Summer:And do you have any activities for me this week that I need to plan on from your holiday activity list?
Caleb:No. I think I’m good.
I hit my head on the headboard behind me, hating how cold I sound.
Summer:Okay, then. I guess I’ll see you Monday night at Justin’s work party.
Caleb:Sounds good. See you then.
I bang my head three more times against the headboard before setting my phone down.
thirty-one
SUMMER
In the ninemonths that I’ve been dating Justin, I’ve never once been jealous or felt threatened by Jordan Neeley until tonight.
Her gold-sequined mini dress with a low cut and puffy sleeves is gorgeous. It screams holiday party and shows off her long, tan legs perfectly. Why are her legs so tan anyway? It’s the middle of winter, for crying out loud.
She brushes her long, dark hair back from her shoulder as she continues her life story. “Then, after college, I moved to Switzerland for a year—”
“By yourself?” Caleb asks.
“Yes, I just wanted to be alone. Fly solo. Really get to know me and my inner voice.”
Pfft! My inner voice.
That’s code for: I don’t have any friends or family.
“What did you do in Switzerland?” Justin asks.
“I spent the year exploring, hiking, and climbing the Swiss Alps.”
I do my best to hide my eye roll as I shake some salt onto my baked potato.
“I’ve been to Switzerland several times,” Caleb says. “What was your favorite part?”
I must shake my salt for too long because Caleb grabs my hand. He doesn’t even look at me. His fingers pry the salt out of my grasp, while his other hand pushes the pepper into that same palm. He nods once, like he’s really fascinated by Jordan’s answer, and when she turns to look at Justin, he leans in and whispers in my ear, “You can never have too much pepper.”
That’s what my dad says. He remembered.
I peek over at him. Don’t even get me started on how devastatingly handsome Caleb looks in black pants, a white button-up shirt, and a black tie. He went from Mr. Mountain Man to a lady-killer in the blink of an eye. Even his wavy, brown hair seems more tame tonight.
But it’s not even how good he looks dressed up that’s killing me. It’s him. It’s his smile and the easy way he converses with people, setting everyone around him at ease. That’s always been what I admired about Caleb, but watching him put Jordan at ease has me feeling frenzied with jealousy.
“All that travel is right up Caleb’s alley,” Justin says. Since when did he become such a little matchmaker?
Jordan twists her body to face Caleb. “Yeah, I looked you up on YouTube before our date.”
Is this really a date? I mean, we’re at an office party. Just because it’s only the four of us at the table and it’s at a fancy mountain lodge doesn’t mean this is a double date. We’re just here to celebrate All-Weather Blankets and the company's success this year. It’s not adatedate.
“Oh, yeah?” Caleb gives her one of his charming smiles—one I’d hoped was only reserved for me. “It takes some women over a week to be curious enough to look me up, but you did it without even knowing me.”
This time, I don’t try to hide my eye roll.
“Well”—Jordan’s perfect blush appears right on cue—“ever since Justin told me what you do for a living, I’ve been more than a little curious about it. I’ve always hoped we’d have a chance to meet.”
“And now we have.”
