Tart (26 page)

“You’d better, or what’s the point?”

•   •   •

Cal paused just outside his parents’ back door and took a deep breath before he went inside. Once he was there he relaxed. This was his home. He’d grown up in this house and everything would be fine.

“Hey, Calvin.” His mother waved to him from where she sat, putting a puzzle together at the kitchen table.

He kissed her cheek and sat next to her, looking over the pieces and all the space she hadn’t filled yet. They’d been putting puzzles together for as long as Cal could remember.

“Mary’s in the den with your dad. He’s on the computer again and I swear he opens up every link all and sundry send him. Like a bird with something shiny. He can’t resist. We’ve got a virus again.”

“Tell him to stop looking at porn.” Ryan, his younger brother, came into the room.

“Language, Ryan.” But it was an offhand scold. Jeanne Whaley could get going if she got mad enough. And Cal should know. He and his siblings had kept their mother very busy as they’d grown up. She could simultaneously grab the back of a shirt and haul a child to her all while brushing hair with her free hand, or washing a face, correcting math, whatever.

Cal tried not to laugh, but it was a losing battle and soon he and his brother were nearly choking at the thought of their dad clogging up the computer with viruses from porn sites.

“If you two are done?” She looked at them over her glasses and they calmed a bit.

“When’s dinner?”

“In half an hour. Mary and your dad are grilling something or other. God only knows. I just know it’ll taste good. There’s beer in the fridge and some tea as well. I see a pastry box over on the counter. What did Juliet send to us today?”

Cal shrugged. “I don’t know. Some walnut cherry thing. Bars of some kind.” She’d made it specifically for them though, he got that much when Jules had handed him the pastry box.

“Your father will gobble up everything that isn’t nailed down. You know how much he loves walnuts.”

Cal only remembered right then. But Jules had known. “Actually, I just recalled that.”

“Jules would know. She remembers things like that. So when are you planning to tell me you’re finally dating her?”

He looked to Ryan, who shrugged.

“I wanted to be sure first.”

“You’ve been sure . . .
ah
!” She fit a piece in a sea of green. “Little bugger. I’ve been working on that part for days now. Anyway, you’ve been sure for years now. Why you’ve wasted your time with anyone else is beyond me. You’re lucky she didn’t find someone else.”

Ryan made a ha-ha-ha face where their mother couldn’t see.

“Well, it’s kind of complicated.”

His mother was no fool, even on her worst day. Her gaze snapped up. “How so?”

Ryan stayed where he was and Cal was grateful for it. He knew his brother would get his back if necessary.

“Well, I’m not only dating Jules, but I love her. That’s the first part and I suppose you may have guessed that. The second part is . . . do you remember Gideon Carter?”

“Sure. You and he ran around every summer. Tall and blond like his dad. I think he slept over here dozens of times.” She sat back, a smile on her face. “He’s back in town now, right? Helping Patrick run the place?”

“Yeah. So. I’m with Jules but Jules was with Gideon first. I mean, she did get snapped up by someone else. And then I realized it was go time and I told her how I felt and . . .” He looked to Ryan, who shook his head. He didn’t know how to tell their mother either apparently.

“You’re not going around with her behind his back? Or, him around hers? If you are, I’ll knock some sense into you faster than you can run for that door.”

Ryan barked a laugh but they both knew enough to be damned sure she meant it.

“No! Of course not. I’d never do that to her, or to him. No. I mean, I’m with them both. They know it. We’re all together.”

“So you’re all dating around? Like a soap opera love triangle? Calvin Whaley, that never works. It’s always an episode of
Snapped
when that story comes to play.”

He couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing. “No. No, I promise. I mean, we’re all together. As like a set. A unit? A triad? I don’t know the right word for it. I’m in love with them both.”

She stared at him for several long moments before she expelled a huff of breath. “Ryan, bring me my emergency cigarette. Cal, shut the door so your dad won’t smell the smoke. Boy oh boy, just once I’d like for you damned kids to do something minor.”

Ryan got up and brought out the stool to grab her emergency kit. Some booze, chocolate, a hundred bucks in cash and a pack of cigarettes Cal had seen precisely three times in his life. None of them were his high points.

She lit up and sucked in a lungful of smoke. He cringed. She then took a shot of whiskey and sat back in her chair and examined him carefully.

“Let me get this straight. The three of you are in a relationship together. You’re all, um, romantically involved.”

“Yes.”

“How’s that workin’ out for you?” She kept smoking.

“Actually, it’s, um, really good. I’ve known them both most of my life. Jules is everything I could ever want. Gideon . . . well, he was unexpected, but that works too.”

“Christamighty. How on Earth am I supposed to explain this? And they treat you well? You’re happy?”

“I am. Gideon has a successful business. Jules has a successful business. They’re adults who have real lives. No one is depending on the other, but if I needed either of them, they’d drop everything to help. It’s not usual. Maybe not even normal. But I’m so
happy
. I’ve never been so at ease and comfortable in my own skin.”

“One of you had better give me some grandbabies. I swear.”

Steps sounded on the stairs up from the den.

“Leave your father to me. Ryan, put this all away before he gets here.” She waved a hand around, opening and closing the back door to get the air moving. “And Calvin? I expect them both at dinner tomorrow night.”

And that was that.

19

G
ideon saw Cal long before Cal had noticed his approach. He liked that his granddad and his man had taken to each other so well. Right then the two of them sat up on the porch, laughing and talking.

Jules had been right when she’d said that Cal was the kind of person people looked at. He was, indeed, beautiful.

Cal turned his head and caught sight of Gideon as he walked up the short path and a smile appeared, just for Gideon. “Hey, you.”

Gideon lifted a hand in greeting. “Nice surprise. What brings you my way today?” He tapped his boots against the bottom step to get rid of the dirt.

“I had some business with Patrick here and figured I’d do a house call. That way I could see you too.”

It was nice being able to be open about their relationship around his granddad. With the trouble Jules had had with her family, Patrick’s loving, straightforward acceptance of his grandson’s life was a relief.

Once Gideon reached the porch he dropped onto the small love seat where Cal sat and leaned over for a kiss before turning to his granddad again. “We had to order a new part for the hose connector. The old one is cracked beyond anything I can fix. It’ll be three days.”

The system to get water to the crops was imperative, but fortunately, they’d had a good, soaking rain the day before so if the part came in when it was supposed to, they’d be able to have everything up and running again before there was cause for alarm.

His granddad nodded and pushed a cup of coffee his way. “I suppose I should tell you Jules sent over some turnovers. I left you one. Cal made me.”

Gideon burst out laughing. “Thanks for getting my back.”

Patrick shrugged. “She’ll bring me more. She loves me that way.”

Jules had taken to afternoon rides with Patrick several times a week. She’d close up Tart and show up at the farm. At first Patrick pleaded that he was too tired after being up all day, but he’d yet met anyone with a heart who could resist her charm. She simply kept showing up and finally Patrick accepted it and now he was ready when she arrived.

Sometimes Gideon went along, others it was just the two of them. It got Patrick out and about. It was good for him to be active; especially because of the turnovers he loved so much. And he liked that both Cal and Jules were so good to his granddad.

“Smart move having a baker and a lawyer in the family, Gideon.”

“I think so too.”

“You’re invited to dinner at my parents’ house tomorrow night, by the way.” Cal paused. “Invited is a pale word, really. You’re
expected
. As in my mother will hunt you down if you don’t come. Take it from me, she’s really fast for someone so small.”

Pleased that Cal had not only told his family but that they’d apparently reacted well, Gideon sipped his coffee. “Can’t have that. Your mother is scary.”

“She took the news that I was dating you both pretty well, all things considered.”

“Leastwise she didn’t kick you out of the house and call you names.” That still burned in Gideon’s gut. To see Jules so devastated by her brother’s behavior tore him up. He wished it was something he could fix but knew he couldn’t.

“Some people don’t have the sense God gave a goose, boy. That whole damned family is a mess of selfish shitheads.” Patrick sat back, ready to go off on a rant if he had to.

When Gideon had told him about what Jules’s brother had done, his granddad had nearly lost a gasket. He’d paced back and forth in the living room, going on about self-righteous assholes and people who should know better. He’d been ready to get in the car and drive down to Ethan’s house to punch him in the nose. Gideon had told him to get in line.

Cal nodded, a sour look on his face. “Truth, Patrick. But Jules has a family here. We just have to keep on loving her and supporting her. The people she was born to don’t matter a damned bit if they don’t love her like they should. I feel for those little boys because their dad is tearing her away from them when she adores them both so much. They’ll lose out, not knowing her. But the rest of them, well, they can keep the hell away from our Jules. She’s better off without them.”

Patrick gave Cal an approving head nod, as if he’d passed a test.

“I need to get back to the office. I just wanted to stop in and deliver the turnovers and hang out a bit.” Cal brushed the crumbs from his pants. “Patrick, I’ll get the papers back to you once I file them so you have a copy. They’ll also be at the office, of course.”

“Thanks, Calvin. Appreciate it.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Gideon stood up and walked with Cal down the steps and toward his car. “Are we doing anything tonight?”

“I stopped by Tart earlier, she’s all right. But it’s some sort of preschool event this week. One she’d planned on attending. And now she can’t. It’s going to be a while, I know, before she can truly let go of what’s happened with her family. It’s one hit after the next with them. But I think we should just keep doing our normal stuff. She’ll be pissy if we push too hard. And while that’s often the stuff for spectacular make-up sex, I’d prefer not to poke at her about it for a while.”

“She is pretty astonishing when she’s mad.” Gideon grinned.

“It’s the way she’s all girl-next-door sweet one moment and then bam, her eyes narrow and her mouth flattens out and she’s a fury. I used to poke at her, back when I was dumb and with other people. I’d poke at her just to see her get mad and then work to get her to forgive me.”

Gideon found this confession hilarious and yet sweet. He touched Cal’s cheek. “You knew what you needed all along. It just took you a while to grab it.”

“My mother claims I’m too stubborn. She’s probably right. I had no idea about you though.” Cal turned enough to kiss Gideon’s hand. “Without you, well, she’d be with you and I’d hate it.”

“But now you can have us both. And we have you. It’s really a good deal when you think about it.”

Cal brushed his lips over Gideon’s. A hint at all that heat beneath the designer suit. “I do think about it. A lot. How about we make her dinner for a change? You two show up at my place at say, six? I’ll grill some steaks. And yes, I won’t be late.”

“See you later then.”

“Love you, Gideon.”

Love filled him. “I love you too, Cal.”

•   •   •

Patrick looked him over when he came back to the porch after Cal had driven away. “I wanted to wait until after Cal left, but you have a message inside. From Alana.”

“My ex-wife? What the hell does she want?”

“Don’t know. She was impatient as always. Just left her number and then made sure I knew how voice mail was really quite easy to use.”

Gideon sighed and went inside. Whatever Alana wanted, it would be a pain in his ass, he was sure.

He called her back on the house phone. She didn’t have his cell number and he liked it that way.

“It’s Gideon, what’s up?” he said when she answered.

“I’m doing well, thank you. And you?”

“I’m annoyed you’re not getting to the point.”

“You used to want to hear about my day.”

“What do you need?”

“I’m going to be in Seattle next week and I thought we could have dinner like civilized divorced people.”

For a long time he’d tried to remain on friendly terms with her. He’d let go of the cheating stuff. Had tried to live in the same place and run the ranch, but she had played games with him. He didn’t hate her, but he was glad not to have her in his life and he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste his precious free time having dinner with her.

“I hope you have a good trip. But dinner isn’t going to happen.”

“Why not? It’s been years since we’ve seen each other. We’ve both grown up a lot, I’m sure. Maybe we could, you know, get together after that too. Just for the night; I’m not leading you on or anything.”

“Sorry to hear you’re lonely, Alana. I’m not. I wish you nothing but the best, honestly. But I’m not interested.” He hung up and left the room.

For a long time he’d felt like a failure for the breakup of his marriage. He wondered if he’d tried hard enough, if he’d worked too hard at the ranch and ignored her into all her bad behavior.