Page 36 of Hard Deal

There was still a part of him—albeit a worn-out, broken-down part—that clung to his childhood hope of one day making his father proud. Of finally feeling like he was every bit as legitimate as his brother.

Caleb shoved the thoughts aside. There wasn’t any point rehashing those old desires. Logically, he knew nothing would ever change. “When did he find out?”

“Last Thursday.”

The night Caleb was supposed to go for dinner. But instead he’d blown it off because he was still pissed about their meeting. It was a petty thing to do, because Caleb was punishing his mother by not showing up. But he’d wanted to avoid yet another fight with his dad, and sometimes the only way to achieve that was to stay away.

Clearly Gerald had swung back by keeping him out of the loop.

“Are you going to let this grudge go?” Jason asked. He motioned for Caleb to follow him and they headed out toward the elevators.

“Because he’s sick?” That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?

Should Gerald get a free pass for all the years he’d committed the ultimate parenting sin by favouring one child over another? Should he be forgiven for doing everything to advance one child in life while acting as though the other was a burden?

“The doctor is confident that he’ll beat it.” Jason jabbed at the elevator’s down button.

“But?”

“There are always people that fall into the unlucky five percent.” His brother sighed. “All I’m saying is, he won’t be around forever. It might not be now or even in ten years, but one day he’ll be gone.”

“I know that.”

“Then I would think long and hard about what you do next. Because once he’s gone, you don’t get a chance to do things over.”

A memory flashed in Caleb’s mind. He was seven years old, lying in a hospital bed after being hit by a cyclist. He’d broken his arm and had been knocked out for a few seconds, but it could have been worse. All he’d wanted was to impress his dad by walking on his hands.

Dad, Dad! Look at me!

He’d slipped and stumbled into the street outside their house. The cyclist had tried to avoid him, but it had been too late. He remembered waking up in the hospital, his mother’s face streaked with tears. Jason and their friend from next door both looking on with worried eyes.

Gerald hadn’t been there. He’d been called away to work.

“Don’t make a decision now,” Jase said, cutting into his thoughts. “But think about it.”

“I will.” He nodded.

For some reason, his mind strayed to Imogen and the way she’d touched him under the boardroom table. Not after things got heated—though that definitely played on his mind—but the way she’d stopped him from storming out of his father’s meeting, the gentle pressure of her palm against his leg soothing him. She made him feel grounded, wanted. She restored his balance and helped him feel in control even when the rest of his life was a shit show.

Why was she different?

She cared. About her job, about her boss, about her sister. She cared about things so intently and so outwardly, it made him wonder if he was cutting his life short by bottling everything up and pretending it didn’t matter.

But did she care about him? Why else would she have stopped him leaving the meeting? It would make no difference to her if Caleb’s relationship with his father imploded. There was no reason for her to intervene unless it was because she felt something for him.

For the first time in days the dark cloud lifted off Caleb’s shoulders and hope took its place. No one else had succeeded in making the shitty things in life more bearable. Most women he dated were a welcome distraction from it all—good company, a way to keep his mind off his problems. But Imogen was something more. It was like she saw through his cheeky, happy-go-lucky persona to the guy underneath. The one who wanted desperately to be a valued member of his family. The one who was at his wits’ end.

And she hadn’t turned away.

You sure it’s not simply because she’s hanging around to get the dirt on Daniel?

It was a good thing they were catching up tonight, because he wanted to know if his suspicions were true.

CHAPTER TWELVE

IMOGEN WANTED DRINKS with her colleagues as much as she wanted a hole in the head. The knowledge that she would be seeing Caleb later tonight—at his place, no less—weighed on her in that confusing and exciting yes/no way she’d come to associate with him. Her brain and her body were at a disconnect, and her heart refused to take sides.

She shouldn’t want him. But she did...so very much.