Chapter 6 #2
Truth is, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss two days ago.
She’s not here. What the hell am I doing?
Longing for a woman when I know it’ll end with her getting hurt.
I’m not cut out for relationships, and she was very clear she only wanted casual.
But does that mean casual has to end so soon?
This is a mutual hang-up. Once we get each other out of our systems, I’ll get back to work mode, and she can do the same.
There’s a few tables full of appetizers and a bon voyage sheet cake with a cruise ship made of sugar. I’ll stay until they cut the cake, and this will be the last invite from Hailey I accept. Too many reminders of—
Mackenzie. The blood rushes through my veins. All the sights and sounds of the party fade into the background. She’s smiling her warm smile as she talks to one of her many cousins and takes off her coat.
Her long brown hair is a soft wave over her shoulders, her skin glowing, her lips lush and pink. Her clothes match her personality—a soft fuzzy pink sweater with leather pants. Soft and sweet but tough. Strong. So sexy.
I lift a hand in a casual greeting, which she doesn’t see.
Another of her many cousins steps in front of her.
I can’t keep track of this family. There’s biological and honorary aunts, uncles, and cousins along with two younger brothers.
You’d think it would be easy to pick out who was who, but there’s a lot of family resemblance going on with her dad and uncle being identical twins.
My gaze follows her as she greets people. Our nights together were a thrill right up there with a home run. Just seeing her gets my adrenaline going, like I’m up to bat, all eyes on me. The anticipation—will it be the thrill of a hit, or the whoosh of a swing and miss?
It is not one-sided. That kiss made her melt into me. I run a hand through my hair. What will it take to get her out of my system?
She’s at the bar now. The bartender smiles and jokes with her. That’s Cooper, her younger brother and heir apparent to the Happy Endings bar. I weave my way through the crowd to her.
I’m nearly there when a man blocks my way.
I didn’t even hear him coming. Stealth mode.
It’s Mackenzie’s dad, Josh. His dark hair is rumpled, dress casual, but his stance is anything but.
The man looks lethal. Didn’t Hailey mention something about Josh being a paratrooper in the Army?
Those guys are trained in hand-to-hand combat.
“How’s it going?” he asks.
I straighten my spine. “Good.” I can’t help it; I glance over his shoulder as Mackenzie greets someone with a hug.
“Eyes here,” he commands. “Settling into your new job?”
I meet his eyes. “Yes, thanks.” His tone has me on edge like I’m in dangerous territory, but I have no idea how I got here.
“What’s going on between you and my daughter?”
Did Mackenzie say something about me?
“Uh…”
“My wife saw you in the street during the Chamber of Commerce meeting.”
Hailey saw us kiss? Or was it the intense conversation before that?
I swallow hard and lift my palms. “Just friends.”
“Appreciate the intel.”
I nearly salute, but I fear he’d take it wrong and knock me flat on my ass. Was that a warning, or was he just in overprotective dad mode?
I turn to find a smiling Hailey behind me. Did she hear all that?
“How’s everything?” she asks brightly.
“Couldn’t be better,” Josh says, his entire demeanor changing as he turns to face his wife.
“I’m going to go,” I say.
“Oh, not yet,” Hailey says. “I want you to meet my sister-in-law Mad Shaw. She’s a real estate mogul, mostly residential, but she’d like to get into commercial properties. I think you could help each other out. Sales and legal contracts go together.”
Seems like Hailey really wants me to succeed in my new law practice. I appreciate that. I follow her to Mad, a woman with short brown hair and a fierce expression that reminds me of Josh. She must be his sister. Before I can introduce myself, Mad says to Hailey, “So this is the guy?”
“This is him,” Hailey says proudly.
My head’s spinning. Am I the enemy or the hero in this strange family?
Mad gives me a once-over. “I get it. Harvard law too. Not too shabby. What’re you doing in a small town like this?”
I give my usual answer, grew up in a small town, tired of the city.
I sense someone staring and catch Mackenzie’s eye.
She gives me a small wave. Relief rushes through me.
She’s not avoiding me after our sidewalk kiss.
I don’t know what came over me when I did that.
She’s like a sizzling pitch I have to catch and fire back and… she’s giving me a concerned look.
I lift a hand.
She mouths, “Sorry.”
Sorry for her dad ambushing me? Sorry for ending things when clearly there’s still chemistry? Eventually it’ll fizzle out, but right now it’s like a living, breathing thing between us.
She pulls out her phone and texts. My phone vibrates in my pocket. I’m dying to check it, but Mad and Hailey are talking to me. Wait, it’s quiet. Did they ask me a question?
“Can you repeat that?” I ask.
“I don’t think he’s serious,” Mad says.
Hailey smiles and pats my arm. “He’s just a little distracted. It’s a party.”
“I’m serious,” I say. “What’re we talking about?”
Mad fills me in. “I want to help the town buy the old Fagan property and turn it into a community recreation center. The old man lives at his son’s house halfway across the country now, so he’s game. Would you ever take in a parent?”
I’m momentarily thrown by the sudden change of topic. I clear my throat. “Mom died when I was a freshman in college. Dad never wants to leave the house where they lived together, so I guess I’d say no. Probably wouldn’t come up.” I push the grief back into its box buried deep inside me.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry,” Hailey says. “I hope she didn’t suffer. What happened?”
“You can’t ask that,” Mad says.
“Why not?” Hailey asks.
“Because it’s personal,” Mad says through her teeth.
Hailey turns to me. “Cal and I have gotten to know each other pretty well, right, Cal?”
“You’ve shared a lot,” I say diplomatically.
“See?” Mad says. “You shared. Not him. Let’s get back to business.”
Mackenzie appears, placing a hand on my arm. Warmth rises from the small touch and spreads through me. I really miss her touch. “Can I steal him away?”
Mad and Hailey exchange a look I can’t interpret.
“Mad, I’d be happy to help with any legal contracts,” I say. “Nice to meet you.”
I follow Mackenzie to the back room of the restaurant. She stops by a jukebox, puts a quarter in, and runs her finger along the selections.
“Thanks for the save,” I say.
She keeps her eyes on the jukebox. “You looked cornered.”
“They were asking about my deceased mother.”
She turns to me, eyes wide. “Oh my God. Unacceptable. And I’m sorry. Sutton mentioned it before. I understand how hard it must be.” Her lips form a flat line. “You know what? I’m going to have a talk with them. Was it Mom or Aunt Mad who brought it up?”
“I don’t want to cause a problem for you.”
“It’s my problem already.” She jabs a button, and a Tom Petty song starts. She turns to go, but I stop her with a hand on her shoulder. She stiffens. I drop my hand, stung by the rejection.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “I’m fine.”
“Okay.” She gestures for me to follow her to a small table in a corner of the room. I take the seat opposite her. “So, Cal, I have to ask, how’d you get roped into another Campbell family gathering?”
I lean forward. “Networking.”
She narrows her eyes. “So you’re going to keep showing up to all business and personal events organized by my mother?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Will you be there?”
“Cal.”
“Mackenzie.”
“It’s not that I don’t like you. I do. Very much.”
My heart shifts in my chest, a weird feeling. I hope it’s okay in there. “So?”
“I just think us is a bad idea. You’re on the rebound. We’re both not into commitment—”
“Who said anything about commitment?”
“Oh.”
“Your dad was asking what the deal was with us.”
Her jaw drops.
“I told him we were just friends, and I think that was the right answer.” I glance around, suddenly wary. I should know where Josh is at all times in relation to his daughter. “He sounded lethal.”
She crinkles her nose, thinking for a moment. “Well, he is, but he doesn’t usually get involved with guys I know. That’s so strange.”
“I wouldn’t know. I only met him once before.”
She stills, staring across the room. I follow her gaze to where Hailey and Mad watch us as they casually sip drinks. Mackenzie huffs. Hailey and Mad suddenly get into an intense conversation.
“Mom put him up to it,” she says.
I swallow hard, thinking about how Hailey warned Mackenzie away from me. “I guess she doesn’t see me as good enough for her daughter.”
She cocks her head, pursing her lips. “Or maybe she thinks you’re perfect for me.”
“I don’t think that’s it.”
“She told me to be polite, but she’s hoping for more than politeness.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Her expression turns fierce, reminding me a little of her dad. Do not want to get on her bad side. Maybe this whole pushing for more time with her was a bad idea. I decide to lay it all out there.
“I’m not good at relationships. I’m too closed off.” I search my memory for all the ways I’ve disappointed women. “Emotionally unavailable, a workaholic, and a commitment-phobe.”
She lifts a finger. “Except for when you lived with someone for a year.”
“We were together for a year, but we only lived together for a few months, and that was only because her lease ran out and my roommate left. It was a temporary arrangement.”
“Hmm.”
“Really. We talked about it ahead of time.” I leave out how bad things got after she moved in. She doesn’t need to hear all the gory details.
She pats my arm. “It’s okay. I don’t judge you for being confused about your relationship. Men often are.”
“I’m not—”
She gestures airily. “Obviously you’re not marriage material, being on the rebound, so what’s Mom really hoping for?”
“I don’t think she’s hoping for anything.”
“Everyone makes a big deal of the whole proposal and wedding deal. I say what’s the rush to tie yourself to someone for the rest of your life? Anyway, the kind of lasting love my parents have is rare.”
I’m getting dizzy from the topic changes around here. Is there a point to this? I don’t dare ask.
I lean in. “Does this mean you and I can’t…because we don’t have what your parents have?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she says quickly. Too quickly.
I lean back, understanding dawning. “I get it now. You say you want casual, but you really don’t.”
“I want casual, which by definition is brief. Like what we had. I mean, in the past, not to be repeated.”
“You don’t want what your parents have, trust me.”
“I don’t?”
“No. My parents were high school sweethearts. Dad’s still not over her, and it’s been fifteen years since Mom died.
He still has all her clothes in the closet, everything in the house right where she left it.
He lost his job because he couldn’t focus anymore.
He was an architect. He never leaves the house except for his warehouse job.
It’s like he stopped living when he lost her. ”
“Oh, that’s so sad.”
I let out a breath, pushing the darkness back into its box. “Yeah.”
“Still, I can’t keep accidentally-on-purpose running into you at family and town events. It makes her feel like she’s winning.”
“Winning what?”
She starts texting. “Watch this.” She shows me the message: You were right. Cal’s a major commitment-phobe. Doesn’t even want to be friends anymore.
Mom: I’m so relieved. Just asking for heartache.
She gives me a pointed look. “See? Matchmaking.”
“I don’t get it.”
“You will. I’m going to take care of this once and for all. Stay here.”
“Oh-kay.”
She walks away with a determined look in her eye. Are they about to have a public battle over me? Will her dad kick my ass afterward? He wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy tonight.
I get the feeling a storm’s about to crash through my life courtesy of Mackenzie. I’ve never felt more alive.