Chapter 26 #2
“Nick’s not that weak,” I tell her firmly. “You should trust him. He’ll figure it out.”
She nods, but I can tell she’s not convinced. “I hope so. Your father and I don’t want to push him, but I hope things turn around for him. I told him he can come to me for anything. Your father offered to put his properties in Elisha’s name, but—”
“No, Mom!” I frown. “She won’t be satisfied with just that alone. She’s greedy. She will always want more.”
“That’s what your brother said. Nick wouldn’t let your father do it.” My mother turns her eyes away, but I see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “But what can we do? I can see your father hurting, Caleb. He misses Nick. He wants to see his grandson.”
I walk around the table to her, my heart heavy. “I know, Mom. But you have to trust Nick. He’s not in love with Elisha, so he’s not with her because of his feelings for her. But Nick isn’t a fool either. If I know him, he’s working on something, but we have to trust him.”
“That’s what he said,” Mom smiles through her tears. I wipe them from her face and hug her.
“It’s going to be okay, Mom. I promise. Nick’s going to be okay.”
My mother just holds me tighter, and I make a mental note to check up on Nick after this launch is over.
* * *
I rub my eyes for the third time, the glare from the screen making them water after staring at it for hours.
The office is quiet except for the rhythmic tapping of keyboards, Joshua’s occasional sighs, and the heavy drumming of rain against the windows.
The storm that had been threatening all day has finally arrived, turning the evening sky an inky black.
“Is anyone else starving?” Joshua asks, leaning back in his chair until it creaks in protest. “I’d kill for some pizza right now.” I wonder if Eve will take him up on the offer, but when I look at her, she doesn’t react in the slightest, completely fixated on reviewing the launch files.
“We just had those sandwiches an hour ago,” Steven points out without looking up from his computer. His face is illuminated by the blue light of his screen, making him look more gaunt than usual in the dim office lighting. “Focus. We need to finish everything tonight.”
I check my watch. It’s just a few minutes past eight.
Still hours to go before we’ll be done. Flora gathers her things to head out, leaving just the four of us working late into the evening.
The office hums with a tense mixture of exhaustion, stress, and underlying excitement—the feeling of being so close to the finish line we can almost taste it.
“What’s your excuse for ditching us, Flora?” Joshua yawns, spinning his pen between his fingers.
Flora beams, her eyes crinkling behind her cat-eye glasses. “My daughter’s got a late shift at the hospital, so Grandma’s on babysitting duty. My little angels are waiting for me with cookies and a movie marathon.”
A distant rumble shakes the building, momentarily drawing everyone’s attention to the dark sky outside.
“Drive safe, Flora,” Eve says, her tone brisk but with an underlying warmth that only those who know her well would catch.
“I will,” Flora promises, patting Eve’s shoulder. “I’ve got my rain boots and umbrella. And don’t you youngsters stay too late. The launch will be perfect whether you stare at these screens for three more hours or not.”
“We will,” I lie smoothly, knowing full well we’ll be here well past midnight. Eve just makes a non-committal humming sound that Flora accepts with a knowing smile.
Once the elevator doors close behind Flora, I stretch my arms overhead, feeling my back pop.
Eve’s still hunched over her keyboard, the blue light from her screen highlighting the determined set of her jaw, while the city lights outside the window blur into smears of color against the darkness, distorted by the water streaming down the glass.
“Shit,” I suddenly remember, nearly falling backwards. “I need to pick up Megan’s car from the shop before they close at nine.”
Eve glances at me, a strand of dark hair falling across her face. “Weren’t you supposed to pick it up this afternoon?”
“I forgot,” I wince. “I promised her I would get it to her today. She’s going to kill me if I forget. I have to go.” I get up, stretching once again before coming to stand behind her. “I’ll be back in a couple hours. Think you can survive without me that long?”
She snorts, still typing. “I’ll try to contain my devastation.”
The wind picks up, sending sheets of water slamming against the windows with renewed intensity. “You sure you want to go out in that?” Eve asks, finally looking up from her screen, her expression unreadable but her eyes betraying a hint of concern.
I lean down and press a fierce kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the faint vanilla scent of her shampoo. “Worried about me, Princess?”
She immediately bats at me. “Stop it.” But her voice lacks its usual edge.
I slide my hand across her shoulder, leaning close to her ear. “Come on, walk me down? I’ve been feeling very neglected recently, you know.”
Without taking her eyes off the screen, Eve reaches up and grabs my jaw firmly. “Go feel neglected in a corner.” But she glances at the rain-battered windows again, her brow furrowing slightly.
Joshua snorts from across the room. “And here I thought love had softened Eve. Even you can’t get between her and work, Caleb.”
“The whole fun’s in trying,” I inform him with a grin.
Steven glances up briefly, his expression tired before returning to his work. “Bring some energy drinks on your way back.”
“Will do,” I tell him, placing my hands firmly on Eve’s shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.
“Caleb.” The warning note in her voice makes me grin.
“Sorry, Eve. I told you. I’m a very clingy person.”
“I’ve noticed,” she mutters, but I can see her fighting a smile, the dimple in her cheek threatening to appear. “Go away. Get me an energy drink, too. And be careful out there.”
“Whatever you say, Princess.” She no longer bristles at the nickname, and my eyes fall on the mug with ‘Ice Princess’ written on it. My lips curve, and I reluctantly let go of her shoulders, grabbing my jacket off the back of my chair. “Don’t work too hard. We’ve got this in the bag.”
I walk to the windows, staring out at the downpour for a moment. The city below is partially obscured by the rain, the streets glistening like dark rivers under the streetlights. Water courses down the glass in chaotic patterns, making the outside world appear warped and fluid.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” I promise, walking backward toward the elevator. “Don’t miss me too much.”
“Take your time,” Joshua calls out. “We’ll keep Eve company.”
As I reach the elevator, I glance back at her. She thinks I’m not looking, but I catch the soft, secret smile playing on her lips—the one she saves for moments when she thinks no one can see her. It hits me again how far we’ve come from those days of bitter rivalry in college.
I step into the elevator feeling lighter than I should on the eve of the biggest launch of our careers.
But that’s what Eve does to me—makes every challenge feel like an adventure we’re tackling together.
Even picking up my sister’s car in a storm feels like part of something bigger now, part of a life that’s suddenly full of promise and connection.
The doors close as I make a mental note to pick up something for her to eat as well on my way back. Two hours is a long time to be away from her, and I’m already counting down the minutes until I return.
The lobby is nearly empty when I exit the elevator, my footsteps echoing across the polished marble floor. Through the glass doors, I can see the rain cascading heavily, and I shiver. Zipping up my jacket, I brace myself before pushing through the revolving door.
The rain hits me immediately, cold and relentless.
Within seconds, my hair is plastered to my forehead, water running down the back of my neck despite my best efforts to shield myself with my jacket.
I jog to the curb, raising my arm to hail a taxi, silently cursing myself for not bringing an umbrella.
A yellow cab finally pulls up, sending a wave of water across my shoes as it stops.
I slide into the backseat, dripping all over the vinyl.
“Auto shop on 46th and Madison,” I tell the driver, wiping water from my face. “They close at nine.”
The cabbie nods, pulling back into traffic.
The wipers work furiously against the downpour, barely keeping the windshield clear enough to see through.
Headlights from oncoming cars reflect off the wet asphalt, creating a disorienting light show as we navigate the congested streets.
The rain drums steadily on the roof of the cab, creating a rhythm that almost lulls me into a trance.
“Nasty night,” the driver comments, hunching forward to peer through the streaked glass.
“Yeah,” I agree, checking the time on my phone. 8:23. We should make it with time to spare, assuming the traffic cooperates.
I lean back against the seat, watching the city transform into a hazy landscape outside the window.
My thoughts drift back to Eve, to the way her dark eyes focus so intently on her work, to the rare moments when she lets her guard down enough to smile at something I’ve said.
I find myself smiling just thinking about her, about us.
I couldn’t have imagined falling for her like this; now I can’t imagine my life without her.
Traffic slows to a crawl as we approach a flooded intersection, water pooling at least six inches deep where a drain has backed up. The driver navigates around it, muttering under his breath about city maintenance.
Finally, the neon sign of the auto shop appears through the rain-streaked window. I pay the driver and dash across the sidewalk, splashing through puddles as I make my way to the entrance. The shop is still open, though the mechanics are clearly getting ready to close up for the night.