Read Online Callum by Melissa Schroeder - Free Book Online Page A

cousin.
    “We’ve got a problem with the new computer system in the Glasgow plant.”
    Callum glanced at her, apparently uneasy with her presence. She didn’t know if the cousins needed privacy or he was irritated with her. Either way, she wasn’t in the mood for an argument.
    She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to call my mother. Since she’s in Tokyo giving a few lectures, and it’s almost seven in the evening there, I should call now.”
    “There’s no need—”
    Phoebe interrupted Angus’s denial. “No, really. I need to grab a bite to eat and ask my mother a question about Old English.”
    “Exactly what are you going to ask her?” Callum’s voice was sharp with suspicion.
    She ground her teeth together and told herself not to get irritated. Or rather, not to let him see it. With great effort, Phoebe curled her lips into a smile. “There were two words I was unsure of. I also needed the name of a book she’d recommended. If you’d like to see the words…” She picked up her notebook and held it out to Callum.
    “I don’t think there’s any need for this,” Angus said, embarrassment ripe in his tone as he tossed his cousin a scowl.
    Callum hadn’t moved. He still sat behind his desk. Clearly he was a man weighing his words. She wondered why he demanded such secrecy. She understood protecting one’s family. She’d done it herself with Simon, mostly because she’d had something to hide. Which begged the question, what did Callum Lennon not want the world to know?
    “I understand,” she said finally. “I’m just as suspicious when I am working a site. We have to be careful that nothing goes missing or we would be liable to the government of whatever country we are in. This is, after all, what I agreed to.”
    And maybe if she appeared reasonable, he would loosen up and she’d discover what he’d worked so bloody hard to conceal. The man was a mystery in so many ways, and like good any archeological puzzle, she was motivated to solve him.
    Callum finally took the book and flipped through the pages.
    Angus tried to fill the awkward silence. “I’d like to get together and go over what you’ve found so far.”
    She turned her attention to Angus and tried to ignore the brooding man molesting her notebook. “I would like that, too. I haven’t found much, yet. At present, I’m trying to figure out the code. I would prefer to use the Internet.” But they knew she wasn’t allowed to be online without Callum present.
    “I miss research,” Angus commiserated. “IT is fun. I like computers and technology, but I truly miss getting my hands into a good project.”
    Phoebe nodded, smiling as some of her tension drained away. “I don’t know if I could ever give it up. It’s been part of my life for so long I would feel as if I’d lost a family member if I quit.”
    Angus opened his mouth to respond, but Callum slammed the book shut, shattering the easy atmosphere.
    “There’s nothing to be worried about here. I don’t think the conversation will take more than thirty minutes. Angus?” Callum asked.
    “Yes, if that.”
    With a nod at each of the cousins, she hurried out of the office. She didn’t slow down until she reached her room. A light on her mobile was blinking indicating she’d missed a call. She knew without looking that it was McWalton.
    Even before she had time to flip open the phone, it rang again.
    “Yes?”
    There was a pause, as if he hadn’t expected her to answer. “Dr. Chilton, how are things going?”
    “Fine.”
    Another pause. She knew that McWalton weighed and measured every word she uttered. And even though it drove her a little mental, she waited.
    “I was wondering if you could meet me this week?”
    “I can’t make it to Inverness—”
    “I’m in Edinburgh. I thought before I headed back up north, we could meet.”
    She hesitated. That he was here in the city bothered her. She wasn’t sure why, or why she should find it so suspicious, but