Deep Blue (24 page)

“Maybe not permanently. I have a roommate, and there’s not much space with my brother around. But you could crash on the couch for a couple of days if you really don’t want to live with Kate.” The offer is purely selfish. The last thing I want is my boyfriend living with his ex.

“Are you sure? Because if you are, I’ll take you up on it. I was already thinking of moving back in with my parents until I work things out, but this is much better.” He kisses my nipple.

“Jaeger! We can’t do this with my brother and Gen around.”

“I know, feisty.” He grins. “But while they’re gone, naked time is in full effect.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” My legs are crossed at the ankle over Jaeger’s lap on the couch in the living room. He spent the night, and we were perfect angels while Gen and Tyler were around. Probably because we’d taken care of our pent-up sexual needs before they returned.

“You’ve got work, and I should do this on my own.” Jaeger rubs his forehead and runs his fingers through his hair. He lets out a breath, the fine lines around his eyes deeper than ever. He doesn’t seem convinced.

“You’re worried you might meet your daughter and you want to keep things simple.”

He sucks in air through his nose and closes his eyes. “If I have one, yes. I’d bet anything, though, she isn’t mine. If she is … I’ll do what I have to, but Kate’s a liar. I haven’t figured out why she’d lie about this, but she must be. We were—careful—or I was.”

I hate thinking about Jaeger with another woman. “No need to elaborate.”

He pulls me to his chest and rubs his lips along my hairline. “I should be back by the time you get off work. See you then?” I nod and he kisses me on the head, then wraps his arms around my waist in a lung-crushing squeeze. I love his hugs. I could stay in his embrace for the rest of the day without food or water and be perfectly content breathing in his scent for sustenance.

I’m a mess at work. All I can think about is Jaeger and whether or not he has a daughter. If he does, what does that mean for us? I like kids, but I’ve spent next to no time with them. I didn’t expect to need a working knowledge until I had my own—a loooong way off. What if Jaeger realizes I’m no good with children?

“Cali?” Architect Bill jars me from my bout of anxiety. I’m supposed to be working on a new design for the company’s business cards, but instead I’m staring off into space. “Do you have time to make an artist’s rendition of the Lakeshore property? We think it will help with the planning council.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’ll send the principal your way. John’s son. Have you two met? Great kid.”

Several of the guys that come through the office are on the younger side, but they spend their days on job sites. I’m trying to recall whether any of them works regularly in the office, when a knock sounds in the doorway.

My office is the copy room with a partition sectioned off for a teeny desk that holds my laptop. Sallee Construction is located in a nice office building, but space is limited. Most employees work on job sites and don’t require offices. The existing square footage is taken up by blueprints and a place for client meetings. I consider myself lucky to even have an “office.” Plus, this way I get to chat with the receptionist when she makes copies for John and the others.

I carefully finish the line I’m working on and turn around, my head notching back in shock. “
You?
” The word is out before I can stop it.

Lewis’s brows furrow in consternation. “Gen’s friend,” he says as if confirming it. “I’ve worked offsite the last several days. I didn’t realize you were the artist my father hired.”

Lewis is Mr. Sallee’s son? It makes some sense with the connection to Nessa. Nessa’s how Gen met Lewis. After a long hesitation in which I attempt to process all this, I gesture to the one chair in my office.

Lewis takes a seat, looking like an adult in a toddler’s chair and consuming the room’s limited breathing space. He isn’t as bulky as Jaeger, but he’s athletically built and just as tall.

“How’s Genevieve?”

The hair on the back of my neck prickles. Why is he asking about her? “Good,” I answer warily.

Lewis is hot. He’s tall, with dark hair and tanned skin like his father, though his face is free of laugh lines—probably because the guy never smiles. Add high cheekbones and a strong, proud chin, and what’s not to like? But no way in hell am I throwing my BF back into the fire with a cheater, and last I checked, Lewis was in some complicated relationship with Mira.

If I’ve learned anything though this summer, it’s that Gen doesn’t need me to fight her battles. She’s done just fine on her own. I should keep my mouth shut.

Lewis pulls two reduced architectural CAD drawings from a file in his hand. He explains the general aesthetic of the Lakeshore building and shows me the landscape plan. The final product will be a multilevel Swiss lodge with a modern bent and eco-friendly plants.

We discuss time lines.

“I’ll get started right away,” I tell him.

Lewis stands and walks toward the door. He glances back while I’m sorting through colored pencils from my stash of art supplies. Sallee Construction could use software for artists’ renditions, but the old guys are loath to learn it, and apparently I’m cheaper and leave them time to work on other stuff.

“Tell Gen …” His voice trails off and he grips the door frame. “Tell her I said hello.”

I hesitate, then remember he’s my boss’s son. “Sure,” I say stiffly. I trust Gen, but I don’t trust this guy. He’s uptight, and more important, unavailable as far as I’m concerned.

Lewis walks out, but I hear him talking in the reception area, which I can see from my desk. His manner is clipped as he talks to the receptionist, but she says something and his face softens. She has that effect on people.

The front door opens and Mira walks in wearing a short summer dress and platform sandals. She’s breathtaking.

Lewis’s body stiffens and he speaks so low I can’t hear what he says to her. She seems to ignore his words and greets our receptionist as if they’ve known each other for years. They probably have. After a moment, Lewis pulls Mira aside. They argue, her voice rising, until she smiles without it touching her eyes, and glides calmly out the door, the bells chiming behind.

Lewis looks over and our eyes meet. I quickly look away, but I catch him storming off out of the corner of my eye. A door slams down the hall.

Very unavailable.
I hope Gen stays away from him.

That evening, Gen’s getting ready for work when I arrive home. I walk into the bathroom and sit on the toilet lid. “Lewis works at Sallee Construction. He’s the owner’s son.”

Gen sets the hairbrush on the counter and stares into the mirror at her reflection.

Not the reaction I was looking for. It answers the question of whether or not she still thinks about him. “You don’t actually care for this guy …?”

She sighs and walks out. “Leave it alone, Cali.”

“Gen—” I trail after her. “I was stupid at the start of the summer. I didn’t really understand what you were going through, because I’d never been in love. You were more involved with the A-hole than I ever was with Eric. I get that now. And I don’t want to tell you what to do, because when it comes to this, I’m not as experienced as I thought, but I’m scared for you.”

Gen looks up from rifling in her purse and shakes her head. “Cali, there’s nothing to fear.”

I lean my hip against the side of the couch and study her. “I’m worried I pushed you to date guys before you were ready and now you’re running headfirst into the same situation you escaped.”

“You’re giving yourself too much credit. I do actually select when and who I want to date, and I told you, the situation with Lewis is not the same as my past relationship. Besides, I’m not actually in a relationship,” she adds and heads into the bedroom while I stand in the doorway.

Gen grabs a shirt from the closet and sinks onto the bed without putting it on. “I can’t help who I’m attracted to. That’s just nature.” She looks up. “But I’m not planning on repeating the past, if that’s what you’re worried about. Even if I did, it wouldn’t be your fault.” She tugs on the printed T-shirt.

“Okay. But Mira visited Lewis at work today. If you’re spending time with him, just—be careful.”

Gen pauses. “I will,” she says without looking. She pulls on dark jeans and walks around the bed to the door. “Don’t worry about me, Cali. You don’t need to protect me.”

God, right now, I could use protection. Every day with Jaeger is a lesson in what it means to care for someone. I want what’s best for him, even if it means not being with me. I deserve love, but we both deserve to have our needs met. If I can’t be the right person for him and his daughter, he needs someone who can. And I need someone who doesn’t put me down for not making the choices they deem right.

The way Eric responded, I felt like an idiot when I told him I’d given up law. He never once asked what made me happy. Everything Jaeger does is to make me happy. A profound difference.

Jaeger texts shortly after Gen leaves for work.

Jaeger: Trip unsuccessful. Kate’s sister never showed. Stayed too long waiting around. Have a project to wrap up … could be late before I make it over. Miss you.

So the wait continues. Not knowing where things stand makes me want to throw a chair through a window.

Instead, I jump in the shower and get dressed. Tyler’s friend picked him up, so I have the car for the night. I’ll visit Jaeger. I won’t bother him while he works. I just want to make sure he’s okay and give him a quick hug after his shitty day, and I don’t want to have to wait until late to do it.

My stomach tightens as I pull into Jaeger’s driveway. A black Mercedes sports car is parked near his truck. Is that Kate’s car? I thought she didn’t have any money.

I hadn’t considered I might see Kate when I decided to come. It doesn’t matter that Jaeger isn’t interested in her. The idea of an ex-girlfriend in his home makes my proprietary instincts flare.

I breathe deeply and smooth the strands that pulled loose from my ponytail into place. I check my teeth for lipstick stains in the visor mirror. I’m not walking in looking shabby. Kate needs to know she isn’t going to weasel into Jaeger’s heart the way she did his house.

What kind of mother screws up her life so badly she loses her kid? And why didn’t Kate tell Jaeger she was pregnant? For as long as I’ve known him—which is a significant amount of time, given his connection to my brother—he’s been a good guy. He would have stood by her if she’d told him. Why come out now?

My gaze darts to the sports car as I approach the front door. I shake my head in contempt. Kate can’t be that hard up if she’s driving a new Mercedes. The cost of that car alone would pay for the rent on a house for two years
and
a used vehicle to get around town. No way does she need to live with Jaeger in order to get her daughter back, but I don’t blame him for allowing it. Jaeger can’t stir things until he knows what he’s up against. He won’t risk losing his daughter.

The woodshop is silent today. I rap lightly on the front door and stand for a minute looking out at the lake through the trees, attempting to remain calm. Visit with Jaeger. Make sure he’s okay. Go home. I won’t cause problems for him with Kate.

Nobody answers after several minutes, and the doorbell doesn’t seem to work. I’m sure he’s here. His truck is in the drive. I twist the handle. It’s unlocked.

Jaeger’s my boyfriend, and he’s practically living with me at the moment. I’ll just peek in and let him know I’m here.

But it’s not Jaeger’s presence that fills the house. A hushed female voice floats from the back bedroom. Not Jaeger’s room—
thank God
—gotta be his office, the man cave. I don’t see Jaeger anywhere. He’s not in the living area, and the door to his bedroom is open, the lights off. The other two bedrooms are located at the other end of the hall. I should call out, but there’s something about the way she’s talking on the phone, quiet and professional, like she’s conducting a business transaction, that makes me hesitate.

I step inside and walk to the bedroom, making no effort to silence my footfalls. I can’t help it if my steps are quiet in the Keds I’m wearing.

I stop outside the partly open door to Jaeger’s office. And okay, yes, this time I really do eavesdrop, because it sounds like she’s—
shopping?
I peek past the door.

“I’ll take the twistlock heel in blue and black,” Kate says into a cell phone, scrolling with a mouse on Jaeger’s computer. “Size seven and a half. And the Jennie stacked platform in red, same size.”

Online shopping.

“I want the cutout sundress in a size four, and …” She clicks the mouse and pulls up another screen, “… the limited edition skater dress. I want that in pale blue, along with the lightweight biker jacket.” A pause. “That’s all for now. You can mail it to this address.” She bends over to fix a strap on her sandal and rattles something off. Her voice is slightly muffled, and all I catch are the first two digits. Not very helpful. She sits back up. “No, that’s not the billing. Hold on a sec.” Kate reaches across the desk and lifts an envelope. She reads off Jaeger’s street address.

What the hell?
If she’s using his address for billing …

Kate thumbs a plastic credit card. “Here’s my card number.” She reads off a series of numbers, the expiration date, and a security code. “The name on the card is Jaeger Lang. My husband and I have different last names.”

The bitch!

I’ve had enough. I clear my throat loudly.

Kate’s gaze darts to me. I cock my head. Her eyes widen a fraction, but her expression remains calm. “Thank you,” she says cheerily into the phone and ends the call. For a moment we stare at each other.

“You must be Cali.”

Good, she knows who I am.

Remain calm.
I promised myself I wouldn’t cause problems for Jaeger. “What do you think you’re doing?” Okay, that didn’t come out as diplomatic as I had hoped.

Kate lifts her legs, bared to the rump in cut-off shorts, and plants her feet on the corner of Jaeger’s desk. Her shorts are so small the curve of her butt cheek hangs out. She’s pretty, with light brown hair tumbling over her shoulder in soft waves, but the energy she gives off is cold as that minnow I caught in Lake Tahoe.