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“Hey,” I shouted, only it came out a whisper. They both looked at me, then back at each other. As if reading my face was all they needed, and they didn’t bother saying another word.
“Outside,” Cal said quickly, and Jack nodded. I, however, stood there like a moron, while the two men walked out. There was just enough information thrown out to confuse the hell out of me and wonder if this was a coincidence. That would be a naïve notion, and I mentally calculated the actual statistics of this kind of issue. One woman kissed two men who happen to be best friends? The numbers were fuzzy, the probability of such a “random” occurrence was not high.
I stood on my toes and looked through the big front window. They were talking. Not fighting, not brawling, but talking. Jack has his arms crossed. He was nodding, but a look of death was on his face. Cal was saying something obviously heartfelt, but I had no clue what it was.
“Holy crap!” Edith said, coming up to me and taking two of the margaritas, which were now starting to slushify, and not in a good way. “Are those two guys fighting over you? And is that…” With a pink straw in her mouth, she sucked down a big gulp of margarita and looked out at the same men I was. “Is that Jack Powell?”
“No,” I said with a nervous laugh. “I mean yes, that’s Jack, but no, they aren’t fighting over me.”
My stomach hurt because they were best friends, basically brothers, Cal had said. How had I ended up kissing them both? Luck wasn’t a factor here, lack of luck was. And I was back to feeling like I wasn’t privy to all the information. Something I’d rectify as soon as they walked back in.
Part of me was glad I didn’t have to say more. Didn’t have to “choose” in that moment. Not that it would come to that. Jack and I needed to have a big conversation about “me being his.” What did that even mean?
Everything was so crazy, so out of my element, I didn’t know where to start or what to think. Other than that I wanted Jack, very much. The lingering memory of Cal’s lips and strong arms wouldn’t dissipate though.
“Let’s get these to the table,” I said to Edith. She nodded and I carried two while she carried the others.
“That took a while,” Walter said. “And was that Jack Powell?”
“Yeah,” Edith said with excitement, and smoothed down her work slacks as if preparing for an encounter with him.
Both Jack and Callum walked back through, just as I set the drinks down at the table. They both looked at me. Cal walked to the bar, while Jack put on his best executive face and approached the group.
“Good afternoon.”
“Hello, Mr. Powell,” Edith said in a voice reserved for a nine-hundred number. Yeah, she definitely had a thing for the boss, and the last thing I needed was for this to look like anything gossip-worthy.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Miss Case for a moment.” When I stared at him, silently cursing and begging him to not make any kind of move that would imply a scandal between us, he finished with, “I have a question about an accounting error.”
“Oh, of course!” Edith said happily. Whether she was happy that she thought I may be in trouble, or happy that she didn’t obviously think anything was going on between Jack and I was indeterminable.
I excused myself from the group and went with Jack to where Cal sat at the bar.
“Hey,” he said, like it was the first time seeing me. Odd. “Sorry I interrupted. I came here to meet with my best friend for a going away drink. But,” Cal glanced at Jack, “I think we’ll move the party to a different bar.”
Jack nodded in agreement.
“Wait. What on earth is going on? A going away drink? Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’m heading to a fire in Wyoming. They need more ground support. Be gone most of the summer.” Again, he glanced at Jack. But not with fear. It was like they were silently speaking to each other again. I had no idea how to handle what had just happened. But Cal was leaving. For the summer.
The only thing that felt right to say was, “Please, be safe.”
Cal nodded and rose to face me. He swooped me up in a hug. The kind that consumed my entire body, and I was engulfed with his warmth. He smelled the same as that night. Felt the same. With my head against his chest, one hand tunneled in my hair as he embraced me tighter.
“I will be back,” he whispered in my ear, then released me, but didn’t look me in the eye. He merely turned and started walking out. “I’ll meet you there,” he said to Jack over his shoulder.
I didn’t know where “there” was, but as I watched Cal walk out as easily as he’d walked in, I realized he w
as a big ball of adventure—closer to wind than man. I could feel him, like I could feel the breeze, swooping in briefly, only to continue on past me.
Harper had warned me about men like this. Warned me about Cal. A man like him couldn’t be contained. I glanced at Jack, and realized that while he may appear steady and calm, he wasn’t any more obtainable than Cal. Just like a steady tree could still be ruffled, even uprooted, by a strong breeze.
Whatever history was between these two men ran deep. And I stood on the outside, looking into what felt like a puzzle I wasn’t allowed to take part in piecing together.
As Cal was heading to the door, he looked over his shoulder. His charming smile was back in place, but there was a sadness in his eyes that flickered so quickly I almost missed it.
“Chin up, Kitten. It’s summer. Time to enjoy it.”
