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“He shouldn’t. Sounds like an excuse to text you.”
“And to ask me out for dinner tonight at The Odin,” added Evie. “His treat.”
“Go!” said Sunita. “If anyone deserves to be spoiled, it’s you.”
* * *
Sipping still water from her wine glass, Evie glanced across the table. Caleb’s flannel jacket and faded jeans from the previous week had been replaced with a white dress shirt, unbuttoned casually at the collar, and black trousers. Rugged on his day off, refined for our date. Don’t go all ideal man on me, One-Kiss Caleb. She smiled. “How’s the salmon?”
“Delicious.” He swirled a potato through the lemon herb sauce with his fork. “How’s the macaroni and cheese?”
“Heavenly.” Evie set down her glass, noticing the server on the approach with Caleb’s second pale ale. “The best thing about everyone knowing I have Crohn’s is I never get funny looks when ordering from the kids’ menu.” She dove her fork into the cheesy bowl of pasta joy.
“How’s it been lately?” Caleb nodded with a “Thanks” as the server removed his empty glass and replaced it with a freshly poured pint.
“Pretty good. Just the odd twinge saying, ‘Hey, remember me?’” Evie rarely shared further details unless she had to. Caleb seemed fine with her Crohn’s—Is my luck actually changing?!—so she happily moved on to something else. “How was camping?”
“Fantastic! We almost lost one of the tents to the wind, though. Now the scouts understand why it’s important to secure those suckers.”
Evie chuckled softly, more out of politeness than hilarity. Caleb wouldn’t be challenging any famous comedians with his humor, but he was easygoing and humble, and his love of outdoor pursuits was a huge turn-on along with the toned arms and firm pecs lurking beneath his form-fitting button-down. She grinned, a forkful of macaroni, breadcrumbs, and Orkney cheddar cheese lingering in front of her lips. “Did you go hiking or rock pooling?” She nibbled her pasta.
“A bit of both. The highlight was probably Burroughston Broch. The kids loved climbing all over it. I tried to give them a bit of a history lesson, but it flew over their heads.”
Like Fi, Sun, and I at Skara Brae all those years ago. Evie nodded. “And how’s school? End of term is…?”
“Two days away.” His gaze leapt upward. “Hallelujah! At times, I thought it was never gonna end.”
“Juggling your old classes with head teacher duties must be tough.”
“Yeah, it’s been a steep learning curve. Don’t get me wrong, I love the job and the kids, but I’m more than ready for some Caleb time.”
“Which is…what?”
“Fishing on Harray Loch. It’s my favorite thing, relaxing on the water, waiting for a taut line to wake me from my reverie.”
“I used to go with my dad when I was peedie. I loved it.” Evie smiled, the memories precious. “But then again, I might’ve been more interested in the sweets he packed than hooking a squiggling trout.”
“Are you squeamish?”
“Not at all. We had all sorts of pets growing up: a frog, fish, guinea pigs, plus the usual cats and dogs. I wanted a lizard, but Mum said no.”
“All those animals, great training for your brother.”
The server reappeared with a carafe and topped up Evie’s water. “Thank you.” She looked up, catching Nick and Ashley toting glasses of wine as they were seated at a table in the far corner. A pink-cheeked server followed, two half-eaten meals held aloft in her hands.
Popular place tonight.
“Sorry about the noise in the bar,” said the server, setting Nick and Ashley’s plates in front of them. “If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate—”
“Evie?”
Her thoughts skipped back to Caleb. “Mmhmm?”
“I was just saying you should come fishing with me sometime. I’ll bring sweets.”
“Well, that seals it.” She grinned, setting down her fork. “Count me in.”
Caleb matched her smile and returned to his meal. As he sliced off a sizeable chunk of his pan-fried salmon, Evie surrendered to the gravitational pull across the room, stealing another look.
