Chapter 15
Jules was restless the next morning, struggling to maintain her patience with wishy-washy tourists and the slow movement of the clock. She told herself she wasn’t looking forward to the Colton family picnic, but neither could she stop thinking about the opportunity to spend the afternoon with Cal.
The Fourth of July holiday brought a steady stream of customers into the gift shop, and though Bonnie was happy to get the extra hours of work, Jules was wary of leaving the teenager in charge for the afternoon a third day in a row.
She could back out of the Colton family event, but part of her wanted to meet Cal’s family.
She’d spent so much time working at the gift shop since arriving in Red Grove, she’d barely had time to visit Abby, much less make any local friends.
Abby. The incident yesterday—knowing that Chase had tried to gain access to her sister had kept her awake last night.
Now another twang of guilt plucked at her.
She’d spent all of her time off recently tracking Chase.
Though she phoned and texted her sister regularly and kept in touch with her sister’s doctors, she hadn’t been to visit Abby in person in over a week. She’d remedy that tomorrow, she vowed.
Seeing Cal’s Jeep arrive in the gift shop parking lot, Jules tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear that had come free from her single, low-maintenance ponytail.
She collected the sweater she’d brought from the motel in case it got cool in the evening and opened the back door of the shop before Cal could knock.
He’d already spotted the watermelon she’d set out by the door and hoisted it into his arms.
“I don’t know about this,” she said in lieu of a greeting and pressed her lips in a taut line.
Cal’s golden retriever expression didn’t dim. Instead, he chuckled a bit and tipped his head as he eyed her. “I’ve already told the family you’re coming, and they’re eager to meet you. Don’t disappoint them.”
“Why would they be eager to meet me? I’m no one.”
With a hitch of his chin, Cal moved toward his Jeep, and she followed.
“One, you’re not no one. Two, Wyatt told everyone we’d been spending time together, and now the family thinks we’re an item.”
She sputtered and stumbled to a stop. “What?”
He nudged her with his shoulder, propelling her forward again as he juggled the watermelon in order to open the Wrangler’s back door. “Don’t panic. No one’s expecting us to get married.”
She snorted. “I’d hope not. Good grief. Now I’m doubly nervous about meeting them all.”
He glanced past her, and his smile shifted. “I see your little friend is still hanging around.”
She turned and spotted Joy eating kibble from the bowl she’d set out. Jules’s spirits lifted. “Oh, good. I didn’t see her yesterday, and I was worried about her. I’ve been so busy, I keep forgetting to pick up the humane trap and get her to the local rescue.”
Cal closed the Jeep door behind her, and she watched Joy through the window, her heart melting as she studied the thin, dirty kitten.
“I can help with a humane trap. I’m sure the sheriff’s department or city police has one somewhere. Give me a day or so to round it up, and we’ll get the little hellion to safety.”
“She’s not a hellion,” Jules countered.
“Her hissing and claws say otherwise.”
Jules fastened her seat belt. “She’s just scared.”
Callum’s only answer was a knowing grin.
When they arrived at his father’s house, where Cal lived, too, it turned out, Jules gaped at the large yard and numerous people already gathered.
“I need to grab the watermelon out of the back seat. If you’ll wait a second, I’ll introduce you to the gang,” he said as he parked.
Their arrival was clearly noticed. Jules’s gut churned, and she took a deep breath to marshal her composure.
Pilot loped out to meet them, and Jules bent to give the Labrador a scratch behind the ears. Following Pilot was a stream of people with bright smiles and warm greetings.
Cal handed the watermelon off to Wyatt and said, “Since you’ve already met Jules, you can put this on the food table.”
Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Oh, can I? Please?”
“Will you, please?” Jules asked with a tip of her head and a sweet smile.
Wyatt winked at her. “For you, yes.”
Cal handed off the melon. “And stop flirting with my date!”
Jules jerked a startled gaze toward him. “Your date? I never said—”
“Dad, Kelly, Dylan, this is Jules Bailey,” he said, cutting off her objection. He motioned to an older gentleman with graying brown hair and eyes the same dramatic shade of blue as Cal’s. In fact, as she glanced from face to face, she realized the sky-blue eyes were a common trait for the Coltons.
As she shook hands with one family member after another, she tried to remember names and the tidbits of introduction Cal gave.
The youngest, Matilda, had messy curls, was a social worker and went by Matti.
Kelly’s hair was longer, and she was an attorney.
Dylan was a fireman, one of fraternal twins.
No, wait. His twin, Aiden, was the fireman.
Their father, Jonathon, was a physician, still practicing at the local hospital.
How would she ever keep it all straight?
And then a man with blond hair and green eyes stepped forward and offered his hand and a smile.
“You’re not a Colton,” Jules blurted. She winced, then amended, “I only mean, you don’t match. You don’t have the giveaway brown hair and blue eyes all these others I’ve met have.”
The man laughed. “You’re right. Ted Barrett, honorary Colton. I grew up with these guys, and they’re kind enough to continue to include me in family functions.”
“Because you are family!” Kelly insisted, throwing her arm around Ted’s shoulders. “He’s the mayor of Red Grove, and we are proud to claim him as ours.”
“Aw, shucks,” Ted said, playfully ducking his head and giving Kelly a peck on the cheek.
“Come on, Jules. I saved a chair for you in the backyard. Would you like a beer or a soft drink?” Dylan said, motioning for her to follow him.
She cast a side glance to Cal as she fell in step with his younger brother. “A diet cola if you have it would be great. I’m sorry, Dylan, I’ve already forgotten what you said you did for a living.”
“Because I didn’t say,” he returned, then called to Wyatt. “Grab a diet cola for Jules, Wy.”
She frowned. He still hadn’t answered the question. Well, whatever. She wouldn’t pry.
As she settled in the lawn chair Dylan offered, an older woman with a stylish, short haircut emerged from the house carrying a large bowl that she set on the picnic table already burdened with a variety of food.
Cal walked over to hug the woman and said, “Hi, Mom. You look lovely today as always. Let me introduce you to my date.”
Jules clenched her teeth. She wished he’d stop calling her his date. His family would get the wrong idea about them. Shoving down her irritation with Cal, Jules gave his mother a smile and stood as Cal made the introduction.
“Call me Emily,” his mother said. “We’re so glad to have you here today.”
“Emily Colton…” Jules repeated, the name stirring something in her brain. “Why do I know that name?”
“Do you read mysteries?” Cal asked. “Mom’s written several. She’s really good.”
Jules brightened. “Oh, my gosh! Yes! I love your books.”
Emily thanked her and took a seat beside her, then answered Jules’s questions about publishing and where she got her story ideas.
“Before I leave tonight—” Emily reached over to the arm of Jules’s lawn chair and covered Jules’s hand with her own “—find me again, and I’ll send you home with a signed copy of my new release. I have my author copies in my car.”
Jules was so distracted by the comforting feel of Emily’s hand holding hers that she almost missed two key bits.
Emily Colton was gifting her a signed book. Before Emily left tonight? Was this not her home?
Jules beamed at Emily. “Oh, thank you! I’d love that. I— But what do you mean when you leave? I thought this was your house.”
“Used to be, but Jonathon got the house in the divorce.”
Jules felt like she was mentally running behind a moving train, trying to catch up as Emily detailed things about Cal’s family dynamic he hadn’t shared. His parents were divorced. Yet Emily was here sharing the family holiday party, so…maybe it had been a civil parting?
“Callum lives here now with his father, keeping Jonathon on track. I swear that man would work himself to death given half a chance.”
“Cal?”
“No, Jonathon. Callum is a hard worker, no question, but their father would live at the hospital and never sleep or eat if Cal didn’t keep after him.
” Emily sighed and glanced across the lawn to the grill, where Jonathon stood with Aiden and Dylan cooking the meats for the picnic.
“His work habits were one of the key factors that split us up. He was an absentee husband and father, and I’d had enough of feeling abandoned and alone. ”
Jules watched the older woman’s face and sensed a grief there as Emily spoke.
“I’d hoped my leaving him would be the thing that woke him up and made him change his ways, but Callum says he still burns the candle at both ends.
” Emily finally tore her gaze from her ex-husband and met Jules’s eyes.
“And to be honest, I still worry about him. So…fine lotta good it did me to leave, huh?”
Jules stacked a second hand on top of the one Emily still had on hers and squeezed. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she whispered, “I’m sorry.”
What did she know about family dynamics or marriage? Her parents had been so wrapped up in themselves, so uninterested in actual parenting, so distant and…well, dysfunctional was the word her counselor had used. A pretty way to say negligent and alcoholic.
Emily closed her eyes and gave her head a brisk shake. “Good lord, I’m the one who should be sorry. You didn’t come today to hear me air old grievances. Forgive me, dear. Please, tell me about you. How did you and Callum meet?”
While she was glad to move on from the awkward conversation about Emily’s divorce, she was disappointed when Emily withdrew her hand to smooth imagined wrinkles from her skirt.
Jules chuckled wryly. “It’s not like that. We’re not…” Jules paused, considering how her denials would sound to Cal’s mother. “We only have a professional relationship. We met…well, over a dead body.”
“Oh, my! That sounds like something I’d write about in my novels! So then…you’re in law enforcement?”
“No. I’m currently in retail. I’m managing the gift shop by the Geese in Flight sculpture, where the dead man was found earlier this week.”
Emily pressed a hand to her chest. “Heavens! I hadn’t heard about that. I don’t live in Red Grove anymore, and Callum hadn’t mentioned— But enough of that.” She waved a hand, dismissing the topic. “Let’s talk about something more pleasant, eh?”
Cal moseyed up at that moment, and Jules caught her breath. He looked so…delicious, standing there, the breeze lightly ruffling his chestnut hair, and his smile beaming as bright as the July sun. How could she have forgotten in ten minutes how handsome the man was?
“Can I steal Jules for a moment, Mom?” Cal offered his hand to Jules. “We need another volleyball player. You game, Bailey?”
Jules accepted and joined the match in progress. Ted Barrett quickly claimed her for his team, and Cal grunted a protest. “Hey, I recruited her. Why do you get her?”
“I know the winning team when I see it,” she quipped, and high-fived the mayor as she took her place at the net.
For the next hour, she laughed and exerted herself more than she had in years.
Beyond team camaraderie, Cal’s siblings and Ted made her feel like she belonged.
When Pilot stole the ball, tail wagging and looking as impish as a puppy, she had to wipe her eyes from mirth.
Matilda draped an arm over Jules’s shoulder at one point, congratulating Jules on her last spike.
“Well done. I want you on my team every time.”
Jules started to tell Cal’s youngest sister there wouldn’t be another time, that today was a one-off, but she swallowed the words.
Why ruin her compliment? And…why did the idea of not gathering with the Colton family bring a knot to her throat?
Sure, she was having fun, felt welcomed and was grateful for the invitation, but as she’d told the family all day, she and Cal were not a couple.
They weren’t really even friends…were they?
He was just helping her get Hamilton off the street. A strictly professional transaction.
She angled a glance past the net and found Cal staring at her. He smiled his devastating grin and winked. And her pulse tripped.
Darn him! She hated how easily he undermined her control of her composure.
This was why he was dangerous for her. She’d already spent her childhood and one disastrous relationship feeling lost and vulnerable.
As much for Abby’s sake as her own, she had to be strong, stay focused and hold Callum Colton at arm’s length.