Risk & Reward

Twenty-Three

"Hey, I was about to call you." Shi smiles as she answers her phone, setting her things in the back of her car as she holds the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"I miss you! It's been like a week and a half since I got to kiss you. Can I see you soon?" Calum half whines in response.

"I know, I'm sorry. The last week and a half have been hell. I'm managing, and finding balance, but the apartment stuff in the middle of it all didn't help anything."

"How's that going?"

"No leads, and they think it was probably a random attack. Like teenagers who thought it would be funny to try and break into an apartment. We got my video doorbell set up and Paul helped me get some other safety things in place. I'm still a bit nervous but it has been fine so far. I've been at the apartment a couple nights now." She fills him in as she gets into the car.

"I hope that's all it was."

"Me too. Anyway, what are your plans for this weekend?"

"We're in the studio part of Sunday I think? But not much otherwise? Why?"

"The staging company wants me in LA Monday to Wednesday next week for some company training and such and I figured I might as well come down a day or two early to see you. They're putting me up in a hotel Sunday to Wednesday, but I could stay with you Saturday night if you're free."

"You should stay with me the whole time. I'd hate for you to be shut up in whatever hotel they decide is good enough but also cheap enough."

"No I can't, Cal!" She panics slightly at the idea.

"Why not?"

"Because, how am I supposed to just encroach on your space for five days? And we'll have different work schedules, so it basically be like I'm forcing you to give me a key to your house, and the alarm code. I could never ask you to do all that, ever, but especially not already."

"First off," he chuckles softly at her, "you aren't forcing or even asking me to do those things, I'm offering. And even if I did give you a key, you could give it back on Wednesday if it feels like too much too soon to keep it. I'd trust you with it though, Shi. I'd trust my house to you anytime."

"It's barely been two months since we met and you'd let me have a key to your house already?"

"You stole the one to my heart pretty fast, and you've taken great care of that one. If I can trust you with that one, why wouldn't I trust you with the one to my house too?"

"Cheesy much?" She laughs, biting back an unattractive giddy sound that almost slips out too.

"Only for you, baby."

"Alright, I'll come down Saturday at some point, probably around noon or so, and we can figure out the week from there."

"You're staying with me, Shi. Accept the idea."

"I'll think about it." She rolls her eyes slightly at his insistence.

"What are you doing today?" Calum changes the subject.

"I'm on my way to an install. I feel like I've been neglecting my team and leaving them to do all the heavy lifting with having to work on my computer so much lately. So I decided to take the afternoon to go help with this setup today. We're doing a model home staging for a new development so it's going to be a bit more than usual."

"How's that going? Having that Cam guy working for you, I mean."

"Well, not going to the jobsites to help has kept him and I away from each other so that's been one upside. We'll see how today goes."