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Steph flashed a smile. “Exactly.” She took a bite of her ice cream. “This is really good. I’m glad you invited me over.”
He turned to lean against the counter next to her. “I’m glad you came.”
Steph smirked. “Tell me why you’re single, Cal. Do you dump women left and right?”
He set his bowl down. “No … things just didn’t feel right with other women I’ve dated, you know?”
She met his gaze, then looked away. “I don’t really know, because I don’t really trust my feelings.”
“Maybe since I’m more closed off than you, when I do feel something, it’s more obvious. You’re the only person I’ve told the full story of my life to. With other women I dated, I didn’t ever go into any detail.”
Her gaze slid back to his, and her smile appeared.
The smile that he loved and that told him he hadn’t scared her off by his confession.
“You’ve told me a lot of details.” She set down her bowl of ice cream.
“That’s correct.”
She tipped her head. “Because you feel things for me? Or because we’re friends?”
He couldn’t help but return her smile, even though nerves were bouncing around like crazy. “I’m pleading the Fifth.”
EATING ICE CREAM AND FLIRTING with Cal in his kitchen was definitely one of Steph’s favorite activities. Who knew?
She’d spent most of the drive over to his place on her Bluetooth talking to Brandy about this man. Brandy definitely endorsed him, and she said one thing that Steph found significant. If she didn’t open her heart, then she’d never know if Cal was the real deal.
She had a feeling he was the real deal. No matter how much she’d pushed that thought away over the past week. But she was going to stick to her conviction of keeping Cal in the friend zone. She wasn’t about to jump over relationship hurdles that would lead to her tripping and falling.
“When you see Cal’s place, you’ll know more about him and if there are things you can’t live with,” Brandy had told her. “I can’t explain it, but you’ll know.”
“Like laundry climbing up the walls?”
“You might not know that unless you go into his bedroom,” Brandy said with a laugh.
Steph scoffed. “I’m not planning on that thorough of a tour.” Still, when she’d walked around his town house, she only saw an orderly and somewhat stark environment. It fit him, and nothing bothered her. Except that he only had one kind of ice cream in his freezer. Who did that? A person needed at least three flavors to cater to moods.
“Friends can’t plead the Fifth,” Steph said to Cal as they stood next to each other, leaning against his counter.
She liked him in the evening-at-home look, with his bare feet, faded jeans, old T-shirt, and rumpled hair. Some men grew more handsome with age, and Cal was definitely that man. She had to stop herself from lifting her hand and touching his new haircut. Had it only been this afternoon that he’d been at the salon?
“I don’t want to scare you off,” Cal said, his gaze steady on hers. “I just barely got out of being ghosted, and now we’re officially friends.”
“True.” Steph moved a couple of inches closer until their arms were nearly touching. “I’m glad you didn’t ghost me back.”
His dark eyes searched hers. “Are you?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
His smile was slow. “That you are.”
Her heart flipped, and she knew that if she didn’t put some space between her and this man, she’d break the friend zone by kissing him. She shifted away from him and took another bite of her cold ice cream, hoping it would cool everything else off. She might need another scoop. The next bite gave her brain freeze, and she winced.
“Are you okay?” Cal asked.
Steph waved her spoon. “Ate too fast.”
He smiled. “In a hurry?”
