Chapter 3
3
“ C offee, sweets, ambience. Need I say more? Five-plus stars! ~ Graham H.
O utside, the howling slowly died down. It was hard to gauge how long they’d taken shelter in the back room. Ginger didn’t want to think about what she’d find in the front of the shop once they came out of their hiding place. Getting out of this shower stall and away from Cal and that tongue-lolling, hot-breathed monster was her first priority, though. Her hip pressed dangerously against his despite squeezing herself against the wall as tightly as she could. The sensation was annoyingly pleasant.
Something wet touched her face. She yelped.
“Did you just lick my cheek?”
“ What ?! Of course, I didn’t.” He snickered. “I can’t believe you just asked me that. ”
“It’s not funny. And neither is that dog’s breath.”
“Don’t be offended, Ridley. She’s just having a bad day.” Cal’s voice cracked like he was on the verge of laughing.
“This can’t be fun for you, either. Sitting in a dark shower stall on a Friday night, when you could be lounging out on the patio with your fan club.” She felt a smile transform her face too. Cal’s struggle to keep from laughing at her comment was contagious.
“As a matter of fact, I’m having the time of my life,” he said brightly. “Fan club?”
“They’re not?”
“Dogs, by nature, are very affable, social?—”
“I’m talking about the people drawn to you whenever you bring one of your furry friends.”
He sighed. “Dogs naturally attract people?”
“And dogs especially attract females , it seems . ” She said it with a note of humor, but the constant crowd around him made her uncomfortable. He was the life of the party; he loved the attention. Especially female attention. It hit a little too close to home.
Cal snorted derisively. “Not all females.”
This was true. She wasn’t about to dispute it.
“Your silence is deafening,” he said flatly.
“Well, that’s because I’m kind of a cat person.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I happen to think it’s a virtue.”
He snorted.
“What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” he said with a hint of sarcasm .
The guy was infuriating. Sooo good looking, but infuriating.
Cal eased himself and Ridley out of the shower stall and dusted off his pants. He extended his free hand toward her.
She reached up, thankful that the noise, inside and out, had quieted, and now she could assess the damages. But when Cal’s grip swallowed her hand and he pulled her to a standing position, her thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind. She stared dumbly at their intertwined hands even though she could barely make out their outline.
Cal had frozen, too. The battery-powered exit sign above their heads caught the glint in his eyes. They were almost as big as Loftie lids.
“I, uh…” he stuttered.
She yanked her hand away, brushing it against her skirt. “Thank you,” she managed to say. Her pulse rate galloped like a racehorse. What is wrong with me ?
“We should go see what survived,” he said in a husky tone.
“And what didn’t.” Ginger shone her phone’s flashlight around the office and headed out into the lobby, needing to put a little space between her and Cal.
Even with the power still off, the lobby was strangely bright. A simple explanation about why the light was different became apparent right away: a large branch lay inside the vestibule between her dining area and the sidewalk.
It had broken through both doors. Outside, one of the redbud trees on the sidewalk had snapped off at the trunk. Branches and debris from fallen garbage cans littered the street. Her patio tables lay hidden beneath a mound of branches.
“At least it’s not one of the windows,” he said, studying the broken doors. “I can have those patched in fifteen minutes.”
“Really?”
“You bet. No problem.”
Glass crunched under her feet as she took a closer look. Yes, she was lucky it hadn’t been one of the huge windows.
He stepped in front of her as he unhooked the string of keys from his belt loop. Cal took a few measurements with the little tape measure attached to his keyring, then snapped it back in place.
“Tell you what. I’ll take Ridley home, providing there’s not a tree laying on top of my car out front. I’ve got some leftover ply board in my garage. I’ll hook up the generator if the power’s out there, too, make a few cuts, then be back here within the hour to cover those up.”
They walked into the back room again so she could let him out into the alley. In his absence, she swept up as much glass as she could while musing about the turn of events.
She regretted bringing up how she’d noticed women flocking to him when he brought his fosters. Now it seemed petty and none of her business. While Cal was one of her most frequent customers and she found him hard to ignore in the looks department, his thirst for attention reminded her so much of her ex. The similarity was so off-putting, she struggled to see past her own issue and look at Cal through an objective lens.
Good on his word, Cal reappeared fifty minutes later. Ginger swept more glass while he worked on the doors. It didn’t take him long at all to fit the boards in place and seal everything with duct tape. She leaned the broom against the counter and came over to inspect his handiwork when he finished.
“You’ve gone above and beyond, Cal. I mean it.”
“It helps that my dad is a contractor. I used to work for him when I was younger.”
She nodded. “It paid off. Thank you. What do I owe you?”
Cal waved away her question. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Seriously? Thank you.”
“Let me know if you need anything else.” He dug his wallet from his back pocket and handed over a business card. “In case something comes up.”
She read it to herself, smiling.
Sunrise Solutions
Integrated Business Management Software
Cal Donner, Owner
She had no idea what he did when he wasn’t lounging on Coffee Loft’s patio, showing off his latest four-legged friend, but this surprised her. He seemed so…not serious enough to be in the computer business.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Nothing really… Well, I just realized that after all the times you’ve come in, I had no idea what you did.” She lifted a shoulder .
“It pays the bills. And working from home, I’m able to tend to whomever’s keeping my feet warm at the moment.”
Confused, she looked at him sharply.
“I’m talking about the dogs, not women,” he said with a one-sided grin.
“Of course.” She tucked his card in her skirt pocket.
“I have a dog bed under my desk.” He cocked his head, squinting at her. “You don’t have a very favorable impression of me, do you?”
“After what you did for me here tonight? That’s not true at all.” She crossed her arms and looked at him squarely while her pulse hammered in her head. This was getting personal.
He rocked back on his heels with a self-satisfied smirk.
“Favorable enough that you’ll forgive Ridley and me for getting into your personal space?” He chuckled.
The shower . She’d never forget that.
“You’re forgiven. I mean, you’re kind of a hero tonight. Who else would have sealed up the doors for me so quickly?”
She almost slapped a hand against her forehead when she noted the look on his face. The word “hero” apparently inflated him like a helium balloon. She should have left it alone after complimenting him the first time.
You always take compliments a step too far .
Now Cal probably thought she was coming on to him.
She loved getting praise—it was her love language after all—and figured everyone else did, too. But if Cal puffed out his chest any more, he’d float away. Some people took her compliments the wrong way, especially men. As if her niceties were a hint that she wanted something. But after the wicked storm, she was almost giddy with relief that her shop withstood the onslaught of wind and rain.
“It’s late, and I’m sure you have better places to be. I’ll lock the door behind you, then I’m going to head upstairs.”
He nodded with a faraway look in his eyes, but he didn’t move.
“Good night?” She moved toward the door.
Cal jumped as if she’d jostled him out of a daydream. “Right! I’m going.”
“Thanks again, Cal.”
“Anytime. If anything else comes up, let me know.” He paused with his hand on the door. “Maybe I should get your number. I could call tomorrow, see if you thought of anything more that I could do.” There was that look again, the one that was one part hope and the other part smarmy confidence.
“You’re in here enough that I’ll just catch you when I see you. If I need anything.” There. He couldn’t read too much into that.
“You’re right. Don’t hesitate.” He pushed open the door. “Have a good night.”
Ginger watched him pass by the window and out of sight.
She’d have to make it up to him somehow. He’d done her a huge favor. But repaying him while keeping her distance was the trick.