Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

C AL HEARD EVERYTHING Audrey had just said. Everything. But since he'd had his attention on Charlotte through every word, he saw her reaction, too. Shock and maybe some sadness. She covered it up fast, however, and managed to plaster on a smile before she mouthed a goodbye and headed back into the house.

"Cal?" Audrey said. "Are you there?"

"I'm here," he acknowledged, but he kept his gaze on Charlotte until she was out of sight.

"Well, aren't you going to ask about this dream job?" Audrey prompted.

"Sure." He was well aware he sounded distracted. Because he was. But it was obvious Audrey had something to say, so it was best to hear it and then he could check on Charlotte. "What kind of job?"

"It's a joint forces special project where you'd provide air support services to rescue and evacuation teams." Definitely no shock or sadness in Audrey's tone, and it occurred to Cal that she rarely expressed this level of emotion. She seemed downright giddy. "You'd be making a real difference, Cal. Saving lives and helping people in hot zones all over the world."

That got his attention because he had indeed been looking for something exactly like that. Or rather he had been before the crisis with Harper.

"If you think it sounds like a tailor-made job just for you, it's because it is," Audrey went on. "I brainstormed with a lot of brass on this, and we discussed how to best use your experience and skill set. And this was the outcome. A lot of people had to get on board with this, and yes, some strings were pulled. Favors were called in. But I just got the approval for it."

Cal took a moment. Had to. Because he had no idea what the heck he was feeling right now. Pulled strings and favors meant Audrey had put her neck, maybe even her career, on the line for this. He didn't need to process anything to know he didn't care for that, that he hadn't wanted her to take this kind of risk as it put pressure on both of them.

"Well?" she prompted again. "Are you going to snap this up?"

Hell. Cal mentally groaned. No way was Audrey going to care for what he had to say. "I'll give it some thought."

Silence. For a long time. "Thought?" she repeated. "What's there to think about? This is it, Cal, your dream job. You can save lives while your career continues to soar. You can have it all."

A month ago, it would have indeed been all , and he would have snapped it up. He just couldn't do that now because it would mean staying in uniform and going back in the cockpit.

Audrey's sigh came through loud and clear. "I know a stepmother shouldn't have favorites. But you're mine, Cal. You never gave me any trouble when you were growing up, and even though we don't have any DNA in common, I could see myself in you. You're the most like me."

He'd known part of that. Had always been able to sense that he was her favorite. And Audrey had certainly given him a lot of support in his career. He owed her so much. But part of what she just said was no longer true.

"I don't think I am like you," he admitted. "Not anymore. Audrey, I'm just not sure I can give this job the kind of focus and dedication it needs."

"Of course you can," she insisted. "Just dig down deep and do it. This is something that will still matter years from now. You can save people," Audrey emphasized. "You won't get many other opportunities to do that."

Cal glanced up at the house and found it ironic that saving lives and making a difference was exactly what Charlotte was doing. She'd created her own dream job.

"Don't you dare say no ," Audrey added a moment later.

The sudden snap in Audrey's voice played havoc with his emotions, too. The lieutenant colonel nearly kicked in to respond to a superior officer. Heck, even the good stepson almost came out in a bid to please the woman who'd essentially raised him. Thankfully, though, Cal didn't give in to either of those. Or to the knee-jerk reaction to snap right back at her. A decision like this shouldn't be the result of any of those things. Or a collection of them.

"Like I said, I'll give it some thought," he assured her.

"Sleep on it, give it thought, et cetera." She stopped and huffed. "Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don't just toss it away on a whim. Hell, don't toss it away at all."

Again Cal didn't give in to the plea, and he totally understood her anger. "Audrey, thank you for always going to bat for me," he said.

He waited for her to add something else or to restate her case. She didn't. She just ended the call.

Cal stared at his phone a moment before he slipped it back in his pocket. Of course, giving it some thought started right away. Or rather it would have, had Cal not tried to shut it down. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to evaluate anything right now. He wanted to see Charlotte and try to assure her... He stopped. He couldn't assure her of anything without all the thinking he needed to do, but he wanted to see her. In fact, he needed to see her.

He hurried inside, disappointed when he didn't find Charlotte in the foyer, and Cal was ready to head upstairs to her room when he heard her voice coming from the kitchen. He was still hurrying, practically running when he bolted into the room. All eyes turned toward him.

Maybell's, Alden's, Charlotte's and Becker's.

Cal wasn't sure when Becker had come in, but he was chowing down on some bread that probably hadn't been out of the oven that long. Steam was still rising from the chunk that had been slathered with butter.

"Just in time," Maybell said by way of greeting. "Bread's done, and I'm taking out the pot roast now." Her words trailed off when she glanced back at him, and even though she didn't come out and voice any concern, both Becker and Alden looked at him as if trying to figure out what was wrong.

Charlotte was looking at him, too, and she was still managing to tamp down her initial reaction. But she was studying him, no doubt waiting to hear how the rest of the conversation with Audrey had gone.

Since this wasn't something he could keep to himself, Cal just went with spilling it. "Audrey just called, and she wants me to take a joint command job."

No one jumped to congratulate him. Becker, probably because he didn't know enough about Cal's current situation. The others all seemed to understand the gravity of the offer.

"Audrey managed to get the job created," he went on. "It's air support for rescues and evacuations."

Charlotte was the one to break the silence. "It sounds very important." She cleared her throat, probably to ask if he was going to take it, but the sound of another voice cut her off.

"Well, that's just dandy," the computer relayed.

Cal turned to see Harper sitting in her wheelchair in the dining room that was adjacent to the kitchen. He hadn't needed to hear what she'd typed to know that she'd not only listened to what he'd said but that she also had a firm reaction to it.

Not a good one, either.

She was staring at Cal with what had to be contempt. And he couldn't blame her. Not really. It had to be hard for her to think of where she was now and then see him still on the so-called halo track. Seemingly on it, anyway.

"I didn't accept the job," he said, not to Harper but to Charlotte. She was the one he wanted to hear it. And she was the one who needed to hear the rest. "But I did tell Audrey I'd think about it."

That brought on some more silence, even from Harper, who seemed riled, but Cal figured she would have that reaction no matter what he said. No anger from Charlotte, though. She went to him and pulled him into her arms for a hug.

"Congrats," Charlotte told him. "Audrey must have worked hard to put this together."

"She did. She obviously knows me well," he added quietly. Well enough that she knew not just any job offer could lure him back. But this one could. And he didn't want to keep that possibility from Charlotte. "I'll think about it," he said.

Charlotte nodded and smiled. This one wasn't so forced, and while there was still some disappointment in her eyes, Cal could tell that she would end up being happy for him if he accepted. After all, it wasn't often that someone got to tick off a major box on their bucket list.

"Well, your thinking about this job offer must have made Audrey mighty happy," Maybell said, breaking the third round of silence. "Egan will be pleased, too. Maybe your daddy and Blue as well. And all those people you'd help would be plenty thankful, no doubt about that." She pointed at him with a big fork that she'd just used to test the pot roast. "But here's the whopper question. Is this air support for rescues and evacuations what you actually want?"

It was indeed the big question. Cal didn't have a big answer. In fact, he didn't have an answer at all, which was why he shrugged. He really did need that thinking time, but not yet because someone else spoke.

"Audrey offered you a job?" Noah asked.

It seemed this was the day for people sneaking up on him, because Cal hadn't heard Noah come in, but there he was, standing right next to Harper. And Noah had a totally different expression than everyone else. There was hope in his eyes.

"I'm guessing since Audrey offered it, then it's a top-notch one," Noah added.

Cal nodded. "Joint command," he provided.

Noah smiled. "You'll make full-bird colonel before you know it."

Harper rolled her eyes and typed when she looked up at Noah. "You're only saying that because if Cal leaves, your competition is gone. Or is it?" The computer actually managed to make the question sound snarky.

Noah shrugged. "Cal's a superstar. I never once thought he'd give it all up." He shifted his attention to Charlotte now. "It'd be a disservice, literally, for him to walk away when he can still do so much good."

Cal wanted to believe Noah's remarks were genuine with no ulterior motive whatsoever. But that was—

"Bullshit," Cal heard, and for a moment he thought it'd flown out of his mouth. But it'd come from the computer.

Harper added an eye roll to what she'd typed. In fact, she typed a string of bullshit s before adding, "Look and see."

At first Noah just scowled at Harper, but the woman didn't give up: she pointed first at Charlotte, then at Cal. Apparently, she thought there was something obvious that Noah hadn't already spotted.

Was there?

Becker had claimed to have seen a real relationship instead of the fake one they'd been trying to portray. Was Harper picking up on it, too? Maybe. Then again, he and Charlotte hadn't exactly been discreet with their long, lustful looks and kissing.

"I see a woman I've been involved with most of my life," Noah finally said, defiance coating each word. Coating his stare, too, that he now aimed at Cal. "Alden knows how much I care for Charlotte, don't you?"

Alden held up his hands in an "I'd rather stay out of this" gesture.

Harper didn't stay out of it because she began typing another string of bullshit that the computer in turn relayed.

Charlotte huffed, and she glanced around the room. "I'm sorry you're having to be part of such a private conversation when you're clearly just here for Maybell's good food. Well, since you've already heard more than you want to hear, then I'll burden you a little longer by filling in the rest." Her gaze shifted to Noah.

Just as Cal's phone rang.

Cal groaned and let it go to voicemail as it was probably Audrey calling back to remind him to think about the job. That could wait. For now, he wanted to hear what Charlotte had to say.

"Even if Cal goes," Charlotte stated, her stare still fixed on Noah, "you and I will not be getting back together." She spoke slowly, enunciating and pausing between each word.

"Told you," the computer said.

Maybell made a sound of agreement, and Becker kept eating bread and shooting annoyed glances at all but Maybell.

Charlotte seemed to tune them all out, and she turned to Cal. "I hope you heard that loud and clear. Even if you go, there'll be no kissing and making up with Noah. This thing going on between us? Well, it has nothing to do with him. This isn't a rebound deal."

Cal was glad to hear that. Well, maybe he was. If it wasn't a rebound, then it was the real thing, and that meant Charlotte could get hurt if he did leave.

"I don't expect you to stay," Charlotte added, clearly cluing in on what was going on in his head. "But I don't want you to think for one second that if you leave, I'll go running back to Noah. Because I won't." She looked at Noah and repeated that.

"Told you," Harper's computer repeated, causing Noah, Cal and Charlotte all to give Harper annoyed looks. The looks held.

And brought back a boatload of memories from their childhoods.

Harper had been the harbinger of snark, doom and gloom even back then. And Noah? Well, he'd always been so cocksure that he was and forever would be the top dog of the group. Charlotte had been the peacemaker. Cal, the do-gooder. Here they all were again.

Cal found himself smiling. Not exactly an appropriate response. But he thought he saw a smile tug at Harper's mouth, too. It was gone in a flash, and the doom and gloom returned.

No smiling for Noah. He looked as if he'd just been slugged twice by every single person in the room. "It's really over," Noah mumbled, and his shoulders sank as low as they possibly could.

"It's really over," Charlotte verified.

Thankfully, Harper didn't interject another Told you . Like the rest of them, she just waited to hear what Noah had to say.

Noah nodded, attempted something that might pass as a smile in dim light. "All right. Then this is goodbye." He glanced at Harper, Charlotte and Cal, and Cal thought Noah, too, might be getting some flashes of the past. He shook his head as if trying to stave off the memories, and Noah looked at his brother. "Any chance we can go to your room and catch up before I head out?"

"Absolutely," Alden assured him.

He started walking, but he paused when he got level with Harper. He looked down at her, grinned, winked and tipped his head to her voice computer. "Gotta get me one of those. Obviously it's broadened your vocabulary."

Harper scowled, and it was an expression she was used to doling out when it came to Alden. Since Alden was six years younger than they were, he was often the pain-in-the-butt little brother. That was apparently going to continue. Cal had no idea if that was good or bad, but he hoped it didn't give Harper a reason to transfer out before she'd even given the place a chance.

Alden and Noah left, with Noah giving Charlotte one last glance over his shoulder, and once they were out of sight, Harper wheeled into the kitchen.

"Ready for lunch?" Maybell asked, and she started to dish up some pot roast before Harper even responded.

"I was hoping to take it to my room," Harper said using her keyboard. "Sonora's working on some paperwork, and I didn't want to wait for her."

"Oh, I can take it to your room for you," Maybell volunteered. "Or you can sit and eat in here."

"In my room," Harper insisted.

Since Cal figured he wasn't going to change Harper's mind about eating solo, he motioned for Charlotte to follow him so they could talk. Not only about what she'd just said to Noah but also Audrey's job offer. However, his phone issued a voicemail notification, and only then did he remember ignoring the call he'd gotten.

He took out his cell, expecting to see Audrey's name. But it wasn't a number he recognized. Since it could be someone from the base where he was stationed, he decided to listen.

"This is Rowan Cullen," a man said. "Guess I'll try to catch you later." That was it. The only message before Rowan ended the call.