CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

“Go with the yellow top.”

Cait frowned at her reflection in the mirror, and switched her hands, so that the dark green blouse was hanging in front of her. “You don’t think this one?”

“Nope, it’s too camouflage-y. The yellow really pops.”

Both blouses were held by hangers, making it easy for Cait to switch back, still trying to see what her best friend was talking about. “You don’t think this one is too…I dunno, neon?”

Was it possible to hear an eye roll? Because Cait could definitely hear one in Katie’s reply.

“That’s the point, Caitlin.”

Cait turned away from the mirror, and stuck her tongue out at her laptop, which was propped open on her bed. Thanks to the wonders of Skype, Katie—who was sitting cross-legged on her own bed, folding laundry—stuck out her tongue right back.

“I’m just…” Cait stared down at both tops. “I just want to make a good impression, you know?”

Tonight she was having dinner with Archie. Like, a real date. They’d been together for an entire week, and even shared lunches in between his lessons…but this afternoon he’d asked her to dinner in town. He hadn’t said it was a date—she’d just mentally labeled it as such—but it seemed momentous, somehow.

“I don’t think you need to, hon,” came Katie’s gentle reply. “You’ve been hanging out with the guy every day for a week, right? He’s obviously impressed.”

Cait shrugged and turned to her closet to hang up the green top—Katie’s fashion choices were usually the right ones. “I dunno. I guess so. But that was just business, you know? This is…”

Katie leaned in close to the camera, and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Pleasure!” she crowed.

Cait pulled a shoe down from her closet shelf and threw it overhand at her laptop, deliberately missing. Still, it caused Katie to shriek and fall backwards instinctively, and they both ended up giggling.

“He’s a movie star,” Cait explained when she managed to calm down. “He’s probably used to red-carpet events and galas and bimbos in gorgeous gowns and stuff, and I’m just…me.”

“Where are you going for dinner?”

“Mamma Mia’s,” Cait replied indistinctly, as she pulled her t-shirt off over her head. “It’s the new Italian place in town.”

“Okay, so he’s not taking you to a red-carpet affair. Just a simple dinner between two friends, yeah?”

Cait sighed as she slid the yellow blouse over her head. “Yeah,” she said, emerging. “But it’s our first meal together where we’re not both covered in dirt or dripping wet or aching or blistered or something.”

The last week had been…fun. As she’d taught Archie how to do the things on his list—primitive shelters, making fires from scratch, all sorts of stuff—they’d laughed and joked and shared stories of their pasts and dreams for their futures. She’d been amazed at his depth of experience, and how he could easily switch between taking charge and being a student.

He was a remarkable man.

“Hello? Earth to Cait?”

She blinked, and realized she’d been standing there in her closet doorway with her shirt half-way on, staring into the distance. So she shook herself, pulled the neon yellow shirt down, and presented herself for her best friend’s perusal.

“How do I look?”

Katie cocked her head. “Those pants are awesome on you, and the color really sets off your skin tone. Do you still have those small silver hoops I gave you for your birthday? Wear those.”

Nodding, Cait headed for her small jewelry box, knowing Katie wouldn’t steer her wrong. Almost every piece of jewelry she owned came from Katie, except for the small diamonds Daddy had given her for her twenty-fifth birthday, and the pearls from Nana. She clipped the silver hoops on, smoothed her hand over her hair, and turned for final inspection.

“Okay?”

Katie smiled. “You look awesome. You know…” She put down the shirt she’d been folding and learned towards the camera once more, a smirk on her face. “You’ve been thinking of this as a date, right?”

“Right,” Cait agreed with a slight frown.

“But if you think of this last week, each day you’ve spent together, as a date—”

“Those aren’t dates! It’s for work! I’m getting paid for it.”

Katie lifted her hands in front of her, patting the air. “Yeah, but if you did, tonight is like your eighth date or something, right?”

Cait’s frown eased. Was it?

Her best friend continued. “Because you might be paid for it, but you’ve definitely enjoyed your time with him. And I’ve never known you to get past a third date with a guy.”

Because most guys were boring. No matter their personality, they were the same person all the time. And even if she liked that person, she’d get bored with him after a while.

Archie St. John was different. He was always changing, and she loved the excitement of trying to keep up with him and who he was during any given hour. She loved when he was all alpha male, barking instructions, and when he sat and listened to her lessons intently. She loved his fierce concentration and his screams of terror when she had him practice flipping the UTV to know what it felt like.

He was different in every way, and she really liked spending time with him.

An eighth date? Cait slowly smiled. “I can handle this.”

 

 

“Snails? Really?”

Caitlin had stopped with her fork full of pasta halfway to her mouth, and was staring at him with a look of fascination.

Archie chuckled. “Indeed. But they’re so garlicky you forget you’re eating snails.”

Her brows were lifted clear into her hairline, and Archie loved the way her eyes sparkled. There were candles on the table of this quaint little restaurant, and the light seemed to make her cheeks glow. It was the first time he’d seen her out of her “work” clothes, and although he’d thought she looked just lovely in jeans and a t-shirt, Cait in that bright yellow top positively sparkled.

“What’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever eaten?” she asked, right before she popped her noodles in her mouth.

He didn’t even have to think about it. “Balut, in the Phillipines. It’s…” He poked at his chicken with his fork, his mouth twisted slightly. “It’s basically a duck egg with a baby duck inside it. They cook it a special way—the kind I had was very salty. It ended up tasting exactly like egg and chicken, combined.”

She was slowly chewing, a look of horrified interest on her face. After she swallowed, she said, “My motto is ‘I’ll try anything twice’, but that sounds pretty weird.”

He shrugged. “I’ve only tried it once.” But he discovered that he’d love to be the one to introduce her to all the interesting foods he’d tried over the years. “What’s the most interesting food you’ve ever eaten?”

Twirling her pasta on her fork, Cait seemed to consider. Finally, she shrugged. “I’ve eaten all the weird Americana stuff—Rocky Mountain oysters, boiled peanuts, crawfish. But I think I’d have to say that the most interesting things are the stuff I catch and prepare myself.”

“Wait, you hunt?”

She shrugged. “I camp. You’re interested in primitive camping, right? So I figured next week I’d teach you how to prepare and grill a fish.”

There had been childhood camping trips, and fishing in the Rother River…but had Archie ever prepared or eaten a fish he’d caught? No, Mum had always taken a photo of him and his prize, then had him toss the fish back. A part of him winced at the idea of having to chop up a fish, but a bigger part of him—the part which was always eager to learn new things—sat up straighter.

“In Empty Saddle, I played Wyatt Tipton, a desperate rancher. One scene was shooting gophers, so I became proficient with a Henry repeating rifle. But I didn’t eat any of the gophers.”

She pointed her fork at him. “Then you weren’t really Tipton, were you?” she teased.

He stuck his tongue out at her, and she giggled.

“I saw that movie, you know.”

“Really? What did you think?”

She glanced shyly up at him, chasing the last of her noodles around her bowl. “I thought you were hotter in The Jester in the Mirror.”

“As Willum McGregor?” His ego inflated slightly. “I hadn’t realized you’d seen that.”

She shrugged, her attention suddenly riveted to the remains of her dinner. “It’s possible I’ve been watching all of your movies over the last week.”

The confession raised his brows. “Really? Wow.”

“I wanted to see everyone you’ve been. At least, the men you’ve been on film.”

Everyone you’ve been. Cait…she got it. She understood. He wasn’t just playing a character in those films, he was those men. It’s why he kept winning awards for his acting; he wasn’t acting, he was being.

Archie was stunned into silence. There were very few people out there who not only understood, but approved of the way he led his life.

She was finished with her meal, and finally met his eyes. “Archie, I’ve been meaning to ask…” A deep breath. “You’re not seeing anyone right now, at least according to the tabloids, right?”

She’d been researching him in the gossip columns? Archie suddenly felt tight, as if the restaurant was closing in around them. He very much wanted to be alone with Cait when she asked him what he thought she might ask him.

Fumbling for his wallet, he shook his head. “No, I’m not seeing anyone.”

“And you haven’t been seen with any particular woman in the last few years.”

He pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, figuring that was more than enough to cover the simple meal and tip. “What are you asking, Cait?”

She lifted her finger to call over their waitress, a cute young lady named Lucy. When she hurried over, Archie just handed her the bill. Her eyes went wide, and he nodded.

“That should cover us, right, Lucy?”

She nodded mutely, and he held out his hand for Cait. When she took it, he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arm around her waist. It felt good to hold her as they walked towards the exit.

“What are you asking?” he repeated in a murmur.

He felt her take a deep breath, hold it, then release it all at once just as they reached the door.

“I want to know why you aren’t dating anyone. You’re gorgeous, successful, and a lot of fun to be around. You should have your pick of all the Hollywood starlets or whatever out there in LA. How come someone hasn’t snatched you up?”

Out here in the summer evening air, Archie felt as if he could breathe once more. He tilted his face towards the pink sky and slowed his pace to a stroll along Riston’s main street.

He took a deep breath of heavily-scented mountain air and smiled slightly. “I’ve dated before. Lots of women, really. All casual dates.” Some of them were starlets, some of them were ordinary women he’d met through work or social gatherings.

“I know.” She seemed more at ease now, pressed up against him. Her own arm had snaked around his middle, and they walked in sync. “But you’ve never been seen with the same date more than once.”

“None of them…” How to explain? “They were all interested in one man. The Hollywood actor, or the boy from Yorkshire, or—”

“Or Mr. James Smith?” she teased.

He smiled. “Exactly.”

Archie glanced down at her, but his gaze was trapped by hers. He hadn’t realized they’d stopped walking, and were just standing there on the sidewalk looking at one another, until she twisted. He found his other arm reaching around her, to pull her closer.

“They’ve only seen one man, Cait. I’m more than one man. I want to be more than one man.”

Her head was tilted back so she could stare up at him, the sunset reflecting in her brown eye. “Did I ever tell you I’ve never been on a third date with a guy?”

He blinked. “What? No.”

A slight nod, but she didn’t drop his gaze. “I think most men are boring, because they’re the same guy all the time.”

A snort of laughter burst out of Archie. “So you’re saying that you don’t think I’m boring?”

“I don’t think you’re boring at all,” she murmured. “And this is, by my calculations, our eighth date.”

Really? If she’d been considering all the time they’d spent together as dates, then who was he to say different? Archie smiled and dipped his head a little closer to hers, lowering his voice.

“I think it might be time to take things to the next level then. What do you think?”

“If the next level is kissing, I think that’s a good idea,” she whispered back.

The kiss was sweet, and deep, and exciting enough to make Archie’s heart pound against his ribs. Who would’ve guessed they’d melt together so well?

After far too few heartbeats, Archie remembered they were in public, and pulled back slightly. Cait’s lips were pulled into a lovely smile which revealed the gap in between her front teeth, but she didn’t say anything.

“Well?” he whispered, one brow raised. “Any feedback?”

Her grin grew. “Regardless of who you are right now, I’m really, really, really happy…”

“Oh yeah?”

“…that you’re not wearing your colored contacts.”

That hadn’t been what he’d expected to hear, and his expression probably showed that, because she burst into laughter and squeezed him tight around the middle. With her cheek pressed against his chest, she managed to speak through her laughter.

“It was a pretty good kiss, alright?”

Archie was smiling again, so he tugged her into motion, back towards where they’d parked. “Pretty good? That’s all you have to say about it?”

“I dunno,” she said in a teasing tone. “We might have to practice more. To see if you kiss differently when you’re different people.”

He began to chuckle along with her, and tightened his hold on her. She rested her head against his shoulder as they walked, and things felt…right.

And in that moment, for some reason, Archie was also glad he’d chosen to not wear his colored contact lenses tonight. He wasn’t sure who he really was, at heart, but he liked being able to impress Cait.

And he liked that she liked him.