“A lot of documents and contracts go between companies that have nothing to do with wills. We’re finding out more about the timeline, though, and it’s too coincidental to ignore,” Jack added.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“We know your father was set to sell, and the process is still underway. But when he decided to sell is odd. He reached out for offers right before Brock came back to Denver,” Jack clarified.
“So, I did some digging,” Cal said. “I went to talk to your mom.”
“You what? Why would you do that?” I hadn’t spoken to my mother in a long time.
“Because she’s the only one who could have information about the time before your dad met Anita and the company went from Case to Case-VanBuren.”
My mouth went dry. Cal hadn’t been at the station, he’d been traveling. My mother was the only one who could possibly have any information.
“Did she say anything?” I asked.
Cal nodded. “She gave me the name of your father’s attorney and accountant, same man who handled all his business and financial work when they were still married. He’s in Denver. We can go see him when his office opens tomorrow.”
“I don’t know if there is any information to be had, though.”
Cal shrugged. “It’s better than sitting here do
ing nothing and waiting for someone to hurt you.” He pulled a small envelope from the inside of his jacket pocket. “She also gave me this.”
He handed it to me and inside were a few small photos of when I was a child. One was of my father and me. The others were of all three of us. A family.
Water lined my eyes and I looked at Cal. “How did you know I wanted this?”
He moved toward me, not reaching out, but enough to put our bodies so close that I could feel his torso rise and fall against my breasts with each breath he took. “The night Harper was at the house, she called me after you talked and told me.”
I searched his face, now realizing that he was likely tired because he’d spent the last day and a half on an airplane or talking to my mother.
His hand cupped my waist, pulling me just a little closer, and I let him. Liking the feel of his strength against me. Liking the way he towered over me and made me feel safe and warm and cherished.
“I told you, Kitten. All you have to do is tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”
I met his eyes. Blue and bright and laced with sadness. I glanced over his shoulder and saw Jack starring daggers in our direction.
Cal’s shoulders stiffened, just before they sunk just slightly. He moved away from me and spared Jack a single glance before returning that ocean gaze back on me, full heat ignited.
“But maybe I was wrong about what you needed,” Cal rasped with a harsh bite.
My breath caught and I clutched the pictures he’d given me. Looking between the man that delivered and the man that conquered, I was at a loss for what to say. What to feel. Because what I felt for each of them was very different, yet very deep.
As if Cal could read my mind, he shot me a heated look and a devastating grin. “If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that timing is everything.” He walked past me and out of Jack’s office. As he stomped down the hallway, he called over his shoulder, “I’m going to get my bag from the truck. Hope you don’t mind one more crashing at your place, Jack.”
With that, the strong firefighter strode down the hall and out of sight, leaving me, if possible, even more at odds with everything.
“We need to talk,” Jack said immediately. His voice rolled over my skin and pricked it with shivers.
I turned to face him. “I think we’ve said everything we need to.”
“I disagree completely.” He stood from behind his desk. His light blue button up was the color of Cal’s eyes and rolled at the sleeves. But the powdery color made his dark features stand out like an exotic treat.
“I was looking for closure,” I admitted, hoping to get out of this room and conversation without Jack hearing my heart pick up its pace.
“Oh?” he asked, rounding his desk and heading my way. The man didn’t walk. He stalked. Like a predator. And, once again, like the moment I met him, I felt the trance of his intensity sweep me up. “And is that what you got? Closure?”
I licked my lips and tried to stand tall, tried to keep eye contact and not show weakness, but his eyes were so smoldering it was hard not to get hit with the heat.