Chapter 33 Callum
THIRTY-THREE
Callum
It was the hardest thing to leave Zandra at Hearthstone and drive away.
But she’d basically told me she needed space, so I had to give it to her. Right? Even if it went against every damn instinct I had to keep her close. Not let her go.
Yet I also couldn’t go home without Z. That would feel too much like admitting defeat. So I steered my truck onto a road that would lead toward the foothills instead. To my sister’s place.
I parked outside Grace’s house. It was only about eleven at night, and the lights were still on. I’d thought about texting on the way, but hell, this was an emergency, so Gracie would have to forgive me showing up like this.
There was so much I needed to say to my sister. So much I should have dealt with before, and being with Zandra just opened me up to that truth.
It was either charge back to Hearthstone like a battering ram and demand that Zandra talk to me—which would have been my usual strategy—or sort things out with my sister instead.
And I had a feeling Grace would at least be in the mood to listen.
When I knocked on the door, Dane was the one who answered. He was dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, looking like he was unwinding from a day of video calls with international investors. Or whatever the hell it is a billionaire business mogul does.
“Callum?” Dane’s brow furrowed immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“Everybody’s fine,” I said quickly.
“Then what…” His voice trailed off as his concern shifted gears. “Something happen with the brewery? With Zandra?”
Grace appeared at the door. “Cal? What are you doing here?”
“There’s no emergency. Both of you can chill.” I couldn’t say there was nothing wrong, because there was plenty. But I didn’t want to worry my sister either. “I just wanted to talk to you.”
Grace stepped back and waved me toward the living room. No further questions asked. “Then come on in.”
Dane followed us. “You want a drink? I’ve got a bottle of Macallan 25 that’s been waiting for the right occasion.”
I shook my head. “No. Don’t feel like it.”
Grace stopped in her tracks and stared at me. “My brother just turned down expensive scotch. Now I am getting worried.” She settled onto the couch and patted the cushion beside her. “Did something happen with Zandra?”
“Yes. And no.” I scratched my nose. Grace was several years younger than me. My baby sister, who I’d never hesitated to protect. But right now, I was the inexperienced one.
I wasn’t here for relationship advice though. My heart was thumping Zandra’s name with every beat, yet I hadn’t come here to talk about her.
This was something else that I had to do.
The couch cushion bounced as I sat down heavily. Rested my elbows on my knees. “I’ve been thinking about what you asked. About Grayden.”
Dane hovered nearby, watching us. Grace sighed. “You must have something important to say if you showed up this late.”
“I do. We’ve been waiting a long time to have this conversation. Longer than you think, in fact.” I knew I was stalling, so I decided to just come out with it. “Grayden came to Silver Ridge after he was released from prison.”
Grace went very still. When Dane came closer, she put up a hand, not taking her eyes off me.
“He wanted to talk, to see us, and he came to me first.” There was a faint scratching sound as I rubbed my palm over my jaw. “I told him to leave and not to contact any of us again.”
“Cal.” Grace’s voice was barely a whisper. She stared at me, her face cycling through hurt and confusion. “You never told me.”
“No. I didn’t.”
“Why?” The question came out sharp, wounded. Dane took another step closer to her, but we both ignored him.
“Because I knew you would’ve wanted to see Grayden. And I thought I was protecting you.”
“That wasn’t your decision to make.”
“I know, G. I know.” The words felt heavy in my mouth. “I made that decision for all of us, and I’m sorry. I knew you’d get pissed off about me being overprotective. That’s why I didn’t tell you. Didn’t even tell Ashford. He doesn’t know either.”
She was quiet for a long moment, processing. “When Grayden and I got back in touch a few months ago, he never mentioned coming here. You realize why he would do that?”
I nodded, but Grace still spelled it out.
“He didn’t want me to be mad at you. He’s still our big brother, Callum. He loves us.”
My hands covered my face, my eyes stinging. Fuck, I wanted Zandra here. Just seeing her, feeling her near me, would make this easier.
I inhaled sharply, dropping my hands as I stared at the floor. “Did Grayden tell you what really happened that sent him to prison? Because he’s the one who wouldn’t defend himself after all that went down.”
“I haven’t brought it up. He’ll talk about that when he’s ready.” Grace’s voice was firm. “But it doesn’t matter. Don’t you think this has caused us all enough pain?”
“Yeah, but when you’ve been carrying around something for this long, how do you even begin to figure out how to set it down?”
I wasn’t just thinking of Grayden, but of Zandra and everything she’d told me about Jessa’s death.
Zandra, my heart thumped with every beat. Zandra.
Grace reached over and took my hand. “You just have to focus on the love part, and the rest will sort itself out. Talk to him. Even if you don’t want a relationship with our brother, at least you’ll be making that decision with your eyes open. Ask me how I know.”
What would Zandra say if she were here beside me? Maybe the final call was mine, but I could use that gut check. The way I could just look at her and her expression would tell me if I was on the right track or completely full of shit.
But Z wasn’t here right now, and my sister deserved an answer to her question. The one she’d first asked me months ago.
“Okay. I’ll talk to him.”
Grace’s face lit up. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
She was already pulling out her phone. “It’s a couple hours earlier in Seattle where Gray lives now. It won’t be that late.”
“Whoa, hold on. I didn’t know you meant now, now.”
“Why wait?”
“Because maybe I need to think about what I’m going to say?”
“You’ve had ages to think about it. Years.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. “Fine. But if this goes badly, Dane, I’ll need that bottle of Macallan 25 after all.”
He sat on the arm of the couch next to Grace. “You got it.” My sister grinned and hit the call button, then put it on speaker.
It rang four times before going to voicemail. Grace gestured at me when the beep sounded.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, hey. It’s me. Your brother.
” Wow, nice and awkward. “Callum. Grace is here too. Look, I… I know it’s been a while since we talked.
Since I told you to leave town, actually.
And I’m calling because I think maybe…I was wrong about that.
Or at least, I was wrong to make that decision for everyone.
So if you want to talk sometime, I’m…I’m open to it. Call me back when you get this. Bye.”
When Grace ended the call, she threw her arms around me. “I’m so proud of you. This is the start of something good for us. I know it.”
“Hey, Dane?”
“Yup?” He didn’t glance away from the sandwich he was making.
“How did you know you were in love with Grace?”
Now, he set down his package of deli turkey, one eyebrow slowly lifting.
We were in the kitchen for a midnight snack. A couple rounds of scotch had indeed been drunk. Grace and Dane hadn’t tried to shuffle me off, seeming to get that I wasn’t ready to leave yet, and I was grateful for that.
Ever since Grace and Dane had gotten together, I’d rarely spent time with just the two of them. Certainly not with Dane alone, since we’d had our disagreements about Grace in the past.
But Grace had stepped away to put her comfy clothes on, seeming to sense this might be a long night, so this was my chance. I was surprised at myself for wanting Dane’s advice. He was Ashford’s best friend, not mine. But I was doing it anyway.
He did love Grace. Of that, I was sure.
Dane went back to sandwich assembly. Layering meat with cheese. A solid foundation. “I fell in love fast. With your sister, things just clicked into place. I knew we belonged together.” He shrugged and let out a short laugh. “Took longer to convince her, but I made it happen.”
With a heavy exhale, I grabbed a slice of bread and spread mustard over it. “Zandra is every bit as stubborn as Grace, but with even more attitude. If you’ve got tips on taming a woman whose love language is sarcasm and scowls…”
Dane pointed his serrated knife at me. “See, there’s your problem right there. Thinking you can tame her. You just gotta hang on for the ride. The key is whether you’re enjoying it.”
“Every damn second of it.”
“There you have it.” He cut his sandwich diagonally and passed me the knife. “So you think you’re in love with Zandra?”
I focused on sandwich building, letting the seconds tick by before I finally answered. Because what the hell did I know about love?
“Every time I think I have her figured out, I screw up again. She’s got me doing things I never saw coming.
She can make me happier than I ever thought I would be and then wreck me in the same conversation.
” I slapped the top layer of bread into place.
“But the only thing that makes me crazier than being with her is the thought of ever being without her.”
“Sounds like love to me,” Dane said.
The first bite of my sandwich didn’t taste like turkey and havarti.
It tasted like certainty.
Because what I really needed wasn’t a midnight snack with my future brother-in-law. What I needed was my Sunflower. While I could respect her need for space, it was also my responsibility to give her all the information she didn’t have.
I had to tell her I loved her.
“Mind if I take this to go?” I asked, holding up the sandwich.
Dane nodded. “I’ll fill in Grace. Go get Zandra.”
As I drove back toward Hearthstone Brewing, I tried Zandra’s number. She didn’t answer. Maybe she wasn’t ready to see me yet, but I still had to do this. Had to see her.
If she wasn’t up for talking about work or the meeting with Manny tomorrow, then I was going to be okay with that. Just so long as she was with me. So long as she knew how I felt.
Whatever it took, I was going to make things okay between us. Better than okay. Because I loved her, and there was no way I’d give up on what we had.
As I pulled into the parking lot for Hearthstone, I slammed on the brakes when a figure darted out in front of me, running from the building. Wait, was that—
Ian?
In an instant, he’d vanished. Running away from the brewery, which was concerning enough. But then I noticed smoke curling from the back entrance of the building.
My heart fucking stopped.
I threw the truck into park and ran toward the building.
The smoke alarm was screaming, a shrill sound that cut through the night air.
As a volunteer firefighter for our small-town department, I knew the procedures.
I should wait for a truck to respond. I should assess the situation from a safe distance.
But Zandra could be inside. So I charged in.
The frame of the back door was splintered. Someone had already kicked it in, yet I saw no signs of anyone here. Smoke was thick in the hallway, and I could see the orange glow of flames. The heat hit me like a physical blow.
I dropped low, covering my nose and mouth with my shirt as I moved through the smoke. “Zandra!”
I found her crouched on the ground, coughing violently, an empty fire extinguisher beside her. Her face was streaked with soot, and her breathing was labored. Panic shot through my system.
Quickly as I could, I carried her outside and laid her on the ground in the parking lot just as an engine raced up, sirens wailing.
She was struggling to breathe. I tilted her head to help open her airways.
“Oxygen!” I screamed as boots hit the concrete somewhere behind me. “She needs fucking oxygen!”
Someone yanked me out of the way, a gloved hand fisting my shirt. “Callum, stand clear. Let us work.” It was a familiar voice, but my focus was purely on her. An oxygen mask covered her face.
“You need to get checked out,” the guy holding on to my shirt said. It was Jake, one of the few full-time firefighters for the department.
“No, I need to help.” All that mattered to me was Zandra, but I also knew how much Hearthstone meant to her. This place was her dream, her future.
I couldn’t let it burn down.
Breaking free of Jake’s grip, I raced back toward the building. Someone else nearly tackled me, shoving me out of the way. “Don’t even think about it, O’Neal!”
“The storage room at the back of the building!” I shouted. “It looked like the fire was coming from there. Back door was forced too. There could be accelerants.”
Right now, every second counted. I just hoped that information would make a difference.
This had been no accident, and suspect number one was Ian. If he’d done this, I’d make him pay.
But first, Zandra had to be alright.
My hands shook as I dropped to my knees beside her. “Hey there, Sunflower.” I tried to keep my voice calm even though my heart was pounding so hard it could burst. “You’ll be okay. We’re going to get you to the hospital. Just hang in there.”