Restored (7 page)

Lexi shifted as guilt pricked her heart. Was she the cause of Caleb and Corrine’s relationship failing? Being the other woman wasn’t something Lexi envisioned, not that she’d technically been the other woman, but still… How would she and Caleb be any different than the relationship he walked away from?

“Do you think I caused them to break up?” Lexi blurted, unable to keep her voice even.

Ashley smiled and leaned in. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, Lexi. So please just hear me out. I don’t think that he would have left her if you hadn’t come into the picture. That being said, he wouldn’t have been happy either. They worked as a couple, at least on the surface level. I don’t think they really brought out the best in one another though. Mike would tell me about the fights they used to have. She had a nasty temper. I couldn’t tell if he wanted to be with her or not, but Mike always said Caleb was a people pleaser. He always puts everyone else above himself. Mike said that Caleb only became a doctor because of something that happened when he was a child—he wasn’t really compelled in the traditional sense to become a doctor. It was more like a coping mechanism.”

“I see.” Lexi’s thoughts raced. She couldn’t understand why he wanted her. Emotionally, she was still grieving her mom. Mentally, she struggled with her ex-boyfriend’s treatment of her. Physically, she was an accident waiting to happen. Why he would want her? Regardless of all of the possible whys, she felt a pull to him and hoped what he felt for her was just at strong.

It was late afternoon, and Lexi had managed to eat two frozen waffles doused with butter and syrup. Miraculously, the sports drink had ebbed her nausea, and she actually felt somewhat normal. She opted for casual clothes today and wore a borrowed pair of yoga pants from Ashley and a V-neck shirt that was worn and frayed at the hem. Her limited clothing selection wouldn’t last her much longer—fall would be here soon—and she’d have to supplement her lacking closet. Her wardrobe consisted of swimsuits, short-sleeved shirts, maxiskirts, and shorts. She’d bought a few outfits for work, but was going to need something to wear when she wasn’t working that would keep her warm. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d bought a sweater or a hoodie. Even though today would’ve been an ideal shopping day, she’d have to wait for her paycheck to replenish her puny bank account.

When her cell phone chimed its annoying loud tone, she jumped. She still hadn’t found the settings to turn down the volume on the thing. Caleb’s name flashed on the screen, and she quickly answered.

“Hello,” she said, trying to sound relaxed.

“Lexi, it’s good to hear your voice. How are you feeling today?” Caleb asked in a concerned voice.

Her palms were sweating, and she rubbed them one at a time on her yoga pants while she shuffled the phone from hand to hand. “I’m good… Thanks again for taking me home last night. I’m sure you had better things to do.” She bit her lip as she waited for his response.

“It wasn’t a problem at all. I wasn’t busy. Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to come to my house for dinner this evening? It will be low key,” he said in his velvety voice.

She didn’t know how to respond without sounding too excited. “That would be nice…can I bring anything?”

“No, just yourself. Could I come and pick you up? I’m not sure if you’d find my place otherwise.”

“Okay, sure. What time will you be here?” She’d need time to get her car from the tavern and to get herself together. She didn’t want him seeing her sloppily dressed.

“Is five o’clock all right with you? I’m ordering carryout from Mike’s restaurant. I don’t cook that much, and the food is always good there,” Caleb said.

“That’s perfect.”

“Do you have any food preferences or aversions that I should be aware of?”

“Well, I’m a little picky. I don’t like garlic or seafood, but I love beef—oh, and desserts. Also, veggies are a little tricky. There aren’t many I like.” She was nervous about eating at Caleb’s, with all of her food dislikes. Past experience had taught her to be up front with her taste preferences—otherwise her gag reflex would give her away.

“Were going to have to do something about that,” he said with a laugh.

Little could be done to make Lexi embrace new foods. She’d always been a picky eater, and things with exotic flavors or strange textures were out of the question. If she was honest with herself, she liked the challenge Caleb proposed. “I’m a supertaster—there’s not much that you’ll be able to do to curb that,” she said with a laugh.

“Supertaster, eh? Well, we’ll see,” he said as he ended the call.

Lexi couldn’t seem to relax the smile that was now plastered on her face. One look down at her clothes helped to snap her out of her trance. She looked like she was going to a meditation studio at present, and that wouldn’t do for what seemed like a date. She opened her closet but could only find clothes she’d bought for work. Nothing that said casual date night, other than what she’d worn last night, and that wouldn’t do—they still smelled like the bar. Luckily, Ashley was generous with loaning her things and had invited Lexi to help herself.

As she headed to Ashley’s bedroom, she doubted that Ashley would even notice if anything was missing. The closet was large and packed with clothes for every season and occasion. There was a section that still had the price tags attached, which Lexi avoided. The tricky part of borrowing clothes from Ashley was finding pants that weren’t too short. Lexi’s legs were inches longer than Ashley’s, so if she wore Ashley’s jeans, they would look like capris on her. Lexi settled on formfitting cropped jeans, though they were probably loose on Ashely. She pulled out a teal hooded sweatshirt that had a generous neckline. She’d wear a hot-pink camisole of her own underneath.

It’d taken her longer to get ready than she’d thought, so she scurried to finish up when the clock read four thirty. She had a few minutes still, but worried he would come early. Her freshly showered hair was the last thing to style. Lexi drove the detangling brush through her fine blond strands, which were knotted. She soothed curling gel through her hair and would let it dry naturally. It would still look wild, but at least it wouldn’t be frizzy. She put on her flip-flops, still unable to wear a closed-toe shoe, and headed downstairs. Ashley was out with Mike, which meant Lexi could wait for Caleb without Ashley overanalyzing Caleb’s motivations.

As she waited, she grew uneasy about going to his house. Not that she was nervous with him, but what remnants of Corrine remained? Would there be pictures of them together, or even some of her belongings? Was he really ready or even able to move on after such a long and committed relationship? She sighed. It really didn’t matter. Jealousy wasn’t usually part of her personality.

Just shy of five o’clock, the stones of the driveway crunched under the weight of Caleb’s SUV. She waited for him on the porch, noticing that he carried a vase of flowers. The blossoms seemed to verify that this was indeed a date. Acquaintances didn’t bring flowers.

“Oh my gosh, they’re beautiful,” Lexi said as she buried her nose in the bouquet of freesias. “And they smell wonderful! Thank you.”

“Well, I hoped you would like them. If nothing else, they should match the purple in your bruised toe.”

“Very funny. I’ll have you know the bruise also has shades of green in it now.” She wiggled her injured toe. Being around him just felt so easy. Even with his failed attempts at humor, he was just so right. Caleb followed her inside of the house.

“I’ll make note of that,” he said.

Lexi sat the vase on the kitchen table and gently fanned out the many buds to show off their beauty. The kitchen would be the perfect place to display them so that Ashley could also enjoy the bouquet.

As Lexi climbed inside Caleb’s SUV, images of the previous night flashed in her mind. Had he really asked if she was a virgin, or was that a distorted drunken memory? The scent of Caleb was recognizable even from where Lexi sat. He smelled spicy with the cologne he always wore, but there was something else that was just him. She breathed in deeply and tried to memorize him.

The SUV pulled away from town and headed toward Caleb’s house.

The evening air was crisp, and the sky was already darkening. The overcast sky made it look later than it was. The ride from Lexi’s to Caleb’s house only took about seven minutes. The scenery went from small town to wilderness. The trees were much thicker, and Lexi didn’t spot any close neighbors. Caleb announced they were pulling into his driveway, and the trees loomed with their vast height, surrounding the property.

Caleb’s house sat alone in a clearing, a well-lit shingle house with a style reminiscent of another time, but nothing about the exterior showed any signs or age. It was a classic New England beauty. The porch caught her attention with its wide steps and potted plants on each side of the walkway. Red and white geraniums peeked above terra-cotta planters. The siding looked like well-preserved driftwood, with crisp white trim. The three-story house was massive and would be too vast for only one person.

Lexi followed Caleb up the steps of the porch. “So you live here? Alone?” she asked skeptically.

“Yeah, I had it renovated when I bought it nearly three years ago. It was structurally sound, but everything else was a mess,” Caleb said.

As they walked into the foyer, a large meowing cat greeted them. Lexi was startled, not expecting to be welcomed by a hairy feline. The cat was massive with his long brown fur sticking off of him, which only made him appear that much larger. The cat purred and rubbed his oversized head against Lexi’s shins in greeting.

Caleb reached down and petted the cat. “This is Benjamin. Don’t worry—he’s very friendly.”

The cat meowed, as if reinforcing his honor by exhibiting obvious friendliness. Then without any warning, he padded off toward the darkened stairs and disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared.

“He likes to sleep on my bed. That’s where he probably went.”

“I bet he does,” Lexi said as she pulled off her hooded sweatshirt. She walked over by the fireplace that was gently burning and stood in front of it. Not that it was that cold outside, but it did curb the evening’s impending chill. The fireplace was gas operated, and Caleb had flipped it on when they first arrived.

Caleb put his car keys down on the entryway table, and pulled off his light jacket, and hung it on a rack by the door. The rack held his lab coat as well as a heavier jacket. He went over to Lexi as she watched the fire, and he wrapped his arms around her. Lexi jerked her body, but he held her despite her startle.

“Do I make you nervous, Ms. Lindsay?” Humor edged his voice.

She turned toward him while still in his arms. “I guess I should be nervous with you, but I just feel safe when I’m with you.” She spoke with her head against his shoulder. She breathed him in and absorbed his embrace. This all could be a mistake, but denying her feelings was unthinkable.

He cupped her chin and lifted her head to meet his gaze. “Look me in the eyes, Lexi.”

She shifted her eyes slightly down. “It’s almost too intense. I can’t explain it,” she said timidly. She still had a hard time believing that her virginity was no longer a secret.

He shifted his head to meet her eyes. “I feel it too. There’s no denying it anymore.” Caleb lightly stroked her cheek.

She looked up at him. His brown eyes seemed to know what she felt and thought, which was strangely intimate. She trusted him, but that didn’t mean she was comfortable with letting someone in after she’d put up some many barriers to protect herself.

He broke the connection and grabbed her hand as he led her toward the kitchen. “I kept your preferences in mind. I didn’t want to offend your taste buds with questionable food your first time here,” he said as he donned hot mitts and pulled out warmed food from the oven. “Have a seat.” He pointed to the rustic kitchen table, which was already set. He put a steak on each plate and laid out the rest of the food family-style. “Will you have wine with dinner?” he asked as he took out two glasses.

“I’ll try it, but I can’t promise that I’ll like it.” Wine usually tasted like vinegar, but she’d let him push her limits with no guarantees.

He filled both stemmed glasses with a blush-colored wine. Small bubbles clung to the sides of the glasses.

She sipped cautiously and admired its light and fruity taste. For some reason there were no traces of vinegar, or any taste that was unpleasant. As Lexi ate, her stomach filled in satisfaction. After all of her food requests, it would be better if she enjoyed her meal.

“Did you save room for dessert?” Caleb asked as he moved his plate.

“Seriously? I might explode.”

“It’d be worth it—I promise. Don’t worry. We’ll share,” Caleb said as he put away the remainder of dinner. Minutes later he brought over the ice cream–topped chocolate lava cake to the table. “Mike made it. I just had to warm it up and put ice cream on top.”

“Well, it looks amazing,” Lexi said as she dug her spoon into the gooey cake. The chocolate dripped onto the table as she brought the spoon to her mouth.

“Good, right?” Caleb asked, clearly amused by her pleasure.

Lexi closed her eyes and savored each bite. They shared the cake until only crumbs were left.

“What do you dream of doing?” Caleb asked, his eyes focused on Lexi as they both sat, still dazed by overeating. He wanted to know what made her tick?

“I don’t know. What do you mean?” Lexi looked at him.

“What I mean is, what would you do if you could do anything? Without the worries of bills or what other people might think.” Caleb looked unfazed by Lexi’s apprehension to answer.

She shifted her gaze downward, embarrassed to share such a personal admission. “When I was younger, in high school, I always thought I would like to be an artist. I used to be pretty good at charcoal portraits.” Her pace quickly sped up. “It’s silly. I know. Who really can make a living doing something like that, right?” She didn’t look up at him at first, but finally lifted her chin higher.

Caleb grinned, pure satisfaction on his face. “That is an amazing dream, Lexi. Do you still draw?”