Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

June couldn’t stop smiling. She literally couldn’t. If she’d thought she was happy in the day or two after she and Cal had first made love, that was nothing compared to how she felt now. She had a job she absolutely adored and friends in April, Carlise, and even Meg. And a man who was attentive and considerate, who she loved with a passion that surprised her with its intensity. And, icing on the cake, he loved her back the same way.

There were times when June second-guessed what the hell she was doing. Cal was an honest-to-God prince. She’d heard him talking with his parents one night, and it hit home that if things truly did work out with them—which she’d fight to the death to make happen—at some point, she’d have to meet them. She’d have to go to Liechtenstein and attend the occasional formal function. The thought of doing either scared the crap out of her, but losing Cal frightened her more.

She could suck it up and go to one of his fancy balls, as long as he was by her side. And she had no reason to think Cal would be anywhere but. They’d been practically attached at the hip from the second she got off work in the afternoons until he dropped her off at Hill’s House each morning.

It was probably good that she had a job to go to, because otherwise she and Cal would probably spend all their time in bed . . . which wasn’t a bad thing, but he had a business to help run. One of the many things she loved about her man was that even though he had more money than he could spend, he still wanted to do his part for Jack’s Lumber. And he hadn’t once hinted that maybe she shouldn’t work either.

Which was a relief because June loved Hill’s House. The more time she spent there, the more she fell in love with all the residents. They were ornery, sometimes petulant, but they treated her as a friend, not as an employee or a second-class citizen like she’d been treated back in DC.

She had a soft spot for Banks. She never knew what the older man was going to say next. What stories he would make up about the things he’d done in his life. She took them all with a grain of salt, but he was so earnest about having met certain celebrities and whatnot, it was hard not to get swept up in his enthusiasm.

She hadn’t seen much of Tim in the last week, but that wasn’t too surprising, since he usually came into work around the time she was leaving. He did ask if she’d liked the brownies he’d made for her, and she’d politely told him she had. He’d given her a look she couldn’t interpret but had no time to analyze, because Cal had arrived to pick her up, actually coming inside to say hello to the residents.

He’d put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her into his side, and made it very clear to Tim that if he had any ideas about hitting on her, they wouldn’t be welcome.

It had been a blissful week since she and Cal had cleared the air, and now he was dropping June off at Hill’s House once more.

“Three o’clock, right?” he asked, just like he did every morning.

“Yup,” she said. “If our paper airplane tournament goes late, I’ll call.”

He chuckled. “Right.”

“You have no idea how competitive everyone is. I swear Jara’s become the worst of the bunch. Even worse than Banks. She threatened to cut the toes out of all of Scott’s socks if he didn’t stop trying to distract her while she was cutting out snowflakes the other day.”

They’d had a competition to see who could make the “best” snowflake—and June quickly realized that being so vague with the parameters wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done. In the end, she’d brought in Margaret and Austin to be judges—and had to cheat and quietly tell them whose snowflake was whose, so everyone won at least one of the categories she’d made up on the fly.

“I’m looking forward to sled day,” Cal said with a smile.

“Another thing I’m sure I’ll regret, but everyone is so looking forward to that.” She’d gotten the idea after seeing a video online. The guys at Jack’s Lumber had agreed to come to Hill’s House with one of their four-wheelers to pull the residents behind it on a modified sled. It didn’t matter that there wasn’t any snow on the ground now. It was kind of insane and ridiculous, but when she’d suggested it, everyone had been so excited, there was no way she could deny them.

“We’ll be careful. Won’t go over like three miles an hour,” he promised. “You being here is the highlight of their day, June,” he said. “You know how I told you I was holding back because I wanted you to go out and change the world?”

June hated to think about that day, but she nodded anyway.

“You’re doing it already. Changing the world right here in Newton. At Hill’s House.”

His words made her feel good. “Cal,” she whispered, feeling overwhelmed.

He leaned over the console and put his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her toward him. She loved it when he did that. It was a possessive gesture, an alpha move, and it reminded her of how he was in bed . . . dominant and sure of himself.

He kissed her hard and only pulled back far enough to say, “Tonight, after dinner, I want to try out a new position. One I read about online.”

“Okay,” she said breathlessly.

“You don’t want to know what it is?” he asked with a smile.

“Doesn’t matter. I have no doubt you’ll make it pleasurable for both of us.”

“Damn straight I will.” Cal took a deep breath as his hand slowly slid out from under her hair, and it took everything June had not to grab it and put it back on her nape.

“I thought I’d stop by with lunch . . . if you have time.”

“I always have time for you,” June said honestly. “Besides, Sofia will be thrilled to be able to ogle your body again.”

He rolled his eyes. “She makes me nervous.”

“She’s harmless,” June said with a giggle.

“Granny’s Burgers?” he asked.

“Sounds awesome. Although I should probably get a salad,” she said with a little frown.

“No. I love your curves—and apparently you’ll need a reminder tonight of how much I love every inch of your body and never want you to change.”

June smiled. It was hard to believe Cal didn’t think she needed to lose weight. She did, and she was working on that, if only to be healthy and live a long, happy life at Cal’s side. “Right. A burger, but no fries. I’ll eat a side salad that Margaret will make.”

“All right. Around twelve-thirty sound okay?”

“Perfect. I’ll be able to take a half-hour break. You’re finally having that meeting with April this morning about who’s doing which upcoming hikes, right?” she asked.

Cal wrinkled his nose. “Yup.”

“It won’t be that bad,” June said, patting his arm. “You said yourself that April is a natural at pairing up guides with guests.”

“She is. I just don’t like the thought of spending the night away from home. From you.”

June just about melted into a puddle at the way he pouted the words.

“Me either. But I’ll be fine. And think about how nice it’ll be when you get home.”

“Oh yeah . . . nice,” Cal said with a smirk.

June rolled her eyes. “On that note, I’m getting out.”

She opened the door of his Rolls and slipped out of the seat.

“June?”

She turned and saw Cal looking at her intensely. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

She smiled. “I love you too.” He was being extra mushy today, and June couldn’t get enough. Her dad had told her that he loved her all the time, and it had been years since she’d heard the words. Cal was usually all business when he dropped her off, telling her to have a good day and he’d see her later, his mind already on Jack’s Lumber tasks. Perhaps he was feeling more emotional today because they’d actually made love this morning before showering. Whatever the reason, June wouldn’t question it.

“See you later. Be safe.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. As if there was anything to worry about around a bunch of seniors. “You too. Later.”

She shut the door, gave Cal a little wave, then turned and started up the sidewalk toward the house. When Meg opened the door for her, June turned and waved at Cal once more. He was still sitting in his SUV at the curb, as he always did, waiting for her to get inside before he left.

He was protective, but not in an overbearing way. June blossomed under his care and love.

An hour later, her phone vibrated in her pocket, and when she had a break to check her messages between rounds of paper airplane throwing and refereeing the competitors, June smiled as she read a text from Cal.

He’d gotten her a phone a few days ago and made a big deal out of programming all their friends’ names and numbers into it. He’d texted her on and off since, just letting her know he was thinking about her. It felt good not only to read his messages but just to have a phone again. It made her feel a little more independent.

Cal: Just wanted to let you know how beautiful you looked this morning. That white blouse brings out the gold in your eyes and those jeans highlight your arse in a way that makes me regret we both have to work.

June giggled out loud at the two dozen emojis he’d included at the end of the message, including several eggplants, smiley faces, and hearts.

“Another message from your man?” Banks asked.

“Yeah,” June said, trying really hard to keep from blushing.

“In my day, we didn’t have those fancy phones and messages. We had to write letters. I’ve lost the ones I got from all my women, but they definitely got my motor running, if you know what I mean.”

June shook her head at him and grinned. Banks had told her more than once how popular he’d been with the ladies. He’d never married—claimed he couldn’t settle down with just one.

“Whatever, Banks. Are you done with your second plane?”

“Yup. I’m ready to kick some booty.”

Making a mental note to respond to Cal’s text later with a suggestive one of her own, she turned her attention to the task at hand, making sure no one cheated as they tried to improve their paper airplane designs.

Tim’s hands shook slightly as he paced his room, wishing he had some weed to take the edge off his current shitty mood. He’d been sending Elaine all sorts of “evidence” of stalking the mousy bitch he was officially sick of hearing about, but she’d stopped sending him money through the app four days ago. He wasn’t sure if she didn’t believe him anymore, or if she was out of money, or if she was simply trying to get him to hurry up and get rid of her stepdaughter once and for all, deciding not to pay him for any more little shit.

Whatever the reason, Tim was done. He was sick of being in this fucking town, sick of mopping floors at Hill’s House, and very sick of cleaning up after old people. It was time to make his move.

Juniper would be dead before the end of the day—and he’d be gone. He’d go back to DC and collect his money personally. And if Elaine didn’t want to pay up, he’d threaten her spoiled bitch of a daughter for real. The old hag doted on Carla—and he’d turn into their worst fucking nightmare if she didn’t live up to her end of the bargain.

He had an ace in his pocket. The fact that she’d offed her second husband. If she didn’t pony up his ten grand, he’d play that damn card—by making sure the recordings of their conversations made it into the right hands.

The woman was so dumb. No way would he have taken this job without covering his own ass. Yes, those recordings would incriminate him as well, but if he had to go down, he’d take that bitch with him.

But it wouldn’t come to that. Elaine would never give up her cushy lifestyle. One listen to that particular conversation about murdering her husband and he’d have the dumb cunt right where he wanted her. Maybe he’d hold it over her head for years to come. She’d pay him to keep quiet, otherwise she’d join him behind bars.

Looking around the shitty room, Tim made sure he’d packed everything. He’d sneak into Hill’s House when he wasn’t expected, shoot the bitch, and leave while everyone was freaking out and panicking.

Easy peasy.

Soon, he’d be ten thousand dollars richer, Elaine would be done with the stepdaughter she hated so much, her daughter could cry in the arms of the prince—super unlikely, but Tim would let Elaine enjoy her delusions—and he’d be back in DC, making plans to head south to a warmer climate.

June laughed as quiet, soft-spoken Brenda threw her arms in the air and yelped in satisfaction when her plane outflew everyone else’s by several feet.

“Woooo!” she exclaimed happily.

“How the heck did you do that?” Jeremy asked, sounding baffled.

“I was an engineer,” Brenda said with a shrug. “I’m good at building stuff.”

“Yes, you are,” June told her with a huge smile. “And because you won, you get the first ride on the sled next week when Jack’s Lumber comes.”

Brenda grinned while Banks and the others grumbled.

June smiled at “her” residents. Everyone began to grab their planes, as it was getting close to lunchtime, so they needed to move the table back to its spot in the middle of the room and clean up their mess. She asked Banks to grab one bag of trash as she picked up the other. They walked into the kitchen, and Banks volunteered to take both bags outside to the bins on the other side of the garage.

June watched Banks for a minute, making sure he made it down the back steps safely. She took a quick drink from her water bottle and was headed for the broom closet in the hall when she heard someone call her name quietly.

Turning, she expected to see Banks.

Instead, she saw Tim entering the kitchen through the back door.

Instinctively looking down at her watch—which was silly, because she already knew it was nearly lunchtime—June saw it was twelve-fifteen. About three hours before Tim was supposed to be there.

“June,” he said again, more forcefully.

She looked back up at him. “What are you doing—”

She didn’t have a chance to get the last word out before a deafening bang echoed through the kitchen.

June stumbled backward as a pain like she’d never felt bloomed in her chest.

She lurched a second time when the same loud noise rang in her ears again, followed by more blinding pain in her chest.

Instinctively, she knew she had to get away. She staggered through the doorway to the dining room. She managed to stay on her feet long enough to see the shocked expressions of the residents before she tripped over her feet, or maybe it was simply that she didn’t have the strength to stand anymore, and fell to the floor.

People were screaming all around her, but June couldn’t do anything but stare up at the ceiling. Her hands went to her chest as she struggled to breathe. She vaguely wondered if this was how Cal felt when he was a POW. When his captors were cutting him.

“June!” Jara shouted as she knelt beside her.

Turning her head, June wanted to tell the old woman that she shouldn’t be on the floor, that Austin would have to come and help her up, but no words left her lips, only a small groan.

“Oh, June!” Jara whimpered as she stared at her chest.

Lifting one of her hands, June frowned in confusion. It was covered in red paint. Who had brought the paint, and why was it on her hand?

“Pressure!” a male voice said urgently right before pain engulfed her once more. So much pain, June’s vision went black for a moment.

People were still shouting all around her, but she couldn’t make out what anyone was saying. The searing ache in her chest was too bad.

Then she saw Austin’s face above hers. He was pressing down on her chest so hard, she couldn’t breathe. “No,” she whispered.

Austin didn’t seem to hear her. He was yelling at someone else, telling them to call 9-1-1.

Then Meg’s voice, shouting at someone from the direction of the kitchen.

“Is she going to die?” someone else cried.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Austin said firmly. “You’re not going to die,” he told June. “You hear me?”

She did, but she didn’t understand what was happening.

“Cal,” she said . . . or at least she tried to, but no sound came out. She was hurt, confused, scared, and all she could think about was Cal. He’d make everything better. She had no doubt about that.

She coughed, and once more, pain shot through her.

“Shit, she’s coughing up blood. Her lung was probably hit. Is the ambulance coming?” Austin asked someone frantically. “They need to get here now!”