Before Caleb came to Montgavin, the Cartwrights were the construction company everyone in town used. If you needed work done, you got it from them. That is, until it was revealed that their new development was literally sinking into the ground. They went out of business, and their reign as town royalty was over. I’ve heard they are trying to take their company to a new town, but they have yet to be successful.
“Is it time to start putting cameras up everywhere?” Caleb asks.
“Fuck, I don’t know.” I look over my shoulder to make sure Collins isn’t there. “I don’t think it’s necessary, but then again, I didn’t think it would escalate to this.” I exhale. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but the last time I saw Claire, her car was near one of the worksites.”
“Fuck, well, when you get back to town, you either have to go and talk to her or talk to Burke. It’s one thing for her to spray-paint He’s a Dick on the side of your car; it’s another thing to start stealing our shit.”
“She never spray-painted that.”
“I’m just saying, I would have preferred she do that. Or, you know, Small Dick Asshole Has to Drive a Big Truck.” I reach for my cup of coffee when he laughs. “This makes me feel a little better, that we aren’t being targeted by the Cartwrights.”
“Glad I can help. I’m sorry, man, I never thought that she would go to this level.”
“How’s the visit home?”
“Good.”
The door slides open, and Collins joins me, dressed in her red shorts set, her hair hanging wet.
“Good,” I repeat, smiling at her. “Great.”
“I guess she just walked in the room?” He laughs.
“How did you know?”
“Your voice got that lovesick puppy tone,” he teases. “I’m going to let you go. I want to meet her when you get back to town.”
“I think I can make that happen.” I put the phone down as she walks to me.
“How long have you been out here?” She sits next to me, curling her feet under her.
“Not long.” I wrap my arm around her and pull her to me. “Are you hungry?”
“I didn’t think so and then I smelled the bacon, and my stomach rumbled louder than it’s ever rumbled before.”
“Well, we’ll eat and then you can go back to sleep. You need your rest,” I remind her as she snuggles deeper into me. I kiss the top of her head. “What do you want with your bacon? Pancakes or eggs?”
“Hmm,” she contemplates, “both.”
I chuckle as I pull her into my lap. “I can do that.” I lean in and kiss her neck, moving her to the side and starting to get up. “Do you want to lie out here or inside?” She moves to get up. “If you think you are coming in to help me, you’re wrong.”
“I can do the pancakes.”
“I can do the pancakes and then the eggs.” I point at her. “Don’t come inside until I call you.”
“You’re going to have to stop doing these things for me.” Her voice is soft. “I’m going to get used to it, and that’s not a good thing.”
“You can get used to it. I’m not going to stop taking care of you.” I kiss her head. “Rest, baby.”
She looks up at me, her gray eyes shining with a ring of blue around them. “Okay,” is the only thing she says, and I can’t help but kiss her lips.
“Be right back,” I tell her and walk into the kitchen to finish making her breakfast.
We pull up to my parents’ house, and I look over at her. “You okay?”
“No.” She shakes her head, and I smile at her. She ate breakfast, and then we both went back to bed. She slept in my arms, and for the first time in a long time, I slept peacefully. “My blood pressure must be through the roof.” She puts two fingers on her neck. “Yup, high.”
I study her, worried. “I’m going to need you to calm down.”