Chapter Twenty-Seven
Calypso
I really, really hoped to never find myself back here and yet… here we are.
Liam and I are sitting in Mia’s office as his cousin folds her arms on the desk across from us. She looks like a total boss in her dark plum pinstripe pantsuit and her slick-back bun. Those years of ballet really prepared her for this career.
“Is there anything else that has happened?” Her question is directed toward me, but her eyes flit to Liam’s for a second.
I nod. “That’s everything.”
It’s the truth. As I promised Mia almost nine years ago, I haven’t lied to her.
“Okay, then. I’m going to reach out to one of my friends who is a PI be—”
“Is that necessary?” I blurt out. Glancing at Liam for support, I’m not surprised to see him swaying toward Mia’s side of things.
Leaning forward, Mia tries to soften her features but it’s hopeless. Part of what I like about Mia is that she’s always given it to me straight—no bullshitting or walking on eggshells.
I tilt my head and give her a blank stare, trying to silently remind her of that. We both went to the Pippa Brown School of Dance, Etiquette, and Not Taking Shit From Anyone.
She lets out a breath but wipes the placating expression off her face. “It is necessary. If—and I really hope so—but if going to the bar and waiting for you is the worst thing he's done, then okay. It might not be, though.”
I swallow. “I know, and to be honest, I doubt it was.”
Mia sighs and taps her long claw-like nails on the desk. “Me either.”
“Can she file a restraining order?” Liam cuts in.
Mia’s eyes widen before looking back at me. “Does she want to file one?”
Liam’s head turns toward me but I don’t meet his eye.
“I… I don’t know. It doesn’t feel necessary.” I shrug.
Liam scoffs. “What do you mean it doesn’t feel necessary, Calypso? He has stalked you—”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Mia cuts in.
His head whips toward his cousin. “You just said you don’t think his efforts stopped at the bar. What the fuck, Mia?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him not to cuss at Mia, but she speaks first. “I respect Calypso’s wishes, even if I’d prefer she did something different. That’s how trust works, Liam.”
He opens his mouth but bites back whatever he’s going to say.
To be fair, Liam is the first person I’ve opened up to in a long time.
I adore Mia, but she doesn’t count since I pay for her time and loyalty.
That’s not totally true, I know that, but there’s always going to be a slightly different dynamic between us because in these situations, she is my lawyer first.
Liam turns in his seat and lowers his voice, as if that would stop Mia from hearing.
“Why are you being stubborn about this?” he asks a bit desperately.
Instantly, I answer, “Ruby.”
The answer surprises even myself, but the longer the words settle around us like stones in a pond, the more it rings true in my soul.
My eyes shift between them. “If I file anything against Stefan, it will only make it harder to keep that door open to Ruby. I know I can’t save her or kidnap her or whatever, I get that. But I can’t turn my back on her. Not when she’s… She’s…” So much like me.
The words are stuck in my throat but Liam and Mia understand. They’ve met Ruby, and they’ve heard my stories.
“Calypso, I’m worried about you.” Liam grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers together.
For the first time, I’m shy under Mia’s watchful gaze. “I know.” It comes out as a whisper.
The next words are hard for him to get out, but the sincerity is radiating off of him. “But I trust you—it’s important to me that you know that. I don’t doubt your judgments, and I’ll support whatever it is you need.”
A ball of emotions catch in my throat. “Right now, I want to be accessible to Ruby if she needs it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t reevaluate that later… together.”
He lets out a deep breath and relaxes his shoulders, accepting my olive branch. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
I’m about to lean in and place a kiss on his cheek when I catch Mia’s curious expression.
“Hmm,” she hums to herself and starts stacking papers.
I lean away from him as if she said he had cooties or something. “What?”
Mia doesn’t poke at me, which I appreciate. Instead, she leans back in her chair and sighs. “I’m glad you guys are doing this—” she waves her finger between Liam and me, “—little thing.”
“You mean, dating?” Liam asks in a low, amused tone.
Mia chuckles. “I’m actually starting to believe that.”
My mouth drops open. No one (other than my all-knowing mother) has questioned our facade, at least not to our faces. Even when Asher dared Liam to dunk me in the water, it was only an excuse to be an annoying brother.
At our surprise, she explains, “It’s literally my job to see past a couple’s lies. To read between each and every little line. So, how did this actually start?”
Liam is grinning at me and raises his eyebrows, silently asking if I want to tell her.
Rolling my head forward to look back at Mia, I say, “We met at the end of March.”
“Oh my God,” she exclaims and laughs, tipping her head back. “I wondered if you still did that, but I never expected it to lead to this.”
“Neither did I,” I admit. “Knox and Lexi set us up on a blind date—”
“A total coincidence,” Liam adds, chuckling along with his cousin.
“It was.” I nod. “Everything else just… fell into place.”
Mia shakes her head but she finds a lot of amusement from the situation. “That is ridiculous.”
“We know,” I say, finally cracking a smile.
Her eyes bounce between us. “And now? It is…?”
Neither Liam nor I answer the question. Last night, we agreed not to label it as anything more.
I don’t think Mia will be able to fully read between each fine line if I tell her he’s the guy sleeping in my bed every night.
Not without understanding the nuances of our relationship that I have no desire to explain to her.
“Fine, fine,” she concedes. “Your secret is safe with me. Let me contact my friend in La Jolla and see what he can find out. It may take a few weeks, but if anything else happens, call me.”
We spend a few more minutes talking about our dating scheme and Stefan’s lingering presence before Mia has to get ready for another meeting. By the time I’m driving back to Brighter Daze, I’m not positive if I’m feeling better or more unsettled. I suppose both, in different ways.
Over the weekend, I didn’t waste time hoping Mia would say I was being dramatic, that there was nothing to worry about with Stefan’s erratic behaviors.
But hiring someone to watch me? The thought alone makes my skin crawl, more than when he admitted to going to the hotel that night, looking for me.
It’s all so much more fucked up than I ever thought, and I don’t understand the point of it all.
Just to get me back? I’m not worth all this effort on Stefan’s end. That’s not a slight toward myself; no one is worth all of this. We were miserable together. Not only me, but both of us.
Taking a deep breath, I turn on my blinker and head toward the back parking lot of Brighter Daze. The top is down but not even the beach air I love so much can calm my nerves.
On the other hand, it’s refreshing to have people in my corner.
Regardless of our lawyer/client dynamic, Mia cares about me.
We have a long history together, despite our larger age gap and our distant friendship.
We live very different lives. All of that makes it easier to open up to her and burden her with my problems. It’s her job, but still.
I know my siblings would be supportive if I gave them the chance but I don’t want to.
I’ll have more answers in a few weeks, probably once the wedding festivities have slowed down.
Once I have more information and an idea of a plan in place, I’ll tell my siblings about how far things have spiraled with Stefan. Hell, I’ll even tell my mother.
Not until then.
And Liam is just… Liam. If I had to label him as anything, it would be my best friend.
I don’t want to tell him that in fear he’ll think I’m friend-zoning him.
That’s not the case either. He’s the closest person in my life, and that title means a hell of a lot more to me than “boyfriend.” It’s what feels right for me.