Chapter 31
Cal found Jules at Cup of Joe, an iced coffee in one hand and her phone to her ear with the other.
She was smiling, and he took a moment just to study the glow on her face and the new sparkle in her eyes.
And the fact that when she glanced up and spotted him, the smile didn’t morph into a scowl like it had so often when they’d first met.
He took a seat next to her and waited while she finished her phone call. “Okay. Well, Cal’s here now, so I’m gonna run, and we’ll see you in a little while. Love you, too.”
He tipped his head and gave her a playful frown. “Love you, too? You got another man on the side, Bailey?”
She snorted. “Another implies there is a first man. Rather presumptuous of you, Colton. I swear, you sleep with a man once, and they get all possessive of you.”
He grinned at her quip, but at his core, doubts niggled. Was she serious? Her tone had sounded a bit too dry, not light enough to mollify him. Did she not think they were a couple? That they had enough connection and chemistry to pursue a relationship?
“The call,” she said, wagging her phone once before stashing it in her purse, “was Abby.”
“Ah. So…did you tell her about Chase?”
She shot him a look of horror. “God, no! That’s not the kind of news you deliver over the phone. I told her I would be out later to see her.” She paused to sip her drink. “I’d like you to come, too, if you want.”
He nodded. “I’d love to meet her.”
She pushed her chair back and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “All righty then. No time like the present.”
He ordered himself a coffee to-go, and they were on the state road headed to the outskirts of town minutes later.
Cal was largely silent as he drove, mulling over her distancing denials at the coffee shop. He tried to tell himself he was overreacting. She couldn’t fake the sort of passion and connection they’d had last night. Right?
“Jules, about what you said—” he began at the same moment she blurted, “I cannot wait to tell the shop owner I’m quitting the gift shop.”
He blinked. “You’re…quitting?”
“Of course I am. It was never supposed to be a career move, just a source of income that was also on Chase’s delivery route. Now that he’s not a concern, I can get back up to Winnipeg and finish my research, get my PhD and get on with my life.”
She smiled and exhaled in a manner that said she was savoring the relief that plan gave her.
“Oh.” Cal gripped the steering wheel tighter and furrowed his brow. “I see.”
She gave him a dry laugh. “What? That’s good news. Why the pout?”
His frown deepened. “I’m not pouting.”
She reached over and rubbed the crease on his brow. “Kinda are.”
He took pains to school his face and rein in his disappointment. “Well, maybe I’m just rather surprised to hear you talk about leaving town.”
“Seriously? I’ve told you from the start the whole gift shop business was a stopgap while I caught Hamilton. Abby is safe now. She can leave the hospital, and we can both get back to living our lives.”
He pressed his mouth in a firm line and drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “I kinda thought I was part of your life now. Last night—”
“Was great. But Red Grove isn’t my home. I’ve told you—”
“I know what you’ve told me. But that was before…
” He dragged a hand over his mouth and scratched his chin, not wanting to sound desperate or needy.
If Jules didn’t love him, didn’t want him, he had to find the courage and composure to let her walk away.
He could do it. He could steel his heart and cut ties with her. Sure.
Liar. Just the prospect of losing Jules made him feel like his chest was being carved out with a grapefruit spoon.
Jules angled her body toward him, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. “Cal, look… I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and the time we’ve spent together has been—”
“Don’t.” He realized his tone had been brusque. Cold. So he forced a weak smile and shook his head. “No justification necessary. Clearly, the feelings were all one-sided. I misread things.”
“Cal.”
“But I’ll be all right.”
“Cal, I—”
“This is the turn, correct?” He aimed a finger at the upcoming crossroad, and she nodded.
She sighed. “I’m sorry if—”
“We’re good,” he said more confidently than he felt. He wheeled his Jeep into a parking space and cut the engine. “Let’s go tell Abby your good news.”
Once inside the hospital and checked in with the front desk, Cal followed Jules down the corridor to Abby’s room. He hung back until Jules gave the all clear that Abby was dressed and willing to meet him. When he rounded the doorframe, the sisters were still locked in a tight embrace.
“I’ve missed you, Juju. Your one visit in the last three weeks hasn’t been nearly enough. I know you said you were busy, but sheesh!” Abby said, her cheeks suspiciously damp.
Jules chuckled. “I know. I’m sorry. You’ll understand why in a minute but…three weeks? That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”
“Sixteen days! That’s more than two weeks, so…almost three.” Abby seemed to remember Cal was there, and her expression sobered, appearing wary as she backed out of her hug with Jules. “Hello.”
He gave her his brightest smile and stepped forward to offer a hand to shake. “Hi, Abby.”
Jules made the introductions, referring to Cal simply as “her friend.” He tried not to be disheartened by the generic term, but after her announcement in the car that she was leaving town, what did he really expect? He pushed aside his disappointment in order to focus on Abby.
Jules pointed out the best chair in the room for him, while she sat on the edge of Abby’s bed with her sister, holding Abby’s hand.
“So Cal is the sheriff here in Stark County. I think I told you I’d been working on a project with him?”
Abby sent Cal a timid glance, then nodded to Jules.
“Well, our work has paid off. I have some good news, Ab,” Jules said, angling her body toward her sister. “Chase won’t be bothering you ever again.”
Abby gave her a stark look, then blinked. All color drained from her face, and she visibly trembled. “Wha— Chase?”
Jules tucked a few loose strands of her sister’s hair behind Abby’s ear. “You’re safe, Ab. Chase can’t bother you anymore.”
Cal was struck by the tenderness Jules showed her sister, and recognized the careful way she was broaching the topic of Hamilton’s death.
If he needed any more proof that the crusty shell Jules had projected when they first met hid a soft and gooey center, he had only to watch this interaction with her sister.
After processing Jule’s comment for a few seconds, Abby’s eyes widened, and she angled her head. “He’s in jail?”
Jules’s gaze darted to him quickly, as if seeking support before breaking the news to her sister. “He was arrested yesterday. Yes. And then…”
Abby visibly tensed, the same way Jules had whenever she braced for bad news or more discouragement.
Jules clearly felt her sister’s reaction, saw it for herself, because she rubbed Abby’s arm and quickly said, “It’s all right, Abby.
He— Well, when they were transferring him to the jail, some men involved in drug dealing shot him. ”
Cal noticed she didn’t mention the plea deal that Hamilton had cut for his release. Moot point at this stage, he supposed. Or the fact that Hamilton had been killed. She was spooning the information in bite-size bits and monitoring how Abby reacted.
Together, he and Jules watched as Abby digested this latest tidbit. She frowned as if skeptical, then scrunched her nose and tipped her head again. “Shot? Wh-what are you saying?”
“Honey, he’s dead.” Jules put an arm around her sister’s shoulders, and the other hand clung to Abby’s hand as if she feared Abby might fall apart if Jules didn’t hold her together. “Chase was killed by the gunman.”