Caleb followed my gaze, his expression hardening.
“We need privacy,” I decided.
He nodded. “Yes. We do.”
I gestured toward the hallway that led to the library. “This way.”
As we walked, Glenna waved cheerfully. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right here when you’re done.”
I did not doubt it for a second. I closed the library door behind us with a soft, solid sound that felt like relief. I leaned back against the nearest bookshelf for a moment, breathing in the familiar scent of paper and lemon polish, groundingmyself. Caleb stood a few feet away, hands shoved into his jacket pockets, shoulders tight.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have warned you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think there’s a warning that fully prepares someone for… that.”
A corner of his mouth twitched. “That’s fair.”
“She’s going to be a problem,” I said quietly.
“Yes,” Caleb agreed immediately. “I’ll call my lawyer today, hopefully we can get the restraining order reinstated right away and get her out of here.”
I looked at him then, really looked at him, and felt something warm and complicated settle in my chest. There it was again. The truth that kept surfacing whether I invited it or not. “Others will come, won’t they?”
His jaw tightened. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Now that my name is attached to yours publicly, people are going to come looking. Fans, groupies, curiosity seekers… This is an inn where we can’t vet for that type of thing and we want people to stay.” I folded my arms, thinking it through as I spoke.
Caleb’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I never wanted my issues to affect you, or your family.”
“It already has,” I said gently. “And pretending any different won’t make it go away.”
He looked up, eyes searching my face. “We should probably stop fake dating. If we break up publicly, then they should leave you alone.”
The words hung between us, heavy and careful.
“Do you want to break up with me?” The words were small and out before I could stop them. It hurt that he was ready to just end things at the first sign of trouble.
“I don’t want to keep pretending if it makes trouble for you,” Caleb replied.
I squeezed my arms around myself, uncertain of what to say or do.
He took a step closer to me, his expression serious. “I like you too much to have you get hurt over this. Maybe it’s for the best if we stop seeing each other.”
“What if it hurts more to not see you?” I whispered. I didn’t dare look up at him. “What if I would rather date you for real?”
I stood there, my heart pounding.
Chapter Nineteen: No More Pretending
Caleb
“Kitty.” My hand cupped her chin before I could second-guess myself, thumb warm against her jaw, the word leaving my mouth like it had been waiting there all along. She tipped her head up without hesitation, eyes steady, trusting. I kissed her because the space between us had become unbearable and because I was tired of pretending I didn’t want exactly this.
The kiss was slow and unhurried. Just the two of us in a quiet room that smelled faintly of old paper and lemon polish, the kind of room where truth seemed easier to say. I pulled back first, only enough to see her face, to be sure this was what she wanted.
She smiled, small and real. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I said, and felt something settle in my chest that had nothing to do with relief and everything to do with choice.
