It turned out that trying to internet stalk Caleb was pointless. I mean, I should’ve guessed it would be once he showed me his dinosaur flip phone. The man had zero online presence—no Facebook, no Instagram. This meant anything I wanted to find out about him, I’d have to do it the old-fashioned way–by actually talking to him. The problem was every time I opened my mouth in his presence, it was almost like I’d never spoken to someone of the opposite sex before. I sounded like such an amateur. We’d chatted several times in the last few days to go over some of the details for our date, but each call was relatively short—he seemed busy and I was at a loss for words. It was a little awkward, if I were being honest.
Maybe I should call him and cancel.It’d save us both from disaster. I mean, really, where could this end up? We lived totally different lives.
I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Fuck. Only one hour before he was going to pick me up for mini golf.
I picked up my phone and twirled it in my hand. I shook my head and threw it back on the bed. The thing was, I didn’t want to cancel.
No, I needed this. I was finally deciding to do something for myself. Most of my life felt like I was gliding by. My choices weren’t really my choices. They were handpicked and approved by my mother. Even the times I did things for myself, like going on vacation or selecting a fashion house to sign with, there were all these expectations and influences from others. I had to make sure I didn’t let so-and-so down, or I should be grateful for such-and-such and I ended up owing somebody something. The worst part of it all was the constant feeling of having to prove myself.
Sometimes out of sheer loneliness, I’d find myself in situations where I had no clue how I got there. All because of the desire for companionship, some semblance of a connection.
I descended the stairs and felt the flutter in my stomach more than before. As I reached the last stair, I glanced down at my outfit. I cringed, thinking this outfit was a little too revealing for a first date. I was going for edgy Parisian chic, which is why I was wearing a tweed jacket with just a tank underneath and leather shorts. I did wear bedazzled sneakers though. This was casual for me.
I adjusted the sleeve of my jacket and debated running upstairs to change once more. I had to remind myself that Caleb liked Grace at the bar, so he’d like this version of me too.
I groaned.What the fuck am I doing?
“Excuse me?” Fiona was standing by the front door with a dish towel in hand, her eyes fixed on me.
“Hi, Fiona. Bye, Fiona,” I said sheepishly as I checked my bag for breath mints. Being trapped in a car with Caleb and bad breath would be painfully awkward. I shouldn’t have had that French onion soup at the coffee shop, but Ms. Kenzie insisted I try it.
“You look dolled up. Where are you off to? Hot date?” She peeked out the window, moving the curtain to the side. I prayed Caleb wasn’t out there yet. In this town, news traveled fast and I didn’t need any more gossip. Fiona was abreast of everybody’s dirty laundry. Apparently, Jena and Keith were in a secret relationship. I felt silly for being jealous of her with Caleb.
“Something like that. I’m going back to the city to grab a few things from storage.” It was a total lie. Anything I needed I had moved here. Everything else was at my brownstone.
Fiona didn’t seem convinced, but suddenly, another guest tapped her on the shoulder and started talking to her about food allergies.
I took that as my cue to sneak out of the bed-and-breakfast. As I walked down the grassy pathway, I spotted Caleb in an old pickup truck.
Once he caught sight of me, he exited the driver’s side and ran around to open the door for me.
“Grace,” Caleb greeted me. He was dressed in casual jeans and a white T-shirt and he was carrying a single red rose. I smiled at his thoughtfulness.
I practically skipped over to close the gap between us.
“Wow,” Caleb said, a little breathless. “You look—” He paused, and I bit my bottom lip as I looked down, cursing my outfit change yet again.
I gulped visibly. This was one of my cutest outfits. One of the designers gave it to me in Paris. Pursing my lips, I was about to make a break for it and run upstairs to change or better yet retire for the night with some ice cream.Chocolate fudge, here I come.
Caleb grabbed my hand and rubbed it like he had that night in the bar. I didn’t know what it was about him, but his presence instantly calmed me.
I really liked his touch as well. If I felt sparks just from his innocent touches and the chaste kiss we shared, then I could only imagine what it would be like to be with him sexually.
Grace! Stop thinking about him that way.I pursed my lips to stifle a laugh at the war going on in my head.
“You look incredible,” Caleb complimented, smiling so brightly it made me feel beautiful for the first time in my life.
Despite hearing everybody’s praise toward my looks, I never really paid mind to them. I never really believed what they were saying. Not that some weren’t genuine—it was just a feeling I gotwhen they delivered the line, like they only saw what was on the surface.
Caleb was sincere; that was one thing I was sure about.
“Thank you,” I rushed out, trying to seem less crazy and spastic.
“Are you ready?” he asked, gesturing toward the truck.
I nodded eagerly, feeling much more confident all of a sudden.
“Are you excited to lose at mini golf?” I teased, trying to distract myself from the car ride.
