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She turned off the TV, then heard the water running in the bathroom. It seemed like Pops was taking his bedtime routine seriously tonight. She moved into the kitchen, where everything was cleaned up and put away—thanks to Cal’s help.
After turning off the main lights, she heard Pops’s bedroom door shut. Had he already gone to bed? Without telling her his sweet tooth was acting up, or that he wanted to catchThe Late Show, or that he had some sort of mysterious malady that she needed to cure?
Steph paused by his bedroom door. She heard the creak of his mattress, and then a few seconds later, his light switched off. The only light coming through the space at the bottom of his door was the faint glow of the nightlight.
Huh.
She moved to her own bedroom, leaving the door ajar like she always did so she could hear if Pops got up in the middle of the night. She called Brandy. The phone rang a few times, then went to voice mail. So she texted her friend.Checking in for an update. How did it go talking to Cal? I wasn’t able to ask before he left.
Steph climbed into bed and settled against her stacked pillows. She tugged one against her chest and let her eyes flutter shut. Kissing Cal had been … amazing. A week ago, she wouldn’t have ever imagined that Cal would be at her house, fixing stuff, cooking dinner, treating Pops like gold, kissing her on a dark street, making her pulse race like she was training for the Olympics …
Her phone rang, and she opened her eyes and grabbed it.Brandy.
“Are you up reading some scary book?” Brandy teased.
“No … I have other things on my mind. How did it go with your mom?”
“Much better after talking to Cal.” Brandy’s voice sounded tired. “But my mom’s still in shock, I think. She was really interested in Greg. Even though Cal explained that he didn’t know the full story behind all those divorces, Mom agreed that they were too much of a red flag. Even if she could explain away the age differences in the women he’d married.”
Relief buzzed through Steph. “I’m so glad she took the information seriously. Is she okay otherwise?”
“She deleted that dating app, if that’s what you mean.”
“Good idea, unless she’s willing to have you or Everly help her filter through all the junk.”
“Yeah … I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Brandy said. “She does want to date, but both my sister and I told her we’d help her look up singles’ activities and events where she could meet men more naturally—and safely. Everly said she’s heard of a widows’ group—and they do monthly activities in various towns.”
“That sounds really interesting.”
“Yeah, I thought so, too.” Brandy sighed. “Mom has some wounds to nurse first, then maybe we can talk her into more.”
“What about Greg? Did she end things with him already?”
“Oh yeah. Cal insisted on it. Said to text him a quick goodbye, then block his number. He said there was no reason to be cruel, but that it needed to completely end.”
Steph found herself pleased with Cal all over again. Not that it was hard to do. He was checking quite a few boxes.
“So …” Brandy said in a brighter voice. “Cal was at your house? What was that all about?”
Steph had filled in her friends about their quick chat after the reunion—well, she made it sound a lot quicker than it was. Brandy was the only one who knew he was coming into town and that Steph had asked for his investigative help. “Well … I invited him for dinner, and it turned out he arrived quite early, while I was still at work, and ended up being Pops’s personal maintenance man.”
“What?” Brandy asked with a laugh.
Steph filled her in on the rest, except for the evening walk and the all-consuming kissing session. If Cal came out again next weekend, and things continued to progress, then it would be easy to catch up her girlfriends. But if things didn’t align, then she wouldn’t have to go through the whole “I’m a magnet for unavailable men” explanation again.
“Wow,” Brandy said at length. “He fixed all that stuff? I’d be surprised if he ever returned to Everly Falls again.”
“Right?” Steph sighed. “I think Pops is in love with him. He’s like a new man around Cal.”
“And you?” she asked. “Are you a new woman?”
“It would take a lot more than a few repairs and a report on Greg Makin to make me consider a guy like Cal Conner, no matter how good looking he is.”And more than one hot kiss.
“Ooo. Sounds very promising to me.”
“Time will tell,” Steph said in the most mellow tone she could muster. “I’m not holding my breath for anyone anymore.”
Even as she said the words, she knew that she’d already opened her heart to Cal. Maybe too much, too soon. She needed to guard herself more carefully. Because as amazing as Cal had been to her, to Pops, and about everything, some things were too good to be true. She’d learned that plenty over the past few years.
