“Nope,” I say proudly, like I wrote the script myself. “She and his brother fall for each other, and then the subway guy wakes up. So she keeps playing along. They almost get married, but she confesses to being in love with the brother. There’s more to it, but it’s really sweet.”
His doubt only makes him more endearing. “I’ll have to watch it sometime.”
With me?“Yeah. It’s good. I probably like it more because Holly loved it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“What’s your favorite food?” Why am I peppering him with questions? Is it because it’s been two weeks, and I need to know we’re compatible before I give up my home and my career for him? Am I looking for a reason why we won’t work?
“A perfectly seasoned T-bone.”
“Crossroads beef?”
He works his jaw back and forth like he doesn’t want to answer. “It’s been the best I’ve had, yes.”
I cover my triumph with my grin. “It really is good stuff.”
“You love calzones.”
“Only that brand. What’s your favorite?—”
“Meredith, what’s this about?” The air grows thick in the room.
“I don’t know.”
Tension ripples over his jaw. “You’re trying to figure out if the two weeks between us is enough to decide to leave.”
“Maybe,” I answer honestly. “The Calder who first walked into Jules Creek scares me a little.”
“Why?”
“Other than being so harsh and handsome that he’d never go for a brewmaster?—”
“That’s not true.”
“—he’s also the guy who’d put his brothers first.” I draw in a shaky inhale. I can’t believe I said that. “I’m not sure if that’s what I want in a partner.”
“Shit.” He releases my hand and shoves it through his hair. Silence lands between us for a couple of minutes. “My favorite music is country, but I don’t listen to much anymore. I guess it’s whatever Dad listened to when we worked together. A little George Strait never gets old. I have a preference of what kind of pen and notepads I use. I hate that sticky shit. Give me a lined piece of paper with my logo and a ballpoint pen that doesn’t leave ink drops behind. I have three screens on my desk, and I have one mounted on the wall. It plays nature scenery.”
“Youwatchnature?”
“I’m sure you’re reading into it, and you’re probably right. I also think you’d hate my place. It’s plain. Gray and black.”
Knowing his preference of pens makes me feel better, but then his assistants probably know that too. They’re the ones who stock them for him. But I don’t need to pick apart the tiny details. We have enough large obstacles between us.
“Not robin’s-egg blue?”
“God no. But it’s boring. And yeah, I will do a lot for my brothers. I don’t want them to think I’ll ever cut them out of my life.”
He didn’t say he wouldn’t prioritize them over me. “But you worry they’ll ditch you as easily as your dad did.”
He sways back. “Damn, rosy. Going for the jugular.” He frowns and scrapes his fingers over his jaw. “No. My brothers and I have more between us than Jules Creek and Crossroads, and it’s been that way for twenty years.”
He may believe that, but he’s wrong. They’ve had nothing but survival and mutual loss in common. Their dad’s death brought them back together. The ranch and the brewery have made them stay longer than they planned. They enjoy being together.
Bowen appears at the doorway, looking so much less severe than when he first arrived. “You two making out again?”
“We can be,” Calder says, planting his hand on the small of my back.
