“No kidding,” he said.
When Caleb sat up, the sheet covering his chest fell to his waist. It took Leah a moment to remember exactly what they were talking about.
Oh, yeah. Her family.
“My mother was a hairdresser,” she continued. “She started out doing hair in the kitchen because she couldn’t afford to rent space. She eventually grew the business into a legitimate beauty salon, which eventually became a chain of beauty salons throughout South Jersey.”
“That’s pretty awesome.”
“It is,” Leah said, feeling a burst of pride. “She put my dad through dental school. He now has a practice with several locations and over fifty dentists.”
“Whoa. So you come from some serious new money,” Caleb said.
“I won’t deny that my family is well-off, but my parents worked hard for it. You’ll never catch me complaining about my upbringing. I was given every opportunity to become a success. But, there’s a downside.” She grimaced. “I feel horrible even saying that.”
“What do you see as the downside?” His voice had dropped a shade, as if he sensed that this wasn’t easy and was afraid speaking too loudly would hurt her in some way. Leah was struck by his thoughtfulness.
“Downside is probably not the right word,” she said. “It’s just that there is a certain standard I’m expected to uphold. The thought of disappointing my parents in anyway is one of my biggest fears, which is why I haven’t really embraced my more adventurous side.”
“What does zip-lining have to do with disappointing your parents?”
“It’s not just the zip-lining. It’s everything,” she said. “It’s important that I behave a certain way, attain a certain level of success, marry the right man.”
“And Derrick is the right man?
“Was,” she said. “To people like my parents, Derrick was perfect. That’s why I was willing to marry him, even though I wasn’t head over heels in love with him.” Even though she used to suffer panic attacks just thinking about marrying him. “Derrick was good enough. It didn’t seem like a big sacrifice to make.”
“Not a big sacrifice? You were planning to spend the rest of your life with him,” Caleb said. “You deserve more than just good enough, Leah.”
She swallowed past the lump that had suddenly wedged itself in her throat.
“You want to know something else?” Caleb asked. “I think it’s bullshit that you feel that you can’t live your life the way you want to. It’s your life. Forget about what other people think and do whatever you need to do to make you happy. If that’s zip-lining, then go zip-lining.”
If only it were that easy.
She’d always felt pressure to adhere to a certain set of rules. Because her mother hadn’t been born into wealth—but had instead scraped her way into it—she was even more adamant that Leah maintain an air of decorum.
She could remember her mother scolding her for coming home with a tear in the knee of her stockings and her Sunday dress all muddied up from playing on the jungle gym in the park, instead of sitting prim and proper on the swings. Prim and proper had never come naturally to her. Leah now recognized that she’d allowed Derrick to place those same constraints on her.
Never again. Never.
“You’re right,” Leah said. “I’ve been putting on this act for so long, I’m unsure who the real Leah is. Maybe it’s time I start doing some of those crazy, adventurous things I’ve always wanted to do.”
“There’s no ‘maybe’ about it,” Caleb replied. “Use this weekend to reconnect with the real Leah. If it’s adventure you’re looking for, go out there and find it. And if you need someone to show you the way, I’m right here.”
His words brought a level of comfort and excitement to Leah that she hadn’t felt in so long, she’d forgotten that she could feel this way. Had Derrick ever offered to just be there for her? In anything?
“I appreciate the offer,” Leah said, a grin drifting across her lips. “I just may take you up on it.”
The warmth radiating from his sincere smile heated her from the inside out. Leah still wasn’t sure what to make of the feelings that had begun to stir within her. This connection was different from anything she’d ever experienced with Derrick. There was an honesty to it. Not only could she be herself around Caleb, but she could tell that’s what he wanted. She didn’t have to pretend to be anyone else. She didn’t have to fit a mold.
Could this be real? Or was her bruised heart reading too much into it?
She needed to be careful. One false step and she could be in for a world of hurt.
Chapter Five
“No! No, not this one.”
Leah snatched the puzzle piece from Caleb’s fingers and glided her thumb around the edges. “See, it curves right here,” she said. “It would never fit where you were trying to put it.”
She and Caleb had been working on this morning’s opening activity for the past ten minutes. When they arrived at Pinecone Lodge for a workshop that was billed as “the best determiner of how in-tune couples were to each other,” Leah was surprised to find tables with puzzles scattered on top of them, the kind with huge pieces intended for toddlers. She was even more surprised when Katherine announced that to complete this morning’s activity, couples simply had to put together this very simple puzzle.
And then the blindfolds came out.
Leah had since learned that a simple puzzle could turn into one of the most complicated things ever when you couldn’t see what you were doing.
She’d also learned that she and Caleb worked surprisingly well together. And that her neighbor was one of the most competitive people she’d ever met. Once Caleb discovered that points would be awarded—even though Geoff explained that the points really didn’t mean anything—his entire demeanor changed. He was all about winning.
It had been ages since she’d had this much fun.
It had also been a long time since she’d found herself this aroused in public. Despite the dozen or so people in the room, whenever Caleb bumped into her, Leah’s entire body would light up like firecrackers.
“What about this piece?” Caleb asked. He took her hand, and together their fingers traced the puzzle’s rounded cardboard edge.
A charge shot across Leah’s skin. There was something enticingly erotic about the delicate glide of Caleb’s calloused fingers brushing against hers. The blindfolds only added to the intimacy.
They managed to get the next puzzle piece in place.
“I think there’s only one left,” she said. Leah patted around the table, searching for the final piece.
“Got it,” Caleb called, and together they placed the last piece onto the puzzle. Still holding Leah’s hand, he lifted his and called out, “We’re done.”
Moments later, Katherine announced that they did indeed have a winner and that all couples could remove their blindfolds. When Leah took off her blindfold, Caleb’s beaming smile nearly blinded her.
“Good work, honey,” he said, that teasing smile growing wider.
He’d started with the endearments first thing this morning, claiming that if they were going to convince anyone they were engaged, then they would have to play the parts. Leah had become more comfortable with the idea with every second that passed.
“Not bad yourself, darling,” she returned with a cheeky grin.
The amusement sparkling in Caleb’s brown eyes set off a tingling in the pit of her stomach. It was maddening. She wasn’t some teenager with a schoolgirl crush, but that’s how she’d felt most of the morning. The funny, flirty banter they’d engaged in seemed foreign to her. She’d forgotten that this was how people in relationships were supposed to act.
Leah wasn’t naive enough to think that this was all an act. She knew it was more than that. There was a serious dose of mutual lust going on here. It was only natural that two people who were physically attracted to each other would find themselves at this point.
As long as she kept reminding
herself that it should not—would not—move past this point. She’d allowed the emotional part of her brain to rule in the past, but that was not going to happen this time. History had shown her that she could no longer trust her own instincts, and that what she was feeling in the moment didn’t necessarily lead her down the right path. She had to be smart about what she allowed her heart to feel.
But a little flirting with Caleb? Yeah, she could handle that.
“Do you all understand the meaning behind the activity we just completed?” Katherine asked. “Do you see how adding the blindfold forced you both to rely on one another in order to successfully complete the tasks?”
The psychologist walked back and forth between the tables. “I observed you all as you worked together, and could see which couples did well, and which struggled. I can also see why the couples who struggled did so. At the end of today’s session, I would like to speak to any couple who felt that they did not work as effectively together as they thought they would. Let’s talk about why that was the case.” She turn directly to Leah and Caleb. “For those of you who did work well together, kudos! Keep up the good work.”
Leah leaned over and whispered in Caleb’s ear. “Of all the people here, who would have thought we would be the couple who worked well together, huh?”
“I did.”
Leah was taken aback by the genuine sincerity in his voice.
“You did?” she asked. “Based on what?”
“Didn’t you notice? Everyone else talked over each other. We were the only two who actually listened to each other.” His eyes gleamed with mischief as he whispered, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we discovered that there were a lot of things we did well together.”
Desire shot through her.
Leah opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Geoff called for everyone to gather in a circle.
“This next activity happens to be one of my favorites,” he said. “Thankfully, it tends to be a huge hit with participants, as well. We call it ‘Two Truths and a Lie.’ The object of the game is to see how well you really know your significant other.”
“This will be harder for some of our long-timers, but that’s what makes it so much fun,” Katherine injected. “No matter how long you’ve been together, there is always something new to learn about the person you’re with.”
“That’s right,” Geoff said. “For instance, after thirty years of marriage, I just discovered that Katherine doesn’t like my snoring. Who knew?”
His line was delivered which such corny precision that Leah knew it was one he’d used a thousand times, but she still laughed. She couldn’t help it. Despite their schmaltzy jokes, she found the Mumfords endearing.
“That has never been a secret,” Katherine said of Geoff’s snoring comment. Then she clapped her hands together as if she were rounding up a classroom of preschoolers.
“I want each couple to find a quiet spot and start sharing. Remember, there is no winner with this activity, and there aren’t any right or wrong answers, either. This is a way for you two to gain even further insight into each other. Oh, and for added fun, make sure your lie isn’t too obvious. Make it really hard for your partner to figure it out.”
“I don’t know about this one,” Leah said as she followed Caleb to the right side of the large conference room Katherine and Geoff had commandeered for this morning’s activity. Leah took a seat in one of the stick back chairs that had been brought in from the main hall. Instead of joining her, Caleb folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall.
“Let me have it,” he said. “Two truths and a lie.”
“You really want to play along?”
He shrugged. “Why not? We had fun putting together the puzzle, didn’t we?”
Leah cocked one brow with deliberate skepticism, but acquiesced, shrugging her shoulders.
“Okay.” She tapped her bottom lip with her thumb. “Let’s see. Two truths and a lie.” She tipped her head to the side, then pointed at him. “I was on the varsity volleyball team in college. I once stole ten dollars from the collection plate at church. I have a tattoo somewhere on my person.”
“Hmm, interesting.” Caleb massaged his chin, then posed as if recreating Rodin’s The Thinker. “Well, I know the volleyball thing must be true.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“You like to workout. I figure that athleticism didn’t just pop up out of nowhere.”
She shrugged again. “Okay, I can see how you would come to that conclusion. So, which one is the lie? The tattoo or stealing from the collection plate?”
“I really want you to have a tattoo, so I’ll go with stealing the ten bucks,” he said.
Leah couldn’t help her smile. “Wrong,” she said.
Caleb’s mouth dropped opened. “You stole while in church? While actually in the building?”
She nodded.
“So the tattoo is a lie?” The disappointment in his voice made her laugh harder.
“Actually, being on the volleyball team is a lie. I played in high school, but I’d given up the sport by the time I entered college.”
“So the one statement that I just knew to be true turns out to be the lie.” Caleb shook his head. But then he stopped short and stared at her, his eyes narrowing. “That means you really do have a tattoo?”
“Yes, I do.”
He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as his gaze drifted down her body. “I’m having a really good time guessing where it is.”
“Get you’re mind out of the gutter.” Leah laughed. “It’s on my shoulder blade. I got it in honor of my grandmother, Margaret. Orchids were her favorite.”
“That’s sweet, but it totally messes up my fantasy.”
Leah listened to the little devil tapping her on the shoulder. With a decidedly sexy grin, she said, “I never said it was my only tattoo.”
She heard the sharp breath Caleb inhaled. He dropped his hands to his sides and rubbed them against this pants. “Don’t put these kinds of thoughts in my head, Leah. At least not when we’re in public. Unless you want me to embarrass the both of us.”
“How so?”
He glanced briefly at his lap. “Mention a tattoo in unmentionable places again, and you’ll see.”
Leah felt herself blushing. The satisfaction she experienced just by seeing how strongly he was affected gave her ego a boost it very much needed right now. Sometimes a girl just needed to see that a man desired her. And there was no doubt in her mind that Caleb desired her.
“Maybe we should change the subject,” she said.
“Yeah, that might be good.” His eyes narrowed. “Tell me about this life of crime you started back in church?”
Leah’s burst of laughter was so loud it drew stares from the other couples.
“It is the one and only time I’ve ever stolen money,” she said. “I was eight and I wanted the newest Barbie Doll. She came with rollerblades and was the absolute coolest doll in the world.”
“Why didn’t you just ask your parents for it?”
“Because my mom had already said no. I was on punishment for getting in a fight with a boy at school the week before.”
Caleb’s eyes bulged. “A fight? Now that’s one you should have included in your two truths and a lie. I can’t picture you fighting in school. And fighting a boy?”
“He used to call me Leah Lizard Face. One day I decided I’d had enough, and I punched him in the mouth.”
“Serves that little bastard right,” Caleb said. “Where does he live now? Let me kick his ass for you.”
Her heart warmed at how he charmingly came to her defense.
“Thank you, but it’s no longer necessary, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor. Rickey apologized. In fact, he’s married to one of my closest college friends. I’m the one who introduced them to each other.”
“I still want to beat him up,” he said.
Leah chuckled. “It’s your turn,” she said. “Two truths and a lie.”
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Caleb let out a deep, cleansing breath, linked his fingers together and stretched his arms out in front of him.
“This isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.” He looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “Here goes. I know how to curse in four different languages. If I hadn’t gone into law enforcement I would have become a professional poker player. There is video of me out there somewhere singing Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” at a karaoke bar.”
“Oh, God, how I hope that karaoke video exists,” Leah said. “But that has to be the lie.”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “I have no doubt you can curse in four languages with your military history.”
“Smart woman.”
“And between playing poker or singing karaoke, I just think the poker seems more like you.”
He grinned. “I haven’t played a game of poker a day in my life.”
Leah clapped her hands together and brought them to her chest. “That means the video does exists? Oh, my God, I have to see it. Pretty please.”
“Never.”
“Please,” she said. “I’ll do anything.”
His brows spiked and his voice lowered. “Anything?”
A rush of heat instantly engulfed her as the implication of her plea registered. “Anything within reason,” Leah clarified.
“‘Within reason’ is subjective. My definition of what’s reasonable is probably a lot different from yours.” His eyes trained on her lips. “Or, maybe it isn’t.”
Goodness, but it’s getting hot in here.
“I…ah…I think we should get back to the game,” Leah said.
Caleb’s searing gaze remained on her, causing a flood of warmth to invade her bloodstream. Several long, weighty moments drifted by before he finally released her from his sensual stare.
“Let’s see, two truths and a lie.” He tapped his fingers against his lips. “I hate ice cream. I coach youth basketball at the YMCA.” He paused. His eyes honed in on hers again, suffocating in their intensity. “I’ve had a thing for my neighbor since the very first time I met her.”
Mr. Right Next Door (Camp Firefly Falls Book 6) Page 7
