In Good Company: Chapter 47

I wake up with my cheek pressed to Cal’s chest. His heartbeat is steady against my skin as I rouse from the most peaceful night of sleep I’ve ever had.

The slow rhythm of Cal’s breathing tells me he’s still fast asleep. I smile, loving that I’ve woken up before him. If I can slip away without disturbing him, I want to make him breakfast in bed. My smile gets even wider at the idea. I’ve made him breakfast countless times, but something about making him breakfast after being next to him all night makes it seem more special.

I slide out of his hold inch by inch, moving incredibly slowly so I don’t wake him up. The moment my feet hit the soft material of the rug, I let out a sigh of relief.

I’d gone to bed without a hint of clothing on. My dress still lies on the floor next to his discarded clothes, but I don’t feel like putting it back on. Instead, I tiptoe to his closet and pull one of his button-ups off a hanger. I also grab a pair of his briefs before quietly putting both items on. The shirt is so long on me that it falls just above my knees, while the briefs are big enough that I need to roll the waistband once to keep them on my hips.

They don’t fit right, but I kind of love it.

I leave his closet as quietly as I can and tiptoe my way to the bedroom door. Before I leave, I turn and commit the view of Cal fast asleep in bed to memory. I love how every single one of his facial features is relaxed. There’s no hard set of his jaw or the intense pull of his eyebrows together on his forehead.

He looks at peace. When he first asked me to be with him after this summer, I didn’t know how the rest of our night would go. I was terrified I was going to lose him before the summer even ended, but he seemed to have accepted my answer.

He never asked about Virginia again. After we had sex, we showered together, both of us giggling like little kids as we helped clean each other’s bodies. I don’t know how long we lay in bed talking about the most random things, but it was the best night of my life.

His surprise and the thoughtfulness behind it.

The way the sex between us felt different. I’ve never felt more connected to someone than I did last night. It was incredible.

My favorite part might’ve been falling asleep next to him. We talked until we both got so sleepy that our words became slower and slower until we both drifted off. The last thing I remember is Cal telling stories of him and Jude in boarding school before sleep pulled me under.

I manage to sneak out of Cal’s room without waking him up. Once I make it to the hallway, I hurry to the kitchen and try to come up with a plan for breakfast.

I’m shocked to find the kitchen clean. Cal’s housekeepers must’ve already come by for the morning. I’ve always wondered how often he has people help with the house. Every morning I show up to work, it’s obvious the house has been cleaned; they’re just always gone by the time I get there.

I blush, relieved that Cal had shut the door to his room after we’d taken a shower. If he hadn’t, his housekeepers would’ve gotten a show this morning since both Cal and I went to bed naked.

I’m trying to think of what ingredients I know we have when I spot my phone on the counter.

Guilt washes over me as I realize I’d gone all night and morning without checking it.

I rush over to my phone, turning it over to find countless missed calls from my mom.

My stomach sinks as I click her name to call her back. I’m filled with more and more dread with each ring she doesn’t answer.

The call goes to voicemail. I immediately call her back as I pace Cal’s kitchen, waiting for her to pick up.

“Lucy,” my mom answers, her voice raw. I know just by the tone of her voice that something is very wrong. “Are you okay? I’ve been calling all night.”

“Mom, I’m fine. I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.” I take a deep breath, trying not to let my voice break. God, I can’t believe I’d gone all night and into this morning without checking my phone. “What happened?” I ask, my voice breaking.

“Your dad was closing the store last night. When I hadn’t heard from him, I called Alec to see if maybe he had. He hadn’t either, so I drove to the store and found your dad unresponsive.”

My hand covers my mouth in shock. “Oh my God,” I cry, my eyes frantically darting around the kitchen as I try to process what my mom’s saying.

I’m terrified to ask my next question because I don’t know if I’m prepared for the answer.

“Is he okay?” I ask, my voice breaking.

“We’re in the hospital now, just waiting for answers. They don’t know what happened, but as of right now, it seems like he’s going to be okay. I don’t really know. No one will tell me anything.”

I let out a breath of relief as I run through the things I need to grab. I’ve got to get home.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I tell her. It’ll take me hours to get to the closest airport and get a flight out, but there’s nothing I can do about that. Before I can even start the three-hour drive to the airport, I’ll need to run by my place and grab some clothes.

“Oh, honey, I can handle it,” my mom assures me.

I shake my head immediately. The exhaustion is clear in her voice. There’s no way I’m making her handle this alone. “No, Mom. I want to be there. I want to see Dad, and I want to be there for you. It just might not be until tonight that I arrive.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Please just keep me posted if you get updates. Tell Dad I love him and I’ll be there soon. I’m going to book a flight out as soon as we hang up.”

“Okay. Be safe. I love you, Lu,” Mom responds. I hate how worried she sounds, and I hate myself for being irresponsible enough not to have checked my phone since last night. She’s had to worry about Dad all alone while I was being selfish.

“I love you too, Mom. I’ll be there soon, I promise.”

I hang up the phone just as tears begin to rush down my cheeks. I try to stop them, but the guilt of not being there when my parents needed me and the fear of not knowing if my dad is going to be okay overtakes me. I’m so upset with myself. I’ve always been so good at keeping my phone on me at all times in case of an emergency.

I just got so swept up in the night with Cal that I forgot all about it.

And I hate myself for letting that happen.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

I jump, turning to find Cal walking into the kitchen. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants and nothing else.

A sob rips through me just at the sight of him.

His entire face falls as he rushes to close the distance between us. Without any questions, he pulls me against his chest and holds me as my body shakes from the sobs coming out of me.

Cal’s hand cups the back of my head. He just holds me as I try to regain my composure enough to talk.

Eventually, I let out a shaky breath as I pull my cheek from his chest.

“I have to go home,” I announce, wiping underneath my eyes. “I need to get back to Virginia.”

“I’ll go with you,” he responds immediately, his thumbs swiping at the tears still streaming down my cheeks.

I shake my head. “No. I need to get home. It’s my dad. Something’s happened, and I need to help my mom and⁠—”

“And you can do all of that, baby. I’m not stopping you.” His eyes are full of concern as they scan my face. “I’m just saying I’ll go with you so you don’t have to go back alone.”

I let out another cry at how sweet he’s being. I can’t ask him to drop everything and come back to Virginia with me. I don’t know how long I’ll be there. Deep down, I wonder if I should just stay in Virginia for the rest of the summer. I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave again after hearing the fear and exhaustion in my mother’s voice and not being there to help her.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be there for,” I begin, stepping out of his arms. “I know it’s unprofessional for me to quit like this, but I don’t know if I’ll be back to work this summer. My mom will need help, and I can’t leav⁠—”

“Lucy, we’re not talking about work right now,” Cal interrupts. There’s frustration laced with worry in his words.

“I work for you,” I remind him, my voice shaking. “It’s my responsibility to let you know if I won’t be able to work, and with my dad in the hospital for I don’t know how long…I just don’t think I’ll be able to work anymore this summer.”

“Your dad’s in the hospital?” There’s so much concern in his voice that it kills me. He doesn’t even respond to the fact it’s unlikely I’ll be able to finish out the summer working for him.

I nod, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me. “Yes. He’s in the hospital, and my mom’s there handling it alone, and I just need to get home as soon as I can. I can’t work for you anymore. I can’t be here.”

Cal’s hands find the sides of my face as he steps closer to me once again. “Baby, I don’t care if you can’t work for me. What I care about is you and making sure you’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” I lie, ducking under his arm. “I just need to book a flight home.” I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself. After I make it to Virginia and I get things figured out, I’ll be able to fully break down. Right now, I need to push all my emotions to the side and get back home.

“I’m coming with you.” Cal’s tone makes it seem like it’s not up for discussion.

“No, Cal. You stay here.”

He lets out a low growl. “I’m just supposed to stay here and do nothing while the woman I’m falling in love with is left to handle her father being in the hospital all alone?”

I gasp at his words.

Did he…did he just admit that he’s falling in love with me?

My vision gets even blurrier after his admission. No, he can’t be falling for me. Maybe I heard him wrong. I’m stressed and not thinking clearly. It’s got to be that I didn’t hear him right.

“Cal,” I whisper, and it feels like my entire world is closing in on me.

My dad’s in the hospital.

My mom is scared, tired, and shouldn’t have to bear the burden of dealing with this alone.

I’m the one who’s supposed to be there for my parents, and I’m states away, completely helpless.

And now, Cal might be saying things like he’s in love with me, and all that means is I’m going to hurt him when I go back to Virginia—alone.

His posture is stiff, and his face is set in a grimace. “I’ve got a plane. I’ll call my pilot right now, and we’ll be able to fly out in an hour.”

I shake my head. He’s a distraction. Missing all the phone calls from my mom last night is proof of that. If I hadn’t been with him, I would’ve answered the first time my mom called. She wouldn’t have had to worry about why I wasn’t answering on top of dealing with my dad being hospitalized. The last thing I need is for Cal to come back with me.

“I have to go alone. I’ll be there a long time, and you have stuff you have to do here.”

He scoffs. “There’s nothing more important to me than being there for you through this. Let me help.”

Tears freely fall down my face. “I don’t need you to be there for me.”

His head rears back as if I’d slapped him. The hurt is written all over his face as his blue eyes scan my face. “Why do you feel like you have to handle everything on your own?”