Page 57 of Investigate Away
“I know. And I let them both down.” Thick emotion clung to his throat, making it difficult to swallow. “I’m doing everything I can think of to make it up to her and show her that I’ve changed. That I’m not the same arrogant asshole that belittled her theories and lied to her.”
“Now, you I know I love that girl. And I want the two of you to work this out. But has she changed?”
He nodded. “But she’s jaded, and she’s built a wall around her so high that it’s going to take some doing on my part to knock it down, and the clock is ticking.”
“You said she’s staying until she finishes the book. But if this thing you can’t talk about is connected, won’t that change the time she will need to complete the project?”
“It might. But that could also cause a new rift. Right now, I’m giving her full disclosure, which could get me fired. The thing is, I’m not doing it to get her back. I’m doing it because she’s smarter than me, and she’s onto something, and I need her help.”
“So tell her that.”
“I plan on it, but the timing has to be just right.” He lifted his mom’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I’m not going to let her go this time without a fight.”
12
Callie took off her computer glasses and set them aside. She lifted her laptop off her legs and put it on the coffee table. Her gaze shifted between city hall and Puget Sound. The edge of the sun kissed the mountains, and the sky exploded into a swarm of purples, oranges, pinks, and reds dancing over the ripples of the water.
“What a view,” she whispered. She could get used to island life, especially in this little gem of a house with a master suite that had the best little porch ever. There were no homes behind Jag’s, so he didn’t block anyone else’s view of the sound.
She picked up her cell. It was close to four in the afternoon. Jag had left for the office at six. He’d texted her a few times and told her he’d probably make it back by five or five thirty. Not that she was a needy woman and made any kind of demands on any man she’d ever dated.
But she was going stir-crazy and cross-eyed between writing and research.
Callie:How’s work?
Instead of staring at the phone waiting for the bubbles to pop up, she dropped her head back and sucked in a deep breath. For some reason, the air on the islands in Puget Sound had a denseness to it. It wasn’t harsh, like trying to take a deep breath near a smoke-filled city. It was more like the salt and fog clashing together making a thicker, fresher air that expanded her lungs in a way that no other place could.
Ding.
She smiled, lifting her cell.
Jag:Unusually busy today. Lost dog. Bicycling accident. House fire. And a lego stuck in a teenager’s nose. Don’t ask.
She laughed.
Callie:Where are you?
Jag:Headed up to Beverly Beach.
Callie:Why?
Jag:About to get in patrol car. Got to go. I’ll text when I’m on my way home.
Fucker. He used to love doing that to her, knowing she’d never keep texting once she knew he was in a moving vehicle. Usually, whatever call he was heading out on wasn’t anything for her to worry about, so she set her phone down. Her computer screen daunted her. She’d written five thousand words, which was close to half the chapter dedicated to Jag. It was easier to write than she thought in the sense that so much of the anger she’d been hanging on to for the last year had evaporated, unlike the constant fog that Seattle lived under. That allowed her to look at Jag a little more objectively.
But it was also harder because a different set of raw emotions bubbled to the surface. Deep down, she’d always known she still had feelings for Jag, but she’d buried them in a dark corner of her mind, never allowing her heart to acknowledge her one true love.
Jag.
She reached out and lifted her computer, clicking on a folder labeled:Stephanie.Tears burned the corners of Callie’s eyes.
Her childhood had been picture-perfect. She and Stephanie grew up in the suburbs of Seattle with loving parents. Her father was a heart surgeon, and her mother was a nurse in the emergency room. They were the perfect power couple, and when Stephanie, at a very young age, started transitioning, her folks were right there with her every step of the way. They never judged, even though it was obvious they struggled at first.
They had to grieve the loss of their son, in a way, but always knew they loved their child, no matter if she called herself Steven or Stephanie.
She clicked on the last family portrait that had been taken just three weeks before her parents were killed in a helicopter crash while transporting a high-risk, high-profile heart patient.
Everyone on board died.
