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“Okay.” After hanging up with Cal, she headed into the hospital. She knew her friends were about to have a lot more questions about him. She wouldn’t be able to answer them, but that didn’t matter. She was happy he wasn’t leaving Everly Falls quite yet.
Julie was still groggy by the time Steph visited her hospital room, but she looked serene. Dave had parked himself by her bed.
“I’ll watch Maren overnight for you,” Steph offered. She didn’t have to work tomorrow, and it would help her to keep busy instead of sitting around worrying.
Dave’s frown appeared. “Are you sure? Maren is a handful.”
“If Mrs. Lovell can manage her, then I can definitely manage her.”
“Maren loves you, Steph,” Julie said in a drowsy voice.
Steph squeezed her hand. “And I love her.”
Dave nodded, eyes full of gratitude. “I’ll write down a list of her favorite foods and her bedtime routine. This means the world.”
“No problem.” Her phone buzzed with Cal’s text saying that he’d arrived with food.
“Cal Conner is dropping off some food,” she told Dave and Julie. “I can bring some to you?”
“Oh thanks, but I’m not hungry,” Julie said.
“I’ll come out a little later,” Dave added.
So Steph headed to the lobby. There she found Cal surrounded by Brandy and Lori, who were acting more than curious, completely ignoring the bags of food while asking him a bunch of questions.
“Steph,” Cal said the instant he spotted her. His face lit with that smile she loved. She marveled again at the changes in this man over the years.
“Hey, thanks for doing this.”
“You’re welcome.” His brown eyes held hers, and she wished they were alone. As it was, Brandy and Lori seemed to be hanging on each word. “How’s Julie and her baby?”
“Julie’s doing great, and the nurse said the baby’s oxygen and blood pressure are stable.”
“That’s good news.”
“Yeah.” She paused. “You want to stay and eat with us?”
He hesitated. “I have a couple of things I need to do.”
“Right, and get back to Grandin eventually.”
“Right.” He looked over at Brandy and Lori, who were pretending to be busy getting their food arranged. “It was great to see you ladies again. Have a good night.”
“Great to see you, too, Cal,” Brandy said in a singsong voice.
“Drive safe,” Lori added.
“I’ll walk you out.” Steph didn’t want their goodbye to be more awkward than the situation already was.
She and Cal walked out of the hospital. Most of the cars in the general parking lot were gone, and the sunset bathed everything in an orange glow.
“Thanks again, Cal.” Steph glanced at his handsome profile. He’d cleaned up, but there were paint specks all over his shirt and jeans. She caught herself admiring his easy walk and his broad shoulders. “My friends aren’t going to forget this anytime soon.”
One side of his mouth lifted as his gaze connected with hers. “It’s kind of crazy to see them again—the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
“Which is a good thing, in my opinion.”
Cal’s steps slowed as they reached his car. “I agree.”
