“Can you give me some examples?”
“He’s showing up at places uninvited and he keeps texting me.”
“How did he get your phone number?” He gives me a quizzical look.
“Robert!” I say with such disgust that Cal’s lip twitches with a smile.
“And how many times has he shown up uninvited?”
‘Well, only once, but then he followed me home when I told him I didn’t need an escort!” I quickly say, trying to emphasize the point that he followed me home uninvited.
“Interesting,” Cal says slowly. “You mentioned he was harassing you. Has he been saying inappropriate things to you?”
Yes!
“No,” I answer.
“Has he been sexually harassing you?” Cal’s tone turns serious.
Technically, yes!
“N… No,” I stammer, but can’t hide the blush that creeps up on my cheeks from the memory of his words this morning. Cal, being the perceptive person that he is, studies my face and notices my new shade of color.
“Hmm,” he murmurs. “Very interesting.”
“Stop saying it’s ‘interesting,'” I growl, making air quotations with my fingers. “It isn’t interesting, Cal, it’s giving me anxiety. I don’t want this man in my personal life!”
He assesses me in silence as he sits down on one of the bar stools. “Okay, I will talk to him, but I can’t fire him yet. As of this morning, Mason is no longer with us and I need Chase to step in for him until a new bodyguard is secured.”
“Chase is nowhere near qualified to keep Jenna and Avery safe!” I exclaim in frustration, not even commenting on the departure of Mason. Not only is Chase not suitable for the job, but that means I would be seeing him more often.
“I first thought the same thing, but then I had him investigated. Do you know how a paparazzi - a good one, that is - finds their leads? Besides having the right connections and spies in place, they have to do an immense amount of research on their subject, as well as the detective work, especially scouring social media for any potential leads. This is very similar to what bodyguards have to do. They read every comment on social media, news articles, and blogs to see how people are talking about the people they are protecting. They have to be on the lookout of anyone voicing imminent threats. It’s all quite fascinating, really.”
“But what about physical training? Has he been to bodyguard bootcamp to do whatever they go through in order to learn how to protect people?” I question, as Chase doesn’t have the bodybuilding muscles that Mason has. Chase’s physique looks more like the statue David from Michelangelo - lean, sculpted and made for the runway.
“Funny enough, they do have bodyguard bootcamp, but while Chase has not been trained in the art of being a bodyguard, he does hold a black belt in Krav Maga training.” My mouth drops open in shock as Cal tilts his head and gives me a funny look. “Have you not done your own research on Chase yet?”
“Why would I need to?” Even though I haven’t yet, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been curious about his past and why he sought out the industry he chose to go into. Maybe I’m scared at what I will find. Maybe it will change my opinion of him. “Besides, what Google tells me is not the same as what a private investigator would tell me.”
“Maybe not, but you should always look into everyone that shows interest in you, Layla, even if it is just typing their name into Google.” Cal gives me a knowing look as if I’m a child.
“I’m not you, Cal. Strangers aren’t actively searching me.”
“Yet a stranger revealed one of your biggest secrets,” he counters back with a smug smile on his face. I grit my teeth from saying something to him that I might regret later. I hate being reminded of my actions of that night, despite the outcome turning out in their favor.
“Enough about Chase as he’s not the reason I asked you to come over today without Jenna being here.” He motions for me to sit down on the couch and a feeling of dread starts to creep in. I don’t like being here alone with Cal, especially if it’s to talk about Jenna.
“I still get a sense of mistrust from you that I would like to discuss and get out in the open.”
Ugh, so not in the mood for this kind of talk.
I look down at my hands and nod, but no words form as revealing to him why I mistrust him will just show my own insecurities.
“Despite your continuous guilt with telling Chase what transpired all those years ago, I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t. So I’m forever indebted to you for that.”
He has said this to me many times before and I should be relieved for his gratitude, but I still can’t unload the lingering shame of how my telling her secret removed all of the luxuries of a normal life Jenna used to have. Jenna forgave me right away and I know I need to let it all go. Charlie would have been mortified at me talking to a stranger about someone else’s personal life if he was alive, but then again, I wouldn’t have been sleeping with another man either.
It’s all Charlie’s fault — just like everything else that has gone wrong since his death.
I try to focus my attention back to Cal as he continues talking. “Jenna considers you a sister. Her parents consider you another daughter and Avery thinks the world of her Aunt Layla. You’re important to all of them, which makes you important to me.” He leans down and the movement forces my eyes to him. “Layla, I want you to be able to trust and confide in me. Not like you do to Jenna, obviously, but I want you to know that one day I hope you will feel like I’m your family too.”
His words are making me feel mortified for my doubts about him, but I still don’t know the real Cal Harrington. All I see is him in alpha mode around her and it drives me crazy how Jenna accepts it. Their relationship is theirs, but at the end of the day, Jenna is my best friend and I just don’t want to see her get hurt again.
“I appreciate those words, Cal. I’m trying really hard to set the past in the past and move forward. I’m not used to seeing Jenna in such an intense relationship and well, it just makes me worried for her that she’s going to get burned by you, especially since you’re an international movie star with women throwing themselves at you.”
“All Jenna has to do is say the word and I would give it all up for her.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes at him, a little disgusted that he thinks his dramatics will work on me. “C’mon Cal, you know she would never ask you to do that. Be real with me and none of this actor bullshit.”
“You think I’m acting right now?” He looks at me incredulously. “Layla, I’m not trying to bullshit you to make myself look good. Jenna and Avery are my world and I will do anything to make them happy.”
“Leaving them for months on end will not make someone happy,” I spit out, not able to contain my bitterness at his profession.
“I understand how hard these last three months have been on Jenna - it has been hard on me too,” he says and I shake my head at him, a look of disbelief on my face.
“Layla,” he says with an unsteady breath, trying to stay composed. “I’m not the enemy here. Just because you have had her longer in your life does not mean my love for her is any less.”
We stare at each other in silence, the internal battle we wage against each other showing through our eyes. He rakes his hand through his hair, stands up and turns to look out the window at Lake Michigan.
“I’m going to ask Jenna to be my wife when we are away this weekend. I was really hoping to have your approval before I did.”
His words should not have been such a shock to my system, but yet I couldn’t help contain my quiet gasp. I wasn’t prepared to hear this today. Hell, I wasn’t prepared to have any of this conversation today. But this should not be about me and my feelings on Cal. This is about Jenna and this is the man she is madly in love with. I don’t doubt his love for her or Avery as I’ve never seen someone love another person as fiercely as he has shown his love for them. I need to trust Jenna when she says she won’t ever stop loving me due to
her new relationship. It’s time to put my big girl panties on and support the people I love.
“Do you have a ring?” The words come meekly out of my mouth. He turns around, hope shining in his eyes as he nods yes. He goes into the bedroom and comes back out with an expensive looking black box. I open the box and tears immediately spring to my eyes at the beauty of the ring. Cal’s taste is timeless and exquisite and it’s apparent that he has been paying attention to Jenna’s sense of style. The center stone is a huge emerald cut diamond and on each side of it, tiny diamonds form into the sideway shape of a small heart. I swallow the lump in my throat and give him a teary smile.
“I approve Cal - of the ring, and of you,” I say as confidently as I can muster in my current emotional state. “And as your future sister, I must warn you though that I don’t think she’s ready.” The smile that appeared on his face seconds ago from my approval falters with my last words.
“Why do you think that?” he whispers, hurt starting to radiate from his eyes and I immediately regret what I said.
“I just think she needs more time to get back to being confident with the relationship again. This month without you was making her doubt everything.”
“She was going to break up with me?” he asks in shock.
“I don’t think so. She never said that,” I say flustered, wishing I kept my big mouth shut. “All she said was she didn’t know if she was cut out for this kind of a long distance relationship.”
He lets my words sink in and nods his head. His look of defeat is killing me and I feel like a complete bitch. Dammit Layla, why couldn’t you keep your opinions to yourself? He sits back down on the couch with a loud sigh and I start to panic on how to make this situation right. I just probably ruined his whole vacation that he hasn’t even gone on yet! He’s going to be a moody son of a bitch when he picks up Jenna and Avery. Poor Jenna won’t even know what hit her! I need to fix this quickly and the only way is to be completely honest with him.
“Cal, I honestly don’t believe for a second Jenna is going to break up with you over long distance. She’s madly in love with you. I just think she hasn’t figured out how to handle when you are gone for so long. I could be completely wrong about her saying no to you this weekend if you propose.” He looks at me and I see a glint back in his eyes. “You can definitely still try - I just didn’t want you to be completely blindsided and hurt if she does say no.”
“Thank you, Layla. I will think about it.” I see his smile reach his eyes and know he is being genuine.
“Don’t give up on her if she does say no. Just know that she might need a little bit more time.” He nods his head and I decide that this is the perfect time to leave. He stands up the same time I get up to walk me to the door, but my inner voice stops me, screaming at me to ask him one more crucial question that would affect if I will truly see him as family.
“Do you plan on taking her away from me forever?” I say quickly, holding my breath for an answer I may not like.
“Chicago is our home, Layla. We might have to leave for a couple of months here and there as I want my family with me when I am on location from now on, but we will always end up right back here.”
“Oh, thank God!” I rush at him, the emotion to hug him too overwhelming to ignore. His strong body absorbs the impact of my abruptness and he embraces me as tightly as he can. As I continue to cry into his shirt, completely soaking it with my tears and snot, I realize that I needed this just as much as he did.
“If you break her heart, I will pay all the money in the world to hire someone to kill you.” His chest vibrates with laughter underneath my cheek. He lets go of me to get a tissue from the kitchen for my tears. I look up at him as I dry my eyes and give him a genuine smile.
“I would be disappointed in you if you didn’t.” He smiles right back at me and gives me one more hug before I depart to start my work day. As I take the elevator down and exit the building, I reflect on what just transpired with Cal. He didn’t have to ask why I wasn’t warming up to him. He didn’t have to ask for my permission to marry Jenna. Some guys couldn't care less if their partner’s best friend likes them or not. But for Cal to take the time to care, to tell me he thinks of me as family, and is asking for my permission for her hand, makes me realize that he’s a good guy and truly is in love with Jenna. While I went into this meeting with dread, I come out of it feeling hopeful that Jenna has finally found her forever.
I hope she proves me wrong by saying yes to him.
13
Chase
His hands go for my neck and I manage to throw his arms out and land a punch to the stomach. He recovers quickly and I’m about to throw a leg kick to his side when he grabs my leg and spins, forcing my body to go airborne and twist. I face plant into the mat with a loud thud. He places his knee into my back and leans down, both of his hands keeping me to the ground.
“Your head isn’t here and you’re about to get hurt. Get out and go for a run to clear your thoughts,” my Krav Maga trainer says as he gets off of me. I flip onto my back and take some deep breaths, trying to get as much oxygen back into my body as I can. He holds out his hand for me to take and helps me up.
He’s right, I shouldn’t be here right now. I’m mentally all over the place due to the phone call with my brother and should have known better than to try to train if I wasn’t going to be one hundred percent focused. I enter the locker room and get my running shoes. After putting them on, I lock up my belongings and proceed to go for my run. I head straight east, pounding the pavement and running as fast as I can until I run through Millennium Park and reach Lake Michigan. My lungs are screaming in pain and I slow my run down to a walk and continue on Lake Shore Drive. As my breathing finally starts to settle back down, I reflect on the conversation with Rhys.
At first, he was adamant that we should not consider Cal as an investor due to my current history with him. He feels we need to focus on the people who are already established in the industry, but my argument back was that we could use a celebrity endorser, like Cal, which can then lead to other endorsements from celebrities, and possibly open up more doors on the international scale.
“I don’t understand why you want to stay connected to Cal Harrington,” Rhys questioned.
“It’s always good to stay connected to high powered celebrities, Rhys. If he’s interested, why should we turn him away?”
“I think there’s something you aren’t telling me. We have to be one hundred percent honest with each other. It’s only you, me and Mom in this together. Everyone else wants to see us fail. So please, tell me the real reason why you want to stay connected to Cal Harrington.” Rhys could always see through people’s bullshit. Even though I wasn’t bullshitting him about having Cal as our celebrity endorser benefitting us, he was right to assume that was not the only reason.
“Fine, it’s because of Layla,” I finally admitted to him.
“Who’s Layla?” Rhys asked, annoyance in his voice from the knowledge that I’m still here for a woman.
“She’s the one I slept with that night in Las Vegas - the one who told me about Cal and Jenna.”
“Jenna’s best friend? The widower? You’re staying there to try to sleep with her again to get more information out of her?” He then proceeded to laugh in a bitter, mocking way. “Are you fucking kidding me? Wow, you really have reached a new low, Chase.”
“No, I genuinely care about her, Rhys. The more I’m around her, the more I see what an incredible woman she is. I’m falling for her,” I admitted and this only seemed to make him laugh harder, which in turn, made me livid. “Fuck you, Rhys! You don’t know shit about my life here! You haven’t been in my shoes, nor have you even met her, so stop making judgments.”
“You aren’t fooling anyone, Chase! You aren’t in love with her. You might be in lust with her, but it isn’t love. You’re convincing yourself that you’re in love with her, when really, you still feel like the deplorable human being you were for doing w
hat you did to her. You still feel guilty and that’s what you are confusing with love.”
“No, you’re wrong, Rhys!” I yelled into the phone.
“Leave her alone, Chase! Get your head out of your ass and get the fuck back to Vancouver!” And with that, he hung up on me again.
As I sit watching the calmness of the water of Lake Michigan, I wonder when my brother got to be so bitter. While he was the quiet and emotionless one, he was never bitter. I know being at the helm of Wilson Enterprises is doing this to him.
YOU did this to him!
Your lack of stepping up and not facing your rightful place in the family has made him bitter!
I groan and hold my head in my hands, his words playing through my head like a broken record. I know I need to go home. It’s the right thing to do, despite my reluctance. And it isn’t because of the beautiful woman I’m trying to pursue here.
I don’t want to go back to the desolate offices of Wilson Enterprises.
I don’t want to see the hopelessness on the faces of the remaining employees.
I don’t want to see the hurt that is still evident in my mother’s eyes from my father’s betrayal.
I don’t want to see the coldness and hatred in my brother’s eyes at me for leaving it all on his shoulders.
The list of reasons to not want to go home are continuous, but I have to stop running. I’ll go home, but before I leave, I will accept Cal’s offer to watch over Jenna and spend my remaining free time with Layla. With my decision made, I start heading back to the gym and decide to call her while I walk back.
“I’m still working, Chase,” she says, as soon as she picks up.
“Ah, you programmed my phone number so you know it’s me when I call. Progress!” I boast to her.
“What do you want?” she asks, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
“What time are you getting off of work?” The need to see her in person is so strong that I’ll go wherever she is just to see her face.
Perfectly Lonely: (Let Me In, Book 2) Page 7