[4 Seasons 01] Seducing Summer (24 page)

It was five days before the hospital
decided that Callie was well enough to fly home. She was still sore, but the
pain had lessened to a manageable level with painkillers, and luckily it was
only a couple of hours to Wellington with a change at Auckland.

Still, she’d underestimated how tired she
would feel after even that small journey, and by the time they touched down in
Wellington, she was dozing off on Gene’s shoulder and desperate to get home.

Ian collected their cases while she sank
onto a seat, the ever-present Gene by her side, keeping a sharp lookout across
the airport. Her eyes closed again, and she sagged against him. His arm came up
around her shoulders, gentle against her bandaged wound but holding her tightly
to him.

“Ian might see,” she mumbled, trying to
stay upright.

“Don’t give a fuck,” Gene replied. “I’m
past caring what everyone thinks.”

Callie looked up at him. Phoebe had had to
leave after a couple of nights, but Gene had barely left her side in the
hospital. She’d guessed what he felt for her was more than the concern he might
have felt for a client, but it was nice to hear him confirm it.

“Really?” she murmured.

He lowered his head and gave her a quick
kiss before straightening to scan the lounge again. “I still want to wait until
it’s over. But I don’t care if everyone discovers my feelings for you.”

She nestled against him, smiling as she
closed her eyes.

“Did you speak to your dad?” Gene asked.

She opened her eyes again, her smile
fading. She’d called Peter Summer the day before, and it had been a long and
difficult conversation that had ended with her in tears and her father choked
up with shame. “Yes. Possibly the worst telephone call I’ve ever had to make.”

“How did you end it?”

“We’re still talking, but I can’t say I’ve
forgiven him. I feel bad for blaming Mum for the breakup of their marriage all
this time. I know she isn’t easy to live with, and I’m not saying everything is
his fault, but of course hitting someone is never acceptable.”

“Did you tell him about me?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “He didn’t say
much, but to be honest, I think you’ve impressed him by the way you’ve stood by
Mum all this time. And he wanted me to pass on that he was grateful for the way
you’ve looked after me.”

“Apart from the fact that you got shot.”

“Yes, apart from that.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I’m going
to spend the rest of my life making sure nothing horrible ever happens to you,
Callie Summer.”

She swallowed hard. It was the first time
either of them had suggested that what they had might be more than a fling.

Something was niggling her, though, and she
had to say it. “Gene… You’re not just saying that because you feel guilty that
I got shot, are you?”

“No.”

She looked up at him.

He raised an eyebrow.

She put her head back on his shoulder.
“Okay.” It seemed there was no more to be said on that topic.

*

The next few days she spent resting,
sleeping for a few hours before getting up and mooching around her house,
watching TV, and sitting out on the deck, reading. Rowan kept a close eye on
her, making sure she didn’t want for anything.

It felt as if she was in limbo, physically
and emotionally, and she began to feel a rising restlessness, which wasn’t
helped when firstly Phoebe received yet another death threat, and then another
member of the jury that had convicted Kirk was shot dead not far from them in
Wellington.

Everything seemed to turn ultra-serious
after that. For the first time, Gene left her side and returned to his office
to coordinate his teams and to work with the STG, although he visited her
often. Julia and Ian took turns to stay in the house at all times. Two other
agents patrolled outside. Both Callie and Phoebe were advised to stay at home
until Kirk was caught.

By day three, Callie was pulling her hair
out. She’d spoken to Neve and Bridget frequently, keeping them updated on what
was going on, but she hadn’t seen them yet and she was bored witless. “Please
come around!” she wailed that afternoon, and so within an hour the four of them
were sitting on the deck under the large umbrella, sunning their legs and
drinking iced lemonade in the sultry heat.

Julia took a seat at the bottom of the
garden and walked around the perimeter every now and again, making sure nobody
was hanging around. Apart from that, Callie could almost believe she was living
a normal life.

“How’s Willow?” she asked Rowan. Liam had
rung the night before to announce that her sister had gone into labor early.

“No news yet.” Rowan bounced in her seat.
“I’m going to be an auntie. I’m so excited.”

Callie smiled, although she felt a twist in
her gut at Rowan’s genuine enthusiasm. Her friend had a hundred reasons to be
envious and resentful of her twin sister’s good fortune, and yet the lovely
Rowan—beautiful in body and mind—never showed anything but joy at Willow’s
happiness.

“Childbirth, though,” Neve said, wincing.
“Ouch.”

“Yeah, but think what she’ll get at the end
of it,” Rowan said, misty-eyed.

“You mean stitches, a saggy tummy, and no
sleep for the next three years?” Neve said.

Rowan rolled her eyes. “You’re so bloody…”

“Practical? Realistic?”

“Unromantic.”

“Oh, stop it, you two,” Callie said good-naturedly.
“Don’t argue. Not today.”

“How are you feeling?” Bridget gestured at
her bandaged shoulder. “Does it hurt?”

“Only when I do my physio. I’m down to
painkillers twice a day, and it’s manageable now. Just a bit stiff.”

“I can’t believe you were shot,” Neve said.
“That’s so cool.”

“I know.” Callie prodded her bandage. “I’ll
have something interesting to tell my grandchildren, anyway.”

“Speaking of which… I’ve been talking to
Phoebe.” Neve’s look turned mischievous.

“Oh?” Callie’s heart began to race as the
others’ faces turned curious.

“Yeah. She told me he’s got the hots for
you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re blushing,” Bridget said. “Come on,
spill the beans.”

Neve grinned. “What were the ‘his and hers’
lubes like?”

Callie’s face burned, and they all laughed.
“Stop it,” she scolded, fanning herself.

“How did it start?” Rowan wanted to know.

Callie decided there was no point in
denying it, especially when they were going to see each other after the whole
business wrapped up. “I don’t know. It just happened. He told me that you
warned him not to get involved, Neve. And before he realized that I knew who he
was, it tore him up—I could see that. He knew he shouldn’t. But neither of us
could keep away from the other.”

“Aw.” They all looked a mixture of envious
and pleased for her.

“So is he staying here?” Bridget asked.

“No. His discovery that I knew came at the
same time as that horrible death threat where the guy mentioned he was watching
me. We made the decision to keep apart after that so Gene could concentrate on
protecting me.”

“It’s so romantic,” Rowan said dreamily.
“I’m so happy for you.”

“Maybe you need to start designing her
wedding dress,” Neve teased.

“Good grief, let’s not jump the gun,”
Callie said hastily. “We’ve not even discussed dating again properly yet.”

“But you think there’s a possibility he’s
interested in more than a fling?” Rowan asked.

“Yes,” Callie said softly. “I think he is.
Once this whole horrible business is sorted and we can get back to normal.”

Neve opened her mouth to answer, but at
that moment Rowan’s phone rang. They all stared at it.

“Go on,” Callie said with excitement.
“Answer it!”

Rowan did so, her face growing pale. Callie
could understand her worry—even in this day and age, childbirth was never
risk-free, and there were always things that could go wrong.

“It’s Liam,” Rowan mouthed. Her eyes
widened as she listened, and then her face broke into a huge grin. “It’s a
boy!”

“Woo-hoo!” Callie yelled, and they all
stood and high-fived, cheering and jumping around.

“He’s eight pounds six and doing well,”
Rowan announced once she’d hung up. “And Willow’s fine too. A bit tired, but
fine. I’ll go and see her later.”

“We’ll all go tomorrow, too,” Neve said.

Callie hesitated, not sure if Gene would
let her leave the house to visit her friend in hospital. Frustration filled
her. Fuck this stupid situation! How long was she going to have to be a
prisoner in her own home?

She opened her mouth to tell the others
that she wouldn’t be able to go with them, but the words faded on her lips and
she frowned, looking down the garden. Julia’s phone had rung a few seconds ago
and she was holding it to her ear, listening. Callie hadn’t taken any notice
because the agents were on the phone practically all the time. But something in
Julia’s face made her catch her breath.

The other girls stopped talking, and
automatically got to their feet as Julia finished her call and walked up the
garden toward them. Her eyes shone.

“There’s someone to see you,” she said, a
hint of her smile on her lips.

Callie frowned and turned at the sound of a
commotion at the front of her house. And then the front door opened and Gene
came striding in, Phoebe right behind him.

He scanned the room, saw them in the
garden, and came over to the door. It was as if he didn’t see anyone else—he
looked straight at Callie, his eyes blazing bright with excitement and triumph.

“They got him.” His face broke into a grin.
“They got Kirk.”

Everyone cheered, including Phoebe and
Julia, and behind them so did Ian and the other two agents who’d followed Gene
in.

“It’s over,” he said to Callie, walking
closer to her. He looked into her eyes, his own filled with such love and
affection that it took her breath away. “How does it feel?”

Callie burst into tears.

Everyone cooed, “
Awww
,” the girls
covering their mouths and giving sympathetic laughs.

“Oh, sweetheart…” Gene put his arms around
her, and she sobbed into his shirt. “I didn’t mean to have that effect.”

“Sorry,” she said, trying to stop, but the
tears just kept on coming.

“It’s all right.” He rubbed her back.
“You’ve had a hell of a few weeks. I think you’re allowed.”

Her mother came up to her and touched her
arm. “I’m so sorry to have put you through all this,” she whispered. “The last
thing I ever wanted to do was put you in danger.” She kissed Callie’s hair,
then said to the others, “Why don’t we go inside and leave them for a moment?
I’m sure Callie has a bottle of wine we can break open.”

Everyone went inside, leaving Callie and
Gene alone on the deck, warmed by the afternoon sun.

Gene held her for a while, waiting for her
sobs to quieten. Gradually, the emotion drained away, and she rested her cheek
on his chest, listening to the others talking and laughing inside, and watching
the fantails jumping about in the lemon tree.

He moved back a little, lifted her chin,
and wiped her face. “Okay?” he asked.

She sniffed. “I must look awful.”

“Well, I’ve seen you covered in blood and
waking up straight after an operation. If anything was going to put me off, I
think it would have done so by now.”

Her lips curved up. His eyes were full of
admiration, and something she hadn’t expected to see—hope.

“Is it really over?” she whispered.

“It’s over. Kirk’s henchmen won’t be
interested in carrying on his personal feud now he’s gone. And he’s going to be
in prison for the rest of his life.”

“I can’t believe it.” She felt as if there
had been storm clouds on the horizon for such a long time, and now they’d
suddenly gone away and the sun had come out. “Does that mean…?” She could
hardly bear to form the words.

Gene’s face looked solemn. “Callie Summer,
would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?”

Her lips curved up. “A real date?”

“A real date.”

“Can we hold hands?”

“We can even snog at the table if you
like.”

She chuckled, then placed her hands on his
chest and played with the button of his shirt. “And can you come back to my
place… and stay the night?” She lifted her gaze to his.

“If you’d like me to.” His voice was
suddenly husky.

“I’d like that more than anything in the
world. To sleep next to you. To wake up with you.”

He cupped her face. “Then it’s settled.” He
lowered his lips and kissed her.