More than Sometimes (Summer Lake Silver Book 6)

by SJ McCoy

“Will do. And she’s been talking about inviting you over for dinner soon.”

  “Okay.”

  Ryan laughed. “Don’t look like that. I told you. She doesn’t think you were behind those messages. The sooner I get the two of you together, the sooner we can all put the past behind us.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Cal turned back to his computer. He wouldn’t mind having dinner with Ryan and Leanne and putting the past where it belonged, but he was more interested in having dinner with Teresa and focusing on the future. He frowned as he entered his next password and waited for the database to load. He was thinking about her in the same breath as thinking about his future? Apparently, he was.

  Chapter Ten

  Teresa checked herself over in the mirror and smiled. She looked good. The dress flattered her figure. She knew she was lucky to have good genes. She’d been tall and willowy as a girl. Now, in her mid-fifties, she was still slender. She had to work harder for it than she ever had before, but it was a price she was willing to pay. She went to the gym a couple of times a week and did circuits with Russ. He was a good guy, and they had a laugh. She’d piled on a few too many pounds when she hit her forties and … and she didn’t need to be thinking about that tonight.

  She dabbed a little perfume on her neck and wrists and headed down the stairs. Cal had said he’d be here at seven, and she suspected he’d be early. He was that kind of guy.

  “Ooh!” Elle grinned at her when she reached the kitchen. “The poor guy’s not going to know what hit him. Should I expect you home later … or not?”

  Teresa made a face. “Of course, I’ll be home.”

  “Sorry. I’m only teasing, but by the same token, just text me if you change your mind.”

  She held her daughter’s gaze for a moment. “Thanks.”

  “You look pretty, Grandma!” Skye came toddling toward her holding her arms up.

  Teresa scooped her up and planted a kiss in her hair. “Thank you, sweet pea.”

  “Come and read Benji Mouse?”

  “Grandma can’t tonight, Skye,” said Elle. “Grandma’s going out. Once she’s gone, we’ll read.”

  Skye’s bottom lip slid out. “I want to go.”

  “No,” said Elle. “Grandma’s going out with Cal and—”

  Skye’s face lit up. “Cal? I like Cal! He likes Benji Mouse. He can read, too.”

  Elle raised an eyebrow at Teresa. “He likes Benji Mouse?”

  Teresa chuckled. “He does. He was very good with Madam here last week.” She looked down at Skye. “And if you’re good, he might read with us tomorrow when he comes. But for tonight, Cal’s taking Grandma out.”

  Skye made a face and wriggled to get down. She was on her way back to the living room when the doorbell rang, and she diverted to get it. Teresa hurried after her, and when she opened the door, Skye flung herself at Cal’s legs, wrapping her arms around them.

  “Cal! Come and read Benji Mouse!”

  Teresa marveled at the way he scooped her up and sat her on his hip. “Hello, Skye.”

  It seemed her granddaughter was just as taken with him as she was. A big, goofy smile spread across her face as she looked up at him. “Hello, Cal.”

  He pressed her nose with his thumb, making her giggle. “Are you being a good girl?”

  She glanced at Teresa and nodded.

  “She is, come on in a minute.”

  Elle came out of the kitchen and her eyes widened when she saw Skye snuggling against Cal, her arms as far around him as she could reach and her little head resting on his shoulder.

  “Hi.” She greeted him with a smile. “Come on, Skye.” She held her arms out, but Skye turned her head away and clung tighter to Cal.

  “I want Cal to read Benji Mouse.”

  He smiled through pursed lips.

  “Skye!” Elle’s tone held a warning this time.

  Cal raised an eyebrow at her, and Elle nodded. He reached up and tapped Skye’s shoulder. Teresa’s heart melted a little bit as she watched her granddaughter lift her head and look at him. “I can’t read with you tonight, Skye. But maybe tomorrow.”

  Her little eyebrows knit together.

  “I’m going to give you back to your mom now.” She clung tighter to him again. “Because I’m going out with Grandma. But will you do me a favor?”

  She nodded.

  “Will you draw me a picture of Benji Mouse for when I come tomorrow? I’ll be here again at the same time before you go to bed and I’d love to see your picture.”

  A smile spread across her face and she wriggled to get down. When her feet hit the floor, she ran to Elle and took hold of her hand. “Come on, Mommy. Want my crayons.”

  Elle looked back over her shoulder at them as she let Skye lead her away. She grinned at Teresa and spoke in a low voice. “Damn! He’s good. He has my approval. You guys have a great night.”

  With that she let Skye drag her to the dining room in search of crayons.

  Teresa smiled up at Cal. He was wonderful.

  He gave her a bashful shrug, making her laugh. “Are you ready?”

  “Yep. Let’s get out of here while we can.”

  Once they were in his SUV, she looked over at him and he turned toward her. “Are you okay? I didn’t do wrong back there with Skye, did I?”

  She shook her head.

  “So …” He raised an eyebrow. “Am I allowed to ask why you’re looking at me like that? What are you thinking?”

  She chuckled. She might as well tell him. “I’m thinking that you are amazing, and I’m looking at you like this because … I like what I see.”

  His smile transformed his face. He was handsome even when he looked serious, but there was something about that smile that just melted her insides.

  Her breath caught in her chest when he leaned toward her and his hand closed around the back of her neck. He claimed her mouth in a kiss that stole her senses. When he finally lifted his head, he smiled again.

  “Wow!” she breathed.

  He chuckled. “I was going to ask if that was okay, but I think you just answered that question.”

  She nodded rapidly. “Okay doesn’t do it justice, but if you meant was it okay to do, that’d be a yes—any time you like.”

  He chuckled. “Good to know.”

  He started the engine and pulled away. When he reached the main road, he surprised her again by reaching over and taking hold of her hand.

  It was a surprise, but she didn’t want to question it. Instead, she linked her fingers through his and gave him a smile. “Do you know the way? Have you been out to Four Mile yet?”

  “I have. I was over there on Saturday with Manny. He showed me his house and …”

  Teresa frowned when her phone started to ring. “Sorry.” She fished it out of her purse, she didn’t want to answer, but she needed to make sure it wasn’t Elle needing her for something. It wasn’t. She scowled when she saw who it was. She let it ring and didn’t answer.

  “Is everything okay?” asked Cal. “Take it if you need to.”

  “I don’t want to.” She waited for the beep that would indicate she had a voicemail. But it didn’t come. Instead, it started to ring again. She blew out a sigh. Damn him. She didn’t hear from him for months at a time, but when he wanted to talk, he’d blow up her phone until she answered. She considered turning it off. She didn’t want him spoiling this evening.

  Cal glanced over at her. “Get it if you need to. I don’t mind. Or …” The look on his face made her wonder what he was going to say. “Or I can pull over and get out while you take it, if it’s personal.”

  “Pft!” The sound was out before she could stop it. “That’s so sweet of you, but it’s nothing like that. It’s Elle’s father and I’ll be honest. He pisses me off!”

  “Do you want me to pull over?”

  “No. This won’t take long.” She scowled as she swiped to answer it. “What do you want, Steve
?”

  “Is that any way to greet me, Grandma?”

  Teresa didn’t bother to answer. She wasn’t going to get into it with him, she wanted to keep this as short and to the point as possible.

  “What’s up, are you busy?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am. So, is this something urgent or can I call you back?”

  “Hey, there’s no need to be like that. Maddie and I are trying to figure out when’s the best time to come up to see Elle and Skye. You know you make Maddie uncomfortable, so I wanted to check if you have any trips planned. We can come while you’re not around.”

  Teresa rolled her eyes. She’d only told Nina the other day that she wouldn’t run and hide if Steve came to town but since he was asking her to … “When are you thinking?”

  “Next weekend or if not, it’ll have to wait until the end of the month.”

  “The end of the month would be better.”

  “Are you really going to make this so easy?”

  “For Elle and Skye’s sakes, yes, I am.”

  “Okay. Thanks. How are you doing?”

  She pursed her lips. He only ever pretended to show an interest in how she was. He was just nosey—and jealous of how well she’d done for herself since they’d split. “I’m okay thanks. I hope you are, too.” She really did. Whenever things were going well in his life, he tended to leave her alone. “I’m busy right now though. Call me and let me know when you make arrangements?”

  “Will, do. Thanks, Terry.”

  “You’re welcome. Bye.” She ended the call and looked over at Cal. He was keeping his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

  “Sorry about that.”

  “No need. Have you eaten at the restaurant in the lodge before?”

  Bless him. He was trying to move on from what might be an awkward moment. She didn’t want him to, though. She didn’t want him to feel like he was the stranger on the outside. She wasn’t going to let Steve put him there. It was probably too early in their friendship to give him the whole story of her divorce, but …

  “I have. It’s great. But can I be honest for a minute?”

  He glanced over at her. “I hope so.”

  “That was Steve. Elle’s father. My ex-husband …”

  “You don’t owe me any explanations. I’d guess that you need to talk to him sometimes, especially with Elle and Skye back at home with you.”

  She rested her hand on his arm. “You’re far too sweet and far too understanding. You’re right. I don’t owe you an explanation, but I want to give you one so that you understand. Okay?”

  He nodded.

  “The man is an asshole!”

  The corner of his mouth quirked up in what she guessed—hoped—might be an attempt to hide a smile.

  “And I don’t say that lightly,” she continued. “I’m not being the bitter ex-wife either. We were good for a few years. We had Elle. We were decent parents to her when she was small. But once she was older it became obvious that she’d been the only thing holding us together. It was obvious that we weren’t going to make it. But Steve, well I guess he wanted to try out his options before he threw in the towel with me. He got himself quite a reputation around town before I found out about it. Apparently, none of them were worth the upheaval of divorcing me for. But then he met a tourist at the resort, Maddie. She was worth walking out the door without so much as a goodbye for. She’s ten years younger.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. I’m not telling you this for sympathy. I’m well rid of him. My life’s been so much better since we divorced. But like I said, he pisses me off. He knows how to make me angry and I don’t want you to see that and think that I’m still affected by him. Well, I am, but not in that way. He makes me angry because he tries to turn Elle against me. Even little Skye.”

  Cal frowned and took hold of her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “No. I’m sorry. I don’t want to let it affect our evening.” She smiled brightly. I just wanted to explain, and now that I have, can we forget about it?”

  “About what?”

  That smile of his could make her forget most things. “Thanks.”

  ~ ~ ~

  They ate dinner out on the terrace. Cal liked this place even better than the Boathouse. He liked the atmosphere over on the other side of the lake, the small quaint town, the down-home feeling, and everybody-knows-everybody vibe at the Boathouse. But he wasn’t sure how much small-town closeness he’d be able to handle. The lodge here and the restaurant were more his speed.

  Teresa set down her fork and smiled at him. “That was wonderful. I’d forgotten how good the food is over here.”

  “Do you come over here much?”

  “Not too often, no. I come sometimes because I …” She hesitated, as if weighing a decision, before she continued. “I have a place in phase one of the development.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “It’s a rental property. I was all in on this place from the moment I heard about it. I knew it’d be a goldmine. Do you know Pete and Jack?”

  “No. They’re the guys who own the Phoenix Corporation, aren’t they? The developers?”

  “They are. They’re good kids, too.”

  “Kids?” That surprised Cal.

  She chuckled. “Well, they’re not kids, but they are to me. Elle went to school with one of them. Pete Hemming grew up here, he was always a smart kid. Always going to make something of himself, you could just tell. And his partner Jack, he’s not from here, but he married one of Pete’s best friends, Emma. And Ben—you’ve met Ben who owns the resort?”

  Cal nodded.

  “He owns this place too, the lodge. I think he’s in partnership with them on the whole development, but I don’t really know. The land belonged to his family.”

  “Wow. I didn’t know any of that.”

  Teresa chuckled. “And you probably didn’t want or need to. I was just trying to explain why I bought one of the first houses off the plan when they started up here. I knew it’d be a good investment.”

  “Sounds like you’re a savvy businesswoman.”

  He didn’t understand the scowl that flickered across her face. There was no sign of it when she answered. “I like to think so.”

  He wanted to move on from the subject. Something about it made her uncomfortable and he’d been enjoying the laughter up until now. “Do you want dessert? Anything else?”

  She laughed. “I couldn’t even if I did. I’m stuffed!”

  He had to laugh with her. She was definitely a lady, no question about it, a beautiful, elegant one at that. But he loved the way she talked. She wasn’t trying to put up a front, wasn’t trying to impress him. She felt more like a friend than any woman he’d known apart from Darla. But there was nothing brotherly about his feelings toward her.

  He called for the check and then reached for her hand. “Well, I don’t want this evening to end yet, so how would you feel about showing me around the plaza? We could walk some of that dinner off.”

  She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’d love to. I just need to pay a visit first.”

  He nodded expecting her to get up, but she pulled out her purse first and set a card down on the table. “In case he comes before I get back.”

  Cal scowled. He could feel it on his face before he could stop it.

  “What? You brought dinner to my place last week.”

  “And I asked if I could take you out to dinner tonight.”

  She made a face. “You have a problem with me paying?”

  He looked down at her card and then back up into her eyes. It seemed like it was important to her, but it was important to him too. “Honestly, I do. I’m sorry. It probably makes me look like some old school jerk. I don’t mean it that way. But I can’t just …”

  She held his gaze for a long moment, and he wondered if he’d blown it. She surprised him when she laughed and picked her card back up. “Then for now,
all I’ll say is thank you. If it’s important to you, I can respect that.”

  “Thanks.”

  He took hold of her hand as they left the hotel and crossed over to the plaza. “Do you like it over here?”

  She looked up at him. “The plaza you mean? Or Four Mile?”

  “Both, either?” The question had slipped out before he’d thought about it too much. What he was really interested in knowing was whether she preferred that side of the lake to this. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but he already knew that he wanted to keep seeing her—to see a lot more of her, so if she was set on staying in town, perhaps he should start his search for a house over there.

  She surprised him when she reached up and took his face between her hands and landed a kiss on his lips.

  “What was that for?” he asked with a smile.

  She laughed. “It was for that.” She traced her finger over his lips, sending a shiver down his spine. “I wanted to see you smile again. You have such a killer smile, but sometimes you look so serious it’s scary.”

  “Scary?”

  She nodded but her eyes danced with laughter. “I don’t think you understand how scary you come across. You’re a big guy.” She ran her hand up his arm and he had to bite down on his bottom lip. His only consolation was that her action seemed to have the same effect on her. Her pupils dilated and her tongue ran across her bottom lip.

  He slid his arm around her shoulders. He had to feel her close, feel her soft body against his. “Well, I wouldn’t ever want to scare you away.”

  She looked up into his eyes. “I don’t think you could, even if you tried.”

  His heart beat a little faster at that. She was being more open with him than he’d dared to hope. “Still, I take it I should try to be less intimidating? Maybe smile sometimes.”

  She laughed. “More than sometimes. That smile?” She put her hand over her heart and blew out a sigh, making him laugh. She was fun. And she wasn’t making fun of him. She meant it.

  He chuckled. “Keep talking like that and you won’t be able to wipe the smile off my face.”

  She stopped walking and looped her arms up around his neck. His hands closed around her waist of their own accord, pulling her against him. Then he was lost in her sweet kiss. One part of his mind stood sentry, acutely aware that after a lifetime of moving in the shadows he was now engaged in a very public display of affection. But even that part of his brain didn’t want him to disengage from her kiss.