“AHHHHH!” I screamed. I spun around, heart detonating in my chest, nearly losing the towel in the process. “What the hell are you doing here?” I shouted. “How did you get in?”
Caleb stood there like he’d always belonged in the space—relaxed, unapologetic, painfully awake. Grass-green T-shirt. Jeans. Clean. Effortless. He looked unfairly good for someone who should’ve been just as hungover as I was.
“First,” he said calmly, lifting a hand to shield his eyes, “hold onto the towel. Second, please lower the volume—I’m only in marginally better shape than you. And third,”—his eyebrows lifted—“who do you think brought you home last night?”
Wait. What?
The memory slid back into place slowly, like puzzle pieces I hadn’t wanted to look at too closely. Taylor in the mirror. Caleb’s hand on my shoulder, firm and grounding, stopping me from sliding across the seat. The steadiness in him when everything else had been spinning.
Oh.Heat crept up my neck.“Why are you still here?” I demanded, clutching the towel tighter, suddenly hyper-aware of how exposed I was. “Explain yourself. Right now.”
“Okay, okay.” He raised his hands, but his mouth curved like he was fighting a smile. “Put some clothes on before you catch a cold. Then I’ll explain.” He held up two cups. “Coffee or tea? I figured the French Vanilla would be too sweet, so I got a chai latte and a macchiato.”
“Chai latte,” I said, taking it without hesitation. Our fingers brushed, just briefly, but the contact sent an electric jolt through me. I ignored it. “And you’ve been out? When I get back, that explanation had better include how you got past the doorman.”
I walked hurriedly into my bedroom, threw on clothes and marched back out.
“Breakfast?” he asked.
The table was set. Strawberries. Toast. Cream cheese.
My stomach sank in a way that had nothing to do with hunger. No one had made me breakfast in a long time. Except Harper… and even that memory felt distant now.
“Thank you,” I said, sitting down. “Now talk.”
“Well,” he said, biting into toast, “you passed out, and no one was willing to take you home, so I offered.”
Liar. My friends wouldn’t abandon me.
“Well,” he amended, smiling like he knew exactly what I was thinking, “Everyone was tired and got an Uber. Since you weren’t up to making decisions, I made one for you and told them I’d get you home.”He took a sip of his macchiato and continued, “I crashed on your couch.”
“And stole my keys this morning,” I said.
“I went out through the parking lot,” he said, biting into a strawberry. “I had to lock you in. I wanted you safe.” He looked concerned. “But I left you some orange juice and an Advil. Did you have it?”
“You didn’t need to lock me in,” I replied curtly. “If there had been an emergency, I would have been stuck and could have died because of you.”
“I highly doubt you’d be up in an emergency. You didn’t even know I’d left.”
That was true. I had been completely out of it. “Would you be saying that if there was an emergency, and something did happen to me?”Smartass thinks he has an answer for everything.
“No, I wouldn’t. But I made a judgment call and acted as I’d want someone to if I were in your position. You operate under a different set of principles, obviously, so you don’t need to mock me—just tell me what they are, and I’ll try not to step on them.”
I looked at him and swallowed a lump in my throat. “No, I would have done the same,” I said. “Thank you.”
Caleb smiled, nodded, and continued to eat. “Hey, this is a crazy idea, but do you want to go for a drive? Taylor dropped the other car off this morning, and the Sea to Sky Highway is spectacular with the top down. We could grab a late lunch up at the gondola.”
“I’m busy,” I lied. Why the hell would he want to hang out? I was trying to get rid of him, for pity’s sake. “Why don’t you ask Sarah? I’m sure she would love to.”
“Busy? On the weekend?” He raised his eyebrows. “Sarah was just a date. And honestly, unless there’s a good chance of her getting photographed and tagged on Insta, I don’t think she’d want another.”
“Well, I have a lot of errands to run.”
“I wouldn’t mind driving you around.”
Dang. That didn’t work.“Umm. I can drive myself?—”
“I’d enjoy the company,” he said, grinning. “Think of it ascommunity service. It could be your way of thanking me for last night.”
