The dull throb in my chest hasn’t eased since Cal left two weeks ago. If anything, it only gets worse as the days go on. My attempts to keep myself busy only last for so long. With Cami at her friend’s house and Violet and Delilah busy with work, I have no one left to distract me.
Even the realtor and the general contractor have been quiet about the house. When I voiced my concern about a lack of interested buyers, both assured me that everything was going according to plan.
The silence in the guesthouse quickly becomes unbearable, leaving me to my own thoughts. My head is a pathetic place to be these days. A sad, miserable place that reminds me of a fact I hate admitting to myself.
I miss Cal.
It’s impossible not to when everything reminds me of him. Grocery shopping. Driving around town with my tires squealing. Spending thirty minutes scrolling for something new to watch only to settle on watching a competitive baking show we both have seen a hundred times.
Each day drags on at a snail’s pace. With me not working, my days mainly consist of taking Cami to camp and sitting around the house in case Ryder and the crew need anything from me.
Part of me wishes Cal would show back up, if only for me to be angry at him again. It’s a selfish thought that I dismiss in a matter of seconds, knowing that he is exactly where he needs to be. Yet still, I consider what it must be like to go through the process.
Is he struggling with any withdrawal symptoms?
Is he wishing he never went in the first place?
Is he talking through his issues and figuring out why he has difficulty staying sober?
The longer I think about everything he said before he left, the more I wonder if he was telling the truth. Calling the lawyer to find out would put the inheritance at risk, so I settle for the next best thing: Iris and Zahra.
We exchanged numbers before I left the night of Cal’s birthday dinner, but I hadn’t taken advantage of it until now.
Before I chicken out, I text them.
Hey.
Their replies come in at the same time.
Iris
What’s up?
Zahra
Hi!
I release a shaky breath as I hit send on my next message, which I spent ten minutes mulling over.
I was wondering if one of you could help clarify a few things for me about the will.
Iris’s reply is instant.
Iris
I can be there in forty minutes.
Forty minutes? How is that even possible from her house in Chicago?
Zahra
Ugh. Wish I could be there!
I busy myself with cleaning up the already-spotless house while I wait for Iris. The loud thrum of propellers interrupts me in the middle of scrubbing down the stovetop, and I rush outside to watch a helicopter land in my backyard.
“What the fuck?” I shut the door behind me.
I didn’t know it was legal to land in someone’s backyard.
Are you really surprised? This is Lake Wisteria. Anyone can be bought with the right price.
The moment the blades stop spinning, Iris dashes out of the helicopter. She rushes to the nearest set of bushes while clutching a hand to her mouth.
“Oh my God. Are you okay?”
She heaves once in a godawful reply. I wince as I help gather her braids in my hand to prevent them from falling in front of her face.
She throws up twice before being able to stand upright. “Well, that went a lot worse than I expected.”
“I have 7 Up and Alka-Seltzer inside.”
“Sounds lovely.” She wipes at her mouth with a frown.
I shuffle her into the house and find her a spare toothbrush. While she cleans her teeth, I pull out some snacks that my mom always said helped a sour stomach.
“You’re a lifesaver.” Iris drops onto the stool and pops a saltine cracker into her mouth.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Much. I wanted to drive, but Declan insisted on having me fly.”
“Why did he?”
She lifts a shoulder. “He thought it was safer.”
“More than driving?”
Her eyes roll. “I know. He’s a bit overbearing these days.”
I shoot her a look. “Hate to break it to you, but that’s how he’s always been.”
She cackles. “I see why Cal loves you.”
I tense.
Her eyes narrow. “He does love you, you know.”
I become fascinated by my manicure. “I know.”
“But you don’t trust him,” she states.
“He hasn’t given me many reasons to.”
Her soft smile reaches her eyes. “Although I was in a different position than you with the will, I can see where you’re coming from.”
“You were?”
“Did you really think Declan and I got married because we loved each other?”
My brows raise so high, I’m afraid they might be permanently stuck that way.
She snorts. “I married Declan because of the will. Falling in love with him was a convenient outcome I hadn’t anticipated happening.”
My mouth drops open. “You married him because of the inheritance?”
“Amongst other things.” She runs a hand over her stomach absentmindedly with a small smile.
Is she…
Don’t you dare ask that.
I bite down on my cheek to stop myself from blurting out the question burning in the back of my mind.
She looks up at me, as if remembering I’m still standing here. “I know it sounds crazy…”
“Because it is!”
She laughs. “Well, I married Declan because I cared about him and didn’t want to see him lose to his asshole father.”
“What does his father have to do with any of this?”
“Well, that’s where everything gets a little complicated. If the brothers don’t complete their individual tasks, their father gets their shares of the company.”
“What? Why?”
She shrugs. “Their grandfather made it that way.”
Shit. “So if Cal doesn’t sell the house…”
“His father would earn eighteen percent of the company, plus the six percent that still remains unclaimed.”
“You think his father owns six percent?”
“Not yet at least. Whatever Brady asked him to do isn’t complete yet.”
“And what about Declan?”
A small smile teases at her lips. “He’s close to getting his, but whatever happens with Cal and his task puts Declan’s shares at risk.”
My eyes screw shut. “Cal never mentioned that.”
Probably because you didn’t give him a chance to explain himself.
Guilt replaces some of the anger I’ve held on to ever since I found out about the inheritance.
“He didn’t have an option before. But now that everything is out in the open…”
“I haven’t told anyone.”
She laughs. “I didn’t expect you to. You care just as much about Cal as he does about you—no matter how angry you are at him.”
“Am I that predictable?” There is a harsh bite to my question. She holds up her hands in mock surrender. “Love makes people do selfless things.”
I pull out a stool beside her and sit before my legs give out. “Like selling my home?”
She nudges her shoulder with mine. “Cal will figure it out.”
My hands quit their fidgeting. “How do you know?”
“Because if you want it, he will stop at nothing to make it happen.”
“Just like that?”
She snaps her fingers. “Just like that.”
“What do you think, Ms. Castillo?”
I look up from the wood floor that looks brand new after Ryder restored it. The memory of Cami taking her first steps near the stairs fades away as I’m hit with the news that the house will be ready in a couple of weeks to be shown to potential buyers.
I’m sure Cal would be impressed by how the remodel is turning out. The interior designer Ryder hired is doing a phenomenal job making the house look exactly like our Pinterest boards. Although there are still some last-minute finishes that need to be added, everything is looking just like I wanted.
“Ms. Castillo?” the real estate agent repeats while looking at me as if I have lost my mind.
Maybe I have. The lack of sleep, worrying about Cal, and the looming open house have done a splendid job of keeping me up late at night to the point of delirium.
“Yes?” I shake my head.
“Did you hear anything I said?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “No. Sorry about that. Do you mind repeating it?”
He huffs as he pushes his thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I just was mentioning that we have plenty of people interested in the property, and we haven’t even had an open house yet.”
“Wow. That’s great.” My voice could not sound more wooden if I tried.
The real estate agent lifts a fuzzy brow. “So you’re aware, when we have multiple offers, that usually drives up the price.”
“Fantastic.” I rock back on my sneakers.
He frowns. “Is everything all right?”
He shuts his folder. “If you’re having second thoughts about selling the house…”
“No!” I raise my hand. “I’m just overwhelmed that we have so many people interested in the property.”
Yeah, overwhelmed with nausea.
His tense smile doesn’t settle my churning stomach. “If things go according to plan, Mr. Kane and you will have the property sold to the highest bidder during the open house.”
“Great.” The hollow pit in my stomach widens at the idea.
“I thought so. No way this house will last until the end of the open house.”
I suck in a breath. “Let’s start with the open house and take it from there.”
The realtor goes over the details he has planned, all while I drift in and out of the conversation with a confirmatory nod here and there.
“Would you like to be present when the buyers come check out the property?”
I give my head a hard shake. “No.”
I’d rather jump off the dock in a pair of concrete sneakers than sit through hours of people gawking at the home I love while I idly sit by, letting my heart get shredded to pieces knowing one of them will buy it from me.
Screw that.
Just because I’m selling the house to help Cal and his family doesn’t mean I have to like it.
The shrill sound of my ringtone wakes me up. I thought sleeping in Cal’s bed might help cure my insomnia, but Rowan’s call shattered my theory before I had a chance to try it.
I lie back down and answer my phone. “Hello?”
“Alana.” Rowan’s gruff voice fills my ear. “How are you?”
“Wonderful, especially now that you woke me up.”
He releases a huff of air. “Sorry about that. I didn’t think you would be asleep at nine p.m.”
Nine p.m.?!
Shit. I probably knocked out as soon as Cami did.
I grab the pillow that no longer smells as strongly of Cal and tuck it under my head. “I haven’t been getting the best sleep lately.”
“How are you doing?”
“About as good as one would expect after finding out your grandfather was hell-bent on making me suffer for some reason, although I’m not sure why. I was good to him. I even listened to his stories about Ireland like I hadn’t heard the same ones a hundred times before.”
His laugh is soft and quiet, drawing a smile from me. “He was a manipulative bastard, wasn’t he?”
“Ugh. The worst. What did he make you do?”
“Run and renovate Dreamland for six months.”
I scoff. “And here I thought we were on an even playing field.”
“It wasn’t as easy as it sounds, especially for someone like me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That I was an idiot who needed a good ass-kicking.”
My grin widens. “Zahra mentioned she helped knock a little sense into you.”
“She did a lot more than that.”
I can practically hear the smile in his voice. Bitterness rises, ready to exploit my insecurities regarding my own relationship, but I shove it down.
“I assume you didn’t call me to gush about your girlfriend.”
“No, but who says I needed a reason to call?”
“You’re a Kane. You don’t do phone calls unless there is something you want.”
He laughs harder this time, making me grin. “I was hoping to speak to you about the tres leches recipe.”
“Seriously?” I thought he would call to check in on the house sale or to ask me a question about Cal.
“Seriously,” he repeats back in my tone, which makes me clamp down on my tongue to stop myself from laughing. “I was hoping we could come to a reasonable agreement.”
“Why do you want it so badly?”
“Because I know talent when I see it, and you’re the real deal.”
Heat crawls up my neck before spreading all the way to my cheeks. “Really?”
“Yes. Cal mentioned you’re interested in opening your own bakery, and I respect that kind of ambition. I’m sure you’ll go far with your skills.”
My phone slips from my grasp from how clammy my hand becomes. I don’t breathe, let alone interrupt him as he continues.
“But I’m interested in developing a new land that features Princess Marianna and a few other characters that I can’t share a lot about yet unless you agree to help.”
“Do any of these characters happen to be from Colombia?”
“Would that convince you to say yes?”
“Depends. Are you still offering me a million bucks for the recipe?”
“Let’s make it five.”
“Five million?”
“Cal was right when he called me out on only offering a mil. I just wanted to see if he pays more attention than he lets on, and he proved me right.”
My mouth drops open. “You did that on purpose?”
He laughs. “Yeah.”
“What is wrong with you?”
“Zahra’s still trying to figure that one out, although compared to Declan, I’m the nice one.”
I shut my eyes to center myself. “This is a lot to wrap my head around.”
“Should I not mention the job then?”
“What job?”
“I’d like to bring you on as a baking consultant of sorts.”
“A baking consultant?” I squeak.
“I see you and Zahra share the fond habit of repeating everything I say.”
“That says more about you than us.”
His deep chuckle makes the speaker on my phone crackle. “Are you open to the job?”
“Do I have to work at Dreamland?”
“Only for a minority of the time. We can fly you out on the jet one weekend every month if that works.”
Nope. Not going to comment on the private jet, no matter how much I want to.
Once a month sounds doable, especially if it is only a part-time job.
“How much are you offering?” I ask with a serious tone.
“Give me a few more recipes and you’ll be retiring tomorrow.”
Screw retirement. I could open my own bakery and travel around the world, getting the best of both worlds.
My answer is easy. “You know what? Sure. Why not?”
“I was hoping you would be up for the challenge.”
I grin. “When do I start?”
“Does next month work?”
When faced with the option to sit at home all weekend or go to Dreamland, I make the same reasonable choice anyone else would make in my position.
“Sure, so long as Cami can come with me.”
“Of course. My assistant will send you all the details and travel info.”
I stare at the ceiling long after Rowan hung up the call and process what just happened. Working for the Kanes might not be what I expected for myself, but an experience like this would help me grow while giving me an opportunity to learn from other people. I can turn it into the adventure I always wanted.
And you achieved it all on your own.
Maybe dreams do come true after all.
