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He frowned and shook his head. “Hell no, just anxious to see the finished product. I should have listened to Hannah, and the whole house would have been completed by now.”
“Better late than never, as they say. Right?”
“I suppose.” He let out a sigh and took a sip of root beer. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask.” Whether I would answer was another matter entirely and depended on the question.
“Why do you hate me?”
I should have guessed we would get there eventually. “I don’t hate you, Cal, I don’t think about you enough to hate you. I don’t know you well enough for that anymore. I don’t like or dislike you. I’m indifferent.” At least I was working towards indifference, and one day soon, I’d achieve it.
“Bullshit. You’ve avoided me pretty obviously ever since I returned to Jackson’s Ridge. Between Hannah and Antonio, we should spend more time together than we do, but we rarely show up for the same events. Why is that?”
“Because we’re busy adults with demanding schedules, Cal. Why else?” There was no way in hell I was having this conversation when it was clear Cal didn’t remember everything from our past as clearly as I did.
“You’re lying to me and that only makes me more curious about what I did to put that angry look in your pretty brown eyes. I’m going to find out, Teddy.”
“There’s nothing to find out, Cal. Your ego just can’t handle the fact that not every single woman in town bends over backward to make you feel like a god.”
He smiled. “I might enjoy being fawned over because it’s nice, but I don’t want or need that. I didn’t ask for it, either. I would much rather have a woman who challenges me.”
“Yeah, right,” I laughed around the final bite of my sandwich. “You want a woman to be around when it’s convenient for you and to be happy for the honor of your company.”
“Ouch.”
“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?”
He leaned forward, getting in my face with his arrogant smile. “See, you say you’re indifferent toward me, but those words came with some heat, Teddy. Those words make a liar out of you.”
“I think you mean ‘a keen observer.’ I was here when you sent that woman away in tears, Cal. And I grew up with you, I know exactly who you are. I’m not judging, just calling it how I see it.”
“That’s not good enough, Teddy. I’ll find out what I did to make you hate me so much, and then I’ll work on changing your mind.”
He didn’t remember. He doesn’t remember. That should have made it easier to hate him, but it just plain hurt that a moment could be so important to me, while to him, it didn’t happen at all.
“Don’t bother.”
“Because your mind is made up?”
“No, because your motives are suspicious. You’ve had no problem ignoring me all these years, and now you want to know my life story? I don’t think so.”
“Too bad, because I’m stubborn as hell when I really want something. It’s how I made it through med school and residency. You’ve been warned, Teddy.”
I shivered at his words, at the promise held in them. “Ooh, I’m so worried, Cal.” It was childish and his smile said he knew it, too, but something about this man turned me into a sassier version of the fifteen-year-old girl I used to be.
He smiled again and got up from the table. “I need to get back to the hospital, but this was nice. Enlightening. I promise to do better for our second date,” he said with a mischievous smile.
“This wasn’t a date, and there won’t be a second one.”
“We’ll see about that.” His words were a playful promise and a threat, all wrapped up into one little sentence.
I was happy to see him go. And annoyed that thoughts of Cal filled my mind for the rest of the day.
Cal
Wednesday night was game night for the Ricci siblings and their closest friends. Almost every Wednesday, we all showed up at Antonio’s place with booze and board games, eager to compete and get our hands on whatever new delicious creations Antonio came up with for us to sample.
“I’m here and I brought ice, lemons, limes, and Trivial Pursuit!”
Teddy was here, and I sat a little taller at the sound of her voice, realizing I hadn’t heard her so happy or free in a long time.
A series of shouts and groans sounded throughout the bungalow.
“Trivial Pursuit?” The youngest Ricci brother, Travis, groaned the loudest, and I laughed at his frustration. “Why can’t you ever bring a normal game?”
“Yeah? What did you bring, Connect Four?” Teddy laughed at her joke and I wished she was already in the kitchen so I could see the sparkle I knew would light up her eyes.
