Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
When I step out onto the porch and turn to lock the door, something catches my eye. It’s a small white bag with a coffee shop logo printed on the side. Inside, there’s an iced coffee with a sticker indicating it’s made exactly how I like it. There’s also an envelope with my name on it.
I tuck the envelope into my bag, and when I get to the health club, I offer the drink to the cardio instructor, explaining that I ended up with an extra this morning.
In the studio, I’m gratified when several of my regular students tell me they missed me. One comments about how strange it was that the man who’d been coming to class was also absent while I was away. I keep a blank face and agree that it is odd.
Thankfully, Miles doesn’t show up for class. Job done, the men have probably left town.
My shift at the sandwich shop is uneventful, aside from the introduction of a new sandwich, the Big Kahuna Daddy. I spend a good bit of my time telling customers about its contents: ham, pork tenderloin, bacon, and grilled pineapple. I take a couple of them home for dinner to share with my roommates, and it turns out to be pretty good.
After we eat, when I’m alone in my room, I fish the envelope out of my bag. It’s a full-page, handwritten note, signed by both Max and Miles. I consider not reading it, but curiosity gets the best of me.
Dear Callie,
We fully understand how angry you are, and you have every right to be mad as hell. We’re not going to try to tell you not to be angry with us. You should be.
But we need you to know that our feelings for you are real. Nothing we said to you or experienced with you was fake, except for things that related directly to our case.
We regret getting you tangled up in all of it, but we can’t regret that we had the chance to get to know you. The connection the three of us share is real, and it’s unlike anything we’ve experienced before. We think it’s worth fighting for, and we hope you’ll give us a second chance when you’re ready.
In the meantime, we’re always thinking of you.
After reading it twice, I fold the letter, put it back in the envelope, and tuck it into the drawer of my nightstand.
I don’t know what to think, and I don’t really want to think. I take a shower, and listen to a podcast for a distraction as I fall asleep.
CHAPTER 60
CALLIE
In the morning, there’s another coffee on my doorstep, and I give it away again.
On the third day, anticipating its presence, I don’t make my own coffee at home and instead drink the one the men sent over. I’m not expecting that the taste of it will remind me of the coffee they got for me at the resort, or of all the other thoughtful things they did for me.
The next day, there’s a little sticky note on the drink, saying that they hope I have a good day.
I’d assumed they left town and were ordering the drinks from a delivery service, but maybe that’s not the case.
In the meantime, Sadie finally gets in touch with me, and asks if we can meet at the park after my yoga classes. She brings salads, because she knows I usually eat between my jobs, but it turns out that neither of us has much of an appetite.
“I’m sorry for not coming to see you right away,” she says. “Everything’s been very distressing, and I didn’t want you to think I was upset with you.”
“I’m so sorry for everything that happened—”
She cuts me off, reaching across the table to touch my hand. “None of it is your fault, Callie. Not at all.”
“But I brought the men—”
“You didn’t know who they were, and even if you did, I’m sorry to say this, but Adam’s father deserved to be caught. It’s not as if we’d want to protect him and his criminal activities.”
The weight that had been pressing on my chest eases, and I let out a breath.
“It’s really incredible that Mr. Hargrove did what he did at our wedding. There was absolutely no reason for that … but that’s beside the point, truly.” Her tone of voice shifts lower. “Max and Miles came over to talk to us. Adam was already receiving updates from a lawyer, but Max and Miles came over specifically to explain how they ended up at the wedding. They made it very clear that you had no idea who they were.”
“I should have known, though.”
“How could you? They’re trained agents. I understand that you did know Max had a twin, though.”
I look down at my untouched salad. “Yeah. I was going to tell you all about it after your honeymoon. I didn’t want to give you anything to worry about.”