Spark, page 7
“No, I… I’ll just come back later.”
“Oh…wait. Here she comes now.”
Heels clack on the tiled floor.
“Jade,” the receptionist calls. “This young lady is here to see you.”
Kill me. Just kill me now.
“Oh?” Jade’s voice. “Good morning… Callie! Hi there.”
Jade looks like a fashion plate in her straight black skirt and silk blouse. Suddenly I feel like an idiot in my suit.
“Hi,” I say, trying not to sound too timid.
“What can I do for you?”
“Well…I was wondering… You know, about law school… And I’m not going yet because of the… So…”
I’m a bumbling idiot. My humiliation is complete.
“You want to talk about something?” Jade asks.
I breathe in. I’ve already made a complete fool of myself. May as well go for broke. “I was wondering if you have any jobs available in your office. I’m home for now, and my parents can’t pay me for obvious reasons, so I need to find a job, and, you know, my interest is in the law, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to come in and talk to you.”
There. I got the words out without stammering. Huge run-on sentence, but still… Nice job.
I brace myself to get shot down.
“Sure, let’s chat about that. Come on up to my office.” Jade leads me to a staircase to the left of reception. “All our offices are upstairs. The courtrooms are down here. Have you been here before?”
“Only once, when I had to pay a speeding ticket.”
“You’ve probably never been upstairs, then.”
We reach the top of the stairs, and she leads me down a hallway. We walk past Alyssa Dean, the secretary. Alyssa and I went to school together. My cheeks redden.
Jade gestures to an empty office. “Mary’s already moved out. This will be Donny’s office. He was going to start today, but then he decided to wait until Monday.”
I’m both disappointed and relieved. A weird combination that makes me want to smile and vomit at the same time.
Jade opens the door to another office. “Come on in and have a seat.” She walks behind her desk and sits.
I take one of the three chairs opposite hers.
She smiles. “So…you need a job.”
I nod. “Yeah. And I can get something else easily, but my interests are here.”
“I understand. With Donny starting next week, my funds are limited, but we do need someone to do basic stuff, like filing, running errands, and such.”
“Oh.” I try not to sound too disappointed. After all, she could have easily said she has nothing.
“I’m sure you’re way overqualified, though,” Jade says.
“My undergrad degree is in criminal justice. I’d love to do some investigating, if possible.”
“We have a full-time investigator,” she says.
“Oh! I wasn’t suggesting—”
Jade smiles. “I know you weren’t. Frankly, you’re probably more qualified than Troy, but he’s been with me for ten years now, and he does a good job.”
“I understand. About the other position…”
“Forget I suggested it,” Jade says. “You won’t be happy being anyone’s errand girl.”
I clear my throat. “Actually, I’d love it. I’d at least be in a law office, and I hope you’ll feel free to give me any assignments you think I could handle given my education and background.”
“I’m sure sorry about law school, Callie.”
Please, please, please don’t pity me.
“It is what it is. My family needs me now, and I’ll be there for them. I’ll be a lot more help if I can support myself, so if you’re offering…I’d love to accept the position.”
“Don’t you want to know what I’ll pay?”
I force out a chuckle. “Whatever it is, it’s more than I’m making now.”
“Good enough.” Jade rises. “Alyssa can get the paperwork for you. When can you start?”
“Today?”
Jade laughs. “Monday will be fine. Besides, I’m leaving after lunch today anyway. I have a lot to do before the party tonight.”
Right. The party. Donny’s welcome home party.
I stand. “I can’t thank you enough, Jade. Or should I call you Ms. Steel here?”
“Don’t be silly. Everyone calls me Jade. We’re pretty casual.”
“So the suit’s a bit much?” I let out a nervous laugh.
“Are you kidding? You look amazing. But feel free to dress more casually. I only wear a skirt when I have court.”
I nod, not sure what to say.
She glances down at her desk. “You know what? I think I’ll just take off now. My calendar’s clear for the rest of the day. What do you say to an early lunch?”
“I’d love it, but I’m meeting Rory at Lorenzo’s at noon.” I bite my lip. “Would you like to join us?”
“No, that’s okay, but it’s sweet of you to offer. I’ll head over to Ava’s for a sandwich and then get home. Marjorie will be thrilled I’m home earlier to help. We’ll see you and Rory tonight, I hope. Along with the rest of the family.”
“As far as I know, yeah. Except Raine’s out of town. She’s visiting her parents in Denver.”
“We’ll miss her,” Jade says. “Glad the rest of you can make it. Your brother’s band is playing.”
“Yeah, he told me. So…what time should I be here on Monday?”
“We start around eight. I’m usually here a little earlier. Talon has me on ranch time.”
I smile. “Sounds good. Thanks so much.”
“You’re very welcome. I’m thrilled you’re coming on board. See you tonight?”
I nod, smiling, and leave Jade’s office.
“Earth to Cal,” Rory says over Diet Coke while we wait for our lunch at Lorenzo’s. “When your new boss offers you lunch, you go.”
“But you and I had plans.”
“We’ve only had lunch together…what? About a thousand times? And we’ll do it a thousand more times in the near future.”
I twist my lips. “Did I really just make a huge faux pas?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Crap.”
“Of course, the main thing is that you got a job. You did what you set out to do. Nice going!”
“The job is grunt work.”
“It’s still a job, and it’s in your chosen field. There are no small jobs, Cal. Just small people.”
“Nice, Ror. Throwing my own words back at me.”
“Well, they’re good words. They worked when you said them to me, and I came to find out that, yeah, I’m a good opera singer, but I’m a great voice and piano teacher and pretty darned awesome rock singer too. That’s my true calling. If you hadn’t goaded me into hanging out my shingle, I’d never know.”
The server arrives with our baked ziti. I inhale the spicy tomato and cheese fragrance.
“Do you need anything else?” The server raises her eyebrows.
“I’m good. Ror?”
“Nope. Good here.”
“Will you guys be at the Steels’ party tonight?” the server asks.
“Yeah,” Rory replies. “We’ll be there.”
“I’m so excited,” she says. “It’s my first Steel party. I can’t believe they invited me.”
I smile. “They’re very generous.”
“I’m Nora, by the way. I met Ava over at the bakery. That’s probably why I got an invite. She was talking about all her hot cousins. Except one recently got married, but his brother…”
I lift my eyebrows. “You mean Donny Steel?”
“Yeah. The hot lawyer who’s moving back here. I can’t wait to meet him.”
Rory clears her throat. “All the Steel men are hot, Nora. And all are unmarried, except for Dale.”
“I’m kind of a sucker for blond hair, though. Ava says most of them are dark.”
My stomach is clenching. Yeah, it’s jealousy, which pisses me off. I’m really not the jealous type. At all.
Nora is blond herself. Platinum blond. And young. And clearly she stuffs her bra. Nineteen at most, I’ll bet.
“Are you new in town, Nora?” Rory asks.
“I’ve been here a few weeks. I’m surprised I haven’t met either of you. It’s such a small town.”
“I’m Rory Pike, and this is my sister Callie.” Rory holds out her hand.
Nora takes it. “Ava mentioned you guys. You’re the music teacher and singer.”
Rory nods.
“And what do you do, Callie?”
“I work with Jade Steel at the city attorney’s office.” I’m shocked at my own words. They just tumbled out without any thought at all.
“Oh! So you know the Steels.”
“Yes. Plus our ranch is adjacent to theirs,” I say.
Nora’s blue eyes widen, the pupils nearly encompassing her blue irises. “I’m about ready for my break. Can I join you for a minute? Tell me everything.”
“I’m sure you got the scoop from Ava,” Rory says.
“Sort of. But she’s their cousin. It’s not like she’s going to tell me how hot they all are.”
Oh, God. This so isn’t happening.
“How old are you, Nora?” I ask.
She smiles. “Just turned twenty-one last week.”
I hide my surprise. The chick looks like she’s barely out of high school. At least the Steels don’t have to worry about serving her alcohol. And the Steels serve a lot of alcohol.
“All the Steels are great,” Rory says. “But all the men are older than you.”
“Not a problem for me.”
“It may be for them,” I say. “And Donny’s the oldest, except for his brother, who’s married.”
“How old is he?”
“Thirty-two.”
She beams. “I think older men are crazy sexy.”
“Henry Simpson,” Rory says.
I raise my brows at my sister.
“He’s Marjorie Steel’s son,” Rory continues, “and he’s blond, blue-eyed, and gorgeous.”
Rory, I totally love you. If you ever need a kidney, I’m your girl.
“Henry, yeah. Ava did mention him when I told her I prefer blond men.” Nora frowns. “But she said he has a girlfriend.”
“I heard they broke up,” I say.
Yeah, it’s a lie. I don’t feel bad about it.
Well, maybe a little bit, but I’d rather have Nora chasing Henry than Donny.
Nora looks down at her watch. “Break’s over. It was totally awesome meeting you guys. I’ll see you tonight!” She flounces off.
“Somewhere there’s a guy with a huge butterfly net and a rock-hard dick looking for that woman.” Rory laughs.
“Nice try with Henry,” I tell her.
“I’m pretty sure he’s still with Darlene,” Rory says.
“I know. This will be a monumental test of their love.”
“You just don’t want her chasing after Donny.”
“Really? Am I that transparent?” I say sarcastically.
“Callie, you have it all over that fluttering blonde.” Rory smiles. “And tonight’s your chance to prove it.”
Chapter Fifteen
Donny
“Spill it,” I say to my brother.
I’ve managed to steal him away from the winery for a quick lunch in town. We sit in a booth in the back of the Bluebird Diner, a Snow Creek staple.
“Couldn’t this have happened at home?” Dale says.
“Ashley might be there.”
“So?”
“I know she’s your wife and you have no secrets, but I want this between us. At least for now. I love your wife, but I hardly know her.”
He nods. “Okay, got it. But if she asks, I’m telling her. She and I have this thing between us called trust.”
“Dude, I’m happy for you. I really am.”
“It’s crazy. I never thought this would happen for me. I thought I was too fucked up.”
“I hear you. I worry about that too.”
“You?”
“Sure I do. Why do you think I’ve never had a serious relationship? I just deal with it differently than you do. I have a lot of sex. You did a lot of yanking hank.”
My brother chuckles. Actually chuckles.
“Man, marriage has been great for you. A couple months ago, that comment would have pissed you off.”
Dale smiles. “You’re right. And I’ll tell you, it’s been nice to give the hand a rest.”
“I doubt your hands have had any rest lately.”
“Not a lot, but what they’ve been doing is a lot more fun.”
“Seriously, bro. Ashley’s great. I love her.”
Dale reddens slightly. My big brother is happy, and deservedly so.
“So…” I begin. “I’ll repeat myself. Spill it.”
He draws in a breath. “Okay. But this goes no further than you. Got it?”
“Got it.” I take a bite of burger and chew.
And Dale starts talking.
And with each word, my jaw drops farther.
“What do you mean Uncle Ry has a different mother? How does that even happen?”
“Dad didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t push because I had other things on my mind at the time.”
“Yeah, I know. The fire. Ashley.”
“To name two.”
“I think we need to talk to Dad. Get some real answers.”
“I agree,” Dale says. “But Dad and his siblings kept all this shit secret for a reason. What would it do to Ava and Gina to know they’re not our full cousins?”
“I don’t know. We got over it. We’re not their cousins at all. Biologically, that is.”
“But we’ve always known that. What if we didn’t? What if we just found out now? As adults?”
“I don’t know. Would it matter?”
“Yeah, it would matter. It’d be like finding out you’re not who you think you are. I don’t want to do that to them.”
“Do you think Aunt Ruby knows?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. Dad and I didn’t get very far with the talk. Dennis had his stroke in the middle of our conversation.”
“So that’s where you disappeared to that night.”
“You actually noticed? You sure seemed busy with Callie Pike.”
“We were hanging out, that’s all. Nothing happened.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Good, because before I tell you about Callie—and there’s precious little to tell—I want the rest of what you know.”
He takes a bite of his cheeseburger, chews achingly slowly, and finally swallows. “The next part is tough, but when you find out, it’ll make a lot of sense.”
“Okay… Freaking out a little here.”
He clears his throat, eyeing the burger on his plate.
“No, no, no. Not another bite until you fess up.”
He sighs. “All right. It’s not like you and I ever talk about…it.”
It. No, we never talk about it. I’ve done my best for the last two decades to forget it ever happened.
“No, we don’t. But why does that have—” I drop my mouth open. “Oh, God…”
“Yeah. Dad had a similar experience when he was young. My age, actually. He was ten.”
“And Uncle Ry was my age. Seven.”
Dale nods. “Except Uncle Ry got away. Apparently he and Dad were attacked, but Uncle Ryan somehow escaped. Dad thought it was because he kicked the guy holding Uncle Ry and then he told him to run.”
“You would have done the same thing for me.”
“I would have, if I’d had the chance. But it turns out Dad didn’t do anything. Uncle Ry was never meant to be taken because of who he was.”
I go numb. Seriously. I want to say something—I’m not even sure what—but my throat closes. My tongue goes limp.
“Whoever his real mother is was behind it all.”
“Is she still alive?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”
“Why the hell not?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t really explain. I was going through some shit right after Ash and I got married.”
I nod. When Dale says he’s going through some shit, we both know what that means. He had it a lot worse than I did during that time. He protected me as much as he could. He wasn’t always successful, but he was more than not. I owe him everything. I’m not sure I could have taken what he took. I’d be dead now. He was older, stronger, tougher.
He still is.
“I understand,” I say. “But we do need to figure this out. Grandpa had an affair with the Madigan chick. That’s got to be Ryan’s mother, right? She’s probably behind that quitclaim deed. She wanted everything to go to her kid instead of all of them.”
“They—Dad and the others—don’t talk about their father. Ever.”
“Then we ask, Dale. He’s our grandfather. We have the right to know.”
“Sometimes, ignorance is bliss,” Dale says, staring down at his half-eaten burger.
“Bull. Facts are important. Every single fact.”
“In your line of work, yes, they are.”
“I’m not talking about my line of work,” I say. “I’m talking about life. Knowledge is power, Dale. Ignorance is lack of power, not bliss.”
“I get that you believe that,” Dale says.
“So do you, in your heart. What’s eating you? I know you’re still upset about the fire, about the vines, but—”
“This has nothing to do with that.”
“Right. Those vines meant everything to you.”
“They did. They do. But Ashley means more. You mean more. The family means more. I’ve always known that, in the back of my mind. I understand why you think it’s about the vines, but it’s not.”
“What is it, then?”
“All I can say is that I was going through some shit.”
“That didn’t have anything to do with the fire or the vines.”
“Correct.” He picks up his burger and takes another bite.
He is dealing with something, and he isn’t ready to tell me about it. Okay, I can deal with that. I know him. This is Isolated Dale—the term I use when he gets like this.
“I’ll accept that,” I tell him, “until the time comes that I need to know. Got it?”
He finishes chewing and meets my gaze. “Understood.”
