“No,” he finally answered. “I don’t fall into the gossip trap.”
She nodded quickly. “Then I’ll start at the beginning.” She leaned back slightly. “I’m having issues with… a man.”
“Okay,” he said when she didn’t continue.
“One that has power.” She closed her eyes. “Have you heard of Michael Himes?”
He was silent for a moment. “The director?”
She nodded slowly. “We… went out on a few arranged dates.”
“Isn’t he like… twenty years older than you?”
She shook her head. “That’s your takeaway from this?”
He shrugged. “Sorry. Continue.”
“Anyway, after the second date, I saw him for the man he was, and I stopped taking his calls and text messages.”
“What happened next?” he asked, taking another sip of his coffee.
“He continued calling. So, I decided to meet him and officially break things off. Face to face.”
“He didn’t go for it?” he asked, searching her face. He could see the answer before she even opened her mouth.
“No.” She sighed. “If anything, the meeting made things worse.”
“How so?” he asked, growing more concerned.
“He… started showing up everywhere I was.”
“Stalking you?” He felt his temper for the man and his concern for Bella grow.
Instead of answering, she nodded and reached for her mug.
He took a couple of cleansing breaths. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you left California.”
She avoided his eyes again, and he could tell there was more to the story.
“Did anything else happen?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“No.” She shook her head and avoided his eyes. He wanted to ask her to tell him more, but he didn’t want to come across as pushy. “I just needed… time away from everything.” She glanced out the window again. “It looks like you’re setting up for a big party.”
He followed her gaze and saw the large circular tables being rolled out to the lawn and set up for the family reunion lunch.
“Yes,” he answered, knowing she was changing the subject but figuring he’d allow it for now. “There’s a big family reunion today. They’ll have lunch out on the lawn and have booked the bigger pool area for a private dinner.” He thought of all the things that still needed to be done to prepare the space.
“I’m keeping you,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.
“No,” he lied. The truth was, he could happily spend the entire morning sitting there talking with her. That thought had him standing up quickly. “But I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your breakfast.” He picked up his coffee mug but leaned down closer to her before he walked away to add, “You know, Adam’s French Toast Fosters is the best in Maine.” He chuckled when her eyes heated at the thought of something better than simple yogurt.
He took his coffee down to the kitchen for his morning meeting with Adam and his staff and wasn’t surprised when an order for French Toast Fosters came in a few moments later.
After getting the following week’s orders from Adam, he headed back up to his office on the top floor. Sarah and Ben kept the big office just down the hall but, shortly after they had hired him on, they had renovated a room down the hall from their office into an office space for him.
For the next few hours, he busied himself sending out the orders for the kitchens and the bars. By the time lunch rolled around, he had most of his office work done. He made his way out to the employees’ patio bar and sat outside and enjoyed his lunch with the rest of the employees on their breaks.
The sun was high overhead but the thick leaves from the large maple trees shaded the picnic benches that had been set up for the employees.
It was days like this that reminded him why he loved where he worked. The sunbeams caused the blue water to sparkle. It’s soothing motion and the sound of it lapping at the rocky shore was the best music to his ears. Any time he needed to meditate, he thought of this place. Of moments like this.
He watched as the ferry dropped off a few guests and took a small group to the mainland for a day trip to the shops. The nearby town of Silver Cove, with its historic main street and quaint little shops, was another big draw.
He wasn’t surprised to see JT at the helm. He knew his wife Emma and the kids had a standard nap time just after lunch.
That got Calvin thinking about kids. With those thoughts, he was forced to try and clear his mind to shake off the bad mood that always came when he thought of what he’d lost.
As always, the memory of Kelly only brought him pain. He tried to fight the dark thoughts back as much as he could, since he knew that it would take him hours to get rid of the funk.
He needed to check on the lunch party, so he finished his sandwich and strolled the grounds.
Before he came to the opening, he almost bumped into Bella, who was rushing towards the dock with fear in her eyes. The look on her face had him holding onto her shoulders and glancing around.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly.
“Cal…” She shook her head and, after a moment, closed her eyes as she took several deep breaths. “I… um, got a call.” When she opened her eyes, most of the fear was gone. “I’m sorry, I had a phone call that spooked me.”
He took her shoulders and moved them to a small private bench surrounded by bushes filled with brightly colored flowers.
She sat next to him and composed herself. It took her several deep breaths before her breathing leveled off.
“You okay?” he asked.
Her dark eyes moved to him. “Yes. I guess I let the call affect me more than I should have.” She tried to smile at him.
“Want to tell me what the caller said?”
Again, her eyes moved around as if she was looking for something or someone to jump out at her.
“No. It’s probably nothing. I’m just overreacting.”
“Are you sure?” He took her hand in his. It was small and soft, and he felt her relax even more as he held it.
“It’s just… someone keeps calling me and… saying things. Terrible things.”
“Like?” He stopped her before she could answer. “No, sorry, don’t answer that. Why does it scare you?”
She closed her eyes again. “Because the things that he says… it’s horrible. He talks about mutilating me.”
His hands jerked in hers and tightened, then he took a few breaths and relaxed.
“Have you thought about changing your number?” he asked.
“I have, twice now.”
“You’re sure the caller is a he?” he asked. She turned to him and nodded. “Could it be Himes?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I just don’t know. It would make sense. He’s the only one who’s been… strange.”
“You said he was following you?”
“I’m not sure if you can officially call it following.” She bit her bottom lip. The slight move had his desire for her growing as images of kissing those lips surfaced.
Shifting his mind, he asked, “Why don’t you start at the beginning?” But before she could say anything, his phone went off.