by JoAnn Durgin
Caty held his gaze. “I realize it’s none of my business that you’ve apparently chosen to live your life in a cocoon. And you’re right. I can’t begin to understand what losing a spouse must be like. Caleb, I’m sorry if I offended you by asking about Helena, but you have to know my question was innocent. I had no idea she’d passed away, especially since you wear a wedding ring.”
She had him there. He hadn’t even thought about removing the ring. The fact it was still on his finger was more an oversight than the idea that it represented the last vestiges of his marriage. Perhaps subconsciously, the ring kept him safe and mirrored the steep walls he’d erected around his heart. In this case, walls meant to protect him as much as to keep others on the outside.
He swallowed hard. “How did you know her name?” Not that it mattered, but he needed time to process this latest self-revelation. Why was it after only a few hours in the presence of this woman, his life seemed altered in a good way? Caty was a fresh breath of spring air bringing a much-needed positive spirit to revive his soured outlook.
“I saw the statue in the lobby,” she said. “And the inscription.”
“I see.” His gaze rested on her lovely face. “I value your honesty and can appreciate that you spoke your mind, Caty. If you want the truth, your observations hit close to home. Not that it’s a bad thing.” He should apologize for his unkind remark, but he couldn’t. Not tonight. “Let me escort you to your car.”
“I’ll be fine. As expected, I’ll report for duty at Belac first thing on Monday morning.” She nodded. “Good night.”
That one hit a little below the belt. “Report for duty?” By the time he could formulate a follow-up response, she’d left his side. As she walked quickly across the parking lot, he stayed rooted on the sidewalk, staring after her, surprised by her abrupt departure.
Chapter 10
Within the minute, a car started somewhere in the lot, and then a black Volvo sports coupe slowly approached. In the dimly lit lot, and because the car had tinted windows, he couldn’t tell if it was Caty until she lowered the window and pulled alongside him.
Prompted by the need to say something, Caleb stepped closer to the curb. “Caty, I hadn’t planned on stopping my car in front of the building this afternoon. And since you seem concerned with details, Cordelia sent someone out to park the car for me.”
He caught the beginnings of her smile. “Then why did you stop?”
“Because you looked like you might need some help.” If he were completely honest, he’d stopped because she was a beautiful woman, although she had appeared to be in need of assistance. He was smart enough to keep that thought to himself.
Caty was quiet for a long moment before speaking again. “You continue to surprise me. About that baseball glove signed by The Babe…?”
“Yes?” She’d definitely piqued his attention with that question. Talking baseball with this woman had been energizing. In all his days, he’d never met a woman who knew so much about baseball.
“Was it signed during the time Babe Ruth played with the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees?”
“Does it matter?”
“It does to me, yes.” Her smile emerged.
“You’re sneaky.” Tempted to cross his arms and lean on the edge of the window, Caleb remained upright. “You want to know where my loyalties lie.”
“I’m sure you’re well aware there are fundamental differences in the teams, both then and now,” she said. “Take the 2004 Red Sox, for example. From my perspective, in that particular matchup, it all boils down to whether you prefer scrappy team players or overpriced talent.”
“Will you still come to work for me if I give you the wrong answer?”
Caty tilted her head as if considering his question. “Yes, but I’d still like to know.”
“The glove was signed in 1916 during the time Babe Ruth played for Boston.” Although he admired both teams and enjoyed their age-old rivalry, Boston was clearly the answer she sought.
“And Boston won the World Series that year.” A lovely smile curved Caty’s lips, although this was more a Catherine moment. “In that case, I’m sure that glove is even more valuable.”
“Good night.” Caleb lifted one hand in farewell as Caty raised the window and drove out of sight.
After his earlier thoughtless remark, Helena would have stomped off in a huff and not spoken to him for a week. Withheld her physical affections even longer. She’d been the type of person to bear a grudge. Caty, apparently, was not. He could use Caty’s sweet optimism in his life.
After only a few hours, she’d somehow managed to work her way past his defenses and into his affections. He wasn’t sure how it’d happened. He suspected Miss Lewis could be dangerous for his heart. On the flip side, she might be the answer to his loneliness, something he hadn’t wanted to admit even to himself.
“Sir, do you have a valet ticket?”
Startled from his musing, Caleb dug out the ticket and handed it to the kid. “Thanks. Be careful with the car.”
“Yes, sir.”
The comparisons between Caty and Helena weren’t healthy. He shouldn’t go there, although perhaps it was inevitable. Caty was a completely different woman from Helena. Likewise, he was a different man today than the self-absorbed, ego-driven kid he’d been when he’d married the beautiful blonde daughter of one of the richest men in Texas. He’d been all of twenty-four and Helena only twenty-two. Babies, really.
Bolstered by early success, he’d been full of himself, arrogant, pretentious, and eager to take on the world. Some would say he’d been young and stupid, but he’d taken on the oil and mineral industry at the “right” time. In countless interviews, he’d been called “lucky.” Not that he’d ever termed it that way. What he’d done was surround himself with the right people. As a result, he’d accumulated wealth beyond his wildest imaginings. Not for one minute had he entered the oil industry to get rich, but it’d been a nice by-product. He’d remained honest, principled, and built a solid reputation through the years. When it came to business, he’d never compromised. But at what cost? His family? His marriage?
You’ve been blessed, Caleb. Call it like it is.
Caleb checked his watch as the valet stopped the Porsche beside the curb. Nine o’clock. Still early enough to spend a little time with Lauren. Not that she’d be receptive, but he needed to try. Things had to change, and it started with trying to repair his relationship with his daughter. He wished he could pinpoint when things had gone so wrong. Was it only the move to Houston or was there more to it? For all he’d accomplished in the business world, his biggest challenge had been to be a good husband and father.
In many ways, perhaps in the ways that counted most, he’d failed both Helena and Lauren.
Handing a generous tip to the teenager, lost in thought, Caleb slid behind the wheel. Now he needed to focus on the most precious reminder of his fateful union with his wife—his daughter. Lauren used to look at him with adoring eyes and make him feel like the best father in the world. Now she admired grungy rock stars and athletes whose bodies were covered in tattoos. At least she had to wear a uniform to school. He shuddered to think what she’d wear if that weren’t a mandatory restriction.
Sure, her behavior and the way she dressed was probably considered typical for most kids on the cusp of adolescence, but Lauren wasn’t a typical kind of kid. He didn’t want her to be typical in any sense of the word. He wanted her to stand out among the crowd for the best reasons. The right reasons. He needed to set the example. Lord knows, he’d tried.
Exiting the parking lot and pulling onto the street, Caleb’s thoughts again strayed to Caty. Now, there was an enigma of a woman who spoke her mind. A gutsy, intelligent, lovely woman with a mind for details who could spout facts about baseball in a bygone era.
For the first time in five years, a woman made him feel like a man again. Awakened deep, personal emotions in him and stirred physical desires he’d buried deep for the past
few years. Could he be worthy of a woman like her? Those blue eyes were untainted by the ugliness of sin. From all appearances, she came from an upstanding and godly family who depended on the things of the Lord much more than worldly possessions.
A sad truth, a sobering truth, slammed into Caleb’s muddled mind. Once she got to know him better and discovered the heavy personal baggage he carried in his heart, Caty wouldn’t want to stick around as anything more than his chief accountant for Belac.
“Welcome to my world, Miss Lewis.”
Hitting the open highway with a heavy heart, Caleb headed for home.
Chapter 11
Saturday Morning
“Caty, the upper cabinets are done. I’ll start on the lower cabinets next.” Wiping her brow with the back of her hand, Sarah Lewis stood aside as Caty joined her in the kitchen.
“They look great, Mom. You spoil me too much.”
“Not possible.” Sarah gave her a hug, at least the tenth one since they’d started working earlier that morning. “Have I told you how happy your Dad and I are to have you back home in Houston?”
“Not in the last hour. You can’t be any happier than I am.” Caty kissed her mother’s cheek. Through the pass-through window leading into the dining room, she spied her father. Sam Sr. ducked his head and stepped inside the front door with a bulky box in his arms.
“Caty, where do you want this box of”—he darted a glance at the label—“miscellaneous items?”
“Sounds like a corner of the living room box to me. I marked all the essentials, so that one can wait until later.” Caty grinned. “You two might as well admit you’re glad I won’t be camped out at the house after tonight.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Sarah protested. “We’ve loved catching up with you. I’ll miss the girl talk and popcorn movie nights we’ve had the last couple of weeks.”
“We’ll talk and email, Mom. You know keeping in touch won’t be an issue.” Her mother hated cell phones although her father used one.
“I know, but feel free to stop by anytime.” Her mother grabbed the ruler and shelf liner paper before settling on the floor beside the lower cabinets. “You still haven’t said anything about your meeting with your boss earlier this week. Not to pry, but did it go all right?”
Where to begin? “Well, I finally have a face to put to his name. After five years, I consider that a significant step forward.” Something held her back from saying more. Caleb wanted to remain anonymous, and she needed to respect his wishes although she knew her family wouldn’t breathe his secrets to anyone. She was dying to tell Sam about Eliot and Caleb’s Princeton connection. God’s world grew smaller every day.
“What’s he like?” Sarah said as her father called to tell her that he was heading outside for another load.
“He was very nice, actually. Younger than I expected. Huge baseball fan. He’s noticed my work with the Montford Mission, which surprised me in a good way.” Strong in character. Intriguing. Handsome. Business mogul. Widower. Father.
Her mother peeked out from halfway inside the bottom cabinet. “Now I’m more interested in what you’re not telling me.”
How did Mom always know? Needing something to do, Caty pulled out her phone and snapped a photo. “You are so great to do this for me.”
“I’m in my oldest work clothes, and my hair’s a mess. I hope you don’t plan on using that photo to bribe me.” Sarah gave her a wry grin. “Don’t think I’m not aware you changed the subject.”
“You’re too smart for me.” Trained as a nurse, Sarah had worked hospital shifts around the family’s schedule early on and then taken a position as a traveling school nurse in the Houston public school system. Mom had always been home when she came in the door every afternoon.
Caty couldn’t help but wonder about Caleb and his daughter. Did Lauren have a female presence in her life? A grandmother or other relative? On the cusp of her teens, she was at a pivotal age. Caty couldn’t imagine what she would have done without her mother or older sisters when she’d been twelve. Caleb must work long hours in his office, so surely he had someone to help him. A man with his resources might have several staff members.
“I get the point about your boss,” Sarah continued. “You either don’t want to talk about him or feel like you can’t. I know how curious you’ve been to meet him, so I’m happy that’s been rectified.”
“Caty, can you come and give us the layout for the living room furniture?” At Sam’s call, Caty smiled to know her brothers had arrived. Although she’d told Sam that Belac would pay for professional movers, he’d insisted. Her brother could be stubborn that way, but she loved his protectiveness.
“Coming! Mom, do you have everything you need for the moment?”
“Everything’s all good,” Sarah called from inside the cabinet. “Go out there and boss those guys around. You don’t get many opportunities to do that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Laughing, Caty scurried out to the other room where Sam held one end of her sofa and Josh Grant the other. “Hey, Josh! I didn’t know you were coming to help.”
“Anything for you, Caty. Not to mention your brother is a master recruiter.” Josh flashed one of his trademark grins.
After she instructed them where to position the sofa, Caty smiled when she spied Kevin Moore negotiating the front door with an oversized side chair.
“Welcome home, Caty. Where do you want this chair?”
“Thanks, Kevin. It’s great to be back. Thanks for helping. You can put the chair across from the sofa for now. There’s one more matching chair, and the coffee table will go between them.” Sliding her hands to her hips, Caty grinned. “So, to what do I owe the honor of the TeamWork crew showing up this morning?” All three men were dressed in matching green TeamWork T-shirts, jeans, and baseball caps—UT for Sam, LSU for Josh, and A&M for Kevin.
“Will jetted off to an aeronautical convention in Seattle this weekend, and Carson’s studying for finals,” Sam said. “I scraped the bottom of the barrel and came up with these guys.”
Josh playfully punched Sam in the arm. “Love you, too, Love Master.”
“Truce.” Laughing, Sam raised his arms in surrender and lifted Josh’s baseball cap before plopping it backwards on his friend’s blond head. “You must have gotten that one from Marc.”
“You know it,” Josh said.
Caty figured the Love Master nickname had something to do with Sam’s successful marriage and family books. She hadn’t met Marc Thompson, but he and his wife, Natalie, lived in Boston and were faithful TeamWork volunteers. They had three little girls: Gracie—close in age to Sam and Lexa’s son, Joe—Faith, adopted from China, and another daughter, Joyanne they called Joy.
“I hope you know how much I appreciate you for doing this. Mom’s preparing Caty’s Moving Feast for everyone back at the house when we’re done here,” Caty said. “I hope you can join us, and feel free to invite your wives and children. Peach pie included, of course.” She directed that last comment to Sam. Like their father, her oldest brother would do almost anything for a slice of homemade peach pie.
When her cell phone rang, Caty tugged it from the pocket of her jeans. Caleb Reid. Why was Caleb calling her today? Her pulse did a little flip.
“Excuse me a minute. I should take this.” Heading for the back patio, she closed the sliding door behind her.
“Caty Lewis.”
“So today is a Caty day.”
“For now. Stay tuned. You’ll be happy to know I haven’t had any mishaps today although circumstances are always subject to change. Don’t tell me you’ve changed your baseball affiliation.”
“Not quite.” Caleb’s chuckle was warm. “I wanted to check and see if you’re getting settled.”
“I am. Sam showed up with some of the TeamWork guys since the astronaut brother and seminary student brother both flaked out on us.” There she went again—blathering on about things.
“Go back a second. Astronaut broth
er?”
“Yes. That would be Will. He’s commanding the next shuttle to the ISS.” Although the truth, Caty hoped that didn’t come across as bragging or boastful.
“That’s the Pursuit mission, right? Coming up this later year?”
Caleb knew the name of Will’s shuttle? That made her smile. “Yes, it launches in late October. We’re beyond thrilled for him. Will’s worked toward this goal his entire life.”
“I can imagine. I had no idea you were related to Commander Lewis. How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“Five. In terms of age, I’m sandwiched between Will and Carson, the youngest.”
“In addition to the TeamWork brother, there’s the astronaut and the seminary student. Who are the other two?”
“Emily and Rachel, twins who’ve lived out on the West Coast for years. Listen, I appreciate the call, but I should get back—”
“My apologies. I don’t want to keep you. I mainly called to thank you.”
“Thank me?” That came out more an embarrassing squeak. “I’m sure you’re welcome but for what?” Shifting from one foot to the other, Caty resisted the urge to chew on a fingernail.
Caleb didn’t answer for so long she thought she’d lost the connection.
“For breathing fresh air back into my life.” He chuckled again. “Maybe I should have thought that one through.”
“No, no,” she said quickly. “It was…very nice.” She was thankful Caleb couldn’t see her at the moment. So, his phone call wasn’t motivated by business. Was this part of his new attitude in getting to know his employees?
“Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
“Thank you, Caleb. I’ll hope to see you in the office one day this week.” Maybe she shouldn’t have said it, but it was true. Caleb might be her boss, but she genuinely liked him. When he wasn’t in his full business mode, he was surprisingly humble and willing to make fun of himself. She liked talking with him. And yes, she’d also enjoyed flirting with him.