Page 45 of Untethered Heart
“What? Trevor said the building owners covered all the costs,” Claire says. “And our building is owned by the Callahans.”
The Callahans are another rich family in Australia. They own one of the most popular hotel chains here. The youngest daughter, Tenley, has been investing in businesses around Heart City recently. A few restaurants along the harbour, the aquarium, and a lot of the buildings on Main Street, like Claire’s.
Not that anyone cares about that right now, because what’s important is figuring out if Caleb Heart was in my house last night without me knowing.
“No. I met Trevor when we were doing the cleanup.” Lee shakes his head. “He handed me the business card for Heart Assets. Told me to send the full bill there. Knowing Caleb Heart, I figured it was because he was investing.”
“How do you know Caleb?”
“Excuse me!” I finally shout, making Claire and Lee break apart with a jolt. “Was Caleb here?”
Leif looks down at Claire as if the two are having a silent conversation. “I was sitting on your porch for maybe an hour after Claire was texting me. Caleb rocked up a few minutes before you guys got home.”
“W-what did he say?” I almost don’t want to know the answer.
With how we left things the other night at the party, I can’t imagine what he could possibly have to say. And thanks to copious amounts of tequila, I may never know.
“He carried your drunk arse inside when he saw me struggling with you up the stairs,” Claire sasses.
Lee clears his throat, making Claire look up at him. Her eyes sparkle as if a lightbulb has just switched on inside her head. “Oh. Um, you may have also told us he has a pretty dick.”
If the floor could swallow me whole right now, that would be fantastic.
“I think you may also be wearing his shirt.” Claire wiggles her finger in the air, gesturing up and down the length of my body.
I look down, and that’s when I realise why I’ve been carrying that citrus smell with me all morning. A white button-up shirt covers the dress I wore last night.
Bile rises up my throat, and I quickly throw my hand over my mouth and make a mad dash for the bathroom.
Dropping to my knees in front of the toilet, I struggle for a moment to purge my bad decisions from the night before. My body breaks out in a sweat from head to toe.
Why was Caleb here last night? What did he say? What didIsay?
I hope it wasn’t anything more embarrassing than telling him he has a pretty dick. The mortification is enough to have me heaving into the toilet again, my stomach weak and trembling by the end of it.
By the time it finally stops, I sit back on the floor, resting my head against the wall.
I close my eyes and focus on taking deep breaths, bringing my heart back down to a normal pace.
And that’s when I go back to the other thing Claire and Lee mentioned.
Caleb paid for the repairs at Claire’s salon. Why?
I went to The Wayside hoping to bump into Caleb because I wasn’t ready to give up on him quite yet. I still don’t have answers. I still don’t have any clarity. And I don’t think I’m going to get any of that until I start asking some questions.
Chapter twenty-four
“Don’t rush it just cos you’re hungry, Mase,” Grandpa says as he goes back and forth with his brush. “You gotta look after your boat. Take your time with it, like you would a woman.”
I snort at Grandpa’s reference.
“What do you mean?” Mason calls from up on the flybridge.
I dip my long brush into the bucket of soapy water, then brush it against the hull as I shake my head.
“Sure, it’s exciting when you’ve got that burning need for a woman, but to find someone you want to go slow with. That sensual build-up of anticipation, that reward of having her let go for you? Hoo-wee, that’s something special. Anything you care about should be cared for with the patience it deserves.”
“But Grams is making her lasagne for dinner! I don’t have time to go slow.”
