Chapter 14
After a surprisingly nice time at the coffee shop, Cal pops into the general supply store while I do some quick grocery shopping.
He brought a heavy-duty cooler for any of my perishables, which was pretty thoughtful for a cow man who acted like he’d rather be shot than go on a trip with me during the drive into town.
He can pretend all he likes that I’m an annoyance, but after one coffee together, I know the truth.
Cal doesn’t hate me.
Maybe I bemuse him at times, and maybe he’s still having a hard time not seeing me as an interloper, but I think, despite his best efforts, he likes me.
It’s odd going from a social circle where, Gretchen aside, people acted friendly to my face but weren’t genuine friends, to spending most of my time with a minotaur who acts like I annoy him, but secretly cares about me.
I gotta say, I think I like the latter more.
Though I could do with fewer dismissive huffs and more of his throaty chuckles.
“That doesn’t look like much,” Cal says, crossing his arms over his chest as I approach his truck with a brown paper bag.
I set the bag down on the truck bed with a heavy thunk. “It’s plenty. The checkout clerk gave me the stink eye for not bringing my own bags, so I crammed everything into one bag.”
“Shoot, I should’ve warned you they’re judgy about bags. When we get back to the ranch, remind me to give you a few of my reusable ones for next time.” He sounds almost as if it’s a personal failing on his part that I didn’t have the bags I needed to avoid judgment.
“Oh, thanks, that’s very kind of you.” I smile softly to myself as I unload my oat milk and a few bags of frozen veggies and fruit into the cooler.
“I’ve been known to be kind on occasion,” Cal replies dryly.
“So I’m realizing.” I wink at Cal, enjoying the way it makes him scowl back at me now that I know it’s an act.
Groceries secured, we hop back into the truck. The restaurant is on the other side of the small town, so we probably could’ve walked, but I think Cal is taking pity on me and my poor blistered feet.
The sign above the restaurant reads Tutto Italia with a red, green, and white background.
Inside, it lives up to all my expectations of what a small-town Italian restaurant would be—red and white checked tablecloths with chianti bottles that’ve been turned into candle holders, a giant oil painting of Venice that takes up most of one wall, and soft accordion music and a man singing in Italian wafting through the speakers.
We head to an empty table, since the sign at the entrance says to seat ourselves.
The smell of garlic makes my stomach growl even though I had a muffin not too long ago.
There’s always room for good pasta, and judging by the carbonara our table neighbor is chowing down with gusto, I think I’m in for a treat.
“It’s nothing fancy, but the food is good,” Cal mutters, noticing me scanning the wall covered in framed black and white portraits.
“It’s perfect,” I say, meaning it.
I can’t remember the last time I went out for a meal where the dishes weren’t pretentious, minuscule, and overpriced. I’ll take a hearty meal cooked with love any day over some “exclusive gastronomic experience”.
Cal nods, his shoulders relaxing. Was he worried I’d judge his restaurant choice? That’s kind of cute.
After a minute, a light gray minotaur woman dressed in all black with a white apron across her waist approaches our table. “Buonasera! Welcome to Tutto Italia. I’m Antonia, and I’ll be your server tonight.”
Hearing her Italian accent, my hopes for the meal go up even more. “Thank you! I’m excited to be here.”
“With such a handsome date, I can understand why,” she says, grinning at me before turning her attention to Cal, placing a hand on her hip. “Haven’t seen you around in a while, bello.”
If Cal could blush, I’m certain he’d be turning red. He clears his throat. “Haven’t had much time to get away from the ranch.”
She scoffs playfully. “Always so busy, this one.” Antonia passes us each a plastic-laminated menu, then lists tonight’s specials. She teases Cal a little more, takes our orders, and heads off with a smile.
I can’t help wondering if there’s anything romantic between them. Not only because they’re both minotaurs, but because small-town life undoubtedly means a very limited dating pool.
Though now that I’m thinking about it, I have no clue what Cal is into. If he’s into anything other than hard work.
“She’s nice,” I say, waggling my eyebrows at Cal. “What’s her deal?”
“Why? Are you interested?” he huffs, deflecting.
I chuckle and shake my head. “She’s very pretty, but not my type.”
Cal cocks a brow at me. “Thought you said you were into big women.”
A loud snort bursts from me at the callback to our previous conversation. “You’re actually pretty funny. Did you know that?”
Cal smirks, pleased with himself. “I have my moments.”
“So there’s nothing…going on there?” I incline my head to the minotaur pouring drinks a few tables away.
I’m not sure why I care about Cal’s dating life, but I do want to get to know him better if we’re going to be working with each other all the time.
“With Antonia?” He sounds genuinely surprised by my question. “No. She loves to tease me, but is exclusively into women. Which is why I asked if you…” He mimics my eyebrow waggling from earlier.
“Oh! Isn’t that always the way? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a crush on someone who would never want me back.”
Cal frowns. “I doubt that’s the case.”
“Well, doubt all you want, but we can call up my exes who moved on to my friends when they realized I wasn’t what they wanted. They’ll happily tell you how undesirable I am.”
“Idiots,” Cal grumbles under his breath.
“Yeah, they totally were,” I say with a shrug. “But, hey! Now I’m not stuck with a mediocre man eating overpriced, under-flavored food back in the city. I’m here with you, about to slam an obscene amount of pasta.”
Cal snorts. “How much is an obscene amount?”
“One time I had to be cut off from the all-you-can-eat pasta deal,” I say, deadpan.
“Shit, I don’t think I brought enough cash with me,” Cal says, patting his pockets.
I laugh, enjoying that he’s going along with me on the bit. “Good thing we stopped beforehand and filled up a little at the cafe. Your wallet is safe.”
He pretends to wipe sweat off his brow.
My cheeks ache a little as I glance down at the menu, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s because of how much I’m smiling.
“Alright, before I go into a food coma, should we talk business?” I set my fork down, letting out a pleased sigh. The lasagna is fucking delicious, and it pains me to stop eating it for even a moment, but the point of tonight wasn’t eating.
“Yeah, probably,” Cal says, leaning back in his chair, testing the tensile strength of his crisp button-down as he stretches. He rolled up his sleeves before we started eating, and I had a hard time not staring at his forearms, but at least I could play that off as looking at his food.
“Okay, so.” I clasp my hands together and level Cal with a serious look.
“I want to preface all of this with an acknowledgement that I don’t have the full picture of the ranch’s finances or history.
I’m going to throw out a bunch of suggestions, and I need you to understand that I’m not giving them because I think I know better.
I know you’re smart. Dawn wouldn’t have trusted you to run things if you weren’t. ”
Cal looks a bit taken aback by my disclaimer. “Alright,” he says cautiously, like he’s waiting for the catch.
“All I ask is that you try to see me for what I am—someone who has experience and skills that complement yours. Someone who wants to be your partner, not an upstart or an enemy.”
“I’ll…try.” There’s a long pause while Cal sips his water, and his gaze softens a touch when he sets the glass down. “It’d be nice to not have to handle everything alone. But it’s hard for me to trust…”
“I get it. I’ve been burned too many times to count. Sometimes we have to take people at face value, anyway.”
He sighs and rubs the base of his horn. “I’ll try,” he repeats.
“Right. So, let’s start with some things I can do right away to help that will only cost however much you were paying to get internet to Dawn’s cabin. Unless you want me crammed in the office working with you all the time.”
“I’ll fix that.”
Well, that was simple enough. I kind of expected him to fight me, and it’s a good sign he agreed so readily.
“Perfect. In that case, I’ll start by updating the website, because not to be rude, but it looks like what you currently have was built on GeoCities.”
“I don’t even know what that is,” Cal says, bemused. “But I think I get your meaning. It’s outdated.”
“Exactly. I was talking to Marcie, and she gave me the login info to the website builder you use. You have all the tools at your disposal already. We just need to make it attractive to guests and work on the SEO for discoverability. You’ve seen me taking photos and videos around the ranch?”
Cal nods, and I continue. “That wasn’t for a personal album. I’m taking them to use for promotion. I’ll set up social media profiles for Taurus Ranch.”
“Makes sense.” I can tell it’s killing Cal not to give me an excuse for why the ranch didn’t already have those things set up, but he keeps it together.
“See, this isn’t too painful?” I tease, flashing him a smile.
He sighs. “No…guess not.”
I laugh at his less than enthusiastic response.
“I’ve priced out some things to see how much various improvements would cost, and I think we can start small using the money Dawn left me.
Spruce things up a bit. You’d be surprised what a fresh coat of paint can do for a place, and I already found some really beautiful second-hand furniture that would look perfect in the lobby.
Plus, we have to get new tables for the dining hall, if only so I don’t have to worry about any of the minotaurs on staff tripping on the attached benches and hurting themselves. ”
A deep frown settles on Cal’s face as I speak, and I wonder where I lost him. “You don’t need to use the money Dawn left you.”
That’s not what I was expecting the sticking point to be. “See it as a gesture to build trust. If these changes end up not helping, then you’re no worse off than you started.” I fidget with my napkin, nerves setting in a little. “I want you to see that I believe in what I’m doing.”
Cal lets out a low, considering hum. I brace myself for him blowing me off, but his lips curve into a slight smile. “Okay. That seems fair.”
“Really?”
“They’re all good ideas. Stuff I’ve been meaning to do, just haven’t had the time.” The prick of shame in Cal’s tone makes my chest hurt.
I reach across the table, setting my hand on top of his.
“You’ve done everything you can. You’ve kept things going on your own, which is impressive as hell.
But you don’t have to do things alone anymore.
” I swallow against the lump of sadness in my throat as it rises. “Dawn brought me here to help you.”
Cal’s eyes grow glassy and he nods. “Suppose she did.” There’s a moment where neither of us speaks, then Cal clears his throat. “Sorry I’ve been so hard on you. That was unkind of me.”
I squeeze his hand and let go, trying to convey without words that I get why he acted that way. “Yeah, it was. But you’re going to do better now, right?”
He laughs at my stern tone. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Ooo, ma’am. I like the sound of that.”
“I bet you do,” he says with a wry snort.
We finish up our meal, and though I offer to split things, Cal insists on paying for everything like he said he would. As I get into his truck, I realize I don’t want our evening together to end. Riding high on the progress we’ve made, I take a risk.
“Would you want to go see a show with me?” I ask in a rush, pushing to get the words out against the nerves that bubble up in my chest.
Cal tilts his head, ears flicking. “What show? When?”
“Uh, I don’t know a lot of the specifics, but Remy told me it’s at the local theater and I assume there’s only one of those. He said it’s some kind of traveling minotaur-run production that’s in town for the night. Could be fun, if you’re not sick of spending time with me yet.”
Conflict dances across Cal’s face. He opens his mouth to reply, then shakes his head at whatever his answer was going to be. “Sure. We can go if you want. The groceries should keep in the cooler.”
Screw the groceries. “Okay! Amazing. Thank you!”
Cal smiles wryly at my excitement. “See? I can be flexible.”
“I appreciate it,” I say earnestly, placing a hand on his arm. My cheeks heat at the feel of his solid bicep. God, he’s so big.
His gaze drops to where I’m touching him, and I pull my hand back with a chuckle. “Sorry, I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
Cal’s throat works. “It’s fine.”
He’s being nice. I can tell I’ve made things awkward by the way his posture stiffened. Hopefully, he’ll forget all about it once we’re at the show. I’d hate to have ruined the rapport we’ve built by being too touchy-feely.