Chapter 11 Caleb
Caleb
I’d addressed my statement to Hazel, but my eyes never left Emma… Emma in that pretty dress, her hair down, intelligent eyes a little wide with surprise at the sight of me.
It had been a week since I’d panicked and said the now-infamous phrase: It’s a bad idea… Stupid. So stupid. Somehow I’d convinced myself it was for the best, but looking at her now, I knew I’d been fooling myself.
That I was even at the Cork and Barrel was a fluke. After a long day at the office and on the jobsite, during which not much had gone my way, I’d been babysitting the twins with Tucker. I’d lost at rock, paper, scissors, so I was picking up our to-go dinner.
Only to catch sight of Emma smiling, enjoying herself.
I’d seen her worried. Scared. Speculative. Hard at work. And—my favorite—in a lustful stupor over my body. But I’d never seen her letting loose like this, relaxed and having fun.
Drawn like a moth to a flame, I’d moved closer and caught Hazel’s comment. I’d responded as expected, mostly because Hazel’s accusation was true, then turned to Emma. “It looks really good on you.”
“What?”
“The smile. Haven’t seen it since college.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “You never saw it then either. You were far too busy with your puck bunnies while I did all our group projects.”
“I’ve apologized for that.”
“Have you?”
I put a hand to my chest. “I’m sincerely sorry you were so anal and controlling that you had to manage most of the group projects.”
“If it helps, she’s slightly less anal and controlling now,” the woman next to Emma said and held out her hand. “Suzie,” she said sweetly. “Emma’s BFF. You’re Caleb Colburn? The wild, rough-and-tumble former hockey star.”
Kiera grinned. Traitor. “Where are my babies?”
“With Tuck.”
I was wondering how to kill my sister without going to jail when Suzie said, “Feel free to join us. But fair warning, we’ve got questions.”
I raised my brows. “Such as?”
“Is it true that hockey players don’t like to make passes, they just want to…put it in?”
Emma gasped. “Suzie!”
“What, it’s a valid hockey question. Get your mind out of the gutter.” Suzie smiled at me innocently. “Well?”
Emma snatched Suzie’s drink and sniffed it.
Suzie grinned and kicked out a stool, patting it in invitation. “Welcome to girls’ night out!”
I had no intention of staying, but Emma looked so horrified at the thought, a sick part of me decided to sit for a minute. “So, what have I missed?”
“A lot,” Hazel said. “Apparently, Emma had a near-miss kiss with someone at work. Know anything about that?”
Emma choked on her drink.
“Again?” Kiera asked, patting her on the back. “We’re going to have to toughen you up for this crowd.”
“Hello, excuse me.” A woman in a teeny-tiny black dress stopped at our table and smiled at me. “You’re the Caleb Colburn.”
“He is,” Kiera said. “But he dropped ‘the.’ He just goes by Caleb Colburn now.”
I rolled my eyes at my sister while the woman squealed and jumped up and down. By some miracle, the little black dress stayed in place as she waved over two more women from their booth across the bar. “Can we get your autograph?” she asked breathlessly.
“Uh…” I patted myself down. “Don’t have a pen.”
“Oh, no worries, I do!” The woman produced a Sharpie. “Here you go, and you can just sign right here—” To the delight of both her friends, she started to yank the top of her dress down.
“A napkin’ll work.” I quickly grabbed one and signed my name, before handing it to her.
If she was disappointed, she didn’t say. “Can I get a selfie?”
Before I could answer, she pulled her friends in closer, and they squeezed around me. I gave the obligatory smile, and they all beamed.
“Thank you so much,” the woman said. “My name’s Gwen. I work at the Core Power Gym. I’ve seen you working out with your brothers.” She grinned. “You’ve still got it.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“I think your food just got delivered,” Hazel told the women.
With another squeal, they all ran off, and I looked at both Hazel and Kiera. “You two are the opposite of helpful. I’m disowning you both.”
“Oh, please,” Kiera said. “Like you needed help.”
Suzie was still watching me. “So you’re the near-miss kiss.”
Kiera slid me a look. “If that’s true, you might want to tread carefully in order to avoid becoming a dead Colburn brother walking.”
Hazel snorted. So happy someone was amused.
Emma looked worried. “What does she mean, ‘dead brother walking’?”
“Oh, did he forget to tell you?” Kiera asked. “He’s not allowed to sleep with anyone from work anymore.”
Hazel snorted her drink out her nose. “Damn it,” she said, looking down at her now-wet self.
“Thanks,” I told my sister. “Very charitable.”
Kiera shrugged. “I try.”
I turned to Emma. “It’s not what it sounds like.”
Emma pushed her drink away. “Doesn’t matter to me. After all, I’m a bad idea, right?”
“I didn’t say you were a bad idea. I said—”
My words were cut off by Hazel, who was shaking her head. “Dude. Making it worse.”
Suzie glared at me, then put her hand on Emma’s arm. “Sweetie, at least it was a near miss and you didn’t actually—”
Emma got to her feet, and I didn’t know why, but I panicked and caught her arm. “Can we talk—”
“No, you cannot.” Suzie got to her feet quickly—impressive for how pregnant she was. “You’re too potent. You might talk her into something that’s not a near miss—”
“Oh my God,” Emma said. “I love you, but please stop talking!”
Suzie mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key before sending another glare my way.
Emma said, “I’m going to get us another round,” and walked off.
“Don’t worry,” Kiera said to me. “I’m sure Ry will let you live when he finds out. Probably.”
I didn’t give a shit that she was just fucking with me. Or that Hazel might choke on her laughter and pass out and fall off her chair. What I cared about was the look on Emma’s face, like she hugely, massively regretted having ever met me.
Her eyes had flashed at me with such annoyance and irritation, and fuck, it was sexy as hell.
But Kiera was looking at me with a you’re so stupid look, and I agreed, but not for the reason she thought.
I was stupid for letting Emma get under my skin, and not because Ry would kill me.
I could take him. Probably. No, I was stupid because Hazel had been right.
I was no keeper.
And Emma deserved better.