“Come on Kalen!”
I let out a long sigh. Archer and I used to be so close. Growing up we were only a couple of years apart. But Archer fell into the trap that was the Mortimer fortune. He got used to the lifestyle, especially when he went away for college.
After he gave up Melody.
Instead of growing up as I did, he just became more entitled. He believed that he deserved the money that was handed down to us. Thinking back on it now, I felt that Melody was the only thing that kept him down to earth. Once he lost her, my parent's corruptions were free to take him over.
“Look, Archer, we don’t really have much to talk about,” I said. “Let Mom and Dad know that I am fine. I make enough money and I can survive on my own.”
“I just don’t understand why you can’t at least talk to them. They are our parents for fuck's sake.”
“Because there is no point,” I said as I let out a long sigh. “There is no more for us to talk about.”
That was the honest truth, and deep down Archer knew it. My parents were completely stubborn and set in their ways. Archer and I weren’t raised on the value of a dollar. We were raised on the belief that we could have whatever we wanted because it was already set aside for us. I hated my younger self because for a while I believed that nonsense. I ate up every word my parents sold me about our lifestyle and our wealth. What I didn’t understand then was how they used that wealth and lifestyle to control Archer and I. They set certain expectations for us, and we were supposed to follow them with no questions asked.
“Aren’t you sick of following their rules yet?” I asked.
“Their rules never bothered me as much as they did for you,” Archer said.
I let out a long sigh. This is where Archer and I grew apart. And I think that mainly was because I became good friends with Levi. I saw firsthand how his family struggled. It humbled me and brought me down off the high horse that my parents wanted me to remain on.
“I don’t think you see all the rules that they set out for you yet,” I said.
“There aren’t really any rules Kalen. They are just things they expect of us. Like how they expected you to take over the Mortimer business.”
“And what about Melody?” I asked.
I knew it was a low blow to bring her up. But he needed to listen to reason. I was met with complete silence on the line. Melody was Archer’s girlfriend in high school. I always thought they were great together. However, my parents felt that she wasn’t high class enough for Archer. My parents let them date for a time because they never saw it as something serious that would last. But when Archer started mentioning going to the same college as Melody, my mother especially, was quick to push for an end to that relationship. I knew the truth about what my mother did to make sure that they didn’t end up at the same school.
“We don’t need to bring Melody into this,” Archer ground out.
“And you just made my point. I know you still care about her even if you don’t want to admit it.”
“I said we don’t need to talk about her.”
“Look, just tell Mom and Dad I am fine. I’m a grown ass man and I can handle myself.”
“Take care Kalen,” Archer said.
“You too, Archer.”
I hung up the phone and made my way back to my bed. Deep down, I knew I made the right decision by not accepting the family money. But the one thing that always made me regret it, was how I left Archer to fend for himself with our parents. Archer was a strong kid, and I knew he could handle his own. But I also knew how much Melody truly meant to him. I could only hope that one day Archer would see the light and break free from our parents’ control.
Just as my head hit the pillow Levi sauntered in. “It was Archer, wasn’t it? About time for the yearly phone call.”
“How obvious was it?”
“Well, we had to stop playing because you were so loud. Rick thought girl drama, but I know you and that new brunette aren’t that serious. Though maybe you ought to be.”
I sat up puzzled. It wasn’t like Levi to know townie stuff. He mostly ignored it. “What do you know?”
“Went to Roasted today for coffee.”
I laughed. “Then you saw Victoria I guess.”
“Yeah, and she had lots to say. She’s cute by the way.”
“She’s something. What did she tell you?”
“That you’re getting hot and heavy with the new girl. And that she might be staying in town a bit longer than expected.”
My heart leapt. I definitely wouldn’t mind if Willow stayed for a while. And it didn’t really seem like she wanted to go back to Denver anyway.
“Yeah, she has an interview today. I guess maybe she’s sticking around for good.”
For good. That meant that I’d have to tell her the truth about me. About my family.
Shit.
So much for our sexy mystery.
Nine
Willow
“I see you're from Denver, so I guess you would consider relocation?” Mr. Hudson asked as he leaned back in his chair. His office was modern, more so than I thought it would be considering we were in such a small town. Not that his office was actually in town, I was in the next town over, Fairfield.
Fairfield was a little bit more modern in general than Evans Mill. There was a real grocery store, and a couple of big box stores to shop at too. Overall the drive over here had made me feel a little bit better about my decision to accept the interview. I had only applied a couple of days ago and here I was sitting at a real estate office. And not the typical residential real estate office either, this place only dealt in ranch and farm holdings. There were a few commercial properties as well that he had mentioned so far, but it seemed like the majority of their business was large. I was surprised to find such an elite enterprise in such a small area. But I guessed that I hadn't really considered that ranchers lease land a lot of times. And someone has to collect on it.
Enter the Hudson group.
“Yes, I'm not afraid of relocation. I grew up in a small town like this, I think I could return to it.”
“It would be a much slower pace than Denver, are you sure you're prepared for that?”
“Yes. I think I could actually use a change of pace. Some new scenery too, it's beautiful out here.”
“Yes, it is. And considering the Hudson group owns ninety percent of the land around here as an employee you would have access to some of the most unique sites in Colorado.”
“Well, that's just another bonus.”
We'd already gone through most of the basic interview questions talking about my work history and experiences. What types of clients I had dealt with in the past, how to deal with a difficult client, and so far the interview seemed to have been going really well.
“So I guess we should discuss salary,” Mr. Hudson said.
“Sure. If you think that's appropriate.” This was so exciting!
“You should know that I have a silent partner. And by silent, I just mean that they're not on any of the official documentation. But they do own more than half the business. So you give me a number and I'll go back to them and we can negotiate. That is if you want the job.”
“I'd like to think on it for a day if that's ok.”
He offered me a notepad and a pen and I wrote down my salary requirements. I wouldn't need as much as I had been getting in Denver considering the housing market here was much less expensive but I still shot pretty high. If I was going to move to a completely new location on a whim like this it needed to be worth it. I needed to make sure that Gus and I could be comfortable.
He nodded as he took the notepad back. “This shouldn't be a problem.”
He stood and offered his hand. “It was very nice to meet you, Miss Jamison. I hope we see you again shortly.”
“I think you will,” I said with a smile as I shook his hand. “I'm really looking forward to it.”
As soon as I walked out of the office and into the spring sunshin
e I pulled out my phone and started a group text between Victoria, Annabelle, and myself.
Meet me at the apartment tonight, we're celebrating!
Wine and Chinese food, what could be better?
They both sent back celebratory emojis and I considered sending an additional text message to Kalen but then I decided against it. I wanted to tell him in person that I was considering staying, I wanted to get his real reaction not something filtered through technology. I wanted to know what he thought. Part of me was nervous about his reaction, but I had a new spring in my step, I was excited about this change. If I was lucky Kalen would be too.
“Annabelle just texted that she'll be here in just a couple minutes,” Victoria yelled at me from her bedroom. She had just gotten home from work and hopped in the shower quickly so the entire apartment wouldn't smell like coffee. I appreciated it that that was her routine every time she came home because as much as I loved coffee, it made me hungry.
“Sounds good I'll leave the door open for her.”
“Did the pizza arrive yet?”
“No,” I began to say but as I turned the lock on the door and suddenly I heard a sound behind it. I pulled it open and Annabelle was standing there with the pizza in her hand.
“I saw the delivery guy outside and figured this was for us? I sure hope so because it smells amazing!”
“Yeah, but you didn't have to pay. This was my treat,” I told her. “We're celebrating!”
“And what exactly are we celebrating?” she asked as she walked in and set the pizza down on the coffee table.
Victoria burst from the back of the hallway still putting on a sweatshirt over her head. “Her new job!”
Annabelle cocked their head. “A new job? In Denver?”
“Nope. I'm moving to Evans Mill. I'll be working over in Fairfield, at the Hudson group.”
“You mean Hudson Holdings? I'm surprised.”
“I know I am too, I mean I never really thought I'd be back in a small town after trying to leave so badly when I was a kid. But here we are. I mean, I like being here with you guys and I like the way a small town makes me feel, and then there's Kalen…”
“Yeah, that's why I'm so surprised you would take a job there.”
“It's not that far of a drive. And Fairfield is still cute, I admit it's not quite as charming as over here but it's not bad.”
Victoria opened up the pizza box and sat down.
“I think she means because of Kalen, not because of Fairfield. Fairfield’s fine I guess, you're right it's not as cute as over here but it's certainly a good little area to be in.”
“Why would Kalen care?” Annabelle gave Victoria a weird look.
“Guys, what is going on?”
Victoria looked back at me. “Absolutely nothing! We're super excited for you, aren't we Annabelle? And also this pizza is to die for where did you order it from?”
“Don't try to change the subject why do you think that Kalen would not be happy that I got a job at Hudson Holdings?”
Victoria shrugged. “I think that we both just feel like this is all really new and he might freak out and run because you got a job close by, right Annabelle? That's what you think too?”
She gave her a stern look like she was telling her what to think but Annabelle went along with it.
“Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. And you got this pizza at Uncle Rios which means that Kalen has given you a full downtown tour. Because everybody knows that this is where the best pizza is from.”
“Yeah, that's where he told me to get it from.”
I tried to shrug off the weird vibe that they were giving me. Were they being truthful about Kalen being worried that I was the new girl In town permanently?
I poured myself and Victoria glass of wine and then went to ask Annabelle if she wanted a red or white but she avoided the question.
“I'll just take water,” she said.
“Annabelle, you are one of the most prominent wine drinkers I know, why are you drinking water?”
Victoria dropped her pizza right back into the box, half-eaten, and the cheese sliding off before she started to squeal.
“What? What did I miss?”
“You're pregnant!” Victoria screamed at Annabelle whose smile was so big I thought she would swallow her own head.
“No way! How far along are you?”
“Well, we were hoping to get the wedding in before the baby. But yes we're expecting!”
“I'm so excited for you,” Victoria said and I could hear the sincerity in her voice. Any misgivings she had at Annabelle's engagement party about losing her friend obviously had vanished. And now we were adding another little life into our circle. Suddenly Evans Mill felt like the perfect place for me to be.
Hopefully, Kalen felt the same way.
Ten
Kalen
“Grab me a beer while you’re up?” I asked. I was sitting on Levi’s lawn chair in his backyard and I had no plans on moving.
“You’re a grown ass man. Grab your own damn beer,” Cole said as he reached into the cooler and grabbed a beer. He twisted off the cap of the bottle and took a long chug.
“Ah refreshing,” he said with a cocky smile.
“You are such a dick,” I said as I reluctantly stood up.
Cole and I were over at Levi’s house for a BBQ. These double shifts were starting to kill me. Yes, I signed up for it when I took the job full time, but I at least thought I would get some sort of break. These days it was a miracle if I would get a full day off after working a 24-hour shift. We really needed to find some money in the budget to hire some more full-time guys.
Cole Tillian was one of the cops we worked with on a regular basis. He went to our high school but was a few years older than us. We didn’t become friends with him until we started to see him through work. Our fire station was connected to the police department. After working on several fire investigations together we all became friends. Levi and I used to think Cole was just an asshole cop. But now, after getting to know him the last few years, we knew there was more to him than just his tough exterior.
Back in high school a lot of the other kids were scared of Cole. Including Levi and I. While he wasn’t a bully by any means, he didn’t take shit from anyone, which tended to land himself in his fair share of fights. Everyone thought he would join a gang or leave town once he graduated. But he shocked everyone by enrolling in the police academy and becoming a cop at the local station. He was practically living proof to not judge a book by it’s cover.
I walked over to the cooler and he handed me a beer. His retired police dog, Reggie, looked up from his nap to stare me down.
“Chill out Reggie, I’m just getting a drink,” I said.
Cole let out a laugh. As hard as he was on his exterior, he was a softy when it came to his dog, Reggie.
“Does your dog ever just relax?” Levi asked.
“Around me he does,” Cole said. “But it’s tougher with other people around.”
Reggie was an all black German Shepherd, and he looked as vicious as he was big. But put him in front of Cole and he turned into a goofy puppy wanting belly rubs.
Cole started to take care of Reggie when he joined the police department in Evans Mill. Reggie’s old owner retired from the police force and due to his own health, and he didn’t have the time or energy to take care of him. So, Cole took Reggie in, and their bond was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was like Reggie and Cole were made for one another. Reggie was on the force in total for seven years, and he was just starting his retirement under Cole’s care.
“How’s he been handling being a normal dog?” I asked.
“I think he loves it,” Cole said as he let out a laugh. “I know he loved working, but man, he has taken to being a couch potato no problem.”
I reached down and let Reggie smell my hand. The dog quickly looked at Cole, and he nodded his head as if to tell him it was alright. Reggie looked back at me and gave me a quick lic
k before laying back down in the sun. If I hadn’t seen him in action a few years ago, I would think that Reggie was one lazy Shepherd.
“That might be all that you get,” Cole said with a laugh.
“Hell, I’ll take it. It’s better than him growling at me like he used to.”
“He just knows you’re an ass.”
“Then why the hell does he like you then?”
“Fuck if I know,” Cole laughed.
“Food’s ready!” Levi called.
Levi always took over the grill, no matter if it was at his house or not. In the kitchen, he had no clue what the hell he was doing. But put him in front of a grill and it was like he was a pitmaster. Cole and I headed over to the table on his patio, and my stomach grumbled as the smell of steak wafted around me. Reggie perked his head up and quickly followed us as well. As we each took a seat, Reggie plopped down at Cole’s feet.
“So you guys figure everything out with Mia’s fire?” Cole asked.
“Yup,” Levi said in between bites. “It was just a grease fire that got a little out of hand. Luckily there wasn’t much damage so they should be open again soon.”
“That’s good,” Cole said. “I’ve been craving her lasagna, and if they were going to be closed for a while I was going to have to go over to Francesca’s house for dinner.”
“I’m sure she would love to have you,” I said.
“So what else has been going on with you guys?” Cole asked.
“Not much,” I said and Levi let out a laugh.
“What?” I asked as I looked at him confused.
“Oh don’t even act like I don’t know. Hell, the whole firehouse knows.”
Shit. Did he mean Willow? Well, it wasn’t really like I was trying to keep her quiet.
Levi let out another laugh. “Just because everyone isn’t hanging out in the common area doesn’t mean everyone is sleeping at the station.”
“Did you have some girl at the station?” Cole asked sounding impressed.
Burning Love (An Evans Mill Romance Book 3) Page 5