Firewall (10 page)

“So don’t beat yourself up over things like that. It might take a little more practice for you to find someone but I’m sure you will, if that’s what you really want.”

Justin’s heartstrings twisted as he nipped his bottom lip.

But I want
you
.

The silence that fell now was more awkward than anything else before. While Calder was so good at getting people to talk, he rarely revealed anything about his innermost thoughts.

But the fact that Calder had admitted that even
he
had been jealous had been amazing. What insecurities did Calder have to cause those insecurities?

Maybe that kiss they’d had hadn’t been
completely
out of the blue.

T
he charity event
had gone well enough. Justin had really come into his own during it and it had been amazing to see. He knew socializing wasn’t easy for Justin, but he was glad to see Justin giving it his best.

Justin had really glowed that afternoon once he had got into it. Everyone tended to write Justin off, not giving him a chance to warm up, but today was different. Today, people had been able to see more of Justin than he normally had a chance to share. Today had seemed to be a good day for Justin.

As oddly pleasing as it was to see Justin flourish, it had caused just a hint of jealousy as well, which had taken Calder by surprise. He really hadn’t been expecting that, although he should ‘have.

But what exactly made him feel threatened? Was it the worry that Justin would suddenly become so popular that he wouldn’t have time for Calder? Through his work with A-list people, Calder had seen many relationships crash and burn. No, it was ridiculous to think on that kind of scale but he couldn’t help it. Everyone experienced similar fears at some point in their lives.

Calder had more important things to worry about than that right now. Wallace’s sister had confirmed that Wallace had had feelings for Justin. As much as Calder liked to think that Wallace was going to do the smart thing and stay away, his history said otherwise. Plus, if jealousy about Justin’s work was an issue, then Wallace sabotaging Justin’s new firm was a real possibility.

Calder was believing more and more that Wallace had been the one that got Justin fired. He didn’t have solid proof but he had to trust the little signs and his instincts. He had seen scenarios similar to this play over and over.

He had to keep Justin protected at all costs.

Now back at Justin’s place, Calder moved to the office while Justin retreated to his room to place some video games in peace. Calder used this time to catch up on his work and take down his notes.

T
hings were pretty
quiet for the next couple of days, with the convention being right around the corner. Calder was absorbed in learning as much about the Security Secrets convention as possible and also about Justin’s new firm. For the most part, Calder let Justin do his own thing, although he had to help with a lot of it still because of his position as a personal assistant.

Working closely with Justin on the business front was interesting, too, and it gave Calder a better glimpse into Justin’s world. And his mind. It was amazing watching him work. While Justin seemed to have a lot of things under control, Calder still got in touch with accountants and lawyers on Justin’s behalf to make sure they were doing everything right.

With Justin investing so much in this new dream, the last thing Calder wanted was for him to crash and burn. Helping Justin get his own business on track kept Calder’s mind off the fact that he didn’t have anything lined up after their contract was done.

He’d worry about that later.

And, of course, he was worried about Wallace being at the convention, too. He hoped Wallace wouldn’t cause a scene. At the same time, though, he burned to discover if Wallace really
was
the one behind Justin getting fired. At least then, Justin would have closure on that incident. If he wanted to pursue something in court, there’d be something to work with.

That afternoon, Calder was in his office doing some work when he caught movement on the computer surveillance screen. He lifted his head, spotting two women approaching the front steps. He recognized them as Laura and Sarah.

Calder pushed away from his desk and headed downstairs just as the doorbell rang. He moved to get it but Justin had already beaten him to it, which annoyed him greatly.
He
should ‘have been the one to get the door. What if it had been Wallace or anyone else that meant Justin harm? Calder would have to have a talk with Justin about that later.

“Good afternoon!” Laura said as Justin opened the door.

“Good afternoon,” Justin returned, then grunted as he was hugged. Laura’s hug was strong and fierce while Justin looked like he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with his arms.

Justin didn’t even hug his family that much?

“Hello, Calder,” Laura smiled as she stepped inside with Sarah close behind.

“Hello,” Sarah greeted, nodding toward them both.

“Anyone want anything to drink?” Justin offered.

“I’ll have a soda,” Laura responded.

“I’ll get it,” Calder offered, deciding to play up the personal assistant role, even though they were at home. “Anyone else want anything?” When both Justin and Sarah asked for sodas as well, Calder headed off into the kitchen.

He hadn’t been expecting Laura and Sarah at all but Justin hadn’t been surprised. Had Justin invited them over without consulting with him? Calder definitely needed to go over some ground rules again.

When he returned with four sodas, the trio were already comfortably seated on the couch. They were all talking lowly amongst themselves but stopped suddenly when Calder appeared. He eyed them suspiciously but no one gave him an inch.

“Here you go.” Calder handed sodas out to everyone and took a seat near Justin. What had that been about? Calder was half-tempted to slip off to the surveillance room and check the tapes but that’d be overkill. Judging by the all-too-innocent looks on their faces, he had a feeling it had been gossip that he wasn’t privy to.

“So, the charity went well!” Laura enthused after accepting and cracking open her soda. “We raised a lot more money than I thought we would, which will be great for getting more books.”

“And how did the books that people dropped off do?” Calder asked.

Laura made a face. “Some of them were gems but most of it not so much. Some of them weren’t even gay literature! Oh, well. You win some, you lose some. All in all, it was a great night. But enough about me, I want to hear more about you.”

Calder sipped his soda, sitting straight and calm as always. “What do you want to know?”

“I know you were working a pretty good gig back in Los Angeles. What made you accept a job with my brother?”

“I wanted a change of pace, and what kind of guy would I be if I didn’t help my best friend?”

Laura and Sarah exchanged quick glances from their corners of their eyes that Justin might have missed but Calder caught. It was clear that they were digging for something more.

“And he’s been great, too,” Justin spoke up. “It’s been good having him here these past few days. I didn’t realize how quiet the house was.”

Calder’s chest tightened at these words as he gazed to Justin.

“No?” Laura prompted.

“The house is a bit big for a bachelor.”

“And that’s not going to change anytime soon?” Laura asked.

Calder eyed Laura and there was no denying that mischievous look.

Justin looked a little confused for a moment but then blushed. “Oh, stop it. We’re just friends.”

Friends that happened to fool around—friends with benefits? Even if it was just once?

Laura smiled and sat back. “Sorry. I just know you’re both single and a big sister’s always going to want the best for her kid brother.”

Calder barely managed to hide his surprise. Did Laura think that
he
was the best for Justin? The thought made him warm inside.

“Anyway,” Sarah spoke up. “Tell us more about this new company you’re starting.”

The conversation flowed more easily once they steered away from the awkward relationship subject. Calder listened to Justin lay out his plans for the new IT security firm, excited about it. That spike in energy was addictive and this was a side of Justin that Calder always enjoyed seeing.

And after the business conversation, Calder gently steered it back to Laura and Sarah, although Justin seemed more than eager to keep talking about himself. Some things never changed but Calder was helping Justin work on that.

“Well, we won’t keep you guys,” Laura announced as she rose to her feet. “We better be going.”

“Thanks for dropping by,” Justin said. “I’ll walk you out to your car.”

When Laura, Sarah, and Justin slipped on their shoes and headed outside, Calder stepped out onto the front steps. He surveyed the surroundings and didn’t see any immediate threat. Once Justin was at the car with Laura, Calder saw Laura hand Justin a large bag. Then, a few moments later, the car drove off as everyone waved.

Justin walked back up the lane to rejoin Calder, the bag at his side. “That went well, huh?”

“I didn’t know they were coming,” Calder said casually while giving Justin a more pointed look as they both stepped back inside.

“Oh, I probably should’ve told you...”

“Yeah, that would’ve been good—as both your bodyguard and your PA.”

Justin winced. “Sorry, it slipped my mind.”

“Don’t let it slip
too
much. I need to be in the know, too.”

Justin looked guilty and glanced away. Calder wasn’t too mad at Justin but how could he be, anyway, with a cute look like that?

“Anyway, what’s in the bag?” Calder asked to defuse the situation.

Justin lifted the bag and held it out for Calder, looking up and meeting his eyes. “It’s for you.”

Calder furrowed his brow and accepted the bag, then opened it. Carefully, he removed a canvas. It was the same waterfall painting that he had been admiring at the silent charity auction the night before.

“Justin...!” Calder let the bag drop away to hold the painting up and admire it.

“I saw how much you liked it and couldn’t resist.”

“How much did you pay for it?”

“I’m not telling you that. Just enjoy the gift.”

Calder laughed, looking between the painting and Justin. “I do. Thank you. I can hang it up in the guestroom.”

“Your room,” Justin corrected. “You’re welcome to stay in that room as long as you want.”

Calder wasn’t sure what to say as his grip tightened on the painting. Up close, the painting was even more magnificent, since the brushstrokes were more visible.

And Justin had gotten him this as a gift. His mind flashed back to the night before where Justin had put in his ballot. Of
course
it had been to get it as a gift. Calder had dismissed it as a piece Justin wanted for himself as well.

His mind was still reeling from the fact that Justin had invited him to stay indefinitely, too. How long would that invitation really stand?

“I’ll bring it upstairs,” Calder said.

“We
could
find room down here. It’d be a shame not to show it off,” Justin uttered as he glanced around.

“That might mean removing one of your
Harry Potter
posters,” Calder teased.

“There’s still plenty of space on the walls,” Justin protested.

Calder laughed and followed Justin on the search for a decent showcasing spot that wasn’t already taken. In the end, it was decided that the painting would be hung over the dining table. There was already a painting of some obscure movie there and Calder was oddly honored when Justin removed it to put the new painting in place.

Once Calder had the painting in place, they stepped back and admired it. “It’s so different from everything else that people are definitely going to ask you about it.”

“I don’t have many people over, so I’m not worried,” Justin shrugged.

While Calder laughed, the comment hurt his heart. It was sad that Justin didn’t have many visitors. Justin didn’t have a whole lot of friends but he had never seemed to hurt because of it. Still, it would ‘have been nice to see things change if Justin wanted them to change.

But if Justin was asked about the painting, what story would he tell? Would he tell them that it was a promise of a vacation together sometime? Would he be that sappy? It was always hard to tell with Justin exactly what would come out of his mouth.

“All right. I think it’s time to get packed for the convention.”

“And then would you like to watch a movie with me?” Justin asked.

“Of course,” Calder responded without missing a beat. “You should probably pack, too.”

“All right.”

The two trudged upstairs together, slipping into their separate rooms. It didn’t take long for Calder to pack, although he was still somewhat meticulous about it. He made sure to check the weather in Seattle for the week to get an idea of what to wear. He decided to take one of his suits that he wore as a bodyguard and made the rest focus on personal assistant attire. He didn’t think he’d need the bodyguard suit, but just in case.

When he was done packing, he put the suitcase near the door and was about to slip out to see how Justin was doing when he received a call. He removed his phone from his pocket and raised his brow as he saw the number.

Underwood.