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She waved him into the cottage. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come on in. That way you can give Luke a full report.”
Without hesitation, Jax crossed the threshold into Callie’s new digs. The first thing that struck him was that she had somehow made it her own within a matter of hours. The furniture was light and airy. Cream and crimson tones with accents of gold. Tiffany lamps glowed beautifully from the end tables. A small, ruby colored rug sat in front of the hearth. The splashes of color went nicely with the more understated cream hues. Framed pictures hung on the walls—pictures of Monet’s gardens at Giverny, a few landscapes and a beautiful sunflower.
“What do you think?” Callie asked. She bit her lip, a nervous habit she exhibited whenever she was nervous about something.
“It looks fantastic,” he said, looking all around him. The kitchen area was open with a granite counter and a half wall separating it from the living room area. Everything was warm and bright. It was far from the posh lifestyle Callie was used to at the Duvall mansion, but something told him that Callie wouldn’t mind that one bit. She was itching for a change. He could feel it pulsing in the air around her. “You must be really happy about all this.”
Callie looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Really? That wasn’t what you were saying this afternoon.”
“I’m sorry about that,” he said. “Believe it or not, my intentions were good. Lionel…your father…he was hurting. I know him well enough to tell you with confidence that it wasn’t an act. He loves you and it tore him apart that you were leaving.”
Callie let out a hollow laugh. “There was a lot more to it than that.”
“I know,” he blurted out. “That’s why I feel so badly about what I said earlier and how I tried to convince you not to leave home.”
She let out a sound of surprise. “How did you find out? Oh, I see. You wheedled the information out of Luke.”
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” he said sheepishly. “I did ask Luke about your brother and what was going on. He’s a good friend and I was curious after I left you today. Please don’t give him a hard time for telling me. It’s not something I’m going to repeat to anybody. You have my most sacred promise.”
“I appreciate that. It would be splashed all over the gossip rags if word got out.” She sighed, her petite shoulders heaving. “As mad as I am, I don’t want to smear my parents in the media or subject Mac to any scrutiny. His life in Cape Cod is very tranquil. I want it to stay that way for his sake.”
“It’s sweet of you to think of everyone else in this situation. Don’t forget about your own feelings. It’s okay to want to protect yourself too along with everyone else.”
She ran a hand through her long, wavy locks. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last few weeks. Take care of myself and allow time for healing.”
Jax smiled. It was great to know that Callie was finding a way not to lose herself under the pressure of this situation. “That’s good to hear,” he said with an approving nod.
“Are you thirsty? Or hungry? There’s some leftover pizza…cheese and pepperoni.”
Jax’s tummy grumbled in response to her question.
The corners of Callie’s mouth titled upwards into a smile. “I think your stomach answered for you. Come on in to the kitchen and take a seat at my humble table.”
Callie led the way toward the kitchen. Jax trailed a few steps behind her. The kitchen was small but stylish. A butcher-block table sat in the middle of the room. He took a seat while Callie rummaged in the fridge. She pulled out the pizza and placed it in the microwave, then pulled two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with lemonade. She placed the drinks down on the table then turned toward the microwave as soon as it dinged. Within seconds he had two slices of steaming hot pizza sitting in front of him.
“I’m not going to give my brother a hard time. And I’ve known you long enough to know that you’re not going to spread this around Savannah.”
He took a big bite of the pizza then swallowed. “I’d never hurt you like that. Or betray your family.”
She cleared her throat. “I-I know that. I don’t mind anyone knowing about Mac. If I could I would shout it from the rooftops.” She let out a giggle. “My brother Mac is alive and well and wonderful. And I’m over the moon about it.”
“You really love him, don’t you?”
“Of course. He was my world. And then we were ripped away from one another.” She let out a loud tutting sound. “For what? Because of an illegal adoption ring? Because someone unscrupulous worked with the Massachusetts Child Care Services and sold me down the river to a wealthy family?”
Jax put his second slice of pizza back down on the plate. He was stunned by what Callie had just revealed. Luke hadn’t told him that the Child Care agency had been involved. “Is that what happened?”
Tears pooled in Callie’s eyes. “Yes,” she said, her voice raspy. “Mac was my hero. We were living in an abusive home. Mac got the brunt of it. He protected me. Saved me really from the worst of it. It all came to a head one night when Mac was locked down in the basement as punishment and I went down to give him something to eat.” Callie swiped away a tear. It took every ounce of his strength not to reach out and comfort her. “He told me we had to get out of the house. He said that if we didn’t leave that night he might not live. That’s how bad things were with my stepfather.”
“Callie, that’s horrific. What about your mother? Didn’t she do anything to stop it?”
Callie shook her head, her long red hair swirling about her face. “In the beginning she used to tell him to stop. But that ended after a while. She got addicted to pain killers. Then began taking other substances. She was zonked out most of the time. Frank did what he wanted to us.”
He leaned forward across the table. “And that night? Did you leave?”
“Yes. I called 911 and they took Mac to the hospital because he’d been beaten so badly by Frank. We were supposed to be reunited in foster care, but I never made it there. I was taken away in a car…then I was on a plane and at a sunny place for a while. Then I was with my adoptive parents.”
“And you never saw Mac again until recently?” he asked, incredulous about the story unfolding from Callie’s lips.
