37. Caleb
Chapter thirty-seven
When we left my penthouse earlier, a picnic basket was waiting outside the door, as promised. I scooped it up with one hand, keeping the other firmly in Lex’s, and we rode down the elevator to the basement car park.
I normally drive my Lamborghini, so Lex starts to pull away from me as we approach the charcoal sports car, heading for the passenger side. I tug her back and walk us over to the white Corvette parked next to it.
“Do you have a Batmobile as well?” She smiles.
“Actually, Bruce Wayne does drive a Corvette,” I say, opening the door for her. “But his is black.”
“You do seem to have a lot in common, though. Mr Heart, are you keeping secrets from me?” she whispers. “Do you like to moonlight as a vigilante in spandex too?”
I push against her, caging her between me and the frame of the car.
“The only thing I like to wear in the moonlight is your naked body against mine.”
I can see her pulse thrumming in her neck, chest heaving as she draws in steadying breaths. “Oh.”
“It’s not easy being a gentleman around you, Lex. But I am trying. So, please”—I dip my fingers into the waistband of her soft Lycra shorts and tug her into me, pressing a hard kiss to her lips—“get in the car, so I can take you on our date.”
Her eyes are almost crossed as she hums and nods her agreement, then drops into the seat behind her.
With the top down, I drive us to the secret spot Riley told me about. The sun is settled in the sky, the breeze is gentle as it whips over us, and her hand is still in mine.
I pull onto a gravel track that leads down to an open grass area and a playground that’s seen better days.
Trees enclose the abandoned park, and I can see Lex looking confused at the less-than-romantic space.
I hold our picnic basket in one hand, then lead Lex over to the edge of the grass where I know another trail is hidden.
There’s a divot in the sand that’s a clue to where the opening in the tree line is. I look over my shoulder and grin at Lex’s confused expression, and without taking my eyes off her, I grab the tree branch and pull it back. Her eyes widen, then transform into beautiful curiosity.
“What is this?” she asks with hesitant steps as she comes to stand next to me.
“Your surprise.” I flick my chin to the path, encouraging her to continue. I follow, letting the tree branch gently fall back into place behind me, and Lex leads us down the steady decline of the sandy trail.
About a hundred metres down the path, it opens into a small cove. Rock faces hide the bay, creating a small beach with a window looking straight at the setting sun.
“Caleb,” she gasps, and the way she says my name makes me feel like I’ve won something. I can’t describe the fizz of success and pride that fills me. “How did you find this place?”
I smile as I walk past her, setting the basket on the firm sand and opening it up to pull out a picnic blanket.
“Riley told me about it. It’s his secret spot. ”
Lex comes to kneel on the blanket as I pull out the containers of food, including desserts from Sweet Escape and a bottle of champagne.
“Is the picnic all Riley’s doing as well?” she asks.
“I paid him extra for working on a Sunday, but yes, Riley put this together and delivered it earlier. I told him what to put in it, though. Particularly the desserts.”
“You’ve been to Sweet Escape?”
“I think I need some alcohol before admitting this.” I pour a glass of champagne for us, clinking mine against hers before taking a sip.
“After the night at the bar,” I start, pausing when her brows pinch together, a devilish smile hijacking my face, “when you came on my fingers in the middle of the dancefloor, and I came in my pants because you are so captivating when you make those sounds for me…”
Pink floods her cheeks and neck. “Yes. Go on.” Embarrassment cloaks her words, making me chuckle.
“It was after that night that you didn’t want to see me, but I was still so hung up on you.
I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I remembered spotting Sweet Escape out the window when we went to Claire’s salon after we left The Wayside, and the only connection I could think of without showing up on your doorstep like a creeper was running into Claire, so I visited the bakery a few times trying to spot her. ”
“And did you?” she asks, wondering if her friend may not have passed on a message.
“No.” I smile. “But I did end up finding somewhere that makes an amazing hazelnut macchiato.”
“Everything Liv makes is good.”
I spread the food out between us, removing the covers and popping a grape into my mouth as I lean back on one hand.
“Christmas is next week. Do you have any plans? ”
She bites into a strawberry, licking her top lip far too sensually for my liking, and then tucks her legs to the side getting comfortable.
“Claire and I normally drive down to Killara Bay for Christmas dinner with my brother and spend the week there, but I assume she’ll want to spend time with Lee this year.
I’ll have four days off from the club, so I might drive down in the morning instead.
I have some things to do for Legacy Malt while I’m there as well. ”
“First of all, four days without you, Siren. Do you want me to die?” I ask in all seriousness, but she throws her head back and laughs anyway.
I spread my palm over my chest in mock pain.
“You wound me. I couldn’t possibly live without you for so long.
But, back to the other thing, what do you plan to do for the distillery when you’re down there? ”
“I want to measure out the new floorplan and see how it fits on the land. And I want to go over everything with Dylan in person, see what he thinks. Make sure he’s happy with it.”
“What about if you’re happy with it?” I ask.
“I am.” She nods. “This part of it is just more important to Dylan.”
I tilt my head. “It’s not important to you?”
She takes in my question, looking out at the water before meeting my eyes again. “It means something different to me.”
She picks up a breadstick and dips it into the hummus before continuing.
“Dylan’s six years older than me. He had a different relationship with my dad.
They bonded over different things. Jed’s Tavern was one of them.
Deep conversations in the dead of night over whiskey was another.
I feel connected to my dad through the ocean.
That’s why I start every morning on the beach, but Dylan feels it at the tavern.
He’s doing this for Dad. I’m doing this for my brother. ”
“Does that mean if you had a choice, you wouldn’t be working with the distillery at all? ”
She lies down, rolling onto her stomach.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing recently.
If my dad hadn’t died, I think I’d still be in Killara Bay, happily working at Jed’s.
I like the quiet and simplicity of a small town.
I studied business and marketing specifically to help my brother; he’s not a numbers guy.
But it turns out I really like creating business plans. ”
“Are you trying to make me like you more?” I say as if it isn’t completely obvious I’m already so far gone for this woman.
She chuckles. “I really like all the stuff I’ve been doing with Isabelle. We created a timeline for the project, outlining all the steps we need to take along the way. It’s kind of like a checklist for success.”
“Isabelle certainly makes her work look exciting. She’s very organised and has a great eye for branding.”
“I was a little jealous of her at first.”
“Why?” I ask, rolling onto my stomach to lie beside her.
“When I saw you two together at the contract signing, she was smiling up at you and you smiled at her, and she’s so pretty.”
“She was probably calling me old for the thousandth time.” I place my hand over hers, offering a reassuring squeeze.
“You don’t need to worry about Isabelle.
Or anyone, for that matter. And since we’re on the subject, someone messaged me earlier, someone from the past, and that’s where they’ll stay.
That’s not my life, not anymore.” I summon all the sincerity I can into those words.
She looks up at the water, chewing her lips in contemplation before she takes a deep breath.
“My mum left us when I was three. Took off without a word. For so long, I wondered why she did that. Did we do something wrong? I couldn’t understand.
” She shakes her head, huffing out a frustrated breath.
I squeeze her hand in mine, letting her know I’m here.
“My dad made sure to keep our lives full of his love and attention, but then, when he was taken so suddenly, that crushing weight of abandonment came back. I tried not to let anyone too close to me, in fear that they’d leave me behind as well.
I didn’t want that confirmation that there was something wrong with me, that I wasn’t enough.
” I want to burn the thoughts from her mind, and when she looks at me with glassy eyes, my heart breaks.
“I’ve never had anyone make me feel the way you do.
At first, that terrified me. I didn’t want you to be another person who left. ”
This woman will never know what it’s like to be unwanted again. Emotion clogs my throat as I whisper the words she always says to me. “I’ll be yours, if you’ll be mine?”
Before she can answer, we’re interrupted by a series of beeps coming from my phone.
“Sorry, baby. Let me turn this off.”
I ease off my side so I can pull my phone from my shorts pocket. It’s the sibling group chat.
BETH:
Where’s the least important one?
GAGE:
With his girlfriend.
MASON:
Who has a girlfriend?
BETH:
Gee, I dunno Mase. Which one of us is missing?
MASON:
Grandpa?
GAGE:
She means from this chat, who isn’t sitting at the dinner table right now…
BETH:
It’s a good thing you don’t talk during sex Mason, I can’t imagine anyone sticking around for long if you did.
MASON:
How do you know I don’t talk during sex? wink-face-emoji