“Sure.” He grins. “It’ll take a little longer, but if you don’t mind me hanging around.”
My cheeks are burning—I pat them to try and cool them down. “I don’t mind the work taking a little longer.”
“That’s good. I don’t mind hanging around longer.”
Is he … Is he flirting with me?
“I’ll go back to the office and firm up this quote. Do you want me to email it to you?”
“Uh … yes. Thanks. If I’m happy with it, when can you start?”
Caleb’s easy smile makes my stomach clench. He was always the more confident out of us, but this Caleb is on a whole other level.
He’s so sure of himself in a way that I know I’m definitely not.
“Whenever you want me to,” he says so gently that heat flushes through my body.
He’s giving me back control of when I see him next.
How the hell am I going to survive this?
Ten
Caleb
Something’s wrong—really wrong.
I know she’s widowed now, and it wasn’t long ago. But there’s more on her mind than what needs doing around the house.
It’s not a long list, but if I space things out a bit by ordering things in, I can stretch things out.
Emma Chase is now a mystery I need to solve.
We’ll be mid-conversation and she’d zone out at times. Maybe it’s nothing—maybe she’s mourning her husband more than she’s making out, but there’s something going on.
And I want to be there for her.
This is not just a simple story of a woman who’s been widowed after years of marriage.
When I get home, Mum’s standing over the stove.
The kitchen smells of cheese, and I smile as she’s making lasagna and that’s a dish she does do well.
“Hi, love. Did you want to stay for dinner? There’ll be plenty.”
I nod. “Sounds good. I wanted to catch up with you and Dad.”
Her brows knit. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I just wanted to talk.”
It’s been so long since something like this has happened that my mother gives me the side-eye.
“How about we have dinner first, and then we talk?”
“Sounds good.” I peck her on the cheek and make my way into the living room.
The TV’s volume’s up—Dad’s too proud to acknowledge his hearing isn’t as good as it used to be, and he’s engrossed in the news.
