Page 20

19

Fane

After

“I don’t understand your obsession with that stupid town.” A voice that sounded a lot like Cali’s sister crackled under the door, waking me up.

“You don’t need to understand it.” There was a lack of bite in Cali’s voice that told me everything I needed to know about how many versions of this conversation there had been before this particular rendition.

“I don’t know why you called me about it then.”

“I called you.” Cali released a grunting noise that made me rub my eyes in an effort to really wake up and focus on what the fuck was happening. “Because you’re my sister, and I thought maybe I could…talk to you.”

“You talk to me all the time, Calista.”

“We hardly talk anymore. But you are right, when we do, I talk to you. ” Another grunt. “And you usually say nothing at all and then hang up because something comes up.”

It was silent for a beat. “I just don’t understand your fixation with Darling.”

“It’s our home, Abbey.” There was no hiding the hurt in Cali’s voice that time, and I had the sudden urge to scream at her sister. The entire interaction didn’t make any sense to me. Cali had always been close with her sister. More than close. They were practically inseparable.

“No, it’s not. It’s where we grew up, but it’s not my home. What I have here, in Artington—this is my home. The job I have here, my friends, my hobbies, my apartment. I have more than just Darling.” Abbey sounded defensive, like she was trying to prove a point from a completely different argument.

I realized I was doing my best not to breathe after Abbey’s voice cut off. Realized my chest was aching for an entirely different reason than lack of air when Cali did.

“Well,” she said, voice breaking. “ All I have is Darling.”

“Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?” Abbey didn’t even wait for Cali to reply before the line cut out, and the entire house plummeted into silence.

I swung my legs off the bed and reached for my pants before walking out of Cali’s bedroom to find her…well, she was standing on the kitchen counter.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to silently walk up behind her, but I did it anyway.

“What are you doing?” My voice was still thick with sleep.

Any trace amounts of wanting to go back to bed were immediately eradicated from my system at the ear-piercing scream Cali vaulted into the air a second before she lost her footing and went flying backward.

I caught her with an arm around her back and under her legs. Still completely clueless as to why she was standing on the counter of her kitchen to begin with.

“God, you’re everywhere .” She looked as pissed off as she sounded.

“You were standing on the counter.” I met her pissed-off expression with my confused one.

“I…that’s none of your business. Put me down.” She started to wiggle in my hold. It just made me hold her tighter.

“Not until you tell me why.”

“Fane,” she huffed, swatting at flyaway strands of her unbound hair that had fallen across her face.

“Are you really so stubborn you can’t answer a single damn question?”

Well, that sure as fuck was not the right thing to say.

I could practically hear Ashton whispering in my ear that my balls were so far past being toast I should invest in a new pair altogether.

“I can’t reach the cupboards.” She ground the words out like they had personally offended her. “Now, put me down.”

Her hand was clenched into a fist, and the look on her face was one she’d given me more times than I could count since I’d gotten to town. It was a look that said she wanted to absolutely punch me in the face.

That was the first time I noticed that her cabinets were all the way to the fucking ceiling and half the size of regular cabinets. I mean, I’d been in this kitchen, actively fucking using it, and it just…didn’t register.

I frowned at them. “What’s wrong with your cabinets?”

She whirled on me. “There’s nothing wrong with my cabinets, Fane. ” She said my name like it was an insult. I was glad she’d turned her head a fraction to gesture at them because I knew I couldn’t hide the way the corner of my mouth twitched that time.

This feistiness was definitely new, but fuck me if I didn’t like it.

“Why are they so high?”

“You really have to stick your nose into everything. The fact that you’re…you’re…” Her hands started to flail. “ Defecating all over my town isn’t enough?”

My body literally seized at the effort of holding in my laugh.

“Are you fucking laughing at me right now?”

“No—”

“If you call me ma’am, it will be the last thing you say with teeth that you grew yourself.”

“Noted.” I cleared my throat and composed my face. “Cali, why are your cabinets to the ceiling?”

“I installed them myself.” She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, daring me to say anything other than that she did a great job.

“They’ve been installed correctly. It’s just they’re—”

“They’re what?” She was trying to hold on to the fury for dear life. I could see it. But I could also see the faint purple marks under her eyes that were new, right along with this need to kick me in the balls almost every second of every day. It was that, along with the conversation I heard between her and her sister, that made me shut my mouth.

I’d find another way to get under her skin, if only to find the real version of the woman in front of me. Changed or not, I was determined to see her without any walls. Only then would we be able to lay all our cards on the table. To finally have the argument that was two years in the making.

“They’re straight. You did good.”

“I—” Cali cut herself off. “What?”

“They look level.” I gestured to the cabinets that, now that I noticed, were comically high. “Did you lift them yourself while fitting them to the wall?”

From the corner of my eye, I watched her cross her arms and jut her hip out. “Yes.”

Well, that explained the size choice. Anything else would have been too heavy for her to lift on her own.

“Nice.” I nodded, turning back toward the bathroom.

“ Nice? What do you mean, nice ?”

“It’s a compliment, Calista. Take it.” I closed the door between us, cutting off anything she was going to say. I could also hear Ash in that moment saying, “ Oh, yeah, way to not be a dick, you asshole.”

The hot pelting water on my back didn’t do a whole lot to ease any of the tension I felt. It was twisted the way my body reacted to anything she did. Her smell, her sounds, even her fucking insults sent the blood rushing directly out of my head and into my cock.

I wrapped my hand around the base, squeezing tight, my eyes falling closed at the single pump I gave myself before releasing my hold.

I’d been semi-hard from the moment I laid my eyes on her. Except for that one morning when I hadn’t been prepared to wake up to the feel of her warm and soft and fucking on me, I hadn’t touched myself.

Fuck me, did I want to, but not like this.

That interaction had set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

After that Cali had disappeared for most of the day. It could have been her plan all along, given the café was closed, but I was sure it had something to do with what happened the day before. With her needing space.

I decided it was a good opportunity to introduce myself to her neighbors. They already knew who I was, which I should’ve guessed. Both the house to the right of Cali’s and the one across the street greeted me with that small-town distrust of city construction companies intending to ruin their town. So, they were polite as fuck if not a little standoffish.

I recognized one woman who’d been in the town meeting that I’d followed Cali to. Even though she only dared to speak to me through a small crack in the door, the more I answered her questions, the wider that gap got.

What business did I have coming around and sticking my nose where it didn’t belong? The same sentiment that Cali had but delivered with a lot fewer expletives and middle fingers.

I told them the truth.

I definitely shouldn’t have done that knowing I hadn’t even mentioned it to Cali, but she wouldn’t believe me even if I did. Maybe a little more selfishly, what reason would I have to stay if she knew?

By the end of my conversations with them, which had taken well over two hours a piece, I was on great terms with both households.

When Cali had finally arrived home, I’d just finished speaking with Mrs. Antinello, who I’d learned was her landlord. The older woman had somehow roped me into vacuuming her driveway.

Vacuuming her driveway .

I mostly just nodded my head because I was too shocked at her request.

“See, I knew not all bad boys were idiots,” she said, patting my cheek and bustling inside with her cane to retrieve her vacuum.

The thing was ancient, with a cord so small I had to use four different extension cords I’d hunted for around Cali’s house just to get it to reach outside. I was halfway through vacuuming when Cali marched up to me and poked me so aggressively in my side that I pretty much screamed.

“What the fuck!”

“You’re vacuuming her driveway?” She looked incredulous. Her aggressively whispered reprimand doing nothing to dampen how upset she clearly was.

“I mean, yes? She asked me to.” Then the other thing she said popped into my head. “She also called me a bad boy.”

“And you said yes? ” Her arms flew out to either side.

Oh. Oh. “She asked you to do this, didn’t she?” I was fucking beaming now. “And you said no.”

“ Of course I said no!” Cali practically screamed without any sounds, and I was in fucking heaven.

“And that’s why she hates you?” I guessed.

If looks could kill, I’d be dead as fuck right now. “You… you…”

“Me… me?” I was digging my own grave for sure, but she’d been gone all day, and I missed her. What better way to let her know than driving her to the very brink of sanity?

“You make me sick .” She did not whisper that time. She just turned on her heels and marched right back to her house, but not before grabbing a handful of leaves from the garden and sprinkling them across Mrs. Antinello’s driveway and flipping me off.

I was still so in love with this woman, it was fucking criminal.

Cali had descended into mostly ignoring me again for the week that followed. With the exception of her telling me to fuck off when she turned around and jumped out of her skin after finding me shadowing her for work purposes (obviously).

Today was the first time I was breaking that habit.

I had to make it to the office next door for a few things. Now that all the evaluations of the central part of town were down, I’d been slowly getting reports from all the different groups on what they found, what looked promising, and what could pose an issue.

There was really nothing negative about what came back. Darling was just big enough that the small-town economy here was actually thriving. There was enough opportunity that people didn’t go looking elsewhere to find it, and if I’d been here doing the job my father thought I was doing, there would be no questioning whether or not we’d move forward with this project.

If I showed this to the mayor, the man would probably shit his pants with excitement.

I picked up my phone to call Ash.

“Big man.”

“Just finishing up these review reports.”

“How’s it looking?”

“I need everyone to revisit their evaluations,” I murmured, rereading one of the decks that were handed in for the fifth time. “I need the guys to highlight, for every area in every zone, which parts are privately owned and which are owned by the town—not just the overarching percentages.” I leaned back, rubbing my eyes. “I also need a detailed outline of upkeep responsibilities for each area, including who’s actually maintaining them. The budget records show no funds allocated for the maintenance of these zones, even though the majority are marked as town-owned.”

“You think the cheese ball is playing dirty?”

Looks like Cali’s little performance had reached everybody’s ears. “I do. I’m guessing these evaluations wouldn’t hold up long term if that’s the case.”

“You’re so smart, pookie bear,” Ash cooed through the phone, and I heard the laughter of the guys on the other end.

As soon as I ended the call, I locked up the office and walked back into Sunshine, that’s where I found Declan planted at the counter, looking like he owned the place. His hands were pressed flat, his shoulders rolled forward just enough to make it clear he wasn’t there for a casual chat.

Cali’s gaze flicked to mine. For a fleeting second—so brief I might’ve imagined it—I thought I saw relief in her eyes.

“Fane,” she breathed, my name soft but heavy. Like she’d been holding her breath.

“All good, baby?” I asked, but my focus was on Declan. On the way he hung his head just slightly, like I’d interrupted something important. Like I wasn’t supposed to be here.

Cali didn’t say anything, just gave me a short nod and slid a coffee across the counter toward him before stepping back.

“You’re never far, are you, boss?” Declan’s tone was light, but the way he said it—full of dark amusement—set my teeth on edge.

“Don’t you have a job to be doing?” I shot back, keeping my voice calm, even. My hands hung casually at my sides, all while I pictured the different things I could slip into his morning coffee that would make his brain melt out his nose.

“Sure do.” His smile widened, slow and deliberate, like he wanted to see if I’d bite.

“Then go do it.”

Declan didn’t move right away, didn’t break eye contact. He wasn’t done yet—not really. His gaze slid back to Cali, lingering, calculating in a way that made something inside me twist.

I fucking knew that look.

I’d seen it in my father’s eyes right before he lashed out. I’d seen the aftermath of it in the emptiness of my mother’s gaze after he was done. When she thought no one was watching, but I was still there in that fucking corner of that fucking room.

It was getting louder—the part of me that whispered all the ways I could make the world a better place by removing people in it like that . Clawing at the surface, demanding I do something. Because I knew what happened when no one stepped in. I’d fucking lived it.

He would die, slowly, painfully, before he laid a hand on Cali.

Declan’s smirk deepened, like he knew he’d gotten under my skin. Like he could sense exactly what I was holding back. It was as if he was somehow privy to the darkest parts of my soul and reveled in making me relive everything that it housed.

I made to follow him, driven by the sharp edge of memory and instinct, every muscle coiled tight. I was so honed in on him that I hadn’t even noticed Mags halfway in the café, her arm wrapped protectively around Gus, until I turned.

“Gus!” Cali exclaimed. “Are you okay? You weren’t here this morning.”

“Oh, I’m fine.” The older man’s cheeks were a bright red.

“You’re not fine.” Mags frowned at him. “Someone broke into his shop.”

“What?” Cali’s face fell, and she walked around the counter. “I’m so sorry, Gus.” She wrapped herself around the older man, his round belly between them stopping her from getting any closer.

“Gus owns the mechanics shop a couple streets back,” Mags explained, a grim look on her face.

“I promise I’m not hitting on you.” Cali gave him a wink, and Gus rolled his eyes.

“Lorna hasn’t let me hear the end of that one,” he huffed.

Cali’s laugh was light and happy, and it made me realize that it was the second time since I’d been here that I heard a genuine laugh from her, and the only time that it hadn’t ended in tears.

I fucking hated it. The idea that this woman didn’t laugh the way she used to.

“You take a seat, and I’ll bring you your coffee.”

“And cookies,” he mumbled.

“Yes, Gus, and your cookies.” Her smile dropped when she turned back and found me standing closer to her than I’d been before.

“You okay?” I asked quietly.

She nodded, a small crease between her brows. Her eyes darted around my face like even though I’d been right in front of her, she hadn’t really seen me until right then. “Yeah.”

I searched her face for a second longer before I nodded my head and stepped to the side, letting her by. I didn’t believe her, and everything in me wanted to demand she tell me what Declan had done to make her look at me, of all people, with relief.

“Any idea who might have done something like that?” Mags was rubbing Gus’s back in gentle circles.

“Nope.” He shook his head, face jiggling at the jerkiness of his actions. “Side door lock was snapped clean off, and the place was a mess.”

“Do you know what they took?” I asked before I thought better of it.

“No, sir.” Gus frowned. “Won’t be able to tell ‘till I clean it up. Don’t move like I used to, so might take me a while.”

“I’ll have some of the guys come and help you,” I offered, already reaching into my pocket to flick Ash a message.

“Oh, I can’t ask you to do that.” The red that had slowly been dissipating flooded back into his face.

“You didn’t. I’ll come by with some guys now to help.” My phone dinged with a reply from Ash as soon as the offer was out of my mouth.

“I’ve got four guys free, plus me makes five.” I stood up, and Gus followed suit, gruff and holding tight to the shoulder straps of his overalls.

“Cali, could—” Cali handed Gus a to-go cup, cutting him off mid-sentence.

“Got you covered,” she said, handing him a bag full to bursting with cookies. “But don’t tell Lorna about the extra cookies. She already gives me grief for the second one I let you have.”

Gus didn’t say anything more to her, just delivered another gruff nod, his face so red I feared for the man’s health.

“After you.” I indicated to the door, nodding at Mags as I passed by her.

“Fane,” Cali called after me, stopping me with my hand on the door. By the time I’d turned around, she was standing there, a to-go cup in one hand and a paper bag in the other. She held them both out to me, her face completely blank.

I took them, an eyebrow raised in silent question. She rolled her eyes, and my chest fucking squeezed at the faint twitch of her lips. Not a laugh or a smile, but it was something. A crack in her armor.

“It’s coffee,” she said. “I promise.”

“No cinnamon?”

“Scout’s honor.” She held up two fingers in a salute.

I nodded at her and started to turn, but she spoke again. “And thank you. For helping Gus.”

“No problem.” I gave her another nod and one more to Mags before I walked out, finding Gus waiting on the sidewalk, half the bag of cookies already gone, and the feel of Cali’s eyes on my back the entire time I walked away.