“How are things going out here?” Cal stepped over, a towel draped across his shoulders. He took the corner of one side andran it over his face, damp with sweat. “Getting everyone checked in okay?”
“Just waiting on a few more, but I believe they’re on their way. How’s the setup going?”
“Good. Some of those pieces are pretty heavy, but I’ve been able to hang most of them in the studs.”
She nodded. “Blanca said her sons can help if we need any more hands.”
“Could probably use some, actually. I’ll sync up with her.” He grabbed either end of the towel around his neck, gripping the corners as his head cocked. “Listen, I’ve actually been wanting to talk to you about something—”
“Hey, Edie?” Josh squeezed through the doorway, effectively placing himself between Edie and Cal on the ramp leading to the building. “Have you heard from Morgan at all today?”
“She said she’ll be here by three. Had an emergency with the spinach and feta quiches, I think. But she said she’s got it under control now.”
“Got it.” He passed a glance between the two, a sudden realization hitting him that he’d interrupted something. “I’ll go count those wine glasses one more time. I think the rental shorted us two.” He made backward steps, eyes still locked on the duo. “Just holler if you need me.”
Cal didn’t have a comeback or quip, which surprised Edie. He was nothing but serious as he just lifted his chin in a nearly imperceptible nod. What exactly had he been about to say to her? Whatever it was, it seemed serious. “You were about to tell me something?” she prodded once Josh was fully out of earshot.
“You know what?” Cal released the ends of the towel along with a slow sigh. “We can talk later. We’ve got a lot to do to get things ready for tonight.”
She was about to protest, but in that moment another artist pulled into the lot, simultaneously pulling her attention. “Cal, I can talk now. I have time—”
“Tonight,” he said with a forced smile. “Forget I even said anything.”
Well, that wasn’t going to happen.
Edie and Cal had shared many conversations over the months, but the look in his eye, paired with the pinch in the middle of his brow, was different. A wariness, maybe? It set off a nervous ache in her stomach, and she’d already been a bundle of nerves about the event. Now she had the added worry over this impending conversation with Cal.
She’d have to shove that out of her head for now.
And she was able to, for the most part.
Truthfully, she had been too busy to dwell on it. But once she was back at her beach house that afternoon, standing in front of her bathroom mirror, makeup in place and curling iron in hand, her thoughts began to wander.
Just the other day, she’d been tormented by the little inside joke the two men had shared at the coffeehouse. In the end, it was about nothing really, just something about a customer’s insanely complex coffee order that they’d found funny and decided to run with.
But this was different.
Cal was about to tell her something important. She could sense it in the delivery of his words and through the expression of his body. The way he twisted that poor towel like a sodden dishrag, practically strangling it.
Was he going to tell her he was out? That he no longer wished to compete for her heart? Not that the men had really been competing lately, anyway. They’d all been too preoccupied with the Artistry Uncorked gala to be bothered with matters of the heart.
But the thought of Cal saying it was over did something to Edie. And it wasn’t what she had expected. Sure, there was a huge amount of regret there. A sense of immense loss. But woven into that was the tiniest morsel of relief. And she didn’t think it was relief over the thought of things fully ending with Cal. But more over the idea that she no longer had a choice to make. That the choice had been effectively made for her.
As she moved the hot iron over her red strands, she conjured up the same scenario but placed Josh in the center.
If Josh had approached her, telling her that he was no longer interested in pursuing a relationship with her, how would that make her feel?
To her surprise, she experienced the same mixed emotions of regret and relief. But where things with Cal had been skewed heavily toward the side of regret, when imagining the words coming from Josh’s lips, relief won out.
And that certainly said something.
Of course, she liked Josh.Reallyliked him. The kiss they had shared, and the moments they spent together, were wonderful. He was a good man and they’d had a strong connection from the very start.
But it was nothing like her pull to be with Cal.
Was that it? Had she made her decision? Maybe she had, but she’d still have to wait to hear what Cal had wanted to say to her. Because even if she did choose him, he might be coming to her with something else entirely.
At five o’clock, Edie made her way back to the gala, sure to be there before it started promptly at six-thirty. Her feet already ached. When was the last time she’d worn heels? She couldn’t remember, but they pinched in the toe and the arch was much too high. She needed to toughen up. The black stilettos were the perfect match for the sequined, forest green dress that she’d been lucky enough to snag half-price at an online retailsite specializing in previously worn designer formalwear. She’d loved the way the deep green complemented her fiery red hair, and how she’d done her makeup to match, complete with winged eyeliner she’d learned to apply after watching a handful of online tutorials.
