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She took in his fit form, the way the ocean breeze tousled his thick reddish-blond hair, and the way he chatted so easily with Charlie and Jeremy. Of course, his touches were only friendly gestures.
He didn’t want her, not in the way she’d imagined anyway. How could he? She weighed more now than she had when pregnant with Charlie. She’d grown up in a dysfunctional family and had no clue what healthy relationships were like. Not only that, but she’d just signed her divorce papers a few days ago, and she’d only seen her therapist twice to date.
Who would want her overweight, messed up self anyway? She swallowed against the lump rising to her throat. More reasons why Caleb couldn’t possibly be romantically interested in her sent her spiraling down the rabbit hole of self-loathing.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I had a great time today,” Caleb announced as they reached Theresa’s SUV.
“Me too,” Charlie chortled.
Jeremy beamed. “Yeah.”
Even Elli added her agreement as she fished out the boys’ sandals from the tote bag for them. Theresa opened the tailgate, and Caleb brought Sully to the cargo space.
“Up you go, big guy,” he said as he lifted the puppy into the cargo space.
Caleb backed up, bumping into her hard enough that Theresa stumbled.
“Oh, sorry.” He took hold of her shoulders to steady her. His smile disappeared as he studied her. “What’s wrong, Theresa?”
His gaze turned to one of tender concern, and her stomach flipped. Wishing his look meant more than it did wouldn’t make it so. It was all she could do not to tear up, because dammit, she couldn’t help wishing he found her attractive.
“Nothing.” She forced a smile. “I’m just tired. It’s been a busy day, starting with the teacher interviews this morning.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about that. How’d the interviews go?” Caleb once again placed his hand at the small of her back, this time guiding her to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door for her. “I’ll drive, Theresa. You can just relax.”
“Okay, thanks.” His thoughtfulness brought another pang of longing she couldn’t ignore. She couldn’t take her eyes from him as he walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in behind the wheel. “The interviews went well, and I hired Christopher Wright,” she said as Caleb fastened his seat belt. “He’s fresh out of college, and he seemed really enthusiastic about teaching. He appreciates the opportunity to gain some experience, and he’ll be a substitute teacher for the boys’ school when we’re not on the road. That way, he’ll have full-time employment and he’ll qualify for benefits through the school district.”
“That’s great. I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
Caleb made her feel like she mattered, and she had no idea how to deal with the concept. Sighing, yearning, Theresa relaxed against the seat as Caleb pulled onto the road to the highway.
“Is Jeff on board with carpooling next Wednesday?” she asked.
“Yes.” He nodded. “He’ll be at my place by nine.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone,” she said, smiling when she realized how much she meant the words. Elli, Charlie, and Jeremy were discussing which marine creatures ate jellyfish, and Sully was quiet for a change. “This was a fun evening,” she said mostly to herself.
“I agree,” Caleb said. “Thanks for including me.”
“You’re welcome, Cal, and I mean that. You’re always welcome to join us.” She shared a smile with him, and finally relaxed enough to appreciate what they had between them without imagining more.
Next Wednesday couldn’t come fast enough. She looked forward to being with her band and getting to know everyone better. Maybe by the time their tour began, she’d have several new friends.
Chapter Eight
Tuesday evening, Caleb entered the restaurant where he usually met with his friends for what they referred to as support hour. The popular place had a few private rooms for parties, and whoever called a meeting always reserved one of those spaces for their gathering.
His nerves pinging like crazy, he walked up to the hostess stand. “Caleb McGee. I reserved one of the private rooms.”
“Yes, a few of your party are already here,” she said, tapping the computer screen in front of her. She told another employee where to take him, and Caleb followed. He entered the room to find Margaret Rushton and Dillon Walsh looking at something on their phones. Their heads were bent together over whatever it was. They glanced at him, greeting him with smiles, and went back to the screen.
“Have you seen these, Cal?” Margaret asked, holding up her phone.
“Seen what?” He pulled out a chair at the large round table and sat down.
“Pictures of you on a romantic, sunset stroll along a beach with the singer whose band you direct,” she replied. “You two would make a great ad for a dating service,” she teased.
Dillon waggled his eyebrows at him. “In this shot, you’re brushing hair out of her face and gazing longingly into her eyes like a lovestruck puppy. Here’s another where you have your hand at the small of her back.” He held up his phone so Caleb could see.
