Chapter 19
It’s been five days since I’ve heard from Caleb. FIVE DAYS. That’s like a whole month in dog time. What if he’s had a break in the case? What if he figured something out, but didn’t tell me? Not that he has to tell me anything…but he did use me to gain information. I feel like I have a right to know if I’m in danger. Chad messaged me for another date, but I haven’t given him an answer yet. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do because Caleb never instructed me further.
I sigh to myself, brushing out my client’s wet hair as I dry it.
Maybe I should go on another date with Chad if only to remind Caleb I exist. My chest flutters as I imagine the bulging vein in his neck and the smoke coming out of his ears as he drags me away from Chad and locks me in the van again where he kisses me senseless.
Hot air from the hairdryer slaps into my face, blowing away all my ridiculous fantasies.
I drop the hairdryer back onto my cart and finish styling my client”s hair, careful to keep my thoughts off Caleb while using a hot iron. After my client leaves, I spend the next ten minutes restoring my station to a clean state. Then I head to the breakroom and grab my bag. I’m almost to the door when Leah stops me.
“Aren’t you going to talk to the fig today?”
Uhh…why was I supposed to talk to it?
“You know, so it will be brighter and happier.”
Did I really say that? Why on earth did she believe me?
“Oh, yeah.” I walk back over to it. “Thanks for keeping me in check. Every day makes a difference,” I say, placing myself in front of the small tree. Man, I really shot myself in the foot with that one. How long was I planning on talking to a fig tree?
I mutter a handful of words that make absolutely no sense then pat one of the leaves.
I turn back to Leah. “Have any fun plans for the weekend?”
“Just me and a pint of ice cream. What about you?” She turns away to straighten the bottles of conditioner on the wall. “Is your ex still bugging you?”
“Actually, he hasn’t called for a couple of days,” I say.
“Good. That’s really good to hear.” She whips around with a smile that looks…relieved?
I frown. “Has your ex been bugging you as well?”
“Oh, no.” She waves her hand. “If he ever does, he’ll regret it. Well, have a good night,” she says.
“You too.” I wave and head out, dreaming of the hamburger I plan to get myself on the way home. My last client went late and it’s almost eight now. I never go this long without food.
I wonder what Caleb’s doing. Chasing bad guys, breaking up drug rings, taking down the mafia?
I shouldn’t do it. I’ve avoided the app tracking Caleb’s movements for as long as possible. But he hasn’t responded to any of my seven texts. They were good ones too. Thoughtful and flirty.
He’s left me no choice.
I’m fairly sure what I did is illegal and I might get arrested for it. But I was only using my resources to keep tabs on a guy I like. It totally wasn’t stalkerish.
Okay, it’s the literal definition of stalkerish. But I can’t turn back now.
Let me rephrase that. I could turn back, but I won’t.
I open the app and pull up his location, the whole time repeating to myself that this is not against the law. For a moment I wonder if it will direct me to some secret FBI hideout, but when his location pops up it’s at a bar I’ve been to before. And if I remember right, they had cheese curds to die for.
My mouth waters thinking about the warm gooey cheese.
I shouldn’t go.
But it’s practically on my way home. After a thirty-minute detour and a quick stint on the freeway anyway. No one can stop me from going. It’s a free country after all, and now, I really want some cheese curds.
I forgot one teeny tiny tidbit about this bar. It’s one of the swankiest places I’ve ever been to, and I’m wearing my work outfit. While the leggings-and-tank combo is ridiculously cute in the salon, it looks pathetic in a place filled with girls in glittery dresses and men in suits. I also forgot another thing. This bar did not have cheese curds. It was the rundown bar next door that had the delicious food after I’d escaped this place because they had nothing but healthy, overpriced snacks.
I’ll take a quick peek around the place then head over to the other bar to fill my ravenous stomach.
But fifteen minutes later, my ‘quick peek’ has turned into a pointless hunt. My app still confirms that Caleb is here, but I can’t find him anywhere. Of course, now he can disappear in plain sight like Tom Cruise.
I make two more loops around the edges of the packed dance floor before deciding I’m too short to find anyone. Well, I’ve known this for years, but that crap is really hitting the fan now. Which is ironic because I can’t reach said fan.
There’s a second-floor balcony that wraps around the room and I climb the stairs to it, dodging around women with fancy drinks and men with smarmy smiles.
But with the dark and mysterious atmosphere, it hardly boasts a better view of the floor down below. I lean against the railing, my eyes skimming over the sea of bodies down below.
It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
After another pointless ten minutes, I relinquish my spot at the railing to a couple looking for a better make-out spot than the one they apparently had, and head downstairs and onto the dance floor. Caleb doesn’t strike me as the dancing type but I’m about ready to abandon my mission anyway. I need to feel the music in my bones and dance like no one’s watching.
But the second I hit the dance floor the upbeat song fades into a slow one. What the heck? Who wants to slow dance these days?
I try to back off but run into a brick wall. I freeze. I’m pretty sure I’m not Harry Potter and didn’t cross through an invisible portal, which means the only other option is that I ran into a man. A large, strong one.
“Looking for someone?”
“Caleb Cupcakes?” I spin around, right into his arms. “What are you doing here?” My heart flutters like a baby bird learning to fly, erratic and hopeful.
“Cupcakes?” He grimaces.
“I’m hungry.” And he looks good enough to eat in his hunter-green dress shirt and tan pants. He’s got both a lumberjack and chiseled lawyer vibe going on.
A couple bumps into us, knocking us sideways. I take advantage of the movement to lace my arms around Caleb’s neck and continue to sway with this very solid man. Which is…significantly harder than it looks.
His eyes shine with amusement. “Would you like to dance or something?”
“If I had to wait for you to ask, I’d be waiting forever.”
Instead of responding, he spins me out and around. I land back against his chest breathless and half in love. Everyone should slow dance. All the time.
He watches me, studying me with a stiff jaw and those green eyes. The strobing lights shadow his jawline perfectly and I run the tip of my finger over his jaw, and down the dimple in his chin.
His hand presses harder into my lower back and my breathing becomes irregular.
I want him to say something. How beautiful I am, why he’s here, how much he missed me. Anything would suffice. But he doesn’t say a word as he spins me out again and we dance in silence. The noise of the bar becomes a red noise. I don’t know if there’s such a thing but there’s white noise, and if this moment had a color, it would be red.
This feeling. This connection is what I missed with Justin. Now that I’m experiencing it, I want it. With my whole heart and soul.
“So,” Caleb says. He leans down until his lips graze my ear. His hot breath tickles my neck and I physically shudder. I can’t confirm his smirk since I can’t see it, but I can feel it with my whole body.
I wait for the words I’ve been dying to hear. To hear how much he wants this too, how much he wants me.
“Why were you following me?”