by Jill Sanders
“Isn’t he like… twenty years older than you?”
She shook her head. “That’s your takeaway from this?”
He shrugged. “Sorry. Continue.”
“Anyway, after the second date, I saw him for the man he was, and I stopped taking his calls and text messages.”
“What happened next?” he asked, taking another sip of his coffee.
“He continued calling. So, I decided to meet him and officially break things off. Face to face.”
“He didn’t go for it?” he asked, searching her face. He could see the answer before she even opened her mouth.
“No.” She sighed. “If anything, the meeting made things worse.”
“How so?” he asked, growing more concerned.
“He… started showing up everywhere I was.”
“Stalking you?” He felt his temper for the man and his concern for Bella grow.
Instead of answering, she nodded and reached for her mug.
He took a couple of cleansing breaths. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you left California.”
She avoided his eyes again, and he could tell there was more to the story.
“Did anything else happen?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“No.” She shook her head and avoided his eyes. He wanted to ask her to tell him more, but he didn’t want to come across as pushy. “I just needed… time away from everything.” She glanced out the window again. “It looks like you’re setting up for a big party.”
He followed her gaze and saw the large circular tables being rolled out to the lawn and set up for the family reunion lunch.
“Yes,” he answered, knowing she was changing the subject but figuring he’d allow it for now. “There’s a big family reunion today. They’ll have lunch out on the lawn and have booked the bigger pool area for a private dinner.” He thought of all the things that still needed to be done to prepare the space.
“I’m keeping you,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.
“No,” he lied. The truth was, he could happily spend the entire morning sitting there talking with her. That thought had him standing up quickly. “But I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your breakfast.” He picked up his coffee mug but leaned down closer to her before he walked away to add, “You know, Adam’s French Toast Fosters is the best in Maine.” He chuckled when her eyes heated at the thought of something better than simple yogurt.
He took his coffee down to the kitchen for his morning meeting with Adam and his staff and wasn’t surprised when an order for French Toast Fosters came in a few moments later.
After getting the following week’s orders from Adam, he headed back up to his office on the top floor. Sarah and Ben kept the big office just down the hall but, shortly after they had hired him on, they had renovated a room down the hall from their office into an office space for him.
For the next few hours, he busied himself sending out the orders for the kitchens and the bars. By the time lunch rolled around, he had most of his office work done. He made his way out to the employees’ patio bar and sat outside and enjoyed his lunch with the rest of the employees on their breaks.
The sun was high overhead but the thick leaves from the large maple trees shaded the picnic benches that had been set up for the employees.
It was days like this that reminded him why he loved where he worked. The sunbeams caused the blue water to sparkle. It’s soothing motion and the sound of it lapping at the rocky shore was the best music to his ears. Any time he needed to meditate, he thought of this place. Of moments like this.
He watched as the ferry dropped off a few guests and took a small group to the mainland for a day trip to the shops. The nearby town of Silver Cove, with its historic main street and quaint little shops, was another big draw.
He wasn’t surprised to see JT at the helm. He knew his wife Emma and the kids had a standard nap time just after lunch.
That got Calvin thinking about kids. With those thoughts, he was forced to try and clear his mind to shake off the bad mood that always came when he thought of what he’d lost.
As always, the memory of Kelly only brought him pain. He tried to fight the dark thoughts back as much as he could, since he knew that it would take him hours to get rid of the funk.
He needed to check on the lunch party, so he finished his sandwich and strolled the grounds.
Before he came to the opening, he almost bumped into Bella, who was rushing towards the dock with fear in her eyes. The look on her face had him holding onto her shoulders and glancing around.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly.
“Cal…” She shook her head and, after a moment, closed her eyes as she took several deep breaths. “I… um, got a call.” When she opened her eyes, most of the fear was gone. “I’m sorry, I had a phone call that spooked me.”
He took her shoulders and moved them to a small private bench surrounded by bushes filled with brightly colored flowers.
She sat next to him and composed herself. It took her several deep breaths before her breathing leveled off.
“You okay?” he asked.
Her dark eyes moved to him. “Yes. I guess I let the call affect me more than I should have.” She tried to smile at him.
“Want to tell me what the caller said?”
Again, her eyes moved around as if she was looking for something or someone to jump out at her.
“No. It’s probably nothing. I’m just overreacting.”
“Are you sure?” He took her hand in his. It was small and soft, and he felt her relax even more as he held it.
“It’s just… someone keeps calling me and… saying things. Terrible things.”
“Like?” He stopped her before she could answer. “No, sorry, don’t answer that. Why does it scare you?”
She closed her eyes again. “Because the things that he says… it’s horrible. He talks about mutilating me.”
His hands jerked in hers and tightened, then he took a few breaths and relaxed.
“Have you thought about changing your number?” he asked.
“I have, twice now.”
“You’re sure the caller is a he?” he asked. She turned to him and nodded. “Could it be Himes?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I just don’t know. It would make sense. He’s the only one who’s been… strange.”
“You said he was following you?”
“I’m not sure if you can officially call it following.” She bit her bottom lip. The slight move had his desire for her growing as images of kissing those lips surfaced.
Shifting his mind, he asked, “Why don’t you start at the beginning?” But before she could say anything, his phone went off.
Seeing the front desk’s number, he cringed. “Sorry, I have to…”
She nodded and he answered.
“Calvin here.” He listened to Stacey explain how the cake for the main event tonight had gone missing in the kitchen and that they needed him to help find it and to explain to the Schaffers that their cake was MIA.
After hanging up, he turned to Bella. “I’m sorry. Raincheck?” he asked her.
“Yes.” She smiled and started getting up. He took her elbow in his hands and helped her up.
“How about after dinner?” he asked. “I can meet you?” He glanced around. “How about at the gazebo?” She was silent for a moment, thinking. “I’d like to help you. If you’re going to be staying here, under our protection, maybe it would help if I knew the entire story?” He tilted his head. “Or I could call your brother…”
“No.” She shook her head quickly. “Eight o’clock. The gazebo,” she agreed. Then she walked away quickly.
Chapter Five
Bella had only agreed to meet Calvin later that evening because of the look in his eyes when she’d been talking to him. The look of pure concern couldn’t be faked. That and, well, she’d been really spooked about the call.
She’d had several since she’d broken things off
with Michael. They’d gotten darker each time.
It was true, she’d changed her cell number a few times now, each time only giving it out to family and Maggie, her agent.
She knew she could trust Calvin since her brother and Sarah trusted the man to run the resort. There was also the fact that she’d had a major crush on him all those years ago.
In the past few years, almost everyone she ran into would recognize her, and their eyes would grow large. She could tell right away that they were starstruck. Calvin didn’t act that way around her and it was so refreshing.
Calvin didn’t show any signs of caring who she was even though she’d seen the spark of attraction behind his dark eyes. Attraction that probably matched that in her own eyes.
She spent the rest of her day up in her room, strumming her guitar as she worked on a few new songs. She tried to get the deep voice out of her head, but the stress reflected in the music she played.
Finally, she gave up and turned on the television to watch an old sitcom so she could laugh instead of worry.
She had dinner delivered to her room. She didn’t want to deal with anyone else at the moment. After eating, she felt much better and picked up the guitar again. When she was in the mood to play, she liked as few distractions as possible.
She’d set an alarm so she wouldn’t work past the time to meet Calvin and had given it a lot of thought as to what she was going to tell him and what she wasn’t.
As she walked down the stairs, out the front lobby area, and down the dark pathway, she tried to settle her nerves. She didn’t know if she was more anxious about seeing Calvin or telling him everything that had been going on with her over the past few months.
The moment she stepped outside, she realized she should have looked out the window before heading out. The warm sunny day had turned misty and cooler, making her wish she had grabbed a light jacket. She stepped up her pace and, by the time she made it to the gazebo, she was warmer.
Calvin was there, leaning against the railing, looking out over the dark water. When he heard her approach, he turned and smiled at her and her steps faltered.
There were strings of white lights hanging from the eves of the small circular covering, which highlighted the brightness of the man’s smile.
He was still wearing dark gray dress pants and a crisp white button-up shirt, but he’d removed the tie he’d worn earlier and had rolled up the sleeves of the shirt. He looked even sexier than when he’d sat with her during breakfast.
“Did you enjoy your breakfast?” he asked smoothly with a smile that told her he knew full well that she’d taken his advice and ordered the French toast.
“I did,” she answered, stopping directly beside him. “Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever had anything bad come from the kitchen here.”
He nodded in agreement. “Want to sit?” He motioned to the bench. When she sat down, he frowned over at her. “You should have worn a jacket.” He picked up his jacket, which he’d tossed over the railing, and gently placed it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.” She sighed and enjoyed the instant warmth and the sexy male scent that surrounded her. “I didn’t look outside before heading down.”
He waited, watching her. “Busy day?”
She smiled. “I finished working on a couple of new songs.” She felt the flood of accomplishment that always followed the completion of a song.
“Wow, good.” He tilted his head slightly. “I’ve always wondered what the process was.” He moved slightly until his eyes met hers. “I mean, do you play while writing or write, then create the notes to match?”
She shrugged. “For me, I strum the guitar and the lyrics just come to me. Sometimes,” she admitted.
She could tell he was skirting around the subject and decided to jump right in.
“I mentioned Michael.” She took a deep breath. “That I’d gone out on a few dates with him. Well, those dates were more like… promotional opportunities. At least I thought they were.” She remembered the excitement when Maggie had told her about the deal she’d made.
Bella’s song “Someday Hope” had been selected as the main tune in the soundtrack for Michael’s latest movie, Rivers Crossing.
Maggie had arranged for Bella to attend the premiere with the director. She’d been so excited meeting and being around all the big-name stars that she’d allowed the bright lights and stars to blind her for the entire night. She’d overlooked the man’s obvious faults.
When he’d called her directly and asked her to attend another event with him, she’d jumped at the chance.
Naturally, pictures of them from the events had been plastered everywhere. She couldn’t go to a checkout counter without seeing her and Michael’s faces along with headlines that hinted at how far their relationship had come in such a short time.
By the second date, the bright lights and blinders she’d worn were quickly fading. They’d been removed completely that last night when he’d driven her home himself.
She’d made it clear to him that she had an early morning recording session and needed to get home so she could get plenty of rest. But instead of heading towards her apartment downtown, he’d turned onto the highway and started heading towards the Hollywood hills.
“What happened?” Calvin asked, and she realized she hadn’t stopped talking.
Her eyes moved up to his instead of her fingers, which she’d been staring at while she’d told him everything.
Swallowing, she continued.
“He pulled up in front of his house, one of those massive mansions that hangs on the side of the hills overlooking the city.” She remembered feeling helpless and cornered. “He talked me into going inside and tried to convince me…”
Calvin shifted and broke her attention. Shaking her head, she sighed.
“I didn’t sleep with him. At first, I thought I wanted to, but then, he… changed.” She shook her head, unable to explain exactly what she’d witnessed.
“How so?”
“It’s hard to explain, but he turned… scary.” She held in a shiver as she wrapped her arms around her, pulling his jacket closer to her for warmth.
“What happened next?” he asked softly.
She took a deep breath. “I… stood my ground, and shot off a text to my agent, who had an Uber driver pulling up out front less than five minutes later with instructions to not let off the doorbell until I came outside.” She smiled. “Maggie is pretty protective.”
“Something tells me that wasn’t the last of it.” He almost groaned it out.
“That was the last time I was with Michael alone.” She leaned back in the bench and glanced out across the darkness of the water. The lights from the resort were gleaming behind them, casting shadows across the lawn from the trees. She could hear the water below lapping at the rocks that lined the jagged shore of the island.
“You said he was stalking you?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“After that, it seemed that he was everywhere I was.” She glanced over at him and, with his face masked in shadows, she realized he was even more handsome than she’d first believed.
She thought about telling him about the dark notes, the threatening emails, and that last scary night outside the club when she’d bumped into him, but she held in the rest as he looked thoughtfully at her.
“Did you file a restraining order?” he asked.
She shook her head slowly. “My agent thought…” The look he gave her had her shutting her mouth.
“You should have,” he said softly.
“There wasn’t really any reason to. I mean, there was no proof that he was officially stalking me. After all, I was in very public places and we were both still promoting…” She shrugged remembering running into Michael at her local grocery store. Since she knew exactly where he lived, she doubted it was just coincidence that they’d bumped into one another. “Besides, it was his word against mine.” She frowned down at her hands and realized that she was picking at
her nails again and tucked them into the deep pockets of his jacket. “So, do you like working at the resort?”
He chuckled. “Time to change subjects?”
She took a deep breath. “I did come here to get away from all my problems.”
He nodded. “One last thing, then I’ll grace you with my entire backstory.” His smile slipped slightly. “Is he the only one you’re worried about?”
She shifted under his gaze as she nodded. “He’s the only one I know about, yes.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he picked up her hands and held them lightly. “While you’re here, let me assure you that I will personally make sure that you are safe.”
“Thank you.” Bella relaxed slightly.
He nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable, then his grin was back. “Now, what do you want to know about me?”
She chuckled and thought about all the questions she had for him. What had he been up to after school? Was he in a relationship?
She’d been so young when her parents had shipped Ben off to boarding school. By the time she and Ben had gotten to spend time together, real time, he’d already been with Sarah.
“What was my brother like as a teenager?” She leaned her elbow on the back of the chair and waited for him to answer. “I mean, we always took family vacations together, but…” She shrugged.
Watching him chuckle, she couldn’t help but smile.
“Don’t hold back on me either. Every time Ben would come home for the holidays, he’d tell me all sorts of crazy stories about the two of you. All the trouble you’d get into.”
His smile slipped and, suddenly, a sad distant look crossed his eyes, making them grow darker. Instantly, she wanted to know what had caused the sadness, but she knew that he would hold some things back just as she had done to him.
Chapter Six
After spending an hour talking with Bella, he felt like he knew more about her and her brother’s relationship. He knew that Bella had been very young when their parents had shipped Ben off to school.
Ben had never held anything back about where he’d come from, who his family was, and how his parents had treated them.