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“God, I’ve missed that sound,” he said, staring at my mouth. Cal was so good at making me laugh. And I missed it too.
“Lana!” Dave called, sticking his head out of the side of the truck and waving me over. “I’ve got twenty bucks riding on the line here. You’re killing me!”
Dave smiled and I shot a look at Cal.
“Dave bet that you’d tell me to fuck off,” Cal grumbled.
That made me smile. “Twenty, huh? And what do you have riding on my decision?”
Cal’s expression was serious when he looked me in the eyes and simply said, “Everything.”
Chapter 3
“Remember,” Dave called from the truck as Cal walked me up to the front door of his house, “Just because Cal fucked up royally, doesn’t mean you can ditch the rest of us. We’re doing dinner at the station tomorrow night. Family only, so you better show up!”
Dave’s kind invitation knocked on my chest like a fist from the inside trying to break free. They thought of me like family? I’d been to the station a few times back when Cal and I were together and knew firsthand how close all the guys were. And Cal had made me feel like a part of his world.
As we reached the front door, Cal took out his keys and unlocked it, while the truck idled loudly on the side of the street, waiting to take him back to the station. He opened the door and handed me the key.
“I’ll be back tomorrow morning to check in,” he said. “But there’s something inside I think will make you very happy.”
I frowned, but when he flicked on the entry light, I saw Harper sitting at the table.
“Oh, my God!” I dropped my small bag and she ran to hug me. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she said, hugging me back.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Cal said, then walked down the steps and toward the truck.
“Cal,” I called after him. He turned and those blue eyes snared me. “Thank you.”
He flashed his rugged smile and nodded once. There he was, giving me space, walking away, just like I’d pushed him to do, all while making sure I was okay.
I couldn’t think of that for long because with a quick wave to the truck, Harper yanked me inside and we were sitting on the couch, knees bent and catching up.
“Oh, my God,” Harper said, taking my hands in hers. “I’m so sorry, the avalanche made it impossible to get here until now.”
I gave a little squeeze back. She was warm and smelled like fresh snow and citrus shampoo. God, I missed my best friend. The weather and snow had made traveling back here difficult, but I was so happy she’d finally made it.
“So, I hear Jack and Cal have taken the title as your own personal guard dogs,” she said. She must have heard that from the gossip mill that ran around the station.
“They refuse to leave me alone.”
“Can’t really blame them,” she muttered.
“Yes, I can,” I said quickly.
“You’re right. You totally can.”
Harper knew the gist of what had gone down between Cal, Jack, and me. She also obviously knew about the fire, since it was her house too that burned. Luckily, she had a good deal of her personal stuff at her parents’ house, where she’d been visiting. When I called to tell her about my father’s death, she scrambled trying to get back, but the snow had her caged in until now.
“Did you drive today?”
“Yeah, took most of the day. Stupid snow,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. I can’t believe he died the same day our house burned down. Do the police think it’s linked?”
“Right now, they’re treating the instances as separate,” I answered. My father’s death was unofficially deemed a suicide, as of this moment. The fire report on the house was still underway. Though foul play was expected, we were still waiting to hear what the arson investigation turned up.
“So, the police are still investigating your dad’s death?” she asked. Her neatly curled hair hung like glossy curtains around her face. For spending the majority of the day in a car, she looked amazing. As usual. Her ivory skin was fresh and smooth, her eyes rested and calm. Whatever she had, I wanted some. Though I hadn’t glanced at a mirror in a while, I felt withered, and it showed.
