Page 18 of Hidden Truths

“She has an ear infection. I didn’t want her to wake up without me there,” he says, almost embarrassed. Which I find strange considering how openly panicked he was just an hour ago.

“My girl! Is she in pain? Why didn’t you call me? Does she need me?” Willa asks again, moving to the door like she’s going to go check no matter what the answers are.

“She’s fine, Willa. Harlow actually handled it better than I did. Got her to the doctor and picked her prescription up at the pharmacy all while I freaked out in the backseat,” Cal admits. Everyone laughs at him, but I just want to give him a hug.

“So what’s the meeting about?” Kai asks.

“Harrison is receiving pushback and threats,” Mav says with a look at my dad that says he’s not sorry for tattling.

Kai’s eyes widen, but my dad speaks before he can. “I know the risk, and you won’t stop me from taking it. With or without your money, I will be finding your brother. It’s up to you if you want to help me or not.”

Kai sighs, and I see his shoulders sag. It’s been six years since his brother went missing, and you can suddenly see the weight he carried because of it. “Understood.”

My dad stands. “Come on, girls, let’s get you all packed up and moved in. Today.” My brows shoot up, and I glance at Cal. I wasn’t supposed to move in yet.

“This is the safest place for you if your dad is being threatened. Plus, I could probably use your help with Cora overnight.” Cal says.

“You guys go handle that. Jo has a list of responsibilities, and she can go over anything that overlaps with yours with you,” Willa says, ushering us out the door.

“Holy shit, there’s another person here,” Cal says, causing everyone, except me, to laugh. I know he’s trying to lighten the mood, but I think I’m in information overload. He notices and bumps my shoulder with his. “You don’t have to move in today if you really don’t want to.” His voice is a whisper.

“No, I should. Plus, I want to help with Cora.”

He nods. “I’m home for the rest of the day. Shoot me a text when you’re on your way, and I’ll get everyone to help move your stuff in.”

“Thank you,” I say softly, not sure what to make of him right now.

He opens my car door for me and shuts it once I fasten my seatbelt. I spend the drive back to my dad’s, wondering how much of the world Callahan Griffin is balancing on his shoulders.

“I told you to let me know when you’d be back so I could help you,” Cal says, grabbing my suitcase right out of my hand. He tries to get the bag I have slung over my shoulder, but I move out of his reach.

“This is all I have. I moved everything into storage when I gave up my apartment.”

Cal nods and tries to grab my bag again, but I’m faster. He rolls his eyes and mutters something about being surrounded by stubborn women.

“Come on. I’ll show you to your room and get you set up with the security system.”

The room he leads me to is bigger than my old apartment. It’s beautiful. The walls are a soft mauve, and the floors are a light gray. There’s a king-sized bed covered with a white comforter and a bunch of cute throw pillows in shades of gray and pink. Off to the right of the bed is a small sitting area with an overstuffed gray couch and matching armchair. I look up and do a double take at the ceiling.

“Is there wallpaper on the ceiling?” I ask Cal. He looks up and shrugs.

“Yeah. That was Belle’s idea. If you don’t like it, I can always change it.”

“No. You’re not changing your house for staff,” I say, staring at the floral wallpaper. It’s white with flowers in a slightly darker shade than the walls. “I actually kind of love it.”

I look over at Cal to see a genuine smile on his face. He gestures for me to follow him. “This room has an en suite bathroom,” he says, showing me the bathroom that includes a large clawfoot tub. I’m definitely going to be using that a lot. He shows me the walk-in closet attached to the bathroom, which could fit a queen-sized bed. I don’t know how I’m going to move out when the time comes. I’m already spoiled.

Cal stands in the doorway, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, rocking on his heels as he looks at me. I really look at him for the first time in the whirlwind of a day I’ve had. He really is handsome. He has dark hair and dark eyes that could easily make him seem cold and intimidating, but they don’t. I thought he was handsome when I was in high school, but he’s on a whole different level now. The muscles clearly defined under hisshirt and the way his jeans hang low on his hips has me almost drooling.

I shake my head to dispel my thoughts. I can’t have the hots for my boss. Not only do I need this job, but it would also jeopardize my future plans with Jo.

“Harlow?”

I swing my eyes up to Cal’s and see him looking at me with a smirk, his tongue slowly running over his bottom lip.

Shit.I’ve been caught ogling him.

Perfect.

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