Chapter Eight – Caleb
Caleb had never been more disappointed for a shift to end.
Because our mate is here, his bear said simply.
It was true. He’d spent the entire shift hyperaware of her presence. He still wasn’t sure how he’d managed to get through the shift without pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless.
Or punching someone’s lights out for flirting with her, his bear added.
Caleb huffed a quiet laugh. Yeah, when that guy flirted with Hannah, something primal had come dangerously close to the surface.
That would not have made a good impression on our mate, his bear said.
Or with our patrons, Caleb added. Throwing a guy out of the restaurant for flirting with a server was not the kind of dinner entertainment anyone wanted.
Still, he’d managed to fight the urge to grab the guy by the scruff of his neck and forcibly evict him. Barely.
Caleb turned from locking the front door, keys still warm in his hand, and his gaze found Hannah with no conscious effort on his part.
She was over at one of the tables near the window, stacking plates with practiced ease as she chatted with his mother. Eleanor laughed at something Hannah said, obviously delighted with her son’s mate.
He had no doubt both his parents had known the instant they met Hannah that she was his mate.
Of course they did, his bear said. It’s written all over your face. For those who know how to read it.
And his parents had spent a lifetime learning how to read him.
Caleb moved to tuck a chair under a table, watching Hannah from the corner of his eye.
She looked... happy. Comfortable. Like she belonged.
Caleb hadn’t known it was possible to feel this kind of joy just from watching two people talk. But the sight of his mate and his mother getting along so naturally filled him with pure happiness.
He didn’t have the words for it. He wasn’t sure he ever would.
Best shift ever, his bear sighed in contentment, settling down for an afternoon nap.
His mom and his mate headed for the kitchen. Caleb followed, drawn there by the simple need to be closer to her.
The restaurant had quieted, the rush finally ebbing, but his awareness of Hannah hadn’t. If anything, it sharpened.
Part of him still wanted to pinch himself, just to be sure this wasn’t some elaborate fantasy his lonely mind had cooked up.
She’s here, his bear confirmed sleepily. Still real.
Caleb cleared his throat and stepped closer. “So,” he said, aiming for casual but missing as his voice rose, “how did you find the shift?”
Hannah glanced up at him, a smile already forming. “Great. Everyone was really kind. It’s a lovely place to work.”
The way she said it made something ease inside him. Because it mattered what she thought. It mattered more than she could ever guess.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Caleb said. “Here, let me help you with that.”
They worked side by side loading the dishwasher, Eleanor making herself conspicuously busy at the far counter, giving them space with the subtlety of someone who was not subtle at all. Caleb found himself momentarily tongue-tied, his thoughts tangling every time Hannah turned that smile on him.
“If you need help for the evening shift,” she said lightly, sliding a plate into place, “I could step in again.”
His heart leaped before his brain caught up.
“Oh. No. I mean...” Caleb winced as the words came out wrong. “I think we’ve got it covered. I just... I don’t want to impose. You’ve already done more than enough.”
He watched her carefully, worried he sounded like he was pushing her away when the truth was exactly the opposite.
He wanted to pull her to him and never let go.
Hannah nodded easily, accepting the answer without fuss, and turned back to the dishwasher.
Good one, his bear murmured. Truly inspired.
I thought you were asleep, Caleb replied.
Just resting my eyes.
“Caleb,” Eleanor said, perfectly timed as his thoughts spiraled, “your dad just called me. We’ve got a problem with the wine order.”
Caleb frowned. “We do?”
They had never had a problem with the wine order. Not once.
They only served wine from the Thornberg Vineyard. His aunt and uncle would never let them down. Not ever. Unless...
“Yes,” his mother said, far too brightly. “A big problem.”
His bear lifted its head. She’s up to something.
Oh, definitely, Caleb agreed, suddenly wary.
“They can’t deliver today,” Eleanor continued, glancing pointedly at Hannah and then back at him. “Something about the truck. Would you mind popping over to collect it instead?”
She paused, then added innocently, “And maybe Hannah would like to come along for the ride.”
Hannah straightened as she closed the dishwasher, interest lighting her eyes. “I’d love to,” she said. “As long as I won’t be imposing.”
Caleb smiled before he could stop himself and shook his head. “Never.”
“Well. Perhaps you could take a little picnic lunch,” Eleanor suggested. “Since you’ll be out, anyway.”
Caleb nodded. “I’ll fix something now.”
He moved on autopilot, putting together a simple picnic of leftovers from the lunch menu. A bottle of Thornberg wine and two glasses, because if his mother was going to orchestrate this, he might as well lean into it.
Hannah finished tidying up, and a few minutes later they were ready to leave.
Caleb caught Eleanor watching them with a satisfied little smile as they headed for the door.
Thankfully, Hannah seemed blissfully unaware of his mother’s not-so-discreet matchmaking attempt.
Caleb, on the other hand, was very aware.
And for once, he didn’t mind in the slightest.
Caleb watched Hannah as she walked ahead of him out of the restaurant, the afternoon sunlight catching the copper highlights in her hair as she stepped onto the pavement. He was still trying to wrap his head around the simple, unbelievable fact that this was happening.
That they were leaving together. That the afternoon stretched ahead of them, unclaimed, just the two of them.
“Your mom is nice,” Hannah said, glancing back at him with a smile that made his heart ache with longing.
“She likes you,” Caleb replied, unlocking his truck. It was an understatement. His mother had been practically vibrating with excitement throughout the lunch shift, stealing glances at Hannah and giving Caleb meaningful looks whenever their paths crossed in the kitchen.
As they climbed into the truck, Caleb carefully placed the picnic basket behind the seat, making sure the wine bottle was secure before closing the door.
The cab felt smaller once Hannah was inside, filled with her presence, her warmth, the faint scent of her perfume that made his mouth water more than the leftover lunch items.
“So, where exactly is this vineyard?” Hannah asked, buckling her seatbelt.
“About twenty minutes up the valley,” Caleb replied, starting the engine. “It’s beautiful this time of year. The vines are just starting to leaf out.”
He pulled onto the main road, hyperaware of Hannah’s proximity. His bear was unusually quiet, content to simply bask in their mate’s presence after the hectic energy of the lunch shift.
“I’ve never been to a vineyard before,” Hannah admitted, gazing out of the window as Bear Creek slowly slipped away behind them. “I’m not much of a wine drinker, to be honest.”
“That’s okay,” Caleb said, easing his grip on the steering wheel. “The view alone is worth the trip.”
The road curved alongside a clear mountain stream, sunlight flickering through the trees and scattering across the water.
Caleb found himself stealing glances at Hannah whenever the road allowed, watching the way her expression softened as she took in the landscape, the tension she had carried when he first met her by the side of the road easing little by little.
“It’s so peaceful here,” she murmured, almost as if she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“That’s what I love about it,” Caleb replied. “No matter how busy things get at the restaurant, I know this is waiting just a short drive away.”
Hannah turned toward him then, studying his profile with quiet intensity. “You really love it here, don’t you?”
“I do,” he said simply, feeling the truth of it in his bones. “It’s home. It’s always been my home.”
The word lingered between them, weighted with meaning that Caleb didn’t dare put into words. He wanted to tell her that home wasn’t just the mountains or the restaurant or even Bear Creek itself. Home was wherever she was now.
Instead, he pointed out landmarks as they passed. The turnoff to the nature reserve. The trailhead that led to his favorite overlook. The bend in the river where he’d caught his first fish with his father, hands cold and heart full.
“Your whole life is here,” Hannah whispered.
“It is,” Caleb agreed. “I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else.”
“Really?” Hannah sounded genuinely surprised. “You’ve never wanted to experience life outside of Bear Creek?”
Caleb considered the question as they rounded a bend and the valley opened up before them.
“No,” he said at last, gesturing toward the view. “I’d miss this. And my family. The restaurant. It’s in my blood, I guess.”
Hannah nodded, something thoughtful flickering across her expression. “That’s... I’ve never had anything like that.”
There was a note in her voice that made Caleb wonder about her own story, the places she’d been, the things that might have pushed her forward instead of anchoring her in place.
Before he could ask, the vineyard came into view, rows of trellised vines stretching across the gentle slope, the place obviously carefully tended and deeply loved.
“Oh,” Hannah breathed, sitting up a little straighter. “That’s gorgeous.”
Caleb smiled, pleased by her reaction. “Wait until you see it up close.”
He turned onto the gravel drive that led to the main building, a stone structure with a red-tiled roof that housed both the processing facility and the tasting room. Parking near the entrance, he came around to open Hannah’s door.
As he helped her out, he hoped, fiercely, that maybe, just maybe, she would choose to stay.
And if she didn’t, he knew with a certainty that surprised him, he would leave this place. The mountains. The restaurant. His family.
For her. For love.