Page 177 of Always Meant for You
A new email.
On the Elverna account.
From Chelsea Blaine.
Subject:We need to talk.
Cal’s cottage is quiet. I’ve been working here for the last hour, curled up on his couch with my laptop open but barely touched. A single lamp glows beside me. Outside, the chorus of night insects hums low and steady.
The bathroom door opens with a soft click.
Steam rolls out, and Cal steps into the room, drying his hair with a towel. He’s barefoot, shirtless, wearing black athletic shorts slung low on his hips. His skin’s damp, flushed from the heat, and a few drops still trail down his chest.
He sees me right away. I slipped in while he was showering. He doesn’t startle. He doesn’t speak. Instead, he gifts me with a grin that would usually make my heart stutter. He drapes the towel over the back of a chair, then pulls a T-shirt from the laundry basket on the table. He tugs it over his head and crosses the room.
This is when I would usually suggest he remove that shirt, but I have to show him the email.
He looks me over. “What is it?” he asks, sensing my anxiety.
I hold up my phone. “I want you to see this. It’s an email from Chelsea Blaine. It came in through the Eat Elverna account.”
He frowns. “Who’s that?”
My stomach is in knots. “The woman from the agency in New York.”
His eyes widen. “The one who knows your name and that you’re from rural Illinois because of the Castle King?”
“Yes.”
“She connected Mabel Muldowney to Bella Mae?” he asks. He comes to my side, concern etched on his face. “Are you okay? What does she want?”
“Just read it.” I hand him the phone. My heart is in my throat.
He takes my cell and reads aloud. “Hello, Mabel. You’re probably wondering how I found you. It’s the M charm. It was in every Bella Mae post. When an Eat Elverna post ended up in my feed, I saw it again and connected the dots. I wanted to reach out personally with an opportunity. Let’s talk about expanding your brand. I’d love to host you in New York. Tickets are waiting for you at the regional airport near you. The date to fly is open, but I’d like to meet with you in two days.” He goes quiet, studying the screen, then hands me my phone.
I watch him in the dim lamplight. “What do you think?”
His throat works as he swallows. “I think she sees what I’ve always seen. You’re amazing, and she must have realized that she was a fool to turn you away.”
He means it. I know he does. But it doesn’t silence the thoughts pulling me in too many directions.
“Cal, I don’t know if she’s after Eat Elverna or me. The Bella Mae me.”
“You didn’t ask?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to dampen any momentum either way. My gut is telling me to keep my reply vague. That’ll give me leverage.”
“Leverage for what?” he asks, and I swear there’s a shake to his voice.
“Building Eat Elverna,” I answer. “That would be the priority. Chelsea is connected, and this could be good for the town. But if she wanted to explore options for Bella Mae . . .”
“Would you be up for that?” he asks, filling the stretch of silence. There’s no judgment in his tone, no sharpening, no putting up walls.
I shrug and set my laptop on the coffee table. “I don’t know. A trip to New York wouldn’t be the worst thing. I still have things in storage there. I left in such a rush. I could close that loop. Ship everything home. I could fly up tomorrow, get a few things in order, and then meet with her.”
“Then you should go,” he says, mustering a grin, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
I glance down at my phone, then back to him. “Would you come with me?”
