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“Fine,” he threw his hands up when I didn’t say anything. “Your silence is unbearable, and you’ve broken me. The truth is, I do have motives.”
I scowled at him. Of course he did!
Before I could curse him out, he said, “I have water motives. I’m giving you fair warning going into this. I’m going to try to hydrate the hell out of you.”
That made me bust up laughing. My memory flashed to the first night I met him.
“Well, at least you’re upfront with your intentions.”
“Yeah, this woman I met a couple months ago told me that she likes it when intentions are clearly stated.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Cal nodded. “Yeah, she was really smart, and a hottie, so I figured she knew what she was talking about.”
I shook my head and grinned.
“There you go. Smiling is a good look for you, Kitten. You should do more of it.”
I met his eyes, and realized I hadn’t done much of that lately. Even before Jack and I broke up. It was funny how these two men were the best of friends, and yet seemed like night and day in personality.
“Maybe we can hang out,” I finally said.
Cal slapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Awesome, be prepared to sing. I need a duet partner for Endless Love.”
“Oh, God…”
But Cal was already standing and calling across the street to the guys outside still chatting. “Hey, karaoke party this weekend! And, Simpson, you’ve been replaced. I have a new singing partner!”
A guy, who must be Simpson, threw his arms in the air. “Ouch, bro. What ever happened to the Endless in Endless Love?”
Everyone laughed.
My cheeks heated a little. Cal faced me, bent, and brushed his fingertip along my cheek and winked. “Everything will be okay.”
He was serious and sincere, and somehow, I believed him. He turned and walked back across the street. There was so much that had happened. So much that hadn’t. This path I was on had been set from day one. While the outcome was already in motion, one thing still tumbled through the back of my mind.
“Cal?” I called after him, and he stopped and faced me. “Remember when you said that you and Jack were both at the bar that first night?”
He nodded.
“Where were you?”
His blue eyes locked on mine. “I was throwing an asshole out the door.”
My breath caught, as my memory stretched to recall that night. When the fight broke out, a large man in a white T-shirt interfered before the bouncer even got there.
“That was you?”
His smile was all the confirmation he gave before he turned and headed back toward the firehouse. Jack may have come in to be my wall, but Cal had thrown himself into the fray before anyone got too close to me in the first place.
I took several swallows of my drink. My chest was still throbbing from the battle it’d undergone with Jack the past couple months. But, somehow, I didn’t feel destroyed beyond repair.
Which was hopeful.
NOT the end…
