The dog turned and looked at her.
“I don’t have any chips.”
Mr. Tall Dark and Brooding wandered in, a smirk on his lips. “She’s a tough cookie, Gussy. Better luck next time.” He looked at Pops. “You didn’t tell her I was here? Not even a heads’ up?”
Pops chuckled, rooting around in the crisper drawer.
“She nearly beaned me with the mop.”
Pops straightened, chuckling. Caleb came over shaking his head, a grin pulling at his lips. He touched both sides of Pops’ neck. “You’re gonna get me in trouble.” He kissed his grandfather on the forehead.
Tessa sniffed. “I’ll take ham.”
Pops passed it to her, mist in his eyes. “Someone ate all my Pepper Jack.”
She knew who it might’ve been. “Cheddar is fine. You need me to go to the store?”
Caleb put his cup in the sink. “I’ll go this afternoon.”
Tessa glanced at Pops, just to get his read on the situation. The older man seemed unsure even if he was happy his grandson was here. “I’ll go with you,” Pops said. “We’ll make a trip out of it.”
Caleb nodded. “Not like I have anything else to do.”
“Are you here to…recuperate?” Tessa didn’t know what else to call it.
“Yeah, but if anyone asks you didn’t see me. I’m dead as far as either of you knows.”
Tessa opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. All that came out was a choked, “You’re dead?”
“And you didn’t see me.” Caleb walked out of the room.
Tessa moved to Pops’ side and whispered, “Is everything okay?”
“It’ll be fine, Tess.” He patted her shoulder. “Let’s have those sandwiches.”
Chapter Three
Six miles was about the amount of time it took Caleb to run out his frustrations. Not that he could solve all his problems and figure out what to do in that amount of time, but it certainly helped him relieve some of the tension building in him since he woke up in the hospital.
He slowed to a walk coming back up the drive to the house and spotted Pops on the porch. The old man lifted a bottle of water from the wood planks beside his chair and handed it to Caleb as he approached.
“Thanks.” Caleb twisted the lid and drained the bottle dry. After he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he said, “Everything okay?”
“Forgot she was coming. When I remembered, I figured you could use the surprise.” The old man rocked in his chair, chuckling to himself. He wore a checkered shirt over his T-shirt. Jeans and boots. Pretty much his uniform for as long as Caleb could remember.
“It’s good that she comes over and helps you out.”
Caleb had spent most of his run thinking about the curvy older girl he’d known, and the woman in slouchy clothes who had been mopping the floor. Singing loudly, thanks to thevolume of the music in her earbuds. He’d been more than a little mesmerized before she turned and screamed at him, which was the last thing he needed and the furthest thing from what he’d expected would happen today.
“I think she thought I was there to murder her.” And a moment after that scream she’d been determined to beat him off with a mop. “She wouldn’t have gone down without a fight.”
Pops chuckled. “No, she would not have.”
Now all Caleb needed to do was get the girl next door out of his head long enough for him to make a plan. He needed to work out what he was going to do next.
Now that Nathan Kessler had ruined his life, Caleb had some payback to dish out. Recovering here was one thing, but it wasn’t like he was going to just roll over and let Kessler—or his lackeys—do this to him.
“You know,” Pops said. “If you were lookin’, can’t go wrong with a woman like Tess. She makes a mean chicken fried steak.”
