Chapter 12
CHAPTER
TWELVE
SMACK
I knew Caleb wasn’t being honest—something had upset him. I’d get it out of my mother later. I sat down across from them, taking a menu off the table. Not that the options had changed.
“The tuna is fine. You’ll see, Caleb,” Mom said. “They add grapes.”
“Great,” Caleb enthused, though his voice was still strained.
“I’ll give you some of my steak,” I promised.
All around us, the tables were filled with hungry seniors. The young waitress soon had her hands full.
“Sorry, I forgot your sweet teas.” She hurried to put them down.
“No problem, Jenny,” said Mom.
“That’s why you’re one of my favorites,” the waitress declared.
Mom laid a hand on her chest. “Thank you.”
I sipped some of the sweet tea. It was good, although not super thirst-quenching. Behind us, two women gawked at Caleb. When he smiled at them, they quickly looked at their menus.
“How was the containment?” Mom licked some onion crisp off her lips. Her hand shook slightly as she ate some of her salad. A glob of Russian dressing landed on her thigh.
Caleb dabbed it with a napkin without missing a beat.
God, he was sweet. To my mom…to me.
“Sean? I asked a question.” Mom grinned.
I cleared my throat. “Good, we think it’s about 75 percent contained. But the vegetation might take years to return.”
We discussed the fire for a time.
The tuna was slimy. I gave Caleb half of my steak sandwich. The place had good dessert, though, a macaron filled with raspberries and lime cream.
“I hate to end this lovely time, boys, but I need my nap.” Mom yawned. “But I’m so glad you got to stop here on your way home.” She kissed my cheek. “Next time, please visit with Erin.”
“Promise to bring her when she gets back.”
Mom’s eyes filled. “Please do.” She then hugged Caleb. “I hope to see you again, too. And thank you for sharing with me.”
“Welcome.” Caleb squeezed her back. “Thanks for caring enough to ask.”
She released him with a smile. “You’re good for my son. I can tell. Wouldn’t you agree, Sean?”
“Mother,” I griped.
“I’ll give you guys a moment alone,” Caleb offered. “Meet you in the lobby.”
“Sounds good.”
“He really is thoughtful…” Mom began after he’d gone.
“Don’t.”
Mom brushed my warning aside. “And as lovely as can be. Smart. Kind. But more important is the way you look at him. It makes me so happy to see that. “
“It’s not...”
“Are you denying you’re interested in him?”
I blinked a few times. “I like him, but it’s complicated. He’s—he works for me.”
“I know you don’t like changes, son. But they come at you anyway. And not all of them are bad ones.”
“Uh. It isn’t exactly…”
“Of course it is. The question is, will you go for it? Because if you give that young man an opening, he’s going to take it. And I predict it will lead to many happy years.”
Wait. Was my mother suddenly a matchmaking genius ? Could she really know what Caleb would do if I kissed him again? If I asked him for more than a kiss?
Mom watched me squirm a moment before taking pity on me. “All right, son. You two go at your own pace. But I’m all for it. Now, can I have a goodbye hug?”
“I can do you one better.” I got Erin on the phone. This time, they talked, and when the call ended my mother clutched the phone to her bosom.
“Thank you.” She hugged me.
“We will both be visiting you soon.”
“Maybe you, Erin, and Caleb ,” she suggested.
“Are we really back to that?” I scowled.
Mom was smiling like a cat who got the cream when I left her.
“There’s no fooling my mom,” I said as I met Caleb in the lobby. “I swear I didn’t hint that we might be more than colleagues and friends, but she knows me too well.”
“It’s fine. She was great.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets as we walked out to the truck.
My mom’s last comment stuck with me. I’d promised myself not to date while Erin was so young. I needed to work on her happiness above my own. Yet my feelings for Caleb couldn’t be stopped. I’d tried. Where would all this lead to? As a parent, I needed firm plans. Boundaries. As much as being with Caleb made my heart soar, and it did, the lack of clear lines worried me.
We waved at the staff as we left the building, and we crossed the lawn to the parking lot.
“Did she and Dan get along?”
I began to answer when an older man was suddenly in front of us, raising his bushy white eyebrows, his finger pointing at Caleb’s facial scars. “What happened to you, boy?”
Before he could answer, I stepped between them. The cords of my neck went tight, my jaw flexing like I might bite the old man at any second.
“It’s all right,” Caleb said, putting a hand on my arm.
“It’s not,” I replied in a rough voice. I turned to the man. “Back off.”
“Are you ex-military?” the older man brayed. He didn’t even seem to really hear my objection. That’s when I noticed his two hearing aids.
“Are you?” I asked slowly.
“I’m a vet. Earned my benefits fighting in Nam.” He nodded to Caleb. “Just wanted to thank you for your service.”
Caleb smiled. “Not a veteran, but I am a firefighter. We both are. And we should thank you.”
“Firefighters, eh? Is that what you said?” He fiddled with a hearing aid.
“Yes.”
“That’s good. We all have done our part.” He shook Caleb’s hand, then mine.
I exhaled. “I wanted to punch an old man. Jesus, I jumped to conclusions.”
“I know. It was sweet of you to want to defend me. But even if he was being insulting and not simply curious, I was fine.” Caleb raised his chin. “And I’m beginning to think hiding from my scars or being ashamed does me zero good. My PTSD about the fire might always be with me, but it doesn’t define me or my future.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “That’s for sure. You’re amazing.”
“Yep.” He grinned.
I threw my arms around him and gave him a long kiss.
“What was that for?”
“I’m just appreciating you some more.”
“Damn, okay. Appreciate me anytime.”
“I will.” I laughed. “I’m so glad you visited Mom with me. That you’re here with me, period.”
“Aw, stop. I’m going to get emotional.” Caleb turned and got into the truck. I slowly followed.
Adjusting my mirror, I backed out of the parking space.
Caleb lost his grin and began to fidget.
“What’s the matter?”
“Just, um, thinking about us returning to the firehouse tomorrow.”
“And?”
“Should I go back to calling you Captain there? Or what?” He plucked at a thread in his T-shirt, not meeting my gaze.
“At the firehouse, I’m Captain Smack. But when we’re outside of work, I’m still Sean.”
“Right. We can keep it quiet.”
I swore. “Never mind. That’s stupid. We don’t need to keep anything quiet.” My mother’s optimism replayed in my head. Why was I hesitating? Pulling up to a red light, I cupped the side of Caleb’s face. “I’m not ashamed of this. Of us. Okay? Caleb, we’re together. And I’m so fucking glad.”
“Me too.” Caleb sighed. “So, if we’re together, then instead of dropping me off, we could just go to your place when we get back?”
“Is that a question?”
He waited a beat, grinned. “A wish?”
“Hell, call me a genie, then. Granting wishes.” I leaned in and kissed him. Desire flooded me. I wanted this so badly. His kisses were like water, and I’d been so thirsty all these years. I could gulp him down, but I wanted to go home with him and savor each drop.
The light turned green, and I had to look forward and not at Caleb. I was tempted to put on a siren and speed all the way home.