Caleb gives me the tape measure and I assure him I don’t need any help. Even if it is a little tricky measuring a huge space all by myself with a tape measure that only goes out to fifty feet. I don’t like the way he makes me feel when he’s around. Now that he’s not flirting with me anymore, it’s a little disappointing being around him. Man, something is wrong with me. Maybe it’s the stress of planning this event.
I take all the measurements, draw out a floorplan on my notebook and get a seating arrangement set up. We’ll need twenty tables that sit eight people each in order to fit the current RSVP list with a few extra spots for stragglers. Jon, my AV guy, gives us a good deal on a stage rental, DJ, and podium with speaker and mic setup for the evening.
I hop on my laptop and design posters, fliers, and thank you cards, all using the logo I download from Caleb’s website. In just four hours of sitting in this old barn with a nice big fan blowing on me, I get more work done than I could have ever done in a full day at the office. It’s nearly time to leave for the day, but something keeps me here. I like the fresh air and vibe of this whole place. It’s so much more peaceful than being in the city.
A dog bark makes me tense, but then I see Caleb walking Rex way out past the barn. He’s running freely, but Caleb has a ball in one of those handheld ball chucker things, and Rex seems solaser focused on the ball that I’m nottooworried. Caleb flings the ball across the field and Rex takes off after it, running full speed. I watch them for a long moment, see how happy Rex is to bring the ball back and drop it at his feet. After a while, Caleb pulls the leash from around his shoulders and clips it to Rex’s collar. He glances up and sees me.
I hold up my hand in a wave. He waves back. My phone rings and I turn back to my makeshift barn desk to answer it. To my delight, the local dry cleaners has just donated a thousand dollars! I write it down, thank them profusely, and stand up to do a little dance.
“That must be good news?” Caleb’s voice startles the absolute crap out of me as he leans against the open barn door.
I yelp and turn around, heat flooding into my cheeks. “Yes,” I say. “Please don’t sneak up on me when I’m doing a private happy dance.”
“Private happy dance, huh?” His grin turns downright sexy. “What exactly does your public happy dance look like? I need to know the difference so I don’t make the same mistake again.”
I roll my eyes. “For your information, we just got another donor.”
“Nice!” Rex appears, having been sitting off to the side just a moment ago. He’s still on leash, but my skin prickles in fear. Caleb pats his head. “Sitz. We don’t want to scare Miss Charlotte.”
Rex does as he’s told, his mouth open and tongue flopping out from the exhaustion of playing fetch.
My wrist burns from the memory of that dog bite so many years ago. I take a deep breath and remind myself to be professional. He’s on a leash. He’s well-trained. Caleb’s got him. It’s okay.
“How many donors have you gotten so far?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’ll provide you with an updated list by the end of the week.”
“That good, huh?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
“You don’t know that. Maybe it’s going terribly.”
He shakes his head. “Your eyes give it away. You’ve got good news and you’re purposely not telling me yet.”
Heat floods into my face AGAIN, and the embarrassment of knowing he’s made me blush only makes me blush worse. He can’t possibly read me that well, can he?
I press my lips together, taking things back to business only. “Do those electrical outlets work? It would make things a lot easier but we can bring extension cords or generators in if needed.”
He frowns, tilting his head in thought. “I never even noticed them. I have no clue. Let’s find out if they work. Hold this—” He shrugs, then hands something to me and walks off.
It takes a whole three seconds for every ounce of fear in my body to realize he just handed me Rex’s leash.
chapter six
Caleb
I jog to the admin building since it’s closer than the house. My oldest and tallest brother, Ethan, glances up as I burst through the door. Maybe we should have made the front desk a little taller because he has to lean over so far when writing something. Oh well, that’s an idea for later.
“Everything okay?” Ethan asks.
“Yeah, I just need something with a plug.”
He quirks an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“Do you know if the electricity in the barn works?”
“The lights work. They’re on every night.”
“Yeah, but the plugs inside?” I ask, looking around for something useful.
