by SJ McCoy
Teresa wanted to know about him, about who he was, who his family was. And perhaps telling her about it might help him figure out who he wanted to be now.
Chapter Six
Teresa looked up when the patio lights flashed on and off three times. She looked at her watch and couldn’t believe that it was just after midnight.
“Is that your friend, Tino, giving us a hint?” asked Cal.
She laughed. “Yep. I can’t believe it’s gotten so late. We’ve been here for hours.”
He checked his watch and shook his head in disbelief. “I had no idea.”
“That’s a relief. I’d hate to think that you’d been watching the minutes drag by while I kept you here and talked your ear off.”
“You know that’s not the case. I’ve done as much talking as you—perhaps more.”
It was true, too. At first, she’d caught herself chattering, but that had been nerves. After a while, she’d relaxed and when she’d asked Cal about himself, he’d opened up.
He got to his feet and held his hand out to her. She got up, wishing that the night didn’t have to end. They’d talked and laughed for hours already but she still felt like they were just getting started.
When they reached the back door of the restaurant, it was locked. “I guess Tino wanted to get home,” she told Cal. “We can go around the outside.” She turned to go back, but Cal didn’t move out of her path.
Instead, he put his hands—damn they were big hands!—on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “I had a great time tonight.”
She nodded. She didn’t have breath to spare for words, it was all caught in her chest somewhere.
She couldn’t stop her hands from reaching out to touch him. Her palms flattened themselves against his chest, and all her breath finally came out in a big, involuntary sigh.
He leaned in closer, and her eyelids drooped. She wanted to look at his handsome face, but her eyes closed, and her lips parted when his arms came around her and he kissed the corner of her mouth.
She pecked him back tentatively. She wanted nothing more than to claim his mouth in a full-on kiss, but he’d been so hesitant, she didn’t want to—Whoa! His arms tightened around her waist and she found herself crushed against his broad chest. It seemed he’d used up all his hesitation over the course of the evening and now he was making up for it. He kissed her like he meant it, and certainly not like a guy who was as rusty as he claimed to be with the ladies. She clung to him to keep herself upright, even though the way he held her told her loud and clear that he wouldn’t let her fall.
Eventually, he lifted his head, but he didn’t loosen his arms around her. His eyes were a beautiful blue as they looked down into hers.
“From everything you’ve told me, between the salon and Elle and Skye being home, you have a full and busy life.”
She nodded, wondering where he was going.
“Do you have room in your life for more?”
She cocked her head to the side.
“Do you date?”
“Yeah. Sometimes.”
He brought his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. “I’m making a mess of this again, what I’m trying to do here is ask if you’d like to date me. You know, go out sometimes?”
She nodded. “I’d love to.” She wasn’t sure what he meant. Did go out sometimes mean that they’d have dinner once a month? That they could pair up for convenience on occasion since their friends were together? Whatever he meant, she was up for it.
He closed his arms around her again and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How about more than sometimes?” She looked up at him, and he smiled. “Is there any chance you’re free tomorrow night?”
She couldn’t hold her smile in as relief and excitement coursed through her. “Yes.”
~ ~ ~
When he brought his SUV to a stop in front of her house, Cal cut the engine. She wasn’t going to invite him in. He knew that. Her daughter and granddaughter were there. Even if they weren’t, he’d be bidding her goodnight out here. He felt as though he’d made up a lot of lost ground tonight—recovered quickly from his lack of practice with the fairer sex. But he wasn’t in a hurry.
Teresa turned and put her hand on his arm with a smile. The heat that surged in his veins at her touch made a liar out of him. She made him want to hurry her straight to bed. Desire and arousal may have become unfamiliar feelings over the last few years, but she’d brought them back with a vengeance over the course of just an evening.
“Thanks, Cal.”
He frowned. Thanks sounded like a dismissal. “You’re welcome.” He wasn’t even sure what she was thanking him for. “Thank you, too. I haven’t enjoyed an evening this much in …” He didn’t know how long. The answer that came to mind scared him, and would no doubt scare her too. He’d sound like the creepy dude if he told her he couldn’t remember ever enjoying an evening this much. “… a long time,” he finished lamely.
She laughed, and he relaxed. She had such a light-hearted approach to everything; he’d do well to try and lighten up a little himself. “What did I say wrong this time?” he asked with a rueful smile.
“Nothing! You didn’t say anything wrong. I was laughing that if this is the best evening you’ve had in a long time, you should stick with me. I’ll remind you how to have fun.”
She was only teasing, he knew it. But it felt like she was speaking a deeper truth that she wasn’t even aware of. And part of his mind was also shouting that he could take her words on another level, too, if he wanted to—a more physical level. And that part desperately wanted to.
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me, too.”
“So, tomorrow? Do you want to remind me tomorrow?”
Her eyes widened. So, he wasn’t the only one who was thinking along those lines. He wanted to ask her what kind of fun she had in mind. But that wouldn’t be fair. He needed to get his act together and be the one to lead, not play the coward like this and put her on the spot.
“You said you’re free tomorrow,” he clarified. “Would you still like to see each other?”
She nodded.
“Can I pick you up? I could take you over to the Lodge at Four Mile. I heard the restaurant there is great; we could have dinner.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“Great. What time?”
“Seven-thirty?”
“I’ll be here.”
He leaned toward her and she came to meet him. Her lips were soft and sweet. She kissed him eagerly. It’d be easy to get lost in her kisses. But not here, not sitting in his car outside her house. He closed his fingers around the back of her neck and took one last taste before he leaned back and smiled.
“You have the most amazing smile I’ve ever seen!”
He had to laugh. She was a breath of fresh air. “Why, thank you. That may be the best compliment I’ve ever had.”
She chuckled. “I have a feeling you’ll be getting more of them in the not too distant future.”
He raised an eyebrow, not sure he understood. But she just laughed. “I guess we’ll see.” She turned and started to open the door. He didn’t want her to go but it was time.
He got out and couldn’t help placing his hand in the small of her back as he walked her to her front door. She looked up at him and reached up to plant a peck on his lips.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
He nodded. “Seven-thirty.” He wanted to kiss her again but knowing that her daughter and granddaughter were inside stopped him. Instead, he closed his fingers around the back of her neck and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll look forward to it.”
~ ~ ~
Teresa closed the front door behind her and let out a big breath that was half sigh, half chuckle.
She jumped when Elle popped her head out of the living room. “Are you okay?”
“I’m
fine, sweetheart. Better than fine.”
Elle raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Want to tell me about it?”
“If you like? I thought you’d be in bed.”
“I couldn’t sleep. After Skye went down …” She shrugged. “I’m awake, and I’d love to hear about your night, if you want to tell me. Did you and Nina have a good time?”
“Oh, thanks for reminding me. I need to text her. Let her know I got home okay.”
“That wasn’t her who dropped you off?”
“Nope.” Teresa didn’t do a very good job of hiding her smile.
“Who, then?”
“Just let me send her a message and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Elle grinned. “Does this call for a glass of wine?”
“It sure does.” Teresa didn’t need another, but she wasn’t going to pass up the chance to hang out with Elle like this. She didn’t know if it was deliberate, but they were falling back into their old after-a-night-out routine. When Elle had still lived at home, before Tristan had come along, they used to sit in the kitchen when she came home from a night out. They used to share a glass of wine and she’d tell Teresa about her friends and her boyfriends. Teresa missed those times and had often wished for them back—but she hadn’t seen things turning around like this; that she’d be the one coming home after midnight to find her daughter still up.
She sent Nina a quick message to let her know she was home—and that they’d talk tomorrow. She wanted to tell her friend about the night’s events, but it was more important to spend this time with Elle.
She was relieved when Nina’s reply came back short and sweet.
Nina: Thanks. I know it’s late now. But call me tomorrow.
She found Elle in the kitchen and took a seat at the island beside her.
“So?” Elle took a sip of wine and slid the glass toward her.
Teresa grinned.
“Who brought you home?”
“The guy who was in the salon this afternoon.”
“Mom!” Elle looked horrified.
“It’s okay. He’s not married. It wasn’t what it looked like.”
Elle frowned. “Are you sure? How do you know he’s not just talked his way out of it?”
Teresa laughed. “Because I don’t need to take his word for it. He’s Manny’s friend.”
“He is? You’re serious? The guy Nina wanted you to meet is the same guy who asked you out this afternoon?”
“Yep.”
“That’s some coincidence.” Elle didn’t look convinced.
“I know. I couldn’t believe it. You would have laughed. Nina and Manny were telling me about this great guy, and of course, Nina told him about my creepy dude from this afternoon. Then he came back from the bathroom and they were saying here’s Cal but all I could see was Blake.”
“Oh, my God!”
“Yeah. The poor guy was texting his sister—he even showed me the conversation. Her name’s Darla. I saw darl’ and …”
“So, you gave him a hard time over nothing?”
“Yes, but in my defense, I think any woman would have read that the same way I did. The way he talked about the kids and said love you and miss you, too.”
“I guess. And he got over it?”
Teresa chuckled. “He did. He wasn’t very happy about it at first though.”
“I can imagine! Poor guy. I bet he thought you were crazy. I mean, he didn’t even know that you’d seen what he texted, did he?”
“No. But we got it all straightened out.”
“And he’s a nice guy?”
“He’s lovely.”
“Are you going to see him again?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Wow. You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“It was him. He asked. At first, I thought he was just trying to be nice, you know, trying to get things on a good footing with me since we’re kind of friends of friends. Then he made it sound like he wanted to maybe have dinner occasionally, and then …” Teresa traced her finger over her lips and smiled at the way he’d stunned her with that first kiss.
Elle laughed. “Then he made a move? Made it clear that he wants more than the occasional dinner?”
“That he wants to go out again tomorrow.”
Elle chuckled. “Hey, I’m not judging.”
“I know.” Elle had always been supportive of her dating life. She hadn’t been one to date around a lot, but she’d had the occasional boyfriend over the years.
“Anyway, what about you? Did you do anything with your evening?”
“I did. I did my nails.” She held them out for Teresa to inspect. They were long and pointy and sparkly—pretty, but Teresa had no idea how she managed to work with them. “And Abbie called, too. We had a good catch up. She wants … Oh, you know what, never mind. She sounds so happy …”
“She wants what?” asked Teresa. She had a feeling she knew what her daughter had been about to say.
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”
Teresa frowned. “Yes, it does. Did she ask you to go out with everyone tomorrow night?”
Elle dropped her gaze. “I can go another time.”
“No.” Teresa shook her head adamantly. “You should go. I’ll watch Skye. You were going to ask me to, weren’t you?”
Elle shrugged. “I’m not that worried. And you have a hot date.” She waggled her eyebrows. “He is hot, you’re not going to deny that. And no way am I going to let you miss out on that because of me.”
“Then don’t. Let me miss out on it because of Skye. I’ve been pestering you to go out so I can get her to myself ever since you came home.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “Watch my lips, Mom. No! No freaking way. You wouldn’t get Skye for long anyway. You’d put her to bed and sit here all evening by yourself. You do that enough. Go have some fun with—what’s his name?”
“Cal. But I wouldn’t have fun now anyway.”
“Well, you’ll just have to try.”
“No, Elle. This is important. This is the first time you’ve wanted to go out since you’ve been back. Please go.”
“No. It’s sweet of you, Mom, but no. You deserve a date more than I deserve a night out.”
Teresa chewed on her bottom lip. Her daughter was just as stubborn as she was. But this was important. Of course, she wanted to see Cal again. But she wanted to see her daughter start enjoying life back at the lake more.
She smiled when a solution hit her. “So, why don’t I invite him over here? That way everybody wins.”
Elle chuckled. “I don’t think I like the idea of you and him winning here while Skye’s asleep.”
Teresa laughed and slapped her arm. “Have a little more respect for you mother, young lady!”
“I do. I’m only teasing.”
“I know.” Teresa had suggested it before she’d given it any thought. But it could work. She didn’t know what Cal would think about the idea, but she could … She frowned as she realized that no she couldn’t call him and see. They hadn’t exchanged numbers. He’d said he’d pick her up here at seven-thirty.
Elle watched her face. “See, you know it’s not a great idea.”
“No. I’m thinking that I’ll call him tomorrow and see what he thinks.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I know, but I’m going to. And if he says yes, you’ll probably want to make yourself scarce. You wouldn’t want to be here to join in on my date, would you?” She smiled. “So, if I can talk him into coming over, would you mind giving us some space and going out? You could go to the Boathouse or something.”
Elle shook her head with a smile. “I love you, Mom. But will you make a deal with me?”
“What?”
“If he doesn’t like the idea of coming over here, you go out with him still? I’ll admit, I wouldn’t mind going out—but only if it doesn’t cost you a date.”
“Deal.”
> Elle laughed. “You sound pretty sure of yourself.”
Teresa waggled her eyebrows. “I am.”
Chapter Seven
Cal put the vacuum away and looked around. The house was clean—spotless. There was nothing else to do. He’d taken care of every mundane detail he could think of. Now what? He blew out a sigh and went to get a glass of water. He’d find his feet soon, establish a new routine. He was only feeling so unsettled because this was his first weekend here. Granted, he usually found his feet quickly in a new place—he was used to having to, but that was for work. This wasn’t work. This was retirement.
He took a drink and set the water bottle down on the counter. This was different. He didn’t have a predetermined timeframe or a predetermined goal. He was just here. This was to be his life now. It was unsettling. He had to smile at the contradiction—the prospect of settling down was unsettling.
He sat down on one of the stools at the island. He needed a plan. He’d done okay through the week, but that was because he’d been working. He’d gone in early and come home late. That was a familiar routine, but Dan had already made it clear that he shouldn’t expect it to be the norm. He was only supposed to be working part time.
He was enthusiastic about the operation Dan had set up. They were going to provide security services—physical and cyber security, though these days the two went hand in hand. Dan had contracts with a couple of agencies and Cal had no doubt that the work would start rolling in soon. He was here to oversee operations. Dan headed up the cyber side, Ryan was field ops, and as Ryan had put it, Cal was to be the overlord, masterminding the whole operation. What that really meant was that he’d be running interference, troubleshooting, and overseeing the big picture. If Dan were the left hand, and Ryan the right hand, they’d brought Cal in as the brain who coordinated their actions.
His phone buzzed, bringing him back from his musings. He smiled when he saw Manny’s name. Cal had texted him last night to let him know that he was home—after delivering Teresa safely to her door. He’d declined the invitation to go for a run this morning. He wasn’t ready to face Manny’s questions about last night. He knew he wouldn’t be able to put him off again, though. He picked his phone up to see what he wanted.