Hopefully, I’d be able to talk Caleb into helping me out with things.
“Come on,” I groaned, “stop crying.”
I tossed my brush down after working out the knots and turned on the water. I splashed some into my face, shocking my system with ice cold liquid in order to stop the tears dead in their tracks. It was a trick I had come up with during the last couple of years. They’d been rough on me and Blake, and he hated seeing me cry.
More red flags you ignored.
“Shut up,” I grumbled.
I reached for my makeup remover and wiped it all over my face with as many cotton balls as I could stand. That shit had dripped everywhere because of my tears, but I refused to invest in waterproof makeup. I refused to turn over my entire stash just because I couldn’t stop crying.
“No more tears, come on,” I murmured.
After applying some much-needed concealer, I slid on some mascara once my eyes stopped acting like they were fucking rainclouds. I fluffed my hair out before pulling it back into a half-ponytail, and I rushed to get into some decent-looking clothes. A yellow summer’s dress with a white floral print swirling all around it caught my eye, and I decided to pair everything with some red costume jewelry before I painted my lips with the same shade of red.
Then, I headed to go get Caleb and myself an outside table before all of the reservations were taken.
“How many?” the hostess asked.
“Two, please,” I said as I hiked my purse up my shoulder, “for an outside table, if you still have one.”
She smiled as she marked us down. “Congratulations, you just secured the last one.”
A few groans ricocheted behind me, but I didn’t care. I beamed with pride at the way my luck had finally changed a little bit as the hostess guided me out onto their front porch. I watched people pass by, linking arms with their loved ones and sipping their coffee while they went on about their days.
It was Friday, after all.
And no one could be sad on a Friday.
The second I heard that engine motor running, a true smile spread across my face. It grew so big that it almost closed my eyes, and I watched as the man clad in the leather vest eased himself into a parking spot. His long leg swung over the back, touching him down onto the ground before he turned in my general direction.
I watched the breadth of his chest muscles tug at the white t-shirt he donned with a pair of dark-wash jeans.
Jeans that clung to the length, and girth, of his legs.
“My word, we aren’t in high school anymore,” I whispered.
As he made his way for the front door of the restaurant, I caught a glimpse of the back of his leather vest. There was an emblem sewn into the fabric, and the name caught my attention.
Steel Scorpions.
Holy shit, he runs with that club around town.
“Caleb!” I exclaimed.
I quickly shot to my feet just as he opened the restaurant doors. He ushered an elderly couple inside before he craned his head over his shoulder, and just like that those baby blue eyes of his found mine after so many years had passed between us. A soft breeze kicked up, rustling his disheveled brown hair as his lips ticked upwards into a soft smile.
And when he fully turned to face me, I got a chance to take in just how well his body had filled out with muscles.
“Well, well, well,” he said as he hopped the small, wrought iron fence to get to me, “who do we have here?”
I ran my gaze down his form one last time before smiling up into his face. “It’s been a while.”
He took my hands in his. “It certainly has.”
I pulled him close to me. “Come here and give me a hug, Caleb.”
The second I pulled him in, I expected a massive hug. One of those, “pick me up and swing me around” hugs he used to give me all the time back in high school. But instead of wrapping his arms around me as I draped mine around his neck, he took one of his hands and softly patted my back.
