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His gaze skimmed over her body briefly before coming to rest on her face and lingering there. Penny stood there paralyzed as the moment stretched out. She’d never looked into his eyes from this close before. Usually there was a counter between them and at least three feet of space.
The corner of Caleb’s mouth twitched, and he tilted his head toward the counter. “Go sit down.”
She shook off the enchantment enough to give him a curt nod. “Yes, sir.”
His mouth twitched again as he turned away to carry the towels into the back.
Penny took her usual stool, shivering as her wet skirt pressed against her legs. She really wished she’d brought a sweater today. Of course, if she had, it would be just as soaked as the rest of her.
“You want the funnies?” George asked, offering a section of his newspaper. Penny shook her head and he went back to reading state and local news.
She crossed her arms and hunched forward as she watched Caleb make her lavender latte. When he brought it to her, she cupped her hands around the bowl-shaped cup gratefully, letting the warmth soak into her cold fingers.
“Your hair’s curly,” he observed.
Penny reached up to touch her wet hair, which had already started curling up as it dried. So much for all that time she’d spent straightening it this morning. She made a face as she ran her fingers through it, fruitlessly trying to smooth it down. “Yeah, it is.”
“It’s usually straight.”
“I work hard to get it that way.” She lifted her latte to her lips, sighing as the hot liquid warmed her from the inside out.
“We missed you yesterday.”
She lifted her eyes from her coffee. “We?” She’d had a doctor’s appointment, so she’d had to skip her coffee break.
He shrugged. “You know. Me and George.”
Penny smiled and took another sip of her latte. “I can’t believe you even noticed.”
“I always notice you,” Caleb said, and Penny’s stomach swooped like she was on a roller coaster.
George coughed and rubbed his chest. Caleb looked over at him and frowned. “You okay?”
George waved a hand as he reached into his pocket for a prescription bottle. “Just my angina acting up. Don’t mind me.”
A chill crept down the back of Penny’s neck, and she shivered. Caleb’s eyes slid over her arms, noting the goose bumps. “You’re freezing.”
“I’m fine.” She shivered again. Stupid body. Stop doing that.
He unzipped his hoodie. “Here. Put this on.”
“I couldn’t,” she protested. Even though she could. And she would.
“I’m not going to let you sit here freezing to death.” He shrugged it off his shoulders and passed it over the counter.
Penny accepted the navy blue bundle like she’d just been handed the Golden Fleece. It was soft and heavy, warm with residual body heat. Caleb’s body heat, she thought with an exhilarated rush. Putting it on was like being enveloped in a Caleb hug. Or what she imagined being enveloped in a Caleb hug must be like.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded, clutching the hoodie against her chest like a security blanket. “You’re being so nice to me.”
The corners of his mouth pulled down. “You sound surprised.”
“Well…”
Until two weeks ago, he’d acted like the last thing in the world he wanted to do was talk to her, and now he was making her special drinks and sharing his clothes with her. Was she not supposed to be surprised?
“You didn’t think I was nice?”
