At Peace (The 'Burg #2)(109)

So it was me who had to drive.

Mike asked if he could take us but I said no. He’d never met Sam and he’d have to take a day’s vacation from work. Those days should be for fun, not funerals.

He was not happy about this, not even a little bit, and he let me know that fact. This was not easygoing Mike behavior. He was definitely staking his claim and I wondered if he’d heard about Cal. If I had it in me, which I didn’t at the time, I would have told him he had nothing to worry about, not anymore, not ever again.

In the end, I’d gentled my refusal and told him to take a day off when he and I could have fun. He didn’t like this either but he didn’t fight me on it likely because he was a good guy and he didn’t want to have our first fight the day after I found out my only, and beloved, sibling had been murdered just like my husband, exactly like Tim (Colt had told Mike this, Dad having told Colt, and Mike told me).

I snatched up my pumps from the bed and headed to the door. I was wearing flip-flops until I had to force on the pumps. I was not looking forward to that but then again there was pretty much nothing I was looking forward to that day.

I walked out of my room and Keira was standing just outside my door.

“Mom!” she snapped even though I was standing right there.

“What, baby? I’m right here,” I replied.

Then I felt him, I looked to my right and my mouth dropped open.

Cal was standing there wearing a black suit and a dark gray shirt that matched my dress almost perfectly. A shiny tie the same color as his shirt was dangling loose around his neck, his shirt was open at the throat.

I’d never seen him in anything but t-shirts and jeans, except when he was naked, of course. He looked really good in a suit and his suit was amazing. He might not spend a lot of money on his usual wardrobe but even I could see that suit cost some cake.

“We have to get going,” his deep voice rumbled at me.

“What?” I asked, confused by his suit, his presence and his words.

“Joe’s taking us. I called and asked him yesterday,” Kate, who was standing close to Cal, explained to me.

In silent shock, my eyes went to her and when they did she slid closer to Cal. Then I felt my eyes grow wide as her hand reached for his and curled around it.

Cal didn’t pull away, in fact, his fingers curled around hers too.

When they did, she leaned her shoulder into his arm.

Holy f**k, what the freaking hell was this?

“I –” I started.

Cal cut me off. “We gotta get on the road.”

“But –”

“Let’s go, buddy.”

“Oh!” Kate cried suddenly, her head tipping back to look at Cal. “I need to make you a sandwich. We all have sandwiches because we’re not gonna stop. I didn’t know what to make you. Do you want ham and cheddar, turkey and swiss or roast beef and swiss or all of the above?”

“I’ll eat whatever you make, girl,” Cal said, looking down at her.

“Okay,” she replied, let go of his hand and ran gracefully on her high-heeled, black slingbacks to the kitchen.

“Mom!” Keira hissed, leaning toward me, eyes narrowed, clearly not pleased at this remarkable turn of events. Obviously Kate hadn’t shared her plan with her sister.

“Um…” I said to Cal, “can we talk a second in my room?”

“Nope,” he replied and remained unmoving.

“Keira, get Joe a coffee for the road. He takes it black,” Kate called from the kitchen.

Keira glared at me then glared at Cal and, obviously feeling the need for an unusual show of decorum in the face of the day’s events, she decided against throwing a tantrum but still, she stomped to the kitchen.

I limped to Cal and got close.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

“Takin’ you and the girls to Sam’s funeral.”

“But –”

His hand came to the side of my neck and squeezed so further words froze in my throat.

His head dipped down so his face was in mine. “You’re dead on your feet, baby. You gotta get there safe, you gotta get home safe. I’m seein’ to that,” he said softly. “Now, get your ass in the car.”

“Cal –”

His hand tightened on my neck, it felt reflexive but it was strong enough to make a point so I again shut up.

His face got even closer when he ordered, “You call me Joe.”

I stared up at him and I knew my mouth was hanging open but I’d lost the knowledge as to how to close it.

He let me go and turned away.

I stood there and I didn’t know what to do.

I looked into the kitchen and Kate was bustling around, wrapping up a sandwich so huge Dagwood Bumstead would be in throes of ecstasy then grabbing an extra bag of chips then going to the fridge to get another pop and finally pulling out two more candy bars. Obviously my daughter thought Cal being a mountain of a man; he’d have a mountain of an appetite. Then again, when he was over for breakfast, he ate six rashers of bacon with his four pancakes so she probably wasn’t wrong. She shoved it all in the cooler as Keira jerked a travel mug at Cal, her other hand wrapped around mine.

“We ready?” Cal asked the Winters girls.

“I am,” Kate announced, hefting up the cooler.