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“Mike, this is Caleb,” Penny explained. “From the coffee shop.”
Mike stepped forward and hugged Caleb. “Thank you. Penny told me you saved my dad’s life.”
“I didn’t do that much,” Caleb muttered as Mike clung to him. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
Mike let go of him and reached up to rest a hand on his shoulder. He was at least five inches shorter than Caleb. “I’m so glad you were there. I can’t even imagine what might have happened if Dad had been at home alone.”
“Don’t think about that,” Penny said, shuddering at the thought of George lying on the floor of his house alone, possibly for hours.
Caleb shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable. “Is there any word yet?”
“Still in surgery.” Penny sat down again. After a moment’s hesitation, Caleb took the chair next to hers.
“You know, Dad talks about you all the time,” Mike said, sitting on Penny’s other side and leaning forward to talk to Caleb across her. “I feel like I know you. Both of you.”
“We see George practically every day,” Penny said. She darted a glance at Caleb, who was staring at the floor, and nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t we?”
He looked up and nodded. “Yeah. He comes in every day for his bottomless drip coffee.” He was doing that monotone thing he used to do to her before he’d started being friendly.
She couldn’t tell if he was upset or just shy, but obviously she was going to have to carry the conversational baton alone.
While Mike and Penny chatted, Caleb sank into silence beside her. It felt weird to have him sitting right next to her. She was pretty sure they’d never been this close for an extended period of time before. At the coffee shop he was always standing, usually with a counter between them. Now he was only inches away. Sharing an armrest. Their knees side by side.
His fingers drummed a nervous beat on his thigh. He must be worried about George. Penny wanted to reach over and take his hand in hers, as much for her own comfort as his, but she wasn’t sure he’d like it. Instead, she stood up and asked if anyone wanted any coffee.
Mike requested cream, no sugar, and when she looked at Caleb he mumbled a half-hearted, “Black, thanks.”
She went to the coffee pod machine and made two styrofoam cups of coffee.
“Thanks,” Mike said when she brought his coffee to him.
She held out the other cup to Caleb. “This is a switch, isn’t it? Me bringing you coffee instead of the other way around.” His fingers brushed hers when he took it from her, and their eyes met and held.
“Penny’s been great,” Mike said. “Keeping me company and bringing me food.”
“She’s good people,” Caleb agreed, and Penny felt herself blush.
At five thirty, Dr. Ramesh came through the double doors. He was wearing one of those patterned surgical caps like they wore on Grey’s Anatomy. His had dolphins on it.
Penny introduced him to Mike, and Dr. Ramesh told them that George had come through surgery like a champ. He described in detail the procedure they’d done, and said George had a long recovery ahead of him, but he should be just fine. Mike hugged the doctor and then hugged Penny. He was a hugger.
Dr. Ramesh said the nurse would come get Mike in a little while and take him to see his dad. He shook Mike’s hand, and disappeared into the back again.
“I’m going to call my wife,” Mike said, pulling out his phone.
Penny turned to ask Caleb if they should go and realized he’d already left.
She caught sight of him heading for the stairs at the end of the hall and hurried after him. “Caleb,” she called out as she followed him into the stairwell. “Wait.”
He stopped on the landing below her and turned around.
“Where are you going?” she asked when she drew even with him.
He shifted his feet but didn’t say anything. His chest rose and fell like he was breathing hard.
She edged closer, peering into his face. “Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?”
He pressed his lips together and looked down at his feet.
