From Temptation To Twins

Caleb wasn’t a big tequila fan, but he accepted the glass anyway.

If he was reading the map correctly, where the Crab Shack driveway branched off the access road, it crossed his land for about two hundred yards.

“On one side of the driveway is a cliff,” Bernard said.

Matt crouched on one knee. “And the other is too close to the high water mark. It’s vulnerable to tidal surges if there’s a storm.”

“Is it possible for her to reroute along the shore?” Caleb asked.

“I talked to an engineer,” Bernard said. “In effect, she’d have to build a bridge.”

“They’re on a budget.”

“Then, there’s your answer.”

Matt gave a whistle. “That’s playin’ hardball.”

“I’m losing ten thousand a day in idle equipment rental.”

“So, you’d bankrupt her?”

“I’d use it for leverage.” Caleb straightened to contemplate.

He’d already tried the carrot. Maybe it was time for the stick. He’d show Jules that if they didn’t work together, it would mean mutual assured annihilation. Surely she couldn’t be so stubborn as to choose that option.

Caleb’s front door opened again, and TJ strode in from the hall. “We ready to go?” There was an eagerness in his tone.

The three men had agreed to hit a club in Olympia tonight. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. But now Caleb was regretting the commitment. He’d rather stay home. He didn’t plan to confront Jules with the threat of canceling her easement tonight, but he wasn’t in the mood for dancing and inconsequential conversation with random women either.

“Is that an ambulance?” TJ asked, gazing out the window.

Caleb turned as he stood, immediately seeing the flashing lights closing in on the Crab Shack.

“That’s not good,” Matt said, rising to his feet.

Caleb was already heading for the door, with Matt and TJ at his heels.

The fastest way to the Crab Shack was along the footpath. Caleb broke into a run. He knew every inch of the pathway, and it took him less than five minutes to get to the peninsula, his mind going over all the possible scenarios where Jules might have been hurt. Had she fallen off the ladder? Had she burned herself with the paint stripper?

Matt stuck with him, with TJ falling a bit behind. Caleb had no idea whether or not Bernard had even bothered to come along. As he ran up the gravel driveway, he could see the paramedics moving a stretcher. He put on a burst of speed.

Then he saw Jules under the lights. She wasn’t the one on the stretcher. He felt an immense surge of relief. But then his fear was back. If it wasn’t Jules, it must be Melissa.

He finally got close enough to call out.

“What happened?” he asked.

Jules looked over at him in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“We saw the ambulance lights,” he said through the gasps of his breath. “What happened?”

“Nail gun,” Melissa said from the stretcher, her voice sounding strained.

Caleb was relieved to hear her speak. But then her words registered.

“You were using a nail gun?” He moved his attention to Jules. “You have a nail gun?”

“I don’t have a nail gun. Noah has a nail gun.”

“Where’s Noah?” Caleb wanted to have a word with the man. What was he thinking letting Jules and Melissa use a nail gun? Was he crazy?

“It was my fault,” Melissa called from inside the ambulance.

“Are you coming with us?” the paramedic asked Jules.

“Yes.” She moved for the door.

“I’ll meet you there,” Caleb said.

“Why?” she asked as she stepped up to climb inside.

“Just go.”

“Melissa seemed pretty good,” Matt said.

TJ arrived, panting.

“You need to hit the gym,” Matt told him.

“No kidding,” TJ said. “Who got hurt?”

“Melissa,” Caleb said. “Something about a nail gun.”

TJ gave him an incredulous look. “Is it bad?”

“She was talking from the stretcher. But I’m going to head down to Memorial and find out what happened.”

“You are?” TJ seemed surprised.

Caleb thought it was a perfectly reasonable course of action. The women were their neighbors, and Jules might need something. At the very least, she’d need a ride back home.

“White knight syndrome,” Matt said.

“Who’s he rescuing?” TJ asked.

“Good question.” TJ raised a brow at Caleb. “The rational one or the difficult one?”

The difficult one. “Neither.”