Page 70 of Never Fall Again

“I’ll tell him.”

Cal disconnected the call and climbed from his truck.

Gray met him at the front door and unlocked it. “Took you long enough.”

“Sorry. Had to talk to everyone in the family.”

Gray relocked the doors, and Cal followed him to his office. Gray indicated a chair for him to sit in, and he took the seat behind his desk. “I’ll be quick. Bottom line—no one has any idea who the guy was.”

“The one night of the year a stranger could walk around Gossamer Falls, and he picks tonight? That’s not a coincidence.”

“No.” Gray leaned back in his chair and studied Cal. “I’m going to ask Landry for more details about what brought her to Gossamer Falls.”

Cal refused to break the eye contact. “Okay.”

“You don’t care?” Gray was fishing.

On a normal night, Cal would have laughed at the bait. But this was not a normal night. “As long as you aren’t planning to talk to her over dinner, I don’t have a problem with it.”

Gray popped upright in his chair. “I knew it. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? You just warned me off from dating her, and now you’re sitting there doing that ‘I’m a cool operator’ thing when I know full well you’re as prickly as a porcupine when it comes to Landry and Eliza Hutton.”

The mention of Eliza sent a wave of anxiety through Cal. He’d sworn he would never, ever go there again. No more kids. He couldn’t get attached to her.

Except...tonight when he’d seen her in that little construction worker costume?

Gray watched him with unconcealed satisfaction. “I’m happy for you, man.”

“There’s nothing to be happy about.”

“But there will be. You aren’t cut out for single life. You’re a family man through and through. Wife, kids, in a house by the river? I can see it.”

“Yeah?” Cal leaned back in his seat. It was time to treat Gray to a taste of his own medicine. “When are you going to quit messing around and ask Meredith out?”

Gray’s amusement vanished. “What?”

Cal took pity on his friend. The poor guy’s dark skin had turned a little gray. “Don’t worry. You’ve got my approval. Mo’s too.”

“Cal...” Gray looked genuinely pained. Had Cal missed something important? “Meredith is a lovely woman. Funny, intelligent, kind, fearless.”

“And?”

“And way too good for the likes of me.” Gray picked up a file and tapped it on the desk. Cal took the hint and let it drop. “As for the Hutton ladies, I sent Bronwyn a text earlier. The security team at The Haven has been alerted to pay close attention to their whereabouts. I’m sure you’ll be doing the same. Let your brothers know. The guys on the crew working at The Haven too.”

“You think she’s in danger?”

“Do you?”

Cal grimaced. “Yes. Something about this...that note...it’s personal. Too personal.”

“We’ll figure out what’s going on. We’ll keep them safe.”

Gray meant every word. Cal knew it.

Didn’t mean he didn’t wish he was driving back to Landry’s instead of to his tiny house on the river. Alone.

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