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Cal set down the dish towel he’d been drying with. “If I look at it, there’s no charge. Maybe it’s a simple fix—”
“Stop.” She set a soapy hand on his arm. “I’m grateful for all your help, but I’m not going to ask you for more. You have your own life.”
He looked down at where they touched, and she withdrew her hand.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to get you wet.”
Cal didn’t mind in the least. The adult version of Steph was fascinating. Through her Pops earlier, and over the past hour, he’d learned more about her than he’d known in high school. She was fiercely independent, frugal to the hilt, protective of her grandpa, loyal to her friends, and well, gorgeous. Maybe not in the fashion magazine way, but her blue eyes sparkled with humor, and he found the splash of freckles across her skin adorable. She was quick to smile, quick to laugh, and didn’t hold back her opinions.
He also really loved the dress she was wearing. He wondered if she wore dresses to work most of the time. He was surprised that she hadn’t changed after getting home, not that he was complaining. Her dark blue dress with polka dots was full in the skirt and swished about her legs as she worked in the kitchen.
He probably shouldn’t be checking her out so much. They lived in different towns, and their worlds were miles apart. Besides, he was a tried-and-true loner. He couldn’t picture himself with a future that included a gaggle of other people, which a wife and kids and in-laws would turn out to be.Whoa… he needed to reel in his thoughts.
“What’s the story with your grandpa?” he asked quietly. “I thought you just lived with him, but it’s obvious you’re his caretaker.”
Steph handed him the last dish to dry and turned off the water. “My parents retired to Florida and invited him to go with them. He wanted to stay here—in the house that he lived in and was married in and raised kids in. Not that I blame him, but he has more bad days than good ones, so I don’t like being too far out of reach.”
“How long have you lived with him?”
“Going on six years now.”
“Wow, that’s a while,” Cal said. “Do your parents come back for visits and to help you out?”
“Not particularly,” she said. “I don’t know if you remember, but my grandpa is actually my step-grandpa. My mom wasn’t too happy when her mom divorced and remarried, so she doesn’t have a close relationship with him. I’m the closest one in the family to him.”
He heard something in her voice he was pretty sure she was trying to keep hidden. “Is all this stuff with your grandpa why you didn’t go to college?”
Her gaze flew to his. “No … I mean, it might have been a factor, but not the whole reason.”
Leaning against the counter, he asked, “What’s the whole reason?” When her face reddened, he wondered if he was being too nosy, but it was too late to take back the question.
“My grades took a dive the last semester of school, so getting a scholarship was out.” She leaned against the counter as well, not meeting his gaze. “It’s fine. I actually love working at the salon, and I get to help my grandpa. Plus, my best friends are all here. And I can feed my love for English and grammar by reading great books. I’ve even had a couple of indie authors ask me to do some proofreading. What more could a girl want?”
He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut in. “Do not say what I think you’re going to say, Cal.”
He feigned innocence. “What do you think I’m going to say?”
“That I need a man.”
Cal chuckled. “Uh, I wasn’t going to say that.”
“Liar.”
He nudged her shoulder with his, because somehow he’d inched closer to her in the past couple minutes. “Okay, I am curious, though. I thought you’d be married, maybe with a couple of kids.”
She scrunched her nose. “Life doesn’t always follow Plan A or Plan B, you know.”
“Oh, I know.”
“Sorry.” Her blue eyes landed on him, regret filling them. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine.” He shrugged it off because they were talking about her, not him. “You’re an amazing woman, Bee, so it’s hard to believe someone hasn’t snatched you up.”
She bit her lip, which didn’t cool down any of the heat that was rising through Cal’s body being this close to her. “I just haven’t found the right man, I guess. The last guy I dated hightailed it back to his old girlfriend.”
“Well, I’d never be that type of problem.”
She turned fully toward him, her lips curving. “Oh yeah? No ex-girlfriend lurking around the corner?”
