Chapter Eight
Lainey
I wouldn’t say I was stalking him exactly, but in reality, I was—ravenously. I couldn’t take my eyes off his place. I convinced myself I had a legitimate reason though. Dad and I were starving and there was no way I was going to bust into the last of the saltine crackers that sat cracked and soggy at the bottom of our road trip snack bag.
Instead, I sat with bated breath until I saw him return. Even though he’d come back in her truck, neither of them seemed to show any emotion. She stayed in her truck as he got out and he went straight to his own truck. I watched him drive over and within a moment he was on our front step. My stomach bloomed with butterflies, my mouth went dry, and I literally thought I was going to have a heart attack. Crap, I had it bad. Luckily, my dad answered the door.
I wanted to be angry with him and give him the cold shoulder for going off with someone else that morning, but I kept reminding myself that I didn’t have the right to do that. He didn’t owe me anything, and we committed to nothing the previous night. Life could resume as usual.
“Lainey, we’re going. Come on down,” Dad hollered.
“Yep,” was the only word I could muster.
I came downstairs wearing a breezy blouse that was sheer enough to show there was a pair of beautiful breasts beneath it, but also substantial enough not to be a peep show. He took notice. I had on my favorite pair of jeans as well. If I was going to feel lost and vulnerable, I wanted to at least be wearing clothes that gave me super powers—if only in my head.
“Don’t you look lovely,” Calvin noted with his sexy Southern accent.
I wasn’t going to let myself be wooed. He probably said that to all the girls. Those Southern boys and their charm.
“Thank you,” somehow made its way out of my mouth.
He gave me a weird look.
I was busted.
“Shall we go? I bet you’re starving,” he said with a lilt in his voice.
“I know I sure am,” Dad piped in.
“Yep, I could eat a horse… I mean, not a horse, you guys don’t… eat them, right? I mean, I don’t.” Oh, Lainey, shut up! Just keep your mouth quiet for the rest of the day.
Calvin laughed. “Not usually. I know a great Mexican restaurant though. I thought we’d have some Carne Asada and cerveza,” he offered.
“I actually know what that is, Mr. Fancy talker.” Lainey! What did I say about talking? I chided myself.
My dad looked a little bewildered. “Anything sounds good to me,” he added, then Calvin led us to his truck, and we headed toward town.
The food we had for lunch was amazing. We had some great Mexican spots in New York, but this was the real deal, and everything was fresh, spicy, and tasty. Calvin and my dad talked cars most of the time and they went off to look at some while I hit the grocery store. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I found a nice wedge of brie. Sadly, no baguettes, but I did discover a bakery with some artisan bread that smelled delicious. I also found a few wines I recognized and deli items I needed. All in all, my shopping was okay, but I would be on the hunt for a better grocery store soon. It was so far away from what I was used to in New York.
When we met up again, and I told Calvin, he laughed at me. He said the town was roaring with excitement and that was the best grocery store they’d seen in twenty years, and in three times as many miles. My heart sunk a little, but at least he’d helped my dad buy a used pickup, and a lightly used sedan for longer trips.
While I was happy to be settling in, it also created a feeling of dread. Did I really want to be putting down roots here among all the dust and dirt? However, I was glad there was a decent-ish grocery store, and we were now mobile. I guessed my pretty, pink powder-puff bedroom would have to wait as I couldn’t order the items I liked online as the stores wouldn’t deliver to our locale. The only decent furniture store was in downtown El Paso, so our day of excitement was over and we went back to the ranch.
Luckily, my dad didn’t need to make any money. He had his retirement, and huge savings from the sale of the penthouse. We didn’t need income from the ranch, but he wanted to work on the land, anyway. Calvin offered to come over and help him on how to best use the place another day. He looked tired, and I was sure he was ready for a cup of tea and some ESPN; luckily the cable was being installed when we returned.
“Thanks for all of your help, Calvin,” he said. “I’m not sure how I would have managed without you. The two of you probably want some time to yourselves, so I’ll just go tuck myself away and see what’s on the television,” he said as he made his exit.
“He’s a bit old school,” I said with a laugh. My dad was just such a typical father when it came to TV with his sports and 24-hour news.
“I really like him. He’s a great guy. So, do you have plans tonight?” Calvin asked cautiously.
I’d totally forgotten about my jealousy over the woman I’d seen him with that morning, but his invitation brought it all back to me, so I played the snarky card.
“No, do you?” I asked with insinuation.
“I haven’t had any real plans for a long time,” he said in a way that sounded like a confession.
“You didn’t have any this morning?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Okay… let’s play this game.
“You saw that?” He seemed shocked.
“It’s okay. So we kissed. It’s not like you married me last night or anything. I was just… well, I don’t know… I mean, it was my choice to kiss and fool around with someone I hardly knew. And of course, I should have realized you may be seeing other women. It’s just… what we did, that really isn’t me. I don’t normally act that way. I want you to know that.” Well, there it was… almost all in one breath.
“Woah. Okay. Slow down a minute,” he said calmly. “I’m not seeing other women. Lindsay is just my neighbor. She asked me to fix her faucet… and I don’t mean that in any metaphorical sense. I really enjoyed spending time with you last night and I’m hoping to get to know you a lot better. I’d love the opportunity to pick up where we left off, if I got the chance. But anyway… about you stalking me?” He said, half teasing.
“It wasn’t stalking exactly. I came over earlier and cleaned up your place. I was hoping to see you, then later I saw the other woman sitting on your porch waiting for you and... sorry, I’m a mess. I feel like such an idiot right now.” I really was coming unglued.
“Right. I can see how that might have looked. Well, how about you come over for a glass of wine and some dinner as a thanks for cleaning up for me? I really wasn’t looking forward to waking up to all that and I so appreciate what you did. No one has ever done anything so nice for me before around here. We can do this whole dating thing in reverse if you want. Start with the kissing, then wine and dinner, and finally, hello. If you turn out to be a crazy stalker, I’m not too worried. I have 911 on speed dial.”
He laughed. I was so glad he was having fun… at my expense, but one look into his beautiful soulful eyes and I just wanted to be with him even more.