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“Will you feel the same when he moves on?”
That thought did cause a certain pinching in the middle of my chest, but I nodded. “Yes. Because then he’ll stop trying to convince me to accept what he’s offering. Now, really, I have to go.”
I stormed out of my brother’s house, all that delicious seafood left on the table, and rushed home, where I locked myself inside for twenty-four hours to lick my wounds and drink away the words of my brother and my best friend.
Cal Rutledge was incapable of love. I knew that was the truth, no matter what anyone else said.
Cal
Teddy was gone.
More accurately, she and her crew were gone. Other than looking at a newly updated home with shiny new windows, light fixtures, baseboards, floors and the like, there was no trace that my house had been transformed into a construction site for the past month. There were no stray wrenches or nails, not one little thing that would give me a legitimate excuse to visit her office, to call her up, or to just show up on her doorstep.
And the worst part was it was deliberate on her part. Any other woman would have left behind at least a hammer or a toolbelt to give her a good excuse to come back, maybe give me a big chunk of her mind, or just to let me know she was just fine without me. Not Teddy, she was the type who severed all ties, swiftly and efficiently. Well that, and clearly she was very professional.
She couldn’t be that upset with me, could she? I mean, sure, my behavior on the night of her date with the ginger doctor wasn’t an example of me at my best, but what did the woman expect? That I would be happy about her spending time with another man, one who might end up being my boss?
Of course she did, she told me as much right there in the parking lot. You’re not capable of that emotion, because you don’t want anyone badly enough to actually be jealous. I know that and so do you.
Those words had played over and over in my mind since she’d uttered them, making it crystal clear what she really thought of me.
Was she wrong?
No. I didn’t do jealousy because there was no reason to. None of my relationships were serious enough to produce that emotion. The arrangements were casual enough that they could be ended at any time with no hard feelings. Except Alana’s teary exit made a lie out of that.
“Shit, she’s right.” Alana was jealous when she thought Teddy was her replacement. I was jealous as hell, seeing Teddy laughing and flirting with the ginger doctor. But was Teddy ever jealous of my interactions? She as angry as hell, sure, but jealous? That was a big fat nope.
Then what the hell was her problem? I knew a surefire way to find out, because I had yet to meet a woman more straightforward than Teddy. Instead of brooding in the dark, I put on a pair of sneakers and grabbed my keys for the short walk down the block to Teddy’s place.
It amazed me that, for years we lived so close to one another, only five or six houses stood between us, yet the first time she’d set foot in my home was the day she came for the consult. The first time I’d been inside hers was when I showed up with dinner. She went out of her way to avoid me, had done so for the past few years, but I hadn’t paid much attention until Antonio came back to Jackson’s Ridge.
“Cal, is that you?”
I stopped at the slightly familiar voice. I was annoyed because I didn’t have time to delay, but I was a small town boy and this was a small town where we stopped and chatted with old friends. Dammit. I pasted a smile on my face and turned towards the sound of the voice.
“Kara.”
She laughed prettily, a move I used to find so feminine and attractive, now it just seemed phony. “In the flesh. How are you?”
“I’m good. What are you doing in town? Are your folks okay?” Her parents had retired to New Mexico years ago, but they spent summers in Jackson’s Ridge, where they could take advantage of all the outdoor activities Oregon had to offer.
“I guess I deserve that,” she answered with a shrug. “My parents are fine, planning their annual trek to Jackson’s Ridge, this year they’re traveling by RV.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes, the move filled with affection. “I’m opening the house up for my parents.”
“Oh.” What else was there to say? “Then I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Actually, I’ll be around for a while.” Kara stood there, still pretty but she looked tired and sad, and way too done up for my liking.
