Undeniably His(90)
“Love is a strong word, Annabelle.” Kalin gives me a sweet smile.
“Well, it’s true. It’s especially true for the women in the office.” Peter and Lauren laugh. “I could sense that from the first day I was hired. I’m pretty sure that quite a few of them are in love with you, Kalin, and I knew I had my work cut out for me.”
“What do you mean?” Kalin asks.
“You have a fan base in the company, Kalin, bigger than a rock star.”
We all laugh at the comment.
“I believe it’s my management skills, Annabelle.” Kalin flashes me a wry grin.
“No, I don’t think that’s it. It could be your big puppy-dog brown eyes, your rock star good looks, and the fact that you believe in love in a cynical world.”
Peter and Lauren exchange glances and laugh in recognition. “It’s true, dear. You’ve always been a hopeless romantic.”
“Don’t you believe in love, Annabelle?” Kalin asks.
“I can’t say that I did. Most marriages don’t work out, and even then some are just a long, hard struggle. Is it any wonder the world is so cynical?”
“Cynical is right.” Kalin smiles at me while taking a bite of his sandwich.
“Newsflash, Kalin. There aren’t a lot of men like you out there, certainly not looking after others the way you do. Your company recognizes you for that. So do the women.” I take a sip of wine. “Maybe it was your upbringing.”
“Don’t blame us. Kalin has always been that way.” Peter laughs.
“I find it hard to believe that you had nothing to do with it. That’s a compliment.” I smile.
“We’ll take it.” Lauren brushes her hand over my shoulder. “Are your parents still married, Annabelle?”
“Yes. Married and living in Dallas. I let them know I’m dating Kalin. They were ecstatic. My mom said men like Kalin don’t exist except in the movies.” I bite my lip to stifle my widening grin. “She knows who you are.”
Kalin crinkles his brows at me. “And they’re still ecstatic?” he jests.
Just then the trill of his phone breaks us from the topic. Kalin reaches for his phone on a nearby table. “It’s Atkinson,” he says to us.
The call jars us back to reality, and suddenly our expressions turn from playful to somber.
With the phone to his ear, Kalin turns to us and raises his brows. “I see. Good. That’s great. Why?” Kalin suddenly draws his head back in a stiff grimace, and covers his face with his hand. “Oh, shit. When? Jesus Christ. Yeah. Okay, I’ll be in touch.” Kalin takes a deep breath and sets his phone down.
“What is it?” I say with a shaky voice.
Kalin turns to us with a grave expression. “It’s a match. The sample fragments match the paint and the other fragments embedded in the SUV from the impacts.”
“That’s great. So what’s wrong?” I ask.
“The police got an arrest warrant for Dale.” Kalin takes a deep breath. “He committed suicide before the police got there. Dale Huntington. He’s dead.”
“Oh, my God!” I gasp.
Kalin glances around in silence to shocked expressions. “He shot himself in his home. I know I shouldn’t feel bad, but he was my college friend.”
I stand up to place my hand on his shoulder and peer up at him. “He was your friend in college, Kalin. Something happened to him over the years. He wasn’t the same.”
Kalin places his hand over mine, and stares ahead with a blank expression. “I know. But I wanted to ask him. I wanted to know why he would do this. Now I’ll never know.”
“Desperation, Kalin. He was going to die of lung disease. Isn’t that what you found out?” Peter asks.
“Yeah.” His face goes slack. “I just didn’t realize how far he would go to save himself.”
Chapter Twenty Three
Kalin docks the boat like a pro and extends the hydraulic ladder to the dock. Lauren and Peter climb down the stairs as Kalin and I clean up from lunch and take the trash out. “Can’t find good help, Mr. Davis?” I ask with a soft smile.
“You’re telling me,” he teases. “I kind of like us being alone like this. If taking out the trash is the only cost, it’s a bargain.” Kalin bends over and kisses me sweet and strong, and then hands me a bag of trash with a crooked grin. I take the trash and rummage around on the deck for anything else we may have left behind.
“Kalin, there are some gentlemen here to see you,” Peter calls out from the dock.
One of the men stands at about five feet ten inches tall, has a shaven head, and is built like a tank. The other man is lanky, with dark hair sleeked back, and stands at about six feet four inches.