Page 62 of Untethered Heart
When he looks back up at me, there’s a wariness in his gaze. “He thinks I stole his woman.”
“Oh.” A lump forms in my throat. Unwarranted jealousy mars my skin as I try to push away thoughts of Caleb with another woman.
“I didn’t,” he says, his warm hand covering mine. “Anna’s father and mine were high school friends. He always joked about one of us Heart brothers marrying her, simply because he wanted his name connected to ours. Dad begged me to take her to all sorts of events for a few months, but nothing ever happened. But Anna and James…” He blows out a breath and shakes his head.
I didn’t realise I had leaned in so close, enraptured by his story, that we were practically nose to nose. His sage eyes become a deep forest green under the club lights.
“There was history there. History that she wasn’t over, a future that she was forced to give up. I tried telling James I was only escorting her as a friend, but a photo caught us in a compromising position, and he never believed me. So, we’ve been bitter rivals ever since, and now I use it to rile him up. If he wants to believe the lie, then there’s nothing I can say to convince him otherwise.”
“He still holds this against you,” I muse. “Do you think he still has feelings for her?”
“I don’t know. But I do know I’ve never seen him bring a date to any events we’ve been at together. He’s never been photographed with another woman.”
Wow. That makes so much sense with what Gen’s told me about her brother before.
“So I guess that’s why he’s trying to rile me up with you now. Telling me you’re moving back home.” Caleb starts to laugh, but my face must give him pause.
Gen has always known I planned to move back to Killara Bay when the distillery was up and running. It was discussed with James during my manager interview. She knew putting me in a manager position would only be for a year or so, but we’ve worked together for years. This club was her dream, and she wanted to help me with mine.
“That was my plan. Eventually.” My words are quiet, like if I don’t speak them loud enough, maybe they won’t change anything.
“Oh.”
“Lex, can you jump in?” Cassie shouts from behind me.
My head whips around, showing a crowd much fuller than before. “Sorry. I’ll be right back,” I say to Caleb and dash over to the middle of the bar to help serve.
I’m stuck mixing cocktails, pouring wines, and lining up shots for a good twenty minutes before I can even look down the bar where Caleb is.
My heart turns sluggish when I notice the empty space.
I go to collect his glass, all that’s left behind of him now. It’s probably smart to create more of a distance. Despite us both agreeing that our business came first, there was no denying our attraction. The lines of boss and client have been danced along with frivolous flirting. We’ve been foolish to let it go on as it has.
I almost miss the note, but the corner sticks to the rim of the glass, waving like a flag.
Siren,
I told you that first night a man could get addicted to you. Every day I need my fix and you’re not even mine. Not the way I want you to be. The thought of you leaving is a reality I can’t comprehend. My emotions are not my own when it comes to you and I don’t want to say or do anything I’ll regret.
I’ll talk to you in the morning.
Yours, Caleb x
Before the tears can track down my cheeks, I swipe them away.
I don’t know how to trust my emotions and let them lead. Not when it comes to dating, at least. But Caleb has a way of banishing the doubt, blurring the fear. I got so caught up in him, I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I had planned to move back home.
And now, I don’t know what I want.
Chapter thirty-one
When my mother left us, it was the first time I’d ever experienced self-doubt. I’d wondered if she left because I had done something wrong. Was it something I could change?
My dad stepped up to show Dylan and me what a real family could be. That every family looked different. He loved us well, and hard enough that we barely noticed her absence.
The three of us were all we needed.
When Dad died, I had those feelings of doubt again. My mother didn’t deserve to have us, but Dad did. Why did he have to be taken? I needed him. He was the first man I’d ever loved and looked up to.
