Page 23 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Bear

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Henry shake his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Not one bit.” Cal raised his glass to eye level, staring at its contents. “After that kiss, I doubt I’ll ever see her face again.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah, why?”

Henry tapped his arm. “Because she just walked in.”

Cal’s head snapped around so suddenly, it was a miracle it didn’t fall off his shoulders. Sure enough, Melissa stood by the entrance, wearing a t-shirt over sweatpants, her expression somewhat glum. She swept her gaze around the bar, freezing as it landed on Cal.

“I should give you two lovebirds some space,” Henry said, sounding like he was barely holding back a chuckle.

He grabbed his drink and rose, patting Cal on the shoulder as he walked off to one of the booths. Rolling his eyes, Cal glanced again toward Melissa.

She was walking toward him.

Oh, crap. She’d been upset when she left the kitchen earlier. What was she doing here?

Melissa reached the table in half a dozen strides. “I’m guessing this stool isn’t taken?”

Without waiting for a response, she settled onto it, waving to Angelica to bring her a drink. A moment later, she had a glass just like his cradled in her hands. For the next minute or so, they both sat sipping their whiskey. A heavy awkwardness settled in the air between them.

“Is it just me, or is that barmaid giving me the evil eye?” Melissa said.

Cal nearly choked on his drink. He set his glass down, turning to face her. “How’d you know to find me here?”

She looked at him like he’d lost his marbles. “I didn’t come here looking for you.”

“Oh.” His relief was fleeting, replaced with mild concern. “What did you come here for, then?”

She shrugged, but said nothing for a moment. Cal stared at her, feeling his stomach tighten. The memory of her lips caressing his filled his mind. He could still feel her sighing against him, her breasts crushed against his chest, her body practically melded with his. His gaze shifted to her bangs, and he almost reached out to brush them out of her face.

He brought his eyes even lower, staring at her hands. The engagement was still there, the ruby gleaming in the soft overhead light. Looking at it, Cal felt a tickle of excitement in his gut. He pushed it aside before it could linger.

What was going on in her head? She was the last person he’d expected to come in here this evening, much less take a seat next to him. He could still remember the way she’d looked at him when he said those words: It was a mistake. He’d seen the flash of surprise and hurt in her eyes.

The next thing he knew, she’d all but flounced out of the kitchen.

Now that he thought about it, though, it made little sense for her to take offense. He hadn’t meant to kiss her, after all, and he’d pulled away because it was the sensible thing to do if he wanted to avoid getting hurt again. It wasn’t like she was in much of a position to take offense. Not after the way she’d hurt him.

“Had to find a way to drown my sorrows, I guess,” Melissa finally said.

Huh? “Sorrows?”

“I got fired today, Cal. Dale fired me.”

“Oh.” He’d suspected her presence here had something to do with their kiss. This? This was... “What happened?”

“I didn’t feed his dog on time, and he decided I wasn’t fit to work for him. So he let me go.” She took another sip from her glass. “Now I’m once again out of a job. Figured it was time for a drink or two.”

“I’m sorry,” Cal said, feeling guilt grip his insides. It was his fault she’d lost her job, after all. If he hadn’t asked her to come with him to the sanctuary...

A thought occurred to him then. “Well...Green Sanctuary still has an opening if you want it. My offer from this morning still stands.”

She glanced at him, her green eyes widening slightly. “Are you sure? I mean—”

“It’s the logical solution to our problems. We saved a foal today because of you. As our vet, you’d be helping us save so many more animals.” He gave a shrug. “You were supposed to work full-time with us, anyway.”