One Step Closer(60)

Cale. He bristled at Macy’s use of the nickname. No one called him that. No one had ever called him that, except Wren.

“I’m not fighting… and, please don’t call me that.” He didn’t want her on his lap so he stood up and placed her on her feet in one easy move, as his phone rang. It was Jonathan returning the call from a few minutes before “Hello?”

“Good afternoon, Caleb. So you’ve made your decision?”

He nodded and turned his back to Macy. “I have,” he said into the phone. “Split it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll deal with any repercussions later.”

“Right. Okay. How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re sure, I’m going to burn the other copy right. “

“Sounds good. I’ll see you at the visitation later.” Caleb used a hand to rub the back of his neck. The thought of seeing his father in a casket was disconcerting and uncomfortable. Seeing his father inside it was something he’d prefer to skip. “Is it an open casket?”

“Mrs. Jones made the arrangements, but I assume so.”

Chills ran down his back and arms. Ugh, he thought. It would be so much less personal if it were closed. It would just be a box and less personal. He inhaled hard, his chin raising as he looked at the ceiling and then closed his eyes.

The thought of seeing his father in a casket only brought back memories of his mother’s funeral. His father had been like a stone cold statue; oblivious to his twelve-year-old son crying his eyes out while Jonesy and Jonathan tried to comfort him. He’d never felt so alone as he had that day. “God. I wish it weren’t.”

“Your father had a lot of friends and business associates. Funerals are more closure for the living, son. Do you want to come to my office to discuss the reading this afternoon? The only people required to be in attendance tomorrow are you, Wren and Jonesy. Your father left her a bit of money for her retirement.”

The resentment he was feeling because of the memory faded slightly; maybe there was some good left in his dad after all. He sighed heavily, wishing for a replay of the past few hours with Wren when he wasn’t thinking about this morbid shit.

“Is it restricted beyond that?” Caleb had a feeling in his gut that the step monster would show up uninvited. “Is the will unbreakable? I fully expect that bitch, Veronica, to try something.”

“It’s not specified, but do you want it to be? What about Macy? Do you want her there?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. Veronica will never leave Wren alone if—” He stopped; glancing at Macy, suddenly aware she was listening intently to his side of the conversation. “Uh, yes, I’ll come over there and we can discuss it.”

“I have a conference call for the next hour, but then I’ll be free for the rest of the day,” Jonathan replied.

“Okay, I’ll call you back in an hour.”

When he ended the call and turned around, he found Macy studying him, her expression softer; the snarkiness of a few minutes before completely gone from her face. She walked to him and laid a hand on his chest.

“I’m sorry, baby. Can’t the driver you hired take Wren out? We can let your sister shop and we’ll sneak off, alone,” she suggested silkily. “It’s my turn to spend time with you.”

Caleb’s teeth clenched. How many times did he have to tell her that Wren wasn’t his f*cking sister? He covered her hand with his when it started to wander up toward his neck. After his morning with Wren and the shit he learned Macy had said to her the night before, he had no desire for any type of intimacy with her.

“No, I promised her I’d take her. You aren’t obligated to come if you’d rather skip it. Wren said she isn’t in the mood to spend all day in the shops, and I have to meet with Jonathan before the wake.”

“But, this is my first trip to Denver. I want to explore and maybe go to that old mining town after the malls. I Googled ‘things to do’ earlier. I was bored stiff while you were off on your little jaunt.” The whine Macy’s voice had acquired since she’d hit the Colorado line was back and it grated on Caleb’s nerves.

He moved away from her with a huff. “I’m sorry if my father dying is interrupting your sight-seeing plans. That’s not why we’re here.”

Macy reeled on him with narrowed eyes. “Not here for sight-seeing?” she asked, sarcasm lacing every word. “Isn’t that what you were doing this morning?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you. You were gone for hours.”

Irritation vibrated through him. “It’s irrelevant, in any case. If you don’t like how things are playing out, you’re free to leave. You don’t have to stay for the funeral; I’m sure you have more pressing things you need to do at home.”

Macy was taken aback and for a split second felt like he’d just slapped her, but getting upset wouldn’t move her agenda forward and she recovered quickly.

“Of course, I want to be here. I thought you’d need me, Caleb.” Her face fell and she swallowed. “I thought… we had a relationship.”

Great! Caleb’s mind screamed. He felt like shit. Ten days ago, a week ago, so did he, but not in the same way Macy thought. And after seeing Wren, everything changed. It wasn’t fair to Macy, but it was reality that he couldn’t deny.