Since Caleb obviously wasn’t coming over that night, Penny decided to go visit George in the hospital. On the way, she stopped off at Antidote to get him a cherry Danish. Even though she knew Caleb probably wouldn’t be working this late, she still felt a stab of disappointment when he wasn’t there.

This was definitely getting out of hand. No strings meant she should be able to let him go at any time. Without pining.

“When did you start eating pastries?” Roxanne asked when Penny ordered George’s Danish and a nonfat latte for herself to go.

“It’s for George,” Penny told her. “I’m on my way to visit him at the hospital.”

“Awww, tell him we miss him.”

Penny took her Danish and latte and drove to the hospital. When she got to his room, George was alone and sitting up in bed, pushing a square of lime Jell-o around on his dinner tray. He wore a burgundy velour robe over his hospital gown, and seemed to have gotten a lot of his strength back.

“What’d you bring me?” he asked, eying the paper bag in her hand with interest.

She set it on the rolling table beside his dinner tray. “A cherry Danish.”

He perked up as he peeked into the bag. “From Antidote?”

“Of course.”

The balloons Penny had brought were holding up well. They sat on the ledge along the window beside a couple bouquets of flowers and a stack of DVDs.

“You know the way to an old man’s heart.” He took the Danish out of the bag and broke off a piece as he shot a longing look at the coffee in her hand. “No coffee for me?”

“I didn’t think you were allowed.”

“I’m not.” He waved her over. “Let me at least sniff it. All they’ve got is decaf in this joint. Tastes like bilge water.”

Penny took the lid off her coffee and held it under his nose. He’d shaved and combed his hair, and if it weren’t for the hospital setting and the wires still attached to his arm and chest, he’d almost look back to his old self. “Smells like heaven. Did Caleb make it?”

“No, he’s not working tonight.” Penny moved a stack of newspapers so she could sit in the chair beside the bed. “Roxanne made it and she said to tell you she misses you.”

“She’s a good kid. I’m sad I won’t get to meet her rugrat.”

“Of course you will. Aren’t you getting out of here soon? You’ll be back at Antidote before you know it.”

George shook his head. “They’re moving me up to San Jose. Mike and Jennifer don’t want me living down here alone anymore, and I guess they’ve got a point.”

“Oh,” Penny said, feeling bereft. George really was leaving too.

“They’re moving me into some kind of special apartment complex for ‘active seniors.’” He emphasized the last two words by making disdainful air quotes with his fingers. “It’s a fifty-five and up community. Wall-to-wall geezers like me.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Penny said, thinking of the nursing home where she volunteered, which was essentially a hospital with a dreary rec room in the middle of it.

He scowled. “I hate old people. All they do is complain.”

Penny smiled into her coffee cup. “They’re not so bad. You get used to the complaining.”

“I like being around young people. Keeps me from feeling old and decrepit.”

“You’d prefer a youth hostel, then? Or one of those Silicon Valley rental houses full of brogrammers mainlining Red Bull and Cap’n Crunch all hours of the night?”

He took another bite of Danish and chewed thoughtfully. “Maybe. At least they won’t die on me left and right.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it. Guzzling all that 24-Hour Energy can’t be good for them.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t like change.”

“I don’t either,” Penny said, feeling a sharp stab of sympathy. “Won’t it be nice to be closer to your family though? You’ll get to see your grandson more often.”

“That part’s terrific. It’s everything else that’s the pits. Los Angeles has always been my home.”

“You’ll make new friends in San Jose, just like I did when I moved here from DC. Maybe even a few who aren’t geezers.”

“Sure.” He nodded, looking unconvinced. “Mike’s already talked to a real estate agent. We’re signing the papers to put my house on the market tomorrow.”

Her heart gave a little squeeze. “That’s fast.” She’d thought it would take longer to get everything arranged. That she’d have more time before he left.

He picked at the crust of his Danish. “I lived in that house for forty years. Barbara and I bought it when she got pregnant. It’s where we raised our family.”

“I’m sorry.” Penny swallowed the lump stuck in her throat. “That must be hard.”

They never covered that part of happily ever after in the fairy tales. How even if you found your perfect soul mate, one of you was likely to be left alone at the end. Maybe it would be better not to pair up in the first place. At least that way you’d be used to living alone.

George waved his hand like it didn’t matter. “It doesn’t do any good to hold on to things. Sometimes you just gotta let go and move on.” He wadded up the paper bag his Danish had come in and tossed it into the trash can. “Enough about me,” he said, narrowing his gaze at Penny. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me,” she said, shaking her head as she lifted her coffee to her lips.

“Bullpucky. You seemed down even before I started telling you my sob story. What gives?”

“I’m fine.” She tried to sound like she meant it but fell pathetically short of the mark.

George’s eyes sharpened. “How’s Caleb?” he asked, far too perceptive.

“Caleb’s fine.” She hesitated. “Did you know he’s going away to med school?”

“Yeah, he mentioned something about that.” Caleb seemed to tell George everything. She wondered how much he’d told George about her. “He’s leaving pretty soon, right?”

“On the twenty-fifth.” His new job started the day after Memorial Day, and he had to drive down there and get settled in first. Only twenty-two days left before he was gone.

George nodded, watching her closely. “How do you feel about that?”

“I’m happy for him, of course.” She remembered the way he’d taken charge when George had his heart attack. How calm and capable he’d been under pressure—and how caring. “He’ll make a great doctor.” That was what mattered, not the minor inconvenience it posed to her life.

“You’re not going to miss him?”

She already missed him, and he wasn’t even gone yet. But like George had said, there was no use holding on to things you couldn’t have. Better to make your peace with reality and move on.

“I’m going to miss both of you,” she said.

George grunted. “Gimme another whiff of that coffee.”

She leaned forward and passed it to him.

“Mmmm,” he sighed, inhaling deeply. “You think they have coffee this good in San Jose?”

“I’m sure they do.”

When Penny got home from the hospital, she paced around her apartment, feeling restless and glum as she thought about George and his wife of forty years and the house full of treasured memories he was giving up.

And here she was feeling sorry for herself over Caleb, a man she barely knew. She needed to get a grip. This was supposed to be a casual fling, which meant she shouldn’t be having all these feelings about him. The whole point was to walk away before things got real.

She pulled open the refrigerator and glared at the stacked containers of leftovers inside, arranged by date and waiting to be eaten. None of them held any appeal. She shut the fridge again and leaned her back against it, surveying her empty apartment with dissatisfaction.

It hurt to admit it, but maybe Caleb had been right. They never should have started anything in the first place. She didn’t seem to be cut out for casual flinging.

The smart, logical thing to do was keep her distance from him.

She didn’t want to be smart or logical though. She wanted to call him. Just the thought of hearing his voice made her heart flutter. She wanted to see him again so much it was a physical ache, like hunger pangs. She wanted to feel his arms around her. His skin under the pads of her fingers. His breath warm on her neck as his hands roamed over her body, rough and gentle by turns.

She pulled out her phone and stared at his picture in her contacts. It was one of the ones she’d taken of his backside when he was going through her fridge. Her thumb hovered over the call button as she tried to remind herself what George had said about moving on.

While she was debating with herself, she got a notification for a new text message—from Caleb.

Hey.

Before she’d pulled herself together enough to type a response, he added: Can I come over?

This was obviously a sign. Her fingers trembled as she typed out the word Yes. There was no possibility of saying no.

But was he coming over because he wanted to see her? Or to let her down gently? Had he had the same realization as her? That their fling was in danger of becoming something more, and needed to be put out of its misery?

As she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth—just in case he wasn’t coming over to dump her—there was a knock on her door. She detoured into the living room and peered through the peephole.

Caleb’s familiar bulk shifted uneasily on the other side.

She threw open the door and his eyes lifted to hers. A chemical reaction occurred as they gazed at one another, but it wasn’t just about heat. This felt more like synthesis than combustion. Two simple compounds combining into something more complex.

Before she had time to consider the implications, he moved toward her, cradling the back of her head in his palm as he pressed warm lips to her forehead. “I missed you.” His nose bumped against hers as they leaned into one another, their breaths syncing and slowing in relief.

Whatever was happening between them had already grown out of her control. It was too late to protect herself now. The horses had stampeded through the open barn door and were hurtling toward inevitable heartbreak.

She might as well enjoy the ride in the meantime.

Penny curled her fingers in the front of Caleb’s shirt as she lifted her face to his. His hand slid through her hair to cup her cheek. He kissed her forehead again, and then her lips.

This is it, she thought, closing her eyes as she felt her body relax. Equilibrium.

Penny lay with her head pillowed on Caleb’s arm as she meditated on the perfection of his torso. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell in slow, relaxed expirations under her hand. She watched her fingertips explore the smooth trough of his breastbone, test the firm muscle of his pecs, and trace the ridges of his ribs.

They hadn’t talked about what they were doing, or what was happening between them, although it seemed obvious something had changed. Penny was scared to bring it up, afraid that shining a light on it would cause it to disappear, like ice crystals melting in the sun.

If Caleb knew how strong her feelings had become, he’d surely insist on ending things immediately. She couldn’t let that happen. She’d made her bed, and she intended to lie in it as much as possible while she still could. Consequences be damned.

“I went to see George tonight,” she said, when the silence started to feel too weighty.

Caleb’s eyes cracked open, and he turned his face toward her. “How’s he doing?”

“Mike’s moving him up to San Jose.”

He nodded somberly. “That’s probably for the best.”

“He has to give up his house. The one he and his wife lived in for forty years. I can’t even imagine.”

“I’ve never lived anywhere longer than four years, so neither can I.” His eyes looked almost black in the dim light.

She felt a chill and pulled the sheet up over her chest, scooting closer to absorb more of his warmth. “My grandparents have lived in their house since they got married. They raised all their kids there. I think it would kill them to have to sell it and move somewhere else. Poor George. It makes me so sad to think about it. All those memories.”

Caleb’s hand touched her hair. “You can’t live in the past. He’ll be better off closer to his family.”

“I know.” She sighed. “It still makes me sad.”

His arm tightened around her, and his lips brushed the top of her head. “One thing I learned from moving around so much as a kid: home’s not a place. It’s the people you’re with.”

She pressed her face into his neck, breathing him in. The scent of coffee had become an aphrodisiac. She’d never be able to smell it again without getting turned on. A warm hand slid down her back, and she pulled his face to hers, enjoying the slow drift of pleasure as their mouths met in a leisurely kiss. She would happily stay in this moment forever, if only she could find a way to stop time.

“It’s getting late,” Caleb said.

Penny looked at the clock and saw that it was almost eleven. It really was late this time.

“I should go.” He sat up and threw the covers back.

She reached for him. “Don’t.”

“I have work in the morning.” He sounded apologetic. Like he wanted to stay.

“Don’t go,” she said, squeezing his forearm. “Sleep here.”

His brow furrowed in indecision. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Stay the night.”

He did.

Penny’s knees went to jelly as soon as she saw Caleb standing behind the counter at Antidote the next morning. Like a silly, lovestruck schoolgirl. You’d think she’d be past that sort of reaction to him by now, but apparently not. Maybe she’d never get past it.

He wasn’t even his usual flawless self today. His shirt was rumpled, his hair faintly lopsided, and his designer stubble looked rough around the edges. He was still transcendently beautiful, and last night she’d slept with those tree trunk arms wrapped around her. A very small, very petty part of her wanted to climb up on the counter and shout the news to the world.

His alarm had woken him before dawn, and he’d dressed in the dark before slipping out of her apartment with a soft kiss and whispered goodbye. She’d managed to mumble something vaguely resembling “Have a good day” before rolling over and falling right back to sleep in the warm spot he’d left behind. When her own alarm had gone off a couple hours later, she’d spent a few disoriented seconds believing the whole thing had been a dream.

There were no other customers in line, so as soon as she was certain her legs would support her, Penny walked straight up to the register.

“Morning,” Caleb said in his monotone customer service voice, but his eyes were soft as they gazed at her. “You want the usual?”

“Yes, please,” she replied, staring back at him. Roxanne was rearranging the pastry case just a couple of feet away, so Penny refrained from saying anything else.

Caleb held her eyes for a moment before he rang her up and went to make her latte. When it was ready, he brought it over and set it in front of her. He’d made a pair of hearts in the milk.

“You need anything else?” His eyes were mischievous, as if he were daring her to say something lascivious.

“Nope,” she said, refusing to take the bait. “I’m good.”

He didn’t hang around to chat, instead occupying himself with busywork: collecting dirty dishes, rinsing them at the sink, wiping down the condiment bar and refilling the containers of sugar and creamer. But he kept directing furtive looks her way. Every once in a while their eyes would meet, and his mouth would twitch, and then he’d turn away and pretend to be busy.

No wonder it had taken her so long to realize he liked her, if this was his post-coital flirting. Thank God he’d lost his head and kissed her at the hospital, or she would have forever remained cheerfully oblivious to the fact that he was interested in her.

She took her phone out and pretended to read, but she was hyperconscious of every movement Caleb made. She kept following him out of the corner of her eye, until finally she just gave up and blatantly stared at him. He was making a cappuccino and she watched him top it off with foam, his mouth settling into a cute little frown of concentration as he poured the milk. His tattoo was peeking out of his T-shirt, and it gave her an intoxicating thrill to remember how she’d traced it with her fingertips.

He carried the cappuccino to the counter and called out the customer’s name. His eyes fell on Penny and she smiled, but he still didn’t come over. Instead, he pulled out his phone. She watched him type something into it, wondering who he was texting.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she jumped—he’d texted her.

You’re staring, the message said. She looked up at him and shrugged. He shook his head, amusement twinkling in his eyes, but stayed where he was.

You’re nice to look at, she typed back. Are you afraid to come talk to me?

Yes.

She smiled at the screen. Little old me? I don’t bite.

I have evidence to the contrary.

She stifled a laugh and glanced up to find him smiling at her. He shook his head and turned his back on her.

You liked it, she typed back.

She could see his triceps twitch as he typed another text, and she tapped her finger against the side of her phone while she waited for it to come through.

That’s why I’m staying over here. I might not be able to resist temptation.

To do what? she wrote back.

She’d never considered herself a temptation to anyone before. It was exhilarating to wield that kind of power.

Jump over the counter and besmirch your reputation.

She crossed her legs, suddenly very aware of her clothes touching her bare skin.

Come over and besmirch me tonight instead?

The three little dots flickered as he typed his answer. What time?

I’ve got my weight training class at six, but I should be done by 7:30.

Don’t shower after, he texted back. Don’t even change your clothes.