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“From all that I hear, he loved a pretty woman.” Caleb wagged his brows at me. “You could’ve been set with gummy bears for life if you played your cards right.”
I laughed out loud. “I could’ve been your great grandma. If only.”
He shuddered and shook his head. “I don’t like this game anymore.”
The carhop appeared with our drinks and after sticking my straw in mine and taking a big drink, I sighed. The caffeine almost instantly hit the spot. I rested my head on the headrest and rolled my face towards him. “Bless you.”
He nodded. “Stick with me, sweetheart. I’ve got that sweet, sweet Sonic hookup.”
“Such a good great grandson.”
“You want to walk?” Caleb reached over and lightly pinched my chin between two fingers. The sensation was electric as he leaned closer and his minty breath washed over my lips. “Because that’s how you end up walking.”
7
***Olive***
Calebdroveusthroughcampus and parked in the wide driveway of a two-story house. The house was cute with a large front porch and a giant old tree in the front yard. It maybe lacked some curb appeal, but it was beautiful. The rest of the houses on the street were just as beautiful and I knew I’d never be able to afford to live there. From the cars in the driveways to the fancy wreaths on the other doors, I knew it was out of my league.
“This is beautiful.” I thought of the tiny apartment Jesse and I were living in and tried to keep any jealousy out of my voice. Our home was fine for the time we’d need it. “I didn’t know guys in college lived in houses this nice.”
Caleb shrugged. “Don’t make any judgements until you see the inside. We’re a little rougher than the typical family who might’ve lived in this house instead of us. We have a lot of things to repair and fix before my parents come down to see the place.”
I stepped out and breathed in air thick with the smell of a barbeque. Looking around, I smiled as I heard kids playing farther down the street. I could also see other people around our age outside, so it seemed like a mix of students and families. “The houses are a lot farther apart back home, but I like this, I think. This is a nice middle area from home and where Jesse and I are now.”
“Where are you living?” He leaned against his car next to me and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Why isn’t Taylor helping?”
“We’re staying in the Rose Hill Apartments. The owners really took their liberties in naming the place. It’s fine, though.” I saw the front door open and felt the same kick of shame I’d felt when I’d recognized Andrew earlier. “And Taylor isn’t helping because he’s not my boyfriend. He’s Jesse’s dad, when he can bother. I don’t expect a lot of help from him. The school offers free childcare for athletes, though. When Jesse isn’t in school, I can set him up with the college daycare program. That’s the reason we’re here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t personally choose to be anywhere near Taylor. It’ll be good for Jesse to have his dad near him, though. Hopefully.”
Andrew caught the end of my statement and I watched his jaw clench. I didn’t know if he was still friends with Taylor, but if he was, he probably didn’t want to hear me talk poorly about him. “Jesse’s down for a nap.”
I actually gasped. “Are you serious? How’d you do that?”
“I told you that I’m good with kids. We played for a while and had a big meal. Then, he tucked himself into my bed and has been out for close to an hour.” He looked at Caleb and then cleared his throat. “Mind if I talk to Olive alone for a bit?”
Caleb was quiet for an awkward moment and then straightened. Both of them were close to six and a half feet tall and solidly built so seeing them shoulder to shoulder was a lot. Caleb shot Andrew a look and then turned to me. “I’ll give you and Jesse a ride home.”
I got the strange impression that the two men were having a silent argument but it didn’t make any sense to me so I just nodded. “Sure. Thank you, again. You’ve been so much help, Caleb.”
His eyes softened when I said his name. “Thankyou, sweetheart.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes, unsure what to make of him. He was a wild flirt, but I got the impression that he was like that with everyone and everything around him.
Andrew nodded to the truck parked in front of Caleb’s car. “Sit with me?”
I nodded and when he let the tailgate down, I was debating how to best jump up on the oversized truck when his hands wrapped around my waist. I gasped and clutched his arms as he lifted me onto the tailgate. “Andrew! You’re going to break something!”
He sat next to me and spread out so his thigh pressed into mine. “I’m not going to dignify that with a response.”
I pressed my hand to my chest and forced myself to take a slower breath before fixing my shirt and crossing my legs. “What did you want to talk about?”
Andrew had amber colored bedroom eyes. I’d known they were pretty as a teenager but seeing them up close as a woman was a different experience. With eyelashes so thick they made me jealous and a mouth just full enough to verge on feminine, his face would’ve been great at selling romance novels. So, when he turned those eyes on me and rubbed his strong jaw with a massive hand, I felt a flutter of awareness that I had no business feeling.
“I was so shocked to see you this morning that I could barely think. I just wanted to catch up and see how you’re doing.” He ran a hand through his thick, dark blonde hair and left the slightly too long strands standing straight up. “So, how are you doing?”
I blew a raspberry into the wind and held up my hands. “I’m here. I got the job. I’m not back home in Blackfoot anymore.”
He made a noncommittal sound. “So…good?”
