Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MIA
Tella runs around the perimeter of the pool, holding a big beach ball above her head. She lets out a giggle when her foot slips as she leans around the corner. She catches herself, then her little legs continue to move as her feet keep shuffling.
“Be careful, T!” I yell at her from where I’m wading in the shallow end, pushing a raft in front of me. Caleb’s pool is heated and since it’s a warm afternoon for the fall, Tella insisted we get in because her dad will be closing it soon.
She wasn’t sure what that meant or when it would be, but she knew that Caleb tends to do it before Halloween.
Tella slows down to a walk, although her strides are elongated and there’s a small bounce to her step, as if it’s taking everything she has to not break out into a jog again.
She makes her way back to the shallow end and tosses the ball to me.
I let go of my raft, catching the ball as she jumps directly into the shallow end.
Somehow, her tiny body creates quite the wave that sends my raft floating farther away from me. I turn my body against the water, although some ends up splashing me in the face anyways. I wipe the water away, turning back to her to make sure she comes up for air like she’s supposed to.
Tella swims underwater across the pool, coming directly to me before she stops and pops to the surface. “Want me to go get your raft? I’m a really good swimmer. Daddy had me take lessons so I can swim in the deep end.”
A laugh spills from my lips and I feel my expression softening. “Sure. Let’s see your skills.”
Tella takes a deep breath before plunging back beneath the surface.
She doesn’t get very deep and her legs kick against the water, splashing all over the place as she swims. Her torso wiggles as her legs kick, her arms moving in a sweeping motion as she heads over to the raft.
I watch her as she bobs up, reaching for the raft and half climbs onto it.
“How did I do, Mia? Did I do good?”
“You did a great job, T!” I clap my hands and smile brightly at her. The sun shines down upon us with not a single cloud in sight. “You really are a strong swimmer.”
“Thanks,” she says. Huffing and puffing, she kicks her feet to head back over to me. She gives the raft a one-handed shove toward me before releasing it. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, T.” The rustling of the gate lock on the side of the house pulls my attention. It opens up and Matteo comes running through the backyard, letting out a holler as he jumps right into the pool.
“Matteo Vincent Ford!” Andi calls after him, juggling her drink, their bag, and the gate.
She ends up kicking it closed with her foot, shaking her head in disapproval as she walks over to the pool deck.
She drops their things onto the table and kicks her shoes off.
“You get out right now so I can put sunscreen on you.”
Climbing onto my raft, I bite back a grin as Matteo climbs out of the pool. “Hey, Andi.”
She looks at me, puffing up her cheeks to blow out a breath while rolling her eyes. “Hey, Mia.”
When Tella decided she wanted to swim, the second question from her was whether or not Matteo could come swim too. I texted Andi and thankfully they had nothing going on this afternoon, so they headed over after having lunch.
I texted Caleb to let him know, not that I think he would actually care, but it felt like the right thing to do since this is his house. They’re traveling today, so he didn’t answer, but I didn’t want him to come home to a pool full of people.
Andi quickly helps Matteo dry off, smears him with sunscreen, and sends him back into the pool with Tella.
Then she pulls off her coverup and slides her sunshades over her eyes before stepping into the water.
“Oh, this feels nice,” she says, smiling as she nods her head in approval.
“I know Caleb tends to keep it warm, but with it being later in the season I wasn’t sure if the temperature would hold up or not. ”
“I honestly didn’t expect it to be this warm,” I say as she grabs another raft floating in the pool. “Then again, I didn’t expect it to feel like this in the fall either.”
“What a weird day,” she agrees. “I’ll take the weather though.”
“Same.”
“So, how are things going here? Is Caleb being nice to you?”
I stare at her for a moment, tilting my head to the side. “It’s been going really well. Is he normally not nice?”
Andi chuckles and waves her hand dismissively. “That’s not what I meant. Cale can just be a bit . . . abrasive sometimes. Actually, I don’t know if that’s the right word. He’s just a bit closed off at times and can come across as standoff-ish.”
I slowly nod my head in understanding. I know what she’s talking about, although my interactions with Caleb haven’t really been like that. “He’s been fine. He’s been very kind and nice to me.”
“Well, that’s good,” Andi tells me. “If he’s ever not nice, you let me know and I’ll beat his ass.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” I say, laughing. Her stern face cracks and she laughs with me. “The Caleb I knew before working for him was different. I wouldn’t say he was cold before, but he was never very friendly.”
“Oh yeah, that’s typical Caleb Ford. It’s like he’s allergic to forming any kinds of bonds or relationships with people,” she says, half muttering in disapproval. “I mean, then again, I guess anyone who lost their significant other would probably act like that.”
Sadness pricks at my chest and I tilt my head back, closing my eyes against the sun. “Yeah, I think that’s a normal reaction, although you would think at some point that would change.”
Andi’s silent for a moment. “Maybe it’s changing now. I haven’t been around him much lately, but perhaps he’s lightening up.” She stares at me through her sunglasses. “Maybe you’re changing him.”
“Maybe he’s changing,” I agree, my voice trailing off as I run my fingers through the water, feeling it sliding along my fingertips. “But I doubt it’s from me.”
“Oh, please, Mia. He’s a broken man, but he’s not dumb nor is he blind.
” Andi tilts her head to the side. “You’re hot, living in his guest room, and taking care of his daughter while he’s away.
The Caleb I know wouldn’t give two shits about another woman.
Gloria was safe for him because she was old enough to be his mother, but you on the other hand . . .”
“He’s my boss, Andi.”
She raises a brow. “So, what? What is he going to do? Report you to HR?” She lets out a chuckle. “Honey, he is HR.”
I laugh with her, shaking my head. “I’ll admit, he’s extremely attractive and probably everything I’d look for in a man, except for one thing.”
“What’s that?” she questions me, drifting close enough that our blow-up floats bump into one another.
“He’s emotionally unavailable.”
I haven’t been trying to dissect Caleb because I know he’s so emotionally closed off. I know better than to get involved with someone like that again—but then again, this isn’t even a situation where I should be thinking about getting involved with someone else.
“That can always change,” she muses.
Caleb Ford is my boss and nothing more.
Never mind the fact that he’s the literal image of perfection.
Since I started working for him, I’ve been seeing a different side to him.
A warm, kind, and caring side. It’s clear he cares about his daughter, she’s at the forefront of every decision he makes, but there’s more than just that.
He stocked his entire pantry with gluten free snacks because he knows that’s all I can eat.
I’m not sure what that says, but it feels like it’s a little more than just caring about his daughter.
“Why didn’t I get the invite to the pool party at my own house?”
My heart stutters in my chest as I hear his voice carrying across the gentle fall breeze.
I quickly move to sit upright, my raft teeter tottering beneath my weight as I shift quickly.
“Oh shit,” I say a little louder than intended as I catch myself before I fall in.
I shoot a look at Caleb, my eyes rounding as I press my lips into a straight line.
Caleb’s gaze lands on mine and he arches a brow. “That’s a dollar for the swear jar, pup.”
Pup?
“Pup?” Andi says, whipping her head to the side to look at him.
Caleb looks between the two of us, lifting his shoulders before letting them fall. There’s a tint of red creeping across his cheeks and his throat bobs. “Sometimes her eyes look like a puppy dog’s.”
“Daddy!” Tella calls his name, splashing her way through the water into the shallow end. “Are you going to get in?”
“Yeah, Uncle Cale! Jump in!”
Caleb bites back a grin, mischief dancing in his expression. “I don’t know . . .” His voice trails off as he slowly starts to walk around the pool. I don’t miss when he kicks his shoes off, not bothering with his socks. “I don’t have my bathing suit on.”
“Who cares?” Tella yells at him, jumping up and down.
“Get in anyways!” Matteo joins her in the shallow end and they both start jumping up and down, creating waves with their bodies.
“Yeah, Caleb,” Andi says, looking at me as she winks. “Take it off.”
He rolls his eyes at her, turning back to the kids as he slowly starts to walk to the deep end, moving like he’s stalking prey. Like a shark circling, about to attack. He pauses and pulls both of his socks off before tossing them into the grass. “I don’t think either of you want me to get in.”
“I think Mia does,” Andi says in a quiet voice, only loud enough for the two of us to hear.
“Andi!” I scold her under my breath, my eyes flashing to her before glancing back at Caleb again as he walks toward the diving board.
“Shh,” Andi shushes me, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s our little secret, for now.”
Caleb stops at the end of the diving board, his eyes drifting across the pool, stopping when they reach mine.
He stares at me from where he’s standing and I let myself drink him in.
The white T-shirt is perfectly fitted around his torso, showing the lean muscles in his arms and his trimmed figure.
My eyes head downwards to his shorts, where I see a small spot of black poking beneath the bottom hem of one.
I can’t see what it is from here, but I know well enough that it’s a tattoo. Black ink etched into his flesh. His tongue darts out to wet his lips and he runs a hand through his tousled waves.
“Come on, Daddy!” Tella calls out again, her voice almost sounding distant as I find myself locked in a trance. “Jump in!”
“Jump in, Uncle Cale!” Matteo urges again.
The two of them continue to chant as Caleb lifts one foot and then the other until he’s standing on the diving board.
His hands move down to the bottom hem of his shirt and my mouth goes dry as he grips it, lifting it up and over his head.
He stands shirtless at the end of the pool, his muscles flexing as he tosses it over onto the grass by his socks.
“Mia, you have a little bit of drool on your bottom lip,” Andi teases, tapping my knee with her foot.
I clamp my mouth shut, not even realizing that my lips were parted as I blatantly stared at him.
“For the record,” she says, her voice low enough for just me as the kids keep chanting for Caleb to jump in the pool. “You can still have fun with someone who’s emotionally unavailable.”
“I’ve never been that type of person,” I tell her.
“Yeah, well, different circumstances call for different things,” she says simply with a shrug. “I didn’t plan on anything with Carson either and look at me now.” She lets out a soft laugh. “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t kill either of you if you end up falling into bed together.”
“I don’t think that will ever be happening.”
Caleb suddenly breaks out into a sprint, running and jumping off the end of the diving board.
He takes perfect form, springing into the air as he dives in, plunging deep down toward the bottom of the pool.
My breath catches in my throat and time is suspended as I anxiously wait for him to break through the surface once more.
He swims through the pool with perfect precision, not breaking through until he’s in the shallow end, roughly two feet away from me. He comes up through the shimmering surface, both kids hooting and hollering as he gives both of them a dazzling smile.
He shakes his head, brushing his hair from his face as his gaze drifts to mine.
Andi snorts, shaking her head. “I’d put all my money on it.”
Caleb’s eyebrows pull together as he looks at her. “Huh?”
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Tella calls out, breaking through the confusion as she bounds toward her father. Caleb lifts her into the air, tossing her into the pool before doing the same to Matteo, careful to make sure he doesn’t land on his cousin.
Caleb glances back at me, a smile drifting across his lips before he goes back underwater, swimming after the two kids.
He joins in with their games in the pool and every so often I catch his wandering eye.
As much as I want to ignore it, it’s undeniable that there’s been some kind of a shift.
Whether it’s a shift into a friendship or some kind of a camaraderie.
Because surely, it can’t ever be anything more than that.