by T. A. Chase
Cai grunted and let James go ahead of him. He admitted to himself it was so he could ogle the way the fabric of James’s pants clung to his firm ass.
“Hey, Cai, how’s Dilys doing?” Sally asked when they walked by.
“She’s good. Home now with the kids. Ma and Owain are watching them.” He rolled his eyes. “Which is why I’m here. I wanted to keep my sanity.”
Sally smiled. “Kids aren’t so bad. Just wait until you have some of your own.”
“That’s what everyone says,” he mumbled, continuing down the hall with James. “I keep wondering what happens if I have a kid and decide being a parent’s not for me. I can’t very well give the little kid up.”
“Your mother would string you up by your balls,” James commented. “Do you want kids?”
Cai shrugged. “I never considered it. It’s not like I have a lot of options in the Hollow. I’m pretty sure most of the guys in the city wouldn’t be interested in moving out into the hills. Not a lot of amenities around here.”
He took the seat James motioned to, then watched as James sat in Timmons’s chair. “What happened to make you decide to fire Timmons today?”
“I walked in and he was yelling at Sally about using a different supplier than the one I told her to use. To be honest, I’ve had my doubts about him for a while now. I warned my finance guys that there would be an investigation into Timmons and this mine soon.” James rubbed his temples.
“If you were suspicious, why wait so long to do something?” Cai asked.
Sighing, James shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe simply hoping I was wrong about him. I should’ve gone with my gut and gotten rid of him earlier. Of course, it would’ve taken me longer to convince my father to let me do it.”
Cai couldn’t argue with him about that. It had taken Mr. Callahan quite a few years to believe in his son’s instincts and intelligence. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. Timmons is out. Who are you going to put in his place?”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you.” James smiled and Cai got an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
“No.”
James blinked at his sudden denial. “You have no idea what I’m going to say.”
“I don’t want the job,” Cai informed James, who smiled.
“Good, because I wasn’t going to give it to you.” He chuckled when Cai frowned. “Why don’t you want it?”
Cai grunted. “Too much responsibility. I’m happy doing what I’m doing and where I’m at. I don’t need more than that.”
James studied him for a moment and Cai wondered what he was thinking, but James didn’t say. He tapped his fingers on the desk, then stood.
“You want something to drink? Timmons has water and soda in here.” James crouched in front of the mini fridge Timmons had installed in his office.
As impatient as Cai was to hear what James wanted to tell him, he couldn’t help but admire the curve of James’s ass revealed by the glovelike fit of his pants.
“Mr. Rees?”
He glanced up to meet James’s amused expression and realized he’d asked him again about a drink. Shrugging, he grinned. “What can I say, Mr. Callahan? I have to admire a work of art when it’s in front of me. I’ll have a water.”
Cai laughed as James blushed, but he accepted the bottle from him. He took a sip while James returned to the desk.
“If you didn’t bring me here to ask me to take Timmons’s job, why did you want to talk to me?”
“I want to ask your father if he’ll take it.” James shifted to look out the window. “I’ll have to argue with my father about it, but I believe he’s the right man for the job.”
Cai didn’t doubt his pa could do the job far better than Timmons ever had, but he was a little surprised James saw how qualified his pa was for the job. “He doesn’t have a degree. Hell, he didn’t even finish high school.”
Owain had been the first of the family to graduate from high school. Cai had dropped out when he was sixteen to go work at the mine. His income had helped the rest of the kids get diplomas. He never regretted his decision, though there were times when he wondered if James looked down on him for not having graduated.
James shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. That will make him a harder sell with Father and the board, but I’ve had more difficult fights. Your father has been doing this for longer than you and I have been alive. I don’t pay into the belief that only those with a college degree know what they’re doing. I want someone who has practical knowledge of the mine and how it works. While your father might think adding more ventilation shafts is a little excessive, he understands why I want to do it.”
“True. Have you talked to him yet?”
“No. I wanted to run it by you before I approach my father about it. Do you think Bedwyr would accept the position? It’ll be a pay raise, of course, and the hours would be a little better than the ones he works now,” James stated. “I need to be mostly assured that he’ll take it before I have the argument with the board.”
Cai thought about it for a moment. “Would it get him out of the mine?”
Nodding, James said, “Yes, except for inspection days. I wouldn’t doubt your father would find reasons to go back down even when he didn’t have to.”
Cai finished his water while he thought about the ramifications of his pa becoming the supervisor of the entire mine. Once he was done, he stood and tossed the bottle in the wastebasket. “Let me talk to Ma tonight at dinner. If she agrees, I say go ahead and ask him. You’ll need her support to convince him. Pa doesn’t have a lot of respect for the white-collar guys.”
“Oh, I know.” James’s smile was rueful. “Your father doesn’t hesitate to put me in my place when he feels like it.”
“Yeah. He’s not shy about his opinions.”
James stood and moved around the desk to stand next to him. Cai glanced over to the door and saw that it was shut. He clenched his hands, fighting the urge to grab James, drag him close, then kiss him. Yet as much as he wanted to taste James’s plump lips, Cai kept his control, because kissing the boss at work wasn’t acceptable. Neither was two men kissing. At least for some of the men at the mine.
James licked his lips, causing Cai to groan under his breath. A mischievous gleam sparked in James’s eyes. Cai held up his hand.
“Stop. Nothing can happen here,” he told James.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” James eased away. “All right. I need to call the main headquarters and talk to the guys going through the finances. Also, I have to get a hold of my father before my phone starts blowing up with texts from him.”
Cai reached out and laid his hand on James’s arm. “I’m having dinner with my parents tonight. Maybe I could stop by afterward.”
“Hell, you can spend the night.” James covered Cai’s hand. “No pressure. I just mean you can crash on my couch. I know your place is going to be crowded with Owain, Dilys, and the kids all there.”
“I thought Owain was staying with you,” he said.
“He hasn’t said anything to me, but you could always sleep in my bed and Owain can crash on the couch.” James winked.
Cai shuddered at the thought of having sex while his brother was down the hallway. He’d talk to Owain at dinner; he was pretty sure Ma had demanded both of their presences that night. “One of us will be staying at your place tonight, that’s for sure. Neither one of us wants to move back in with Ma and Pa.”
“Don’t blame you.” James squeezed Cai’s hand. “I’ll let you go. Stop by later on and we’ll talk.”
He fought the urge to kiss James good-bye before leaving. As he headed out, he greeted Sally. “Hey there. How are you doing? Mr. Callahan said Timmons was yelling at you.”
She snorted. “What else is new, Cai? The man lived to yell at anyone he thought beneath him. I’m glad Mr. Callahan came in when he did. Now the asshole is gone and hopefully we’ll get someone who’ll treat us better.”
“He’s working on
that” was all Cai could say. He didn’t want to start a rumor, especially before he talked to his ma about it. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Take care.” She waved as he left.
After climbing into his truck, he dug his phone out and sent Owain a text.
Heading home. Need anything?
A few seconds later, Owain answered. Stop and get milk. We’re all going over to Ma’s for dinner.
Fine. Be home in a few.
Be safe.
He started the engine before backing out of his spot. Cai waved to some of the men as he drove away.
JAMES HIT the intercom. “Sally, if any calls come in, can you take a message? I’ll be talking with the main office and don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Certainly, sir.”
That taken care of, he dialed the personal extension of the CFO of Callahan Mining Company. James leaned back in the chair and stared out the window at the mine entrance.
“Percy Goodwin.”
“Percy, it’s James. How are you?”
“I was on my way to the Bahamas for a much needed vacation until you called my people and requested a full audit of the Willow Hollow mine,” Percy complained.
James laughed. “Sorry. I owe your husband a bottle of expensive whiskey and dinner. Let me know what restaurant is his favorite and I’ll set up a reservation for you.”
Percy sighed. “Ransom would like that, but you don’t have to do it. I’ll postpone the trip until next week. It won’t take us long since you’d given us a heads-up that this was going to happen at some point. I’d already had a couple of the junior accountants digging out the files to see what kind of discrepancies we can find.”
“I never had a good feeling about Timmons. He had all the right credentials, though, and I couldn’t put what I didn’t like about him into words Father would understand.” James tapped his fingers on the desktop. “Now I get to convince him to let me offer the supervisor’s job to Bedwyr Rees.”
“Good luck with that. If you need my backing, I’ll be happy to talk to Nicholas. Bedwyr is the best candidate, in my opinion. I don’t care that he doesn’t have an official degree.” Percy cleared his throat. “But of course, your father is going to have a different viewpoint on Rees. They’ve had a few knock-down, drag-out fights over the years. I think it’s one reason why Nicholas let you take over working with the foremen and union reps.”
He could always count on Percy to have his back. The CFO had worked for the company for decades and had never had a problem trusting James’s judgment like Nicholas had.
“More than likely,” he muttered, then spoke more clearly. “Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need you to talk to him. I just wanted to touch base and make sure things were moving along on the investigation.”
“You’ll have a report by Wednesday, so you can file charges against Timmons as soon as possible,” Percy promised.
“Good. I better call Father. I’m going to need a drink after I get done talking to him.”
Percy chuckled. “More than likely. I’ll be around if you need to vent afterward.”
James hung up after saying good-bye. He took a deep breath and dialed his father’s number. It was going to be a long afternoon.
Chapter Eleven
“HEY, MA, I need to talk to you,” Cai said as he walked into his parents’ home.
She glanced up from where she stood in front of the stove. Studying him, she must have decided he was serious. “Dilys, take over for me. The meatloaf should be done in ten minutes along with the chicken nuggets for the kids.”
“All right.” His sister waddled over to take the spoon from Ma. “Do you want us to wait for you?”
“It won’t take that long,” Cai promised. “We’ll be done when dinner’s ready.”
He gestured for her to walk out onto the porch with him. They took seats on the rocking chairs and he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
Ma touched his shoulder. “What’s wrong, Cai?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Just have something I want to talk to you about.”
“I don’t care if you and James are dating. You know I never minded about you liking boys. That’s just the way the good Lord made you, honey. Your pa won’t give you any problem either. You could’ve asked him to dinner.”
Cai’s jaw dropped as he stared at his ma. “What the hell are you talking about?”
She blinked. “I figured you wanted to tell me you and James were together and needed my blessing. I like the boy. He cares about the people in the Hollow and the men who work the mine. The families are better off since he started working for his father.”
“Umm….” He was speechless.
“You’ll get some shit from the ignorant people around, but a majority will leave you alone. Live and let live is what I say.” She shook her head. “Though it might take a while for people to forget what that bastard Timmons done. Poor Evie. I went over to see her after I got done talking with James. He asked me to go and let her know what happened with her slimy husband.”
He listened to his ma ramble while he tried to collect his thoughts. “Umm… no, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, and we aren’t together.” Cai paused. Then, because he couldn’t lie to his ma, he said, “But we might be, so I guess I’m glad to know you’re okay with it.”
Ma snorted. “Your sister owes me ten dollars. I told her something was going on between you two.”
“Ma, you bet on James and me?” He gaped at her.
“Of course. Owain and I have been waiting for you to get your head out of your ass and see that Jim liked you. Dilys thought it would take you a little longer.” She patted his shoulder again. “If that wasn’t it, then what was it?”
Cai switched his brain to why he’d dragged her out on the porch. “James wants to offer Pa the supervisor’s job at the mine.” It was her turn to gape at him. Chuckling, he nodded. “I know. I was surprised at first, but it makes sense. Pa knows more about the mine than anyone else. He’s been there for forty years, Ma. He deserves this.”
“He’s not educated like the other front office guys are,” Ma pointed out.
“James said it doesn’t matter. Not to him, and he’d convince Mr. Callahan that it shouldn’t matter to him either. He’d rather take common sense and practical knowledge over what they’re taught in school.” Cai gripped his ma’s hand. “It would get him out of the mine. We wouldn’t have to worry about something happening or him getting sick.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and Cai couldn’t tell if it was from happiness or if she thought it was a bad idea.
“What do you think, Ma? I told James I had to talk to you before he offered it to Pa. If you think it’s a good idea, you can convince him to take the job. It’s more money and better hours. He won’t have to work any swing shifts or nights. As far as I know.”
She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. “You call Jim right now and tell him to offer your pa that job. He won’t want it, but I’ll convince him to take it. Hell, have him come over and do it right now.”
“I will.” He brushed a kiss over her cheek. “Now get in there and start working on him. I’ll be in after I talk to James.”
He watched his ma rush inside as he pulled his phone out. Scrolling through the numbers, he hit James’s and waited.
“Cai.” James sounded out of breath.
“Yeah, it’s me. Am I interrupting something?” He grinned.
James grunted. “Not really. Just playing fetch with Pharaoh. He’s been running me all over the yard.”
“Sounds like a good time. We’re about to have dinner. Why don’t you come on over here? Ma said you should offer Pa the job. She’ll get him to say yes.” He crossed his fingers, hoping the older Callahan hadn’t talked James out of asking.
“Really? I can wait until tomorrow. I don’t want to bother him while your family is there.”
Cai shook his head, even though he knew James couldn’t see him
. “No. It’ll be okay. Ma wants you here.”
Silence filled the air between them for a few seconds. He opened his mouth to say something, but James spoke again.
“What about you? Do you want me there?” James sighed. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked.”
No more fucking hiding. It’s time to be honest. “I want you here too,” he admitted. “Ma said I should’ve invited you and she’s right. I don’t want you to think I would hide if something happens between us. I tend to be private about things, but I know you aren’t in the closet.”
“Well, I don’t go marching in pride parades either,” James quipped.
“Damn.” Cai chuckled, then sobered up. “I just meant—”
“I know what you meant,” James interrupted. “I’ve never hidden who I am and who I’m attracted to. I talk about it where you’ve stayed quiet. Not necessarily hiding, but not rocking the boat.”
He scrubbed his hand over his face as he stared out over his parents’ yard. The dogs were rooting around in the bushes across the road. “I’ve spent my entire life not rocking the boat. Now I’ve made up my mind to do something about how I feel for you. I don’t care who gets bent out of shape about it.”
James snorted. “Not true. You’re worried your father will be upset. I totally get that. I’m coming over. After I talk with Bedwyr, maybe you can come home with me and we can discuss things. I’m not interested in making things difficult for you, Cai.”
“I know. I’ll see you when you get here.” He hung up, then shoved his phone away before going back inside.
Everyone was gathered around the table—waiting on him, apparently. He shared a glance with his ma and nodded. A bright smile graced her face. His pa didn’t stand a chance.
“Jim Callahan is stopping by,” Ma announced to the group.
Owain frowned. “He didn’t say anything to me about doing that when we talked earlier.”
“Cai, if you wanted him to eat with us, you should’ve had him come over earlier. The food will be cold when he gets here,” Pa admonished him.
