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She almost reached for him anyway. Malik was in the back, and even if someone saw, what difference would it make at this point? Caleb would be done with this job in just a few days.
Before she could make up her mind, a new customer came in. Caleb pushed his drink toward Penny for safekeeping and went to the register.
He spent the next fifteen minutes making and delivering drinks to a steady trickle of customers. Every once in a while, he’d pass by for a sip of his iced coffee and give Penny a soft smile before going back to serving customers. It never got busy enough to be actually busy; it was just busy enough to keep him away from her.
Penny watched the minutes tick by until it was time for her to go home and get back to work. Caleb shot a glance her way as soon as she stood up and hoisted her purse over her shoulder.
“Malik, I’m going on break for a minute,” he said over his shoulder, dropping the rag in his hand and moving around the counter to follow Penny out the door. When they were far enough down the sidewalk that they were out of sight of the windows, she stopped and turned to face him.
Her legs felt wobbly, and there was nothing for her to hold on to for support except Caleb.
He stepped forward and took her face in both hands, rubbing his nose against hers. His breath warmed her lips when he spoke. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.” Her eyes burned as she blinked up at him. It was taking every ounce of willpower she had not to cry.
His thumb brushed over her cheekbone. “It’s only three days.”
“I know.” Only three days this time. But when he came back they’d only have another three days left together before he left for good. And then how long would it be before she saw him again? Weeks? Months? Forever?
His fingertips slid into her hair as he pulled her into a kiss. The first touch of his lips was tender, but it quickly became fervent and demanding, like he was trying to give her something to remember him by. Before she was ready, the kiss dissolved into a series of light, gentle pecks, so fragile and bittersweet it made her heart ache.
“Penny, I—” He hesitated, and she tensed in breathless anticipation. “I’ll see you Monday.”
She nodded. “Call me when you get there. So I know you’re okay.”
“You got it.” He pressed a final, chaste kiss to her lips and let go of her.
She gave him one last long look, trying to memorize every detail as she waited for her breath to come back. When she was certain her legs could carry her without failing, she turned her back on him and walked off down the sidewalk.
If it was this hard to let him go for just a few days, what was she going to do when he left her for real?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Caleb called Friday night as promised to let Penny know he’d arrived safely.
“Are you surviving?” she asked, wishing it was a video call so she could see his face. Something told her he wouldn’t be on board for that though.
“Yeah, so far.” His voice sounded even flatter than usual.
“If it gets bad, you know you can call me, right? Any time, day or night, and I’ll answer the phone.”
“Sure.”
Penny pressed the phone to her ear, as if that would somehow make her feel closer to him. “If it gets too bad, I will get in my car and drive there myself to rescue you. I make a great buffer, just so you know. Parents love me, and I can basically talk forever about anything.”
“Thanks, but I can handle my parents on my own.”
He sounded distant and vaguely impatient—like he was in a hurry to get off the phone—so she let him go after a few minutes.
The conversation did nothing to assuage her separation anxiety. She spent the rest of the night worrying about him and wondering what he’d meant when he said they’d talk Monday.
Was he planning to break up with her? Had he changed his mind about keeping their relationship going long-distance?
A little voice in the back of her head, the one that was always trying to make things easier for everyone else, whispered that she should let him off the hook. It was probably what he wanted. He was just humoring her with the long-distance thing, trying not to hurt her feelings. No way did he intend to go through with it after he moved.
She was creating another Brendon situation. By trying to hold on to Caleb, she was setting herself up to be cheated on again. Better to accept reality and let him go like she’d agreed to in the first place.
Penny spent a long night tossing and turning in her empty bed. Even after she finally dropped off around three a.m., a series of stressful dreams in which she was falling off a high, narrow bridge caused her to jerk herself repeatedly awake.
