11. Cale
cale
Benson’s is crowded, even for a Saturday night. I push through the crowd, scanning the place until I find Paulie already sitting at a table with a beer. It’s a sight reminiscent of when I came in here a couple of months ago, before Melanie turned me inside out.
I take the seat across from him with a sigh, ignoring the perceptive look he levels me with. “Surprised you called.”
I don’t answer, kicking my legs out and crossing them at the ankles.
The stage at the back of the room looks like it’s been set up for a live band, which explains the number of people piling into the place.
The stage is empty for now, with low rock music pulsing from the mounted speakers…
just not quite loud enough to drown out the voice in my head, urging me to go to Melanie’s and demand answers for the sudden ice out.
“You’ve been MIA this past month,” Paulie continues, undeterred by my silence.
“Been busy.”
His eyebrows lift. “What, you have an influx of security systems to install? Sterling Creek isn’t exactly a hotbed of crime.”
“Fuck off,” I grunt. “You know that’s not all I do.”
Onyx might specialize in home and business security systems, but we also handle security consulting and investigative services. And the owner, Levi Gordon, wasn’t above taking the odd bodyguard gig if the money was good enough.
A chair is pulled out next to me, and I look over just as Garth sits down, two beers in his hands. He passes one to me, ignoring my scowl. “Where the fuck did you come from?”
He doesn’t even blink, casually tipping his bottle back to his lips, taking a long swallow. “My place, obviously. Interesting that you decided to invite him”—he tips his head toward Paulie—“and not me. Bet I can guess why, too.” He smirks, leaning back in his seat.
“You assholes gossip more than women at a hair salon.”
Paulie pretends not to hear, staring hard at Garth. “You know something, don’t you? About why he’s been missing.”
Garth doesn’t take his attention off me, even when I look away, pretending to be fascinated by my beer. “I might know something.”
“You don’t know shit,” I snap. “Leave it alone.”
Garth’s known me too long, all the way back when we were daring each other to throw stones at Old Man Myer’s door, and my tone doesn't dissuade him now. “Cale’s gone and caught feelings.”
Paulie blinks, clearly not having expected that. “Feelings?” he echoes dumbly. “For who?”
Garth throws a sly look my way, leaning closer to Paulie and cupping a hand around his mouth, like he’s sharing a juicy secret. “His neighbor.”
Paulie frowns, still confused. “Which neighbor?”
Garth gapes at him before rolling his eyes.
“Well, obviously, I’m talking about Mrs. McLachlan.
Eighty-year-olds have always been Cale’s type.
” I have to batten down my amusement when Paulie’s frown deepens, and Garth huffs impatiently.
“The other neighbor, asshole. He’s got feelings for Melanie Daniels. ”
“Oh shit,” Paulie’s eyebrows lift high. “No wonder you’ve been missing. You know, I don’t blame you. If I were living next to her—”
“Say one more fucking word,” I grit out. “I dare you.”
He opens his mouth, about to say something stupid, but Randi appears at our table like magic, the buttons of her shirt struggling to contain her tits, and her mouth curling into a playful smirk.
“Cale,” she purrs throatily. “Haven’t seen you around in a few weeks.”
“Been busy,” I mutter, barely giving her a second glance, wishing I’d never come out tonight. I’d wanted the distraction, but I think I would’ve been better off stewing at home.
“Well, what can I get you?” She winks, planting her hands on the table and leaning over, giving us all a straight shot down her shirt. “Doesn’t need to be on the menu.”
Garth throws an elbow into my side, but I shake my half-drunk beer at her. “Nothing, Rands. I’m done for the night.”
Paulie blinks, bewildered. “That’s your first drink. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me.” I tip the beer to my lips, wishing it were something harder. Anything that dulled the images my imagination was throwing at me of Melanie out with that ballcap-wearing motherfucker.
He likes my mom, Oakley’s voice whispers. He’s always finding reasons to talk to her.
And I handed Harrison the perfect opportunity on a platter, because I couldn’t leave well enough alone. She was skittish about inviting me into her life, in any capacity, and after her ex turned up, she freaked the fuck out.
I’m usually good at reading people. I knew I should stop pushing, but overhearing that asshole threaten to make her life difficult—like he wasn’t already fucking doing that—had tied me into angry knots. And Melanie closed herself off, locking everything away in a place I couldn’t reach.
“Cale.”
I start, glancing up to find everyone staring at me. Randi is still hovering next to our table, her brow furrowed.
“What?”
Randi shakes her head. “Whatever.” She looks at Garth and Paulie. “Any food?”
Garth lifts his chin. “Yeah. Get us a round of burgers, would you?”
“No pickles on mine.” Paulie pipes up. Randi tips her chin before she saunters away, hips swaying in skin-tight denim. Paulie watches her go, practically drooling.
Garth turns back to me. “What the hell crawled up your ass and died?”
“Leave it alone,” I tell him as Paulie looks between us, his expression bemused, but I’m not talking about this.
I came here to get away from thoughts of her, and I’m not going to sit around this table and talk about my feelings with these assholes.
I’m not talking about how I’m pissed she ended us, especially when there wasn’t anything to end.
It was casual, no strings, friends with benefits fucking.
The problem was she did become a friend, and I felt fucking powerless, sitting here, knowing she was shutting me out when all I wanted to do was help.
Garth finally looks away, shaking his head. He asks Paulie about a house they worked on together the week before, with Garth fixing up the kitchen while Paulie did the landscaping outside.
I tune them out, finishing my beer and staring down at the empty bottle, regretting that I didn’t order another one.
Randi reappears, sliding plates of food in front of each of us—the house special: massive beef burgers topped with caramelized onion and melted cheddar, with a side of hot, crispy fries.
I pick my burger up, taking a bite, even though the last thing I feel like doing is eating.
Around his own mouthful, Paulie says, “I heard there was another break-in.”
I go still at his words, a prickle creeping over my nape as I look up at him. He’s looking at Garth, eyebrows raised, but Garth is focused on smothering his fries in a flood of ketchup.
“Yep,” he replies after a beat. “Third one this month.”
Paulie tips his head at me. “And his girl’s place was the first to be hit, right?”
Garth lifts a shoulder, shoveling a fry into his mouth. “Yeah. Cops think it’s gotta be the same people. Who the fuck would be trashing houses in this town?”
Paulie flicks me a look. “Surprised you haven’t heard more about this. I heard rumors that the cops were going to talk about getting assistance from Onyx.”
“Levi hasn’t said anything.” I sit back with a frown, something uneasy curling through my gut. “I know about Melanie’s place. Honestly…I thought it was her dropkick ex that did it.”
Paulie tilts his head to the side. “It still could be, right? Not that I know the guy. You should talk to Levi about him. he might know something.”
“Why would he?” I ask in bemusement.
“It’s his ex-sister-in-law shacked up with him, right?”
I scrub a hand through my hair. “Yeah, but I don’t think he has much to do with her anymore. Their kids are cousins, and that’s where he draws the line.”
Garth finishes his burger and sits back, muttering, “This town is too fucking small.”
“So, they have no idea who’s breaking into houses?” I ask Paulie.
He sips at his beer, brow furrowed. “Nope.” His sister is a cop with the Sterling Creek PD and has a mouth bigger than a hippo’s yawn, which clearly runs in his family. “Rumors are going around that it’s got something to do with drugs.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Garth argues. “If it’s drugs, they’re probably looking for shit to sell. Whoever’s responsible is just making a damn mess.”
I grimace, unable to stop myself from thinking about the mess that was left in Melanie’s house.
She has pretty much replaced everything now, but the memory of it doesn’t fade as easily.
Occasionally, I’d watch her hands shaking when she first went to unlock the door, a visible disquiet hanging over her like she was expecting to step into something horrific.
“The cop said it was most likely a crime of opportunity,” I murmur absent-mindedly.
“Melanie…She works from home. The cops said the culprits were either watching her already or saw her leave and just took their chance. They couldn’t have known when she’d be back, but it looked like they went in with the intent of doing as much damage as they could. ”
“Whoever it is,” Paulie says around his last mouthful of burger, “they’ll get caught soon enough. It’s only a matter of time.”
I pop a fry in my mouth, wishing I had as much confidence as he does, and hating that in one day, I’d lost the right to go home and check that Melanie and the kid were okay.