an eyebrow as he took a swallow of his beer. “You have any idea what it’s about?”
“She called me a few weeks ago and was trying to contact you. She said there was something she wanted to talk to both of us about. I didn’t get any detail, though. I just told her I’d call back when I got some time. And guess what?” I grinned and shrugged.
Kane grinned back. “You haven’t had any time?” He shook his head. “I actually don’t even wonder what she wants. She’s burned her bridges with me.”
I’d thought so. His attitude reminded me of the many reasons I should have stopped communicating with her over the years, but something kept pulling me back, almost like I kept hoping she’d be better. Or she’d love me as I was, without trying to change me.
When we all sat at the massive Caldwell family dining table, noise and chatter swelled up to the high vaulted ceiling, but no one seemed to miss any of the beats or get lost in any of the conversations. Even Leo moved easily from offering advice at the far end of the table to tickling a small child as she ran by to laughing at a joke Jamie told. Conversations were picked up and put down with brothers finishing each other’s sentences and talking over each other, and sometimes it seemed like they’d pulled thoughts right out of each other’s heads that no one had spoken yet.
There was something fluid and beautiful and almost magical about the gathering, although it was definitely the noisiest dinner I’d ever been to.
And Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell just watched over their sons, pride in their eyes as they laughed and chatted along, presiding over their own brand of organized chaos.
A pang of longing echoed inside me that Kane’s and my upbringing had been so far removed from this much acceptance and love.
“Have you managed to line up anymore work, Shayne?” Kairo asked his question from across the table, and like magic, the entire room fell quiet as soon as he spoke my name, like it was the keyword everyone had been waiting for.
I cleared my throat and scratched my neck. “I’ve been looking for the right project. I want something meaningful, like the documentary I finished or the mentoring one I’m working on with you. I’d like to think I can make a difference in people’s lives with my work.”
“So, you’re not going to start working at one of the wedding magazines to get some tips on what to wear or how to accessorize, or anything?” Adrian grinned, mischief in his gaze as he asked his question, but my face heated.
Kane smiled as well, but shit. How did I answer that question without putting my balls on the line?
“No one would have better tips than my wife.” Mr. Caldwell stepped in, his lips quirking with amusement even though his tone was firm.
“Your house is beautiful, and you did a wonderful job with Leo’s apartment,” I offered.
For a moment, I held my breath, wondering if Leo’s mom was going to reply. Then, “Unfortunately, because it’s a rented space, there’s only so much I can do. I can’t wait until he gets an actual place I can go to town on.”
I nodded, glancing around the Caldwell home “I’d love to take some pictures in here sometimes. I’m sure there would be interest from some of the interior design magazines.”
She shrugged. “Meh. I don’t know if I’d like that. We love our home, but we only share it with those we care about.” Her tone became meaningful. “I’m glad you’re back in Lakeshore, Shayne. And I hope you get to stick around for a while.”
Leo froze next to me, the tension in his posture attracting my attention. “Did you mean what you said to Kairo, that you don’t have any jobs coming up? No travel?”
I squeezed his hand, kissing his knuckles again, in the way that had become as familiar to me as breathing. “No travel. I haven’t taken on any of the offers that have come my way because they don’t match up to what I want, and I’m going to start looking for things a lot more local because I really don’t want to leave you.”
As we drank our coffee at the end of dinner, I’d eased into the rhythm of the Caldwell family. The appearance of chaos masked the gentle tides and currents holding everything together under the surface, and that part was almost soothing. Deep