s make the best of the situation. If not, it will only irritate Owen and neither of us want that.”
“Agreed.”
They sat together for well over two hours brainstorming. Avery told her everything she knew of charities and how they worked. She said she would have one of the finance people work the financial side of things to help out. Cali knew a lot about finance, but didn’t know a lot about charities and how everything needed to be filed and taken care of.
Deciding to take a break, Avery suggested they grab some coffee. She told her there was almost always freshly brewed coffee in the kitchen. She was warming up to Avery the more time they spent together. Cali asked her to hold on a minute, she wanted to check and see if Owen wanted one too.
She knocked on the door between the offices before entering. “Come in.”
Cali peeked her head in to make sure she wasn’t interrupting a meeting. Luckily no one was in the office with him. “Hey. Avery and I are going to grab a cup of coffee from the kitchen, do you want one?”
“I’m good, but thanks for asking. And you two can get coffee in here. I actually prefer you get all of you coffee from my office.”
“Okay,” she said, not bothering to ask why. She knew he had reasons and by that point she knew asking him why would get her nowhere.
He smiled. His gorgeous, dimpled, fuck me right now smile. Combine that with the muscular arms, broad chest, rock-hard abs, an ass you wanted to take a bite out of, she was barely able to stand.
“I’m never too busy for you, beautiful.”
It’s a good thing Avery is with us, she thought. Or I don’t know how I would resist him.
She waved Avery in and they grabbed a couple cups of coffee. He insisted they sit with him while they sipped their drinks. She knew he just wanted her close. She loved how he always wanted to be with her.
She sat and chatted with Avery a bit. Not discussing anything important, only making conversation. Owen would chime in every now and then, but was mostly involved in work. Avery did mention a few business items since she had him in earshot. Cali figured he wasn’t always easy to meet with.
But even when he was talking to her, his eyes kept finding Cali’s. He couldn’t stop looking and it was making her blush. Avery caught on too, because she kept looking Cali’s way like she was trying to figure out what was going on.
Finally she said, “Okay, I’m going to go. Cali, if you need anything, my office is just down the hall. Owen, thanks for your input.” Avery stood, put her dirty coffee cup in the sink and left.
Cali couldn’t move. She just watched him watching her. Watched him stand, walk toward her and sit on the table to look in her eyes. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi.”
He reached for her hair to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. “How did the meeting with Avery go?”
“Fine, she was nicer than I thought she would be. We’re not best friends or anything, but hopefully we can get along.”
“Good. Are you getting hungry? I have lunch planned for us.”
“You do? Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry.”
“Great, let’s go.”
~ 18 ~
Owen grabbed Cali’s hand and walked with her out of the building. He noticed a few of the employees looking and noticing they were holding hands. He kept the relationship professional when introducing her to others, but now was his time with her. He wanted them to know they were together. That she was his.
They walked toward the car with Steven and Erik following closely behind. He held open the door and took her hand to assist her inside. After fifteen minutes of driving, they arrived at the destination.
The restaurant didn’t look like anything spectacular from the outside. The eatery had a faded blue exterior, but was built on a pier. The views it offered were spectacular. And the food, the chef made some of the best steaks and seafood he had ever had. She looked out of the window before shifting her gaze to Owen, smiling. “I’ve always wanted to eat here,” she said.
“Today is your lucky day then.”
When the front door opened, Emily was waiting behind the hostess stand. She had shoulder-length red hair, tattoos over both arms, a slender frame and was one of the nicest people he had ever met. And Owen didn’t miss the way Erik looked at her.
“Owen, it’s great to see you,” she said kissing him on both cheeks. “I have a table set up for you. You two boys,” she said pointing to Steven and Erik, “can sit at the bar and keep me company.”
Steven smiled warmly, half bowing in an overly dramatic gesture. “Of course, Em. We are at your service.”
She smirked. “Cute.”
Emily walked them to the table and handed them menus. “Take your time. I’ll be back in a few.”
The inside of the restaurant had hardwood floors with small tables and wooden chairs. The tables had white linen cloths draped over them and flowers set in a vase in the middle of each one.
Once she was out of earshot, Cali asked, “How do you know her?”
“I used to come here for dinner or drinks sometimes after work, usually with Steven. Emily likes to joke with him and he gives it right back. He’s kind of like a fun father figure to her. Her fathe
r had left when she was young and grew up with only her mother caring for her.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Yeah, some people shouldn’t be parents,” he said and remembered, “Did you see the way Erik looked at her?”
“Caught that too, did you? I think it was one of the few times someone has caught him off guard. Maybe he’ll loosen up a little in front of her.”
He looked toward the bar and saw Erik sitting on the stool, but his back was straight. He also made sure to keep Cali in sight. Owen shook his head and laughed, “Not today he won’t.”
Looking out of the window next to the table, they had a view of the beach. The waves gently lapped the shore, chasing away the kids who decided to test the water. He laughed watching them run to the very edge of the water. Once their feet touched the cool ocean, they quickly turned and ran back to their parents.
Cali was laughing too. “The view is amazing.”
He nodded in agreement. “It’s one of the reasons I love coming here. The view and the food is fantastic.”
She let him order for her, since he knew what was good. An appetizer of crab stuffed mushrooms and two Caesar salads with grilled shrimp on top were ordered. He made a mental note to bring her back one night for the steak.
Conversation flowed easily between them during lunch. He could hear Steven and Emily laughing every so often, but never heard Erik join in. He did catch him looking at her, but would quickly turn like he didn’t want to get caught.
Halfway through the meal two men came in and sat at the bar. He thought they looked familiar, but couldn’t place them. By the time they were leaving, the men started to get loud and obnoxious, being rude to Emily. She seemed to be holding her own, but Steven and Erik were there and would help if needed.
As Owen and Cali made their way to the door, she put her hand on his arm, stopping him. In a hushed voice she said, “Those are the same two men who were with Mia at the diner.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I remember them.”
He walked over to Steven and told him what she had said. Just then one of men yelled, “Hey, bartender, can we get another shot?”
Emily was taking care of Owen’s bill and responded, “One minute please. I’m taking care of this customer. I’ll be right with you.”
“You can give us our drinks then take care of him. We’ll make it worth your while,” the man with the shaved head said.
Emily being, well Emily, must have decided she wasn’t going to take their shit. “Listen, I’ll be happy to serve you, but these customers were here first and I need to take care of them. You are going to have to wait a minute.”
The men looked at Em, then over to Owen and his company. “Hey, I know you,” the man with the dark hair slurred. “You’re the big shot guy that makes boats, right? You’re also the asshole who thinks he’s too good for our girl, Mia. I’m right, aren’t I?”
Emily went to say something, but Owen spoke before she could. “Gentlemen, what I do with my time is my own business. Now if you’ll excuse us.”
He turned to leave, making sure Cali was in front of him, but the sound of a barstool hitting the floor made him stop.
Pivoting on his heel, he turned to see the man with the shaved head approaching them. Steven started to come up alongside him, but Owen waved him off. “I asked you a fucking question,” the man said.
“And I answered your fucking question.” He was trying to keep his anger contained. He didn’t want to cause a scene nor get into a fight in front of Cali, but the guy was pushing him.
The man looked past Owen and took notice of Cali. “And who is this?” he asked, licking his lips.
Owen stepped into the guy’s line of sight. Through clenched teeth he said, “You will not speak to her. You will not look at her. Don’t even think about her or mention her in any way. Now go sit your ass back down.”
The man with the shaved head leaned back and spit in his face. Owen didn’t move a muscle except for the balled fists by his sides. The guy put two hands on his chest and pushed him. Owen didn’t even sway.
Seeming to be frustrated by the lack of reaction, the guy pulled his fist back to hit Owen. When Owen went to do the same, another fist went flying and hit the guy right in the nose. Owen turned and saw it was Erik who threw the punch.
The man with the shaved head fell to the floor, blood spurting from his face. “You fucking prick!” His drunk friend stood to come to his defense, but Steven was on him in a flash. The other man had his ass knocked down too.
Steven, pointing his finger at the two men on the floor, said, “Neither of you better fucking move. The cops are on their way.”
“Fuck you!” said the man with the shaved head. Looking Owen right in the eyes, he said, “And you, we aren’t finished. You better watch your ass and your bitch’s, too.”
Owen lifted his foot and kicked the man in the groin, causing him to scream and curl over into a ball on the floor. He kneeled on the floor, real close to the man’s ear and said, “One, don’t you ever fucking threaten me. Two, I told you not to fucking say one word about her. You so much as breathe in our direction ever again and I will be on you so fast you won’t know what hit you.”
Owen went to Cali, who was standing next to Erik with her arms around her waist, hugging herself. He placed his hands on her upper arms and asked, “Are you okay?”
Her voice was shaking. “I’m fine. Owen, do you think those are the men that have been coming after me? Why else would they say we had to watch ourselves?”
“I don’t know, but we are going to find out. I’m going to tell the police everything that has already happened and what took place today. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it.”
He pulled her into his chest and she wrapped her arms around his waist. He could feel her trembling against him. “Everything is going to be fine.” She nodded and held him tight.
Owen heard the police sirens in the distance. “Caliana, you are not alone and never will be. I will always be by your side. We are going to figure this out one way or another.”
“I hope so, because I can’t keep doing this. It won’t stop. We’ll have a good day or two, then bam, something happens and drags us back down.”
His hand was caressing her back. He could only say so many words to comfort her. What he needed to do was find out and take down whoever was behind the destruction and assault of her neighbor. That’s the only way it will end. Maybe they could have a normal relationship afterward.
When they finished talking with the officers and watching the men being put in the back of the police cruiser for questioning, Owen decided he was taking her home. She said she didn’t want to go back to the office. She was too shaken.
* * * * * * * *
She sat curled into Owen’s side while Steven drove them home. Both he and Erik were upset by everything and would be doing their own research into the two men when they reached the house. The men, whose names were Rob Marshall and Ian Fielding, were in some way connected to what has been going on with her, Cali knew it. Now they had a lead she was hoping they could finally find and arrest the person responsible.
Poor Mrs. Emerson was still in the hospital, although she did wake up. The doctors were keeping her a little longer due to her age and the trauma the older woman endured. Cali felt awful that the poor woman, who was only trying to help, got mixed up in what was going on.
She visited her every other day and each time brought a small gift. Whether the gift was flowers, a crossword or a magazine, she wanted to do something nice. Mrs. Emerson didn’t remember a thing about what she walked in on that day.
Back at the house, Steven and Erik went into the security room to start the search, while Owen walked with her to the bedroom. She wanted to get changed and curl into bed. The situation was becoming too much for her to handle.
She was so thankful to have Owen by her side throughout everything. Without him she didn’t know what she would do.
Eve
n though it was early, she decided to take a hot shower, put on a pair of comfortable cotton shorts and t-shirt. She was relieved not to have to go into the office tomorrow. Staying in bed and resting was what she planned to do the next day. Fuck it, she thought.
Cali walked from the bathroom into the bedroom and noticed Owen wasn’t there. She didn’t want to be alone right now. Descending the stairs, she went to look for him and found Adeline in the kitchen making dinner. The thought of eating made her stomach knot.
“You don’t look good, dear,” Adeline said.
“I don’t feel good.”
“Sit and I’ll make you some hot tea with honey.”
“No, that’s okay. You’re busy making dinner.”
“Stop. It’s only tea. I think I can handle it.” A small smile started to form on Cali’s lips.
Lost in thought, she stared out of the window into the back yard when a steaming cup was placed on the table. Adeline gently placed her hand on Cali’s shoulder and went back to cooking. Cali sighed and blew over the top of the mug. Taking a sip, she had to admit the warmth spreading through her felt good.
Adeline hummed while cooking. Cali appreciated what the woman did for Owen and Steven. She couldn’t do that. She didn’t mind cooking, but couldn’t do it for a living. And cleaning, she wanted no part of that.
She was staring at the mug and didn’t notice anyone walk up next to her. Looking up, she jumped. “Holy shit! You are always sneaking up on me. Why do you do that?”
Owen chuckled. “I’ve never set out to sneak up on you. You’re deep in thought and not paying attention to your surroundings.”
Cali rolled her eyes. “Have you guys found out anything?”
“Yeah, some. Turns out Rob Marshall lives near Dalia Lake. Not on the lake itself, but in one of the neighboring towns. And Ian Fielding, the man with the shaved head, is his stepbrother who lives with him. We already knew they are connected to Mia since we saw them together. What we don’t know is how they know one another. She could be sleeping with one or both of them. We don’t know. Neither one has a record, so there is no police reports of anything in the system. Steven and Erik will continue digging to see what else they can find.”
My Salvation Page 14
