She narrowed her eyes, trying not to reward him with a smile. “Sorry, but we’re closed. Try Walmart.”
He took a step toward her, his smile sly and sexy. “But I want one that you make for me, to sleep with when I’m scared.”
She turned away to hide her heated cheeks and closed the gate. “Whatever, Caleb. Look, we need to close up. You have to leave.”
Cammie came out from the storage room and surprised Mandy by grinning at Caleb. “Perfect timing! Come back here and help we with some boxes.” She glanced at Mandy. “You can close out the register. I’ll help you clean up the disaster zone in a few.”
Baffled, Mandy stared at her friend. Since when did Cammie like Caleb enough to ask him for a favor? And she didn’t seem surprised to see him, either. Suspicion licked at her nerve endings. Had Cammie told Caleb to come back tonight? And if so, why?
She watched Caleb disappear into the storeroom and picked up her nearly empty lemonade cup from the counter, sucking down the last of it through the straw.
Gus had come by tonight, too, after the birthday party madness, bringing her lemonade and a pretzel “just because.” It had totally rattled her. And pissed off Cammie, which in turn pissed off Mandy. Cammie needed to remember that Gus was their friend.
Sighing, she turned to the register, reminding herself to focus. Everything happens for a reason.
…
“Okay, dude,” Cammie said, whirling on Caleb as soon as they entered the storage room. “Your competition was here earlier. Sucking up to her with lemonade and a pretzel.”
Caleb gaped at her. “Gus?” Than son of a bitch. He should’ve dumped the lemonade on his head when he had the chance.
Cammie yanked the pencil out of her hair, clearly frustrated. She peeked around him to make sure Mandy was still at the register. “He came by looking all sad and mopey, totally working it.”
Caleb’s gut twisted, picturing the scene, and how easily Mandy would fall for his act. “I saw him earlier. He gave me hell about not doing a prom-posal.”
Cammie’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea! You totally should.”
Caleb shook his head. “I screwed up—I told him that I was taking Mandy to homecoming, but she wants to go with him.” He ran a hand through his hair.
Cammie narrowed her eyes. “Dude. You are not giving up on this. You could kick Gus’s ass from here to the moon.”
Caleb cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’d like to. But that would just piss her off more. ‘Violence is never the answer.’” He mimicked her breathy voice, surprised at how easily he was able to call it to mind.
Cammie smirked. “I didn’t mean fighting, though I know you’d win. I meant you can kick his ass by winning Mandy. Get her to fall for you for real.” She poked him in the chest. “I think she’s already halfway in love with you. You just have to close the deal, dude.”
What. The. Hell. Caleb felt like he’d wandered into one of those weird old carnival fun houses with the bizarre mirrors that distorted reality. Because in what reality was Cammie on Team Caleb instead of cock-blocking him?
And in what world was Mandy halfway in love with him, after she’d walked away from their kiss telling him it hadn’t done anything for her?
“I don’t get it, Cammie. A few days ago you wanted to kill me. Now you don’t? What’s going on?”
Cammie peeked out the storeroom door again, then refocused on him, whispering fast. “Okay, I’ll make it easy so your guy brain can understand. Gus is a tool. I’ve talked to three girls now, including Kay, who just dumped him. There’s a reason everyone’s calling him the Octo-Gus.” She pinned him with a fierce glare. “Mandy’s totally vulnerable to his ‘dumb jock, sweet guy’ act.”
Caleb’s skin crawled with heat as she spoke, and his muscles coiled like he needed to be ready for an attack. “That’s what J.T. said, too.”
“Yeah, he’s got his sources and I’ve got mine.” Cammie tugged at the collar of her polo shirt. “Honestly, Gus has never been my favorite person. I used to think he was just boring and I never understood Mandy’s infatuation, but J.T. and I let him hang out with us because he was harmless, and because Mandy thought he walked on water.”
“But he’s not harmless,” Caleb said, his brain firing on all cylinders again. He sighed. “She’s never gonna believe it. Not unless…” He tensed, not even wanting to picture it.
Cammie nodded furiously. “I know. Not unless he pulls the same crap on her.” She poked him in the chest again. “And I know you don’t want that any more than I do. I’ve tried to warn her, but she won’t listen to me.”
This time Caleb was the one who checked to make sure Mandy was still occupied. She stepped away from the cash register, talking on her cell, one hand gesturing frantically as the other held the phone.
He refocused on Cammie. “This sucks,” he muttered. “The whole reason we started this stupid fake thing is because she wants that asshole to ask her to homecoming. And it sounds like he’s moving in on her, just like she wants.”
Cammie sighed. “But that’s the problem, Caleb. You’re not faking with Mandy. I can tell.” She shrugged and smiled. “It’s why I’m telling you all this. Because I can tell you do like her.”
His eyes widened as his hand closed around the notebook in his pocket. “Maybe I’m just good at selling it.” But as soon as he said it, he felt the lie and hated himself for it.
Cammie snorted. “Bullshit. You’re totally into her. Don’t even try to deny it.” She tossed her hair. “And she likes you, too, but the problem is, in her mind she’s not supposed to like you. She’s supposed to end up with a dork like Gus. Except he’s not dorky innocent Gus.”
“He’s asshole Gus,” Caleb growled.
Cammie nodded. “I was kind of testing you earlier tonight, when I told you to back off. I wanted to see how you’d respond.” She glanced at the stack of boxes he’d moved for her. “Sometimes the scariest villains look the most innocent. And heroes don’t always wear white.”
“You into comics, Ramirez?”
Her shoulders straightened. “What if I am?”
“Then you’re cooler than I thought you were.”
They grinned at each other, and Caleb decided if he was going up against a villain, Cammie’d be a hell of a sidekick. Assuming he was the hero, which he wasn’t sure of. He wasn’t really sure of anything right now.
Suddenly Mandy flew into the storeroom, her face wild with panic. “I have to go. Gran’s sick. I can’t reach Reg and dad’s on the road and—”
Cammie moved toward her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Take a breath, sweetie. What happened?”
Mandy squeezed her eyes shut, breathing deeply, and Caleb knew she was saying a mantra.
“She’s having a hard time breathing. I told her to call 911 but—”
“Let’s go,” Caleb said, taking a step toward the door, wanting to grab her hand but not sure if he should.
Cammie nodded, pushing her gently toward Caleb. “I’ll finish up here. You go with Caleb and call me as soon as you can.” Cammie smiled reassuringly. “She’ll be okay, sweetie. She’s tough.”
Mandy turned toward him, fear shooting out of her like sparks, and his chest tightened. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “Come on.” The words came out rough, urgent.
They ran to the front of the store, and Cammie raised the metal gate so they could leave.
“Call me!” Cammie yelled after them as they ran hand in hand through the empty mall, their shoes echoing on the tile floor.
“Did she call 911?” Caleb asked as they reached the doors to parking lot. He pushed on a glass door, but it was locked.
“This way.” Mandy pulled him to a metal door marked Employees Only. They shoved through the door and ran toward Caleb’s car. “No,” Mandy gasped between breaths. “She hates doctors. I called our neighbor who’s a nurse.”
Caleb yanked open the passenger door and Mandy slid in. He slammed the door and ran around to the driver’s
side. Adrenaline surged through him as he sped out of the parking lot, calculating the fastest way to Mandy’s house.
“Not too fast,” she said. “The last thing we need is to get into an accident.”
She was right, so he slowed down.
“Damn it, Reg,” she muttered, phone to her ear. “Pick up your damn phone.”
Caleb sped up as he merged onto the highway, but not too much. Damn, she had a ton of crap going on in her life. Her dad gone, her idiot brother not being around, her gran…all the stuff at school with the spirit committee and Spriggs crawling up her ass. He glanced at her as he shifted into fifth gear. She was kind of amazing, juggling all of it.
Her phone rang once and she answered, sounding breathless. “Mrs. Cleary? Thank God you’re there. I’m on my way home. I’ll be there in…” She glanced at Caleb.
“Five minutes,” he said, and she raised her eyebrows, clearly indicating he shouldn’t drive so fast.
“Ten minutes,” she said, shooting him a look that made him want to laugh…and kiss her…and just…
He refocused on the road, telling himself he’d think about everything Cammie had said later.
Right now he just needed to get her home.
Chapter Eighteen
Love Rollercoaster
Tuesday, September 27
Mandy’s pulse pounded in her ears as Caleb turned down her street, tires squealing. He really needed to chill out, but she didn’t have time to argue with him. He pulled into the driveway and she jumped out of the car, not bothering to close her door.
She burst into the house, scanning the living room for her gran. When she saw her sitting in her rocking chair, blanket draped over her lap, holding a cup of tea, she expelled a huge sigh of relief.
“Gran, are you okay?” She crossed the room to kneel next to her.
Gran nodded. “Everyone needs to calm down. Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I’m fragile.”
Mandy sighed, glancing at Mrs. Cleary, sitting on the small love seat. “She’s okay, sweetie. I adjusted her oxygen. But she really ought to see her doctor to have her levels reevaluated. She tells me it’s been a while.”
Mandy sighed. Her gran was so stubborn about that stuff. The front screen door squeaked open, and she glanced up to see Caleb hesitate as he entered, glancing around the house. She was surprised to see him, since she’d assumed he’d left.
“And who is this fine specimen of manhood?” Gran asked, perking up.
Mrs. Cleary laughed, and Mandy felt a blush spread across her face and neck. “Gran,” she whispered. “Stop it.”
Gran glanced at her, blue eyes sparkling with mischief behind her glasses. “But honey, you have to admit I’m right.” She glanced at Caleb. “A very fine specimen indeed. Even with the hippie hair.”
Mandy laughed out loud at that, knowing Caleb would hate being called a hippie just because he had longer hair.
“Um.” He cleared his throat, and she knew he was pretending he hadn’t heard her Gran. “I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“Come in here, young man,” Gran said. “Don’t be shy.”
Caleb approached them slowly, his gaze darting between Mandy and her gran. She sort of felt sorry for him, especially because it had been sweet of him to come inside to check on her gran.
“So you must be the new boyfriend Reginald told us about. What’s your name?”
Mandy wanted to die a thousand deaths. Her gran certainly seemed fine now, and she was relieved, but she really wished Gran would take a nap instead of humiliating her. She shot Gran a warning glare but Gran was focused on Caleb, who looked as embarrassed as she felt.
“I, um…Caleb. Caleb Torrs.”
“Torrs? Your father owns T&R Engineering, doesn’t he?” Mrs. Cleary asked.
Caleb nodded.
“Engineering?” Gran said. “Are you planning to follow in his footsteps? Take over his business some day?”
“Gran!” Mandy gasped, embarrassed for Caleb. “Don’t be so nosy.”
Gran peered at her over the rims of her eyeglasses. “Any boy who dates my granddaughter can answer a few questions. Your dad’s not here so I have to be the hard-ass.” She winked at Caleb. “Lucky for you, I’m a sucker for bad boys in leather.”
Mandy closed her eyes, praying the floor would swallow her. Reluctantly, she half opened her eyes to see Caleb smiling at her gran. Now he looked more amused than embarrassed. Great.
“I don’t plan on going into engineering,” Caleb said, glancing at Mandy. “And, um, I should go. I just wanted to check on things.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Gran said. “Mandy was just about to get me some ice cream. You have to join us.”
Caleb shot Mandy a smirk. “Rainbow sherbet?”
Gran sighed happily. “It’s about time,” she said cryptically, and Mandy jumped to her feet, desperate to get Caleb out of earshot before Gran declared him the perfect boyfriend.
“Come on,” she muttered, heading into the kitchen.
Gran was okay; that was what mattered most. Yeah, Mandy was dying of embarrassment, but it was a small price to pay in the scheme of things.
Caleb leaned against the doorframe, surveying their small kitchen, which was nothing like his gleaming granite showplace. She wondered if he felt sorry for her. She hoped not, because there was nothing for him to pity. Yeah, their place was small, but it was home. And it was full of people who loved her—except maybe Reg, but she hadn’t given up on him yet.
She yanked open the freezer, grateful for the blast of cold air that refocused her brain. Ice cream. Bowls.
“Who’s this?” Caleb asked, studying the collage of photos on the wall. Mandy set the tub of ice cream on the kitchen table and moved next to him, swallowing as she caught a whiff of his spicy Caleb scent.
Focus. Focus. “It’s my family.” She pointed to the photo of her parents, a smaller version of the one she had in her bedroom. “That’s my parents.” She pointed to a faded photo of Reg and her dressed in matching red jammies in front of a Christmas tree. “Reg and me, before we hated each other.” He shot her a curious look, so she pointed to another photo of her mom and a group of girls dressed up for a night of disco, glittering and laughing at the camera. “Mom and her friends.” She glanced at him, an embarrassed smile tugging at her lips. “Disco night.”
He met her gaze, his own lips quirking in response. “You definitely inherited the disco gene.” He glanced at the collage again, then back at her. “You look like your mom, but your dad’s the redhead.”
She nodded, suddenly feeling vulnerable and exposed, wondering if he was making fun of her in his thoughts. She sneaked another glance at his profile as he studied the collage.
“I don’t have many pictures of my mom,” he said softly. “I wish I did.”
She swallowed, overwhelmed by guilt. Of course he wasn’t making fun of her family photos. This felt like the day at the park, and part of her didn’t want to move because she didn’t want to break the snow globe spell.
He turned toward her. “Grab the bowls. I’ll scoop.”
“You…don’t have to stay.”
He frowned. “You want me to go?”
“It’s up to you. Go or stay. I don’t care.” Total lie, but suddenly she was thinking of their hallway kiss, and then Gus bringing her lemonade, and her mind spun in confusion.
She turned to the cupboard and grabbed four bowls. His lips quirked when he saw how many bowls she’d grabbed, and she knew she’d revealed more than she wanted to. She handed him the ice cream scoop, giving up on pretending she didn’t want him to stay. He took it without a word and began filling bowls.
And even though she was confused by the way Gus was acting, somehow when she was with Caleb—this Caleb, the real one—she definitely wanted him to stay.
After Mrs. Cleary reassured Mandy that her gran would be fine, Mandy called her dad and promised to take Gran to the doctor as soon as possible.
“I hate to p
ut his burden on you, doll,” her dad said. “I’ll be home by next weekend, but she should get in ASAP.”
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.” God, she wished she could rely on her brother to help out. But she couldn’t.
“Homecoming’s next Saturday, right?” her dad asked. “I’ll definitely be home for that, so I can meet your new boyfriend.”
Mandy’s heart thrummed as she glanced at Caleb. Too bad he hadn’t asked her. Wait, that wasn’t what she wanted, was it? And he wasn’t her boyfriend. Frowning, she said good-bye to her dad and sat down next to Caleb on the love seat, careful to sit as far away as possible.
He stayed to eat ice cream and watch an episode of Arrow, Gran’s favorite show. Gran furthered her humiliation by commenting that Caleb looked he might do a workout routine as intense as Oliver Queen’s.
“You’re hiding a lot of muscle under that leather, aren’t you, young man?”
Caleb rubbed his neck and stared at the floor. “Uh,” he mumbled.
Mandy giggled because it was sort of hilarious that the one person who seemed to discombobulate Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broody was her gran. He glanced at her, and his embarrassed smile made her insides twirl around like a disco ball.
He set his empty bowl on the coffee table and stood up abruptly, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. “I should go.”
She stared up at him, flashing back on that hallway kiss again. “Okay. I’ll walk you out.”
He said good-bye to her gran, who winked at him but fortunately didn’t say anything else embarrassing…until they reached the front door, when her gran called out, “You can show him your room, sweetie, but keep the door open!”
Mandy buried her face in her hands. “This is the worst day of my life,” she muttered, and Caleb laughed softly.
“Want to show me your room, Disco?” he murmured, reaching out to gently pull her hands off her burning face. “So I know exactly what to picture late at night?”
She yanked her hands out of his. “Caleb! You’re—you’re—”
He grinned. “I think it’s the least you can do, after your gran flirted with me all night.” She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut, but that didn’t stop him from stepping in close. “Come on, Disco. Just one little peek.”
Resisting the Rebel Page 17