Callie felt as if, for the second time in twelve hours, her world was snatched out from under her. Her head spun, but her limbs were too heavy to move. She felt like she was floating in space, with nothing to ground her.
Had her father cheated on her mother over the years, in the name of doing his job?
Did she have a clue who the two most important men in her life really were? Cold desperation seeped into her chest. She didn’t want to believe any of this. She wanted to wake up and find she was having a terrible nightmare.
But that wasn’t going to happen, and it was time she grew up and faced the facts.
The man standing before her, the man she’d adored all of her life, was a complete stranger. She realized this was the dangerous man she’d heard people whispering about when they didn’t think she could hear. A man who would sacrifice her happiness for the job.
The man who groomed Gavin to be just like him.
She stared at her father’s back and fought off a fresh wave of tears. She needed time away from everyone, and everything, to sort things out. She’d been concerned about trying to pretend nothing was wrong when she saw Gavin at the retirement party tonight. But this was even worse. While this confused and heartbroken, she couldn’t possibly pretend to be her father’s perfect little princess in front of his employees.
“I don’t think I can go to the party tonight.”
Her father turned to face her, his expression fierce. “Of course you can. And you will.” When she drew back from his anger, he softened his posture and smiled.
Rather than seeing the smile of a wonderful father who loved her more than life itself, she saw the smile of a man who engineered everything and everyone around him.
“I’m sorry I snapped, princess.” His smile widened. “How about I take you shopping? We’ll buy a necklace and earrings to go with your new dress.” He pulled her out of the chair and hugged her tightly. “We’ll take your mother with us and get her something, too.”
Callie absently nodded her consent and numbly returned the hug. This is the way it had worked her entire life. She’d just been too naive to notice the mechanics. Anytime her father messed up or did something unpleasant, he made up for it by taking Callie and her mother shopping. And afterwards, everything was fine.
Had he taught Gavin that trick, too?
Callie withdrew from his embrace and gave him the best smile she could muster. She was too emotionally exhausted to argue with him and desperate to be rid of him so she could crawl back into bed and pull the covers over her head. “I’ll see you and Mother after lunch.”
Callie stared at his retreating back and burst into tears again. Was anything or anyone what they seemed? She’d always believed her mother to be the self-centered, pompous one, her father to be the loyal, friendly one.
Boy had she been wrong. At least about her father.
She considered her feelings toward her mother and where they’d originated. She finally realized it wasn’t her mother’s actions that had caused those feelings, but rather the opinions her father had expressed over the years.
She loved her mother, but they’d never been close. Had that been part of her father’s engineering, too?
She fell into bed with a sob. She needed to talk to Gavin. He knew her father and mother better than anyone. If anyone could help her sort this mess out and make sense of things, it would be him.
But… oh, God! She hugged the pillow to her chest and tried to deaden the tremendous, searing pain. She couldn’t call Gavin anymore, could she?
There wasn’t anyone left who she could trust or depend on.
***
Sunny was standing on the stoop, staring at Gavin like a love-struck teenager, who didn’t want to be away from her new boyfriend for more than twenty minutes, when Robby pulled into the lot. He whipped into a parking space, slammed his truck door shut, then stormed across the lot.
Sunny took a deep breath, then slumped against the banister and crossed her arms. “I hoped the night away would mellow him out. Apparently not.”
“There’s more aggression rolling off him now than last night.” Gavin’s brow furrowed and he flipped his gaze to Sunny’s. “Do you want me to stay? I can go to New Bern later today, or even tomorrow.”
Sunny shook her head. “No, thanks. I think it’s time we have that talk I’ve been putting off. It’ll go better if it’s just the two of us.” Switching her attention to Robby, who was halfway up the stairs, Sunny said, “Did you have a good time at Chad’s?”
He moved around them on the stoop and opened the kitchen door. His mouth twisted into a menacing smile as he said, “It was enlightening.”
Normally, he would have followed the statement up with some kind of wiseass comment, like how much he learned from the late night shows on Skinemax. But this Robby wasn’t in a teasing mood, and she had no idea what had him so irritated this time.
She hated the tension between them and felt it as a constant burn in her gut. Crossing her arms over her stomach to shelter herself from Robby’s anger, she said, “Gavin’s getting ready to leave. I’ll be right in, and you can tell me about it.”
He flipped his gaze to Gavin, then stepped through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind him.
“I’m so sorry he’s acting like this. I don’t understand what’s going on with him. I didn’t think he had an unfriendly bone in his body.”
A series of emotions crossed Gavin’s face as he propped his hand on his hip and leaned against the railing. “Maybe I shouldn’t come back here tonight, like we planned.”
Frustration and anger fought for the top spot on her emotional scale. “This is why I’ve never dated. It’s too damned complicated.”
Gavin ran his thumb across her lower lip. “We just have to give him time to adjust.”
We? Adjust? To what?
“What are we doing here, Gavin? I live here. I’m not leaving. You live in Myrtle Beach. Our business is finished.” Unable to maintain eye contact with his intense blue stare, she turned to look at the water rolling onshore. “What’s the point in continuing any of this?”
“Our business isn’t finished.” When she snapped her gaze to his, a shadow flickered in his eyes and a crease furrowed his brow. “I know you think it is. But I keep telling you, I know Max Holden. He isn’t going to accept your refusal without a fight.
“On a personal level… I care about you. Way more than I should at this point in our relationship, if you want the truth.” He took a step forward and ran his hands down her arms before linking their fingers. “I think we’ve connected pretty well.”
“Our connection has been great,” she muttered, getting hot and bothered just thinking about it.
He tugged on her hands and smiled. “I meant more than the phenomenal sex. I want to spend more time with you, get to know you better.” He nodded toward the closed kitchen door. “I’d like to get know Robby, if he’d let me.”
A twisted part of her was glad their business remained unfinished because that guaranteed he’d keep coming around. She also liked hearing he cared about her. Whether it was true or not, she didn’t know, but at least it made her feel less vulnerable to getting hurt.
When she didn’t respond, he said, “I’ll stop by and have a beer on my way back from New Bern. If things are better, I’ll stay. If not, I’ll drink my beer, then keep heading south.”
“Okay.” She released his fingers and leaned into him for a hug. “I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I’m going to find out. By tonight, everything will be straightened out.”
Gavin dropped a kiss onto her forehead, then headed down the stairs. She watched him until his SUV turned the corner and was out of sight. She didn’t want a confrontation with Robby, but she wasn’t going to tolerate his rude and bratty behavior any longer.
She took a deep breath, then pushed open the kitchen door. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Well damn, that approach wasn't the way to avoid a confrontation. Maybe she needed a
few more deep breaths.
Robby was sitting at the kitchen table, his laptop open in front of him. He didn’t move a muscle, other than to flip his cold, steely eyes to her. “How well do you know that guy? And I don’t mean in the biblical sense?”
She clenched her teeth together and grabbed a Dum-Dum. “Robby, I’ve never treated you like a child, because I’m not the parent. But I’m no longer tolerating this shitty, disrespectful attitude you’ve been throwing at me lately.”
He lowered his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, sis. I know I’ve been hard to live with over the past few weeks. I’ve been stressed over exams and trying to figure out what to do about going to ECU.” He met her stare with a hard one of his own. “But this is different.” He turned the laptop around to her. “Look at this. Read all about your good buddy, Gavin.”
Nausea rose in her throat as she glanced at the computer. “What is it?”
“Sit down,” he said, kicking the empty chair out to her with his foot. “Get comfy.”
He’d probably spent all night searching the Internet for anything he could find on Gavin. And given his current level of hostility, he didn’t plan to show her stories of Gavin helping little old ladies cross the street.
With much trepidation, she sank into the chair and adjusted the screen so she could see. Robby pulled up a picture of Gavin and an older, aristocratic man. The caption read: Max Holden, CEO of Holden Enterprises, and his protégé, Gavin McLeod, share a moment during the Hadleigh Society’s annual meeting
“Okay.”
“Do you know what the Hadleigh Society is?”
She cut her gaze to Robby. “I have no idea. But I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.”
“It’s a bunch of rich guys that get together, smoke cigars, and drink wine. That’s all they do. It’s not for charity. It’s just to smoke and drink… and it costs five thousand annually to be a member.”
Damn, that sounded ridiculous, but how Gavin spent his money wasn’t her business. “Okay, so they smoke expensive cigars and drink fancy wine. What’s the problem?”
Robby rolled his eyes at her apparent stupidity, then switched to another article. “Here’s the next one.”
The next article was a feature on Holden Resorts. “Wow. I knew they built resorts, but… these are resorts.”
Robby snorted. “Yeah, and if they build that in Anticue, nothing will ever be the same.”
No argument there. She certainly wouldn’t get to spend any more nights sleeping naked on the beach. And wouldn’t it be a real shame to not do that again.
“You’re forgetting something,” she said. “The island has ordinances in place to keep us safe.”
Robby’s smile turned feral. “Yeah, some of these other places had them, too. Somehow, Gavin and his boss got around them.” Robby flipped to another screen. “Read this one.”
By the time she finished reading everything Robby had found, she’d gone through three Dum-Dums, and her stomach was in her throat.
“Do you see the problem now?” Robby said, crossly. “Gavin is a manipulator. Max Holden calls him a negotiator, but it’s the same thing. The last article praised Gavin as being the best in the business. He’s using you, Sunny.”
He paced the small kitchen, his footsteps landing with hard, solid whacks against the linoleum. “He makes millions of dollars every year. Once he becomes CEO, those millions will double. Do you really think he’s going to throw all that away to save some shitty little bar like the Blackout?”
Sunny jumped to her feet and barely contained the urge to slap Robby
He grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. “I don’t think of it that way. I love it as much as you do. But that’s the way these Holden people see it. Do you really think someone like Gavin cares about the Blackout? Or you?” He stepped away from her, but kept a firm grip on her shoulders. “He’s not going to let this little bar stand in his way of turning Anticue into a resort.”
She flopped down into the chair and let her head fall into her hands. Everything Robby said made sense. Why would Gavin risk his career, and millions, over a nothing-special bar or a woman he’d just met?
Sunny felt as if her heart was being slowly extricated from her chest. She liked Gavin and didn’t want to believe he’d been using her. But when she put her emotions in a box and buried them in a deep hole, allowing her to think logically, nothing else made sense.
So what did she do now? Confront him?
It’s not like he would come right out and say, “Yeah, baby, I’m using you. Can I do it some more?”
Did she tell him to leave and never come back? Or, did she play along and make him think she remained oblivious to his game?
If she played along, at least she'd have a chance at figuring out what he was up to and what his plans for moving forward were. And, okay, it would also give her the chance to have more great sex. She was a woman. Gavin was an amazing man, with an incredible mouth. If he was using her… well, she refused to feel guilty for using him for her own selfish pleasure.
She needed to think this through, and she did her best thinking while pounding copper in her workshop. She pushed her chair back, got to her feet, and gave Robby a quick hug. “I’ll be in the workshop if you need me.”
Chapter Nineteen
As Gavin pulled onto the lane leading to his grandfather’s house, a hum ran through his body. He’d always recognized a subtle, internal shift as he drove the long lane, breathing in fresh, country air, listening to the gravel crunch beneath the tires. He never bothered to analyze the feelings or try to label them, until today. Surprisingly, it was similar to the feelings of contentment he’d found in Anticue… along with a sense of being home.
As he approached the house and outbuildings, his grandfather exited the barn, exactly where he expected to find him. If the sun was up, his grandfather would be outside. The only unknown was if he’d be on a tractor in the field, in the barn working on a piece of equipment, or making repairs to one of the outbuildings.
A broad smile spread across the old man's face as he crossed the yard to greet Gavin. “Hello, son. What a pleasant surprise.”
Gavin stretched as he exited the car, then extended his hand in greeting as Granddad reached his side.
Big mistake.
His grandfather’s eyes narrowed, and he pushed Gavin’s hand aside. “That formal stuff works fine in your business dealings, but I want a hug from my favorite grandson.”
“I'm your only grandson.”
“Yeah, well, all the more reason for you to give me a hug.”
Gavin wrapped his arms around his grandfather and gave him a tight squeeze. As he registered his grandfather’s small frame, shock rocketed through him and his breath left in whoosh. He took a step back and studied the man who’d raised him.
How old was he?
Gavin ran the numbers in his head and came up with eighty, or damned close to it. How had he gotten so wrapped up with his life that he hadn't realized his grandfather was getting old?
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I hope it’s okay I showed up without much notice. As I said in my message, I was down by Wilmington. I wanted to see you while I was that close.”
He was intentionally vague as to where he’d been, hoping his grandfather wouldn’t ask questions. If he said he’d been in Anticue, his grandfather would be curious and would want to know why. Lying wasn’t an option and, well, neither was telling the truth. He couldn’t open himself up to the disapproval that would come from divulging that information.
Unfortunately, he’d seen that look too many times over the years, and he didn’t want to see it again. Disappointing his grandfather was unacceptable.
“Of course it's all right that you came here,” Granddad said, with a pat on Gavin’s shoulder. “You don't need permission to come home.”
Gavin followed his grandfather across the yard and into the house. The first order of business was a trip to the kitchen, where Gavin was promptly handed a g
lass of iced tea. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, sir.” A smile crept over his face as he thought of the breakfast he and Sunny shared in bed. His original plan had been to get up and head to his grandfather’s early, but he didn't want to leave. When he offered to fix breakfast, she was so excited to eat “real food” he’d been further inspired to feed it to her in bed.
Granddad didn’t spend any more time inside than was necessary, so once they’d both been outfitted with a large glass of tea, his grandfather pivoted on the heel of his worn-out leather work boots and headed to the front porch.
Gavin took a seat in the porch swing, which had been his favorite place to spend time as a kid. He couldn’t curl up in a ball in the seat like he did at ten. But he still took comfort in the familiar squeak of the chain as he pushed his foot against the porch’s wide plank flooring and set the swing in motion.
Listening to the creak of the swing and the kerthunk, kerthunk, kerthunk of his grandfather’s rocker, Gavin felt so far removed from his life he could easily pretend none of it existed. No hassles. No worries. No deals to be made… or not made.
“What’s on your mind, son?”
Startled, Gavin jerked his attention to his grandfather. “Nothing. Why?”
“You didn't come here to visit for the hell of it. It's written all over your face. Something's eatin' at ya.” His grandfather smiled a toothy grin and pushed back in his rocker. “Woman trouble?”
Gavin took a drink of his tea and looked at the barn, the outbuildings, and the fields in the distance, remembering how it had all looked to his ten-year-old self. Nothing on the farm had changed, but he saw it all differently now.
Since everything with Sunny on a personal level was great, he wouldn’t say he was having woman trouble. He didn’t even think he could narrow his problems down to one thing. He had the unsettling suspicion his problems ran more along the lines of the sum of the parts, rather than the individual pieces.
Last Call (Book #2 - Heat Wave Series) Page 16