Calvin tapped the keyboard to answer the call. “Bull’s laptop.”
Bull frowned. Presumptuous little fucker.
“Oh…you’re not Bull. Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Hi,” Rachel repeated.
Bull shook his head. He walked around the table and didn’t know what was more surprising, the thunderstruck look on Calvin’s face or the way Rachel stared at their houseguest. Bull absently shook his head at the both of them as Ben and Rachel waved at each other.
“Morning, Rach.”
That seemed to shake Calvin out of his daze. “Rachel Davenport?”
She nodded.
Calvin cleared his throat. “Thanks for writing that letter. It became my reintegration officer’s secret weapon to let me escape for the weekend.”
She smiled, her eyes bright and playful. Bull arched an eyebrow when her cheeks reddened. “I’m glad it helped. So…you’re Calvin?”
The poor guy was fumbling, opening and shutting his mouth again as if searching for the right words. He settled on a nod as he stared at the screen. “Yup.”
Bull was used to seeing Rachel rattle people with her presence, but only when she turned on her boardroom persona and exposed her claws. But…flirting? This was different. Bull raised an eyebrow when Rachel twirled a few strands of hair with her finger.
“That was…um…rude of me.” Cal casually rubbed the back of his neck.
Did he just flex?
Did she just giggle at him?
If he didn’t cut this short, he was going to have to bleach his brain.
“Don’t give him shit,” Bull said, giving her a pointed glare. “The double hi was a dead giveaway he caught your attention and now you’re practically giggling.”
She sobered and Calvin smiled.
“And you…” Bull pointed at Calvin. “Really? Flexing? As if the fish-out-of-water look wasn’t obvious enough.”
Ben grabbed his mug and pointed at Calvin to do the same and then shoved him out of the living room and down the hallway to the guest bedroom where Cal was staying.
Finally alone, Rachel blew out a breath and rubbed her forehead. “I hate you right now.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I’m mortified. I don’t know what the hell possessed me. Why didn’t you stop me when you saw me flailing?”
“You bust my balls every chance you get. Tit for tat.” Bull shrugged as he sat in his chair. “Besides, he’s a good guy.”
Rachel looked away, unable to hide a hint of a smile. “How’s the assessment coming along? Are you any closer to giving me an answer?”
“Yeah.” He crossed his arms and leaned closer. “Because Calvin came up with something and I think it deserves an on-site visit.”
She glanced back up at him. “Really?”
He nodded, knowing exactly the thought that had crossed her mind.
“You like him?” she asked, her voice hesitant.
“I briefed you on his background when I asked for the letter. His father’s an ass and screwed him over. Cal’s done some things he might not be proud of…” Come to think of it, Cal seemed pretty damn pleased with himself about knowing the ins and outs of buildings. Bull shook off the thought. “He’s here with us for the weekend, so you know I’m good with him. Besides, he’s got this big-brother protective thing with Ben that works for them.”
She absently nodded in that way she did when she was writing a mental note about something. “When do you want to fly out to look at the building?”
“Not sure.” He wasn’t thrilled about jetting across the globe for an on-site inspection, especially after the tension between him and Ben from only a few moments before. “Is Anthony still visiting the Belgium office?” He could probably convince Anthony to do the visit. Especially considering that would put him an hour away from his not-so-secret girlfriend, Marissa.
“He’s there for another two days. Send him the report of what you need to have checked so that he can review it and follow up with you. I’ll get an appointment scheduled for you to meet with our building contact there, but if you guys work something out, he can reroute his return flight.”
She fidgeted with the pen on her desk.
“So…that was Calvin?”
His laugh thundered in the living room as he settled in for the second part of their conversation as friends.
One week later
“Are you kidding me?”
Bull stared at Rachel’s ashen face on his laptop screen, willing her to break out a big grin and yell, “Gotcha.” The call was supposed to be a discussion of pros and cons after Anthony’s follow-up visit to the building, not about the explosion in the parking garage of said building that caused the structure to collapse.
“I wish I were joking.” Rachel’s chest heaved with another