Sandra clicked her tongue. “Don’t mind him, Caleb. He’s just a little upset. We’ve known him for a couple of years now and in that time he’s always had his sights set on Willow. But she’s never really been open towards him. I guess seeing how you two are now, he got a bit um … disappointed. He’ll get over it. I’ll get you another plant.”
I turned to Sandra in shock. “What?”
She jerked her head in my direction. “You mean you didn’t know?”
“No, he’s not interested in me,” I denied. “He likes you. He told me himself.”
“Bullshit. He has no interest in me at all. We’re just friends. It’s you he’s had his eye on, but you were too blind to see.”
I shook my head. I felt ashamed. All this time I had leaned on him for support and he had been nursing this huge crush on me, and I never even suspected.
Sandra turned to Caleb. “Look, don’t worry about it. It was just a little tantrum, but he’s harmless. And he’ll get over it.”
I looked at Caleb. He was staring at me, his eyes veiled. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “I guess you should get going,” I whispered.
“Yes, I should. I’ll call you,” he said, and walked to the door.
“Oooo, do I smell burritos?” Sandra asked from behind me.
“Yeah. Caleb and I didn’t get a chance to eat them,” I replied automatically, even though I felt dazed and shocked by everything that had happened.
“Can I have his then?” she asked.
I turned around to face her. “Yeah, go ahead. Sandra, why didn’t you tell me about Bradley?”
She shrugged and moved towards the bag of food. “Two reasons. First, I thought you knew. Second, he’s not right for you.”
“I feel so stupid and guilty. All this time I thought he was into you.”
“Listen, it’s not your fault he didn’t have the guts to tell you from day one he was interested in you. If I were you, I would be happy this happened because finally it’s all out in the open and he can move on. I’ve been hurt by guys loads of times and look at me. I’m stronger and better for it. Now come and eat with me.”
I moved towards her even though my appetite was completely gone.
30
Caleb
It was Friday, and Willow had agreed to a date at my place. She had initially suggested a take-out at the office, but I’d practically lived at the office for the last week and I needed a bit of downtime.
I had a lavish home in the hills that hardly ever saw me. I would have opted for a condo in the city center, or preferably even in my office’s neighborhood, but the house was in a gated community with considerably more security. And security was a good thing.
The downside was, after my tiny cell, the house made me feel quite irresponsibly extravagant. Especially since I had no one to share it with. Yet.
“Wow!” she exclaimed, her eyes large with wonder, when I opened the door. “I knew this area was exclusive, but this is the biggest house in the complex.”
“So you like it?” I asked, with a smile, as my eyes ran over her. She looked especially delectable today in a sun dress, and with her hair pulled into a messy bun. I couldn’t wait to wrench it free into the cascade that made her look nothing short of a living goddess.
“What’s not to like?”
I laughed and catching her hand, pulled her into our home. She just didn’t know it yet.
With a hand to the side of my face, she buried her face in my neck for a moment as though to breathe me in, before placing a quick kiss on my lips and slipping out of my grasp.
As she walked away all I could do was stare after her. I didn’t know how long I could keep the knowledge to myself about the absolute hold this woman had over me. I wanted so badly for her to know she was irreplaceable to me, that my happiness was in her hands.
She took a good look around at the neutral shades in the expansive living room that an interior decorator Marie knew had selected. Then we went out through the French doors towards the pool and spa. She stood for a moment looking down at the view of Sacramento, Folsom Lake, and even the Sutter Buttes.
She turned to me. “This is breathtaking. You brought me here to show off, didn’t you?”
I smiled. “Actually, I invited you over to take advantage of you.”
“Well there is that.” she laughed.
The joyful sound filtered into the house. This was what I had wanted, what this house lacked. For her sounds to wake the house with vibrancy and spirit.
She came into the house and I tried to control my intense expression, so that it wouldn’t scare her away. To her, things must seem to be moving too fast between us, while for me it was twelve years too slow. Things were touchy in other ways too, and I couldn’t wait till they weren’t.