His stomach dropped.
I… I cannot believe I just did that.
He turned his head, very slowly, to look at Diana… whose eyebrows were going up in surprise, and what looked like the beginnings of suspicion.
Chapter 8
“Well, that was certainly exciting,” Diana said as they stepped outside, the warmth of the morning hitting her with an almost physical force.
She’d kept her tone measured in an attempt to cover up the odd feelings of suspicion that were coming over her. There had definitely been something strange going on ever since Calvin had entered her life in all his devastatingly handsome glory, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
First, though, she had to work out whatitwas.
I mean, there have been a couple of times when it’s felt like a room has become cooler after he’s entered it. What kind of conclusions could I draw from that, without sounding like I have a few screws loose?
If it weren’t for the fact that Calvin was acting a little weird, she would dismiss these feelings entirely. But he’d been looking downrightguiltyafter the lights in the kitchen went out, which was just bizarre. As if he’d decided to provide first aid to Eula’s grandson, and then sabotage her diner. Which was nonsensical.
Luckily the damage to the lights had been limited – everything was intact, only a few bulbs were affected, and therewas no smoke or other issues. And enough light came in through the windows that the diner would be able to continue to operate until it was fixed.
So it wasn’t like it was a huge deal… but Calvin had looked aghast, as if he had personally reached his hand inside the wall and yanked out the wires. He’d offered to pay for repairs, but Tom had refused – of course – and said that it was just a coincidence, and insurance would probably cover it if it was a major issue. Calvinhadinsisted on paying for both their meals, at least, leaving a large tip in the jar.
He really must be a nice guy, if he’d offer to pay for a random electrical fault at a diner,she thought.I just don’t understand why he’s acting so jittery, especially since he was so calm when he was dealing with Brandon’s situation.
Then again, she was feeling a little jittery herself. Any chance she’d had of convincing herself that she wasn’t interested in Calvin had gone out the window once he’d started feeding her some of his breakfast. If he’d gone one step further and hand-fed her some berries, she would’ve combusted right there in the diner.
She became aware, suddenly, that the two of them were standing outside the front of the diner, both just kind of staring at the street and not really doing or saying anything. Calvin’s expression was kind of pained.
I guess it makes sense – after all that excitement with Brandon we left without any plans, and now it’s awkward.
Deciding to take the plunge, she cleared her throat.
“Would you like to come back to my place?” she asked, feeling her face heating up as she realized how that sounded. But she hadn’t meant it that way!
Well, I mean, not that Iwouldn’tmean it that way, but perhaps not at this exact second!
Quickly, she added, “I could show you my garden.”
“Oh – yes, that sounds like a great idea,” Calvin said, before his face twitched a little, and he started to walkawayfrom her car. “Let’s get going before it gets too warm.”
What the –?!
“Uh, Calvin?” she called out, and he stopped, though he didn’t turn around. “My car isthisway.”
He did turn, now, though there was a definite shiftiness to his expression that she hadn’t even thought him capable of.
“I know, but it’s such a nice day, right? It’d be great to get some walking in before it gets too hot. And you could show me the sights on the way.”
On their own, they weren’t terrible arguments. But on top of all the other strange things that had been happening, this avoidant behavior when it came to getting into her car was the straw that broke the camel’s back. There wasdefinitelysomething weird going on.
“This is the third time you’ve found an excuse not to get into my car,” she said, her eyes narrowing a little. “I’d love to know the reason why. Therealreason.”
Calvin stared back at her from his spot on the sidewalk, his eyes almost…pleading? He seemed to be considering things for a moment, before his jaw tightened in resolve.
“I promise I’ll explain everything, Diana. But I just… I can’t get in your car right now. Can you trust me on that?”
She looked into his deep, dark eyes, and saw nothing but honesty there.
And for some reason, she knew that she could trust him. She didn’t know why. But it was like she’d known him all her life – like he was a part of her.
