“No, actually I like it. It’s beautiful. But I miss you guys. You won’t believe what happened today.”
“Sorry hon, you’ll have to tell me another time. I’m about to head underground to catch the T. You know how the service is. Everybody is going out to this hot club. Wish you were here!”
The phone went dead. Sighing, she put hers down. No use calling anyone else. They were all heading to the same place. For a split second, she considered calling Josh. Not because she missed him or wanted him back. Caleb was painting this picture in her mind of what a man could possibly be. She needed Josh to affirm all that he hadn’t been or done.
But she wouldn’t open that door. Instead she closed her eyes and thought back to their first meeting. It had been a bar outside of Fenway Park. They had gone to a game and headed over to Jillian’s to play pool. As she had set up the second game, he had sidled up to their table. He was blond and amazingly handsome with an athletic build. “Nice rack,” he’d said giving her a double wink. Another guy couldn’t have gotten away with it but she had laughed and next thing she knew, he and his friends had joined them. Her friends were high fiving her for bringing in the hot guys.
It had been so fun, at first. They went out, they had a great time, they fell into bed tipsy. But it just never moved beyond that. They had said that it would. Talked about a future. But nothing actually happened.
When her grandmother had passed away, she had driven down to New York for the funeral but Josh said he couldn’t go. After the services, she tried to call him distraught. Six calls later, Josh finally picked up. He was drunk, the sound of the bar he was at echoing behind him. He didn’t have time to go to her grandmother’s funeral but he could still go out and get drunk with his friends? That was when she knew they didn’t have a future.
Getting up off the couch, she started getting ready for bed. What would Caleb have done if she lost a loved one? She’d only known him a day but it seemed obvious he’d take care of her.
Slipping into the covers she murmured, “Goodnight Ruff Ruff.” But it was the warm brown eyes of Caleb that danced before her.
***
Stepping into the office that morning, one of the tellers, Lisa, gave her a huge smile. “Oooohhh, I love your dress.”
She gave the other woman a grin. “Thanks, how was your weekend?”
The other woman rolled her eyes. “Mostly boring. Though I did get some good painting time in.”
“Wow, that is cool. Can I see your work?”
“Sure, I’d love that! I’m going to do more this weekend. There is a big storm moving in, it will make for some great landscapes. I take photos first and then use them to create paintings.”
“I wish I was creative like that.” Claire sighed.
“Hey, maybe you could come to the beach with me while I take some pictures.”
“I’d love that! It’s a date.” Claire beamed at her new friend.
“What about you? How was your weekend?” Lisa asked.
Claire thought about it and then decided it would be nice to share. She began telling Lisa the story of her near death experience. When she finished, Lisa’s eyes were huge.
“Caleb Jennings saved you? Seriously, how can you be so lucky?”
“You know him?”
“We both grew up here, though he’s like four years older than me. He’s gorgeous so naturally he doesn’t know I’m alive.”
Claire laughed. “Oh please, you’re completely adorable.”
Lisa laughed too and both women went back to work.
The day passed with agonizing slowness but finally Claire was standing outside his Provincetown office. Butterflies flitted around her stomach but she ignored them, smoothing down her dress and pushing open the door.
“Can I help you?” An older woman asked, sitting behind the reception desk.
“Er, I’m here to see Dr. Jennings.”
“Of course. Here is the list of doctors for you. Have a seat. He’ll be right with you.”
The sound of Caleb’s smooth, soothing voice floated towards her. A child’s tearful cry responded.
Claire bit her lip. His voice tugged at her as much as his warm glance did. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and have him whisper in her ear like that. Giving her head a shake, she tried to dismiss the thoughts as a small, sick looking boy, and his mother emerged from the exam room.
Caleb stuck his head out behind them. “Come on in,” he grinned at her.
A nurse rushed in before her and began to spray down the surfaces and change the paper on the bed.
Caleb was cleaning his stethoscope as he gave her a wink. “How are you feeling today?”
“Fit as a fiddle.” That was a dumb thing to say, she thought to herself.
He wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm, his light touch causing her heart to jump. She tried to calm her racing heart, her blood pressure was going to be ridiculously high if she didn’t.
He frowned as he took it again. “Well, the good news is, your pulse is not sluggish. But your blood pressure is a little high.”
A blush climbed up her cheeks, it wasn’t her health but his presence that was wreaking havoc on her blood pressure.
His eyes lit with understanding, and he took the blood pressure off and gently began to use the stethoscope to check her heart.
His touch feathered over her skin and she forced herself to take deep calming breaths. Then, he felt her hands, and slipping off her shoes, her feet. “No sign of any effects from the water.”
“That’s great.” She attempted to sound casual.
“If you want to go get Rufus, we can meet at my house for dinner?” he asked.
“Sure.” She nodded.
“OK, I’ll see you in a few.” And then he was gone.
She tried not to feel disappointed, after all, she was heading to his house. But he had been so brisk.
She drove back to her house and Rufus greeted her anxiously at the door. After taking him out, feeding him dinner and taking him out again, she wondered if this dinner was a good idea after all. She stood in the tiny yard watching her dog and wondering what to do. Caleb might be more like Josh than she realized, not really interested in anything serious.
“What do you think Ruff Ruff? Should we go or not?” She reached down to pet the dog but the sound of tires on the gravel of her driveway interrupted her ear scratching she was giving the dog. A car door sounded and then Rufus gave a bark, his hackles going up.
“Are you guys outside?” Caleb called from around the house.
Rufus immediately went to wagging his tail as he ran to the gate.
“Yeah, we’re back here,” she returned.
Caleb opened the gate, holding a bouquet of flowers. “I thought you might like a ride.” He grinned at her.
She bit her lip, giving him a questioning glance. “Oh sure, I didn’t know, I mean, I wasn’t sure…”
He walked over to her and collected her in his arms, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Tingling sensations shot all through her body, making her knees weak. “I spent the whole time you were in my office trying not to do that.”
“Oh,” she sighed.
“I wasn’t quite sure how to explain it to you in front of my staff so I made a quick exit. It didn’t occur to me till I was halfway home that I might have seemed rather abrupt. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t care.”
“Oh no, I have to fess up to being more sensitive than normal. I’m just trying to get over things,” she tried to explain. How had he known she would be worried?
“I understand. We can take it slow. I mean except for the part where I sweep into your yard and kiss you.” He grinned sheepishly. “Ready for dinner?”
“Mmmhmm, starving.” Warmth was spreading through her at his words and his touch.
“Do you want to eat here?”
“No, your place is much better.” Not only was it more spacious and much more updated, but it had that feeling of home.
&nbs
p; He gave her a nod. “What do you want?”
Forty five minutes later they were curled up in front of a fire, eating their pizza with a glass of wine. As they talked, Caleb occasionally brushed her hair with his lips or his fingers. It was both relaxing and exciting and she found herself hoping he would kiss her again.
But he didn’t. He did tell her about growing up in Truro. “I spent whole days just exploring the beach with my brother. It was an amazing place to grow up. But the winters can be tough. At least when you’re a teenager. It’s a small town and you know everyone and everyone knows you.”
“That sounds nice, though.”
“Not when you’re trying to date.” He made a face. “And then in the summer, there are loads of fresh faces but they are just looking for a party. A vacation fling. Which can be really fun at first until you really fall for someone.”
She sucked in her breath. No wonder he understood her insecurities after Josh. “I know what you mean.” She reached up and pressed her lips to his again.
The kiss deepened and lengthened and she found herself swept away and pressed closer. The hard planes of his body were so solid against her softer ones. She trailed her hand down his neck, feeling the skin just under the collar of his shirt.
He still held her close but he pulled his face from hers. “Yesterday, I promised you this was a friendly dinner only. Since I have completely gone back on that promise, I should really keep the other one I made where I said we would go slow.” He gave her another light kiss.
Disappointment coursed through her, and embarrassed, she started to get up. “I should go.”
He pulled her back down. “I don’t want you to leave. I just want to take this slow. I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding in my intentions. I want to get to know you and--”
She gave him another small kiss, joy bubbling through her. “Me too.”
“Hey some friends of mine are taking their trucks onto the beach at Head of the Meadow on Friday night. Do you want to try the Jeep out? We picnic, build fires, hang out. I’ll personally make sure Rufus doesn’t drown.”
“Sure, though I’ve never driven on the beach before. Anything I need to know?”
“I’ll teach you. I’ve done it loads of times.”
“What do you think Ruff Ruff? Want to drive down the beach?”
He snored loudly in response and Claire took that as a sign that he wanted to go. Caleb did too. “I’ll stop by your house and then we can take the Jeep over together. I can pack a dinner.”
“I’ll pack dinner. You’ve fed me enough. Two questions. Can I invite a friend and do you like lobster?”
“The more the merrier and I love lobster.”
He drove her home a few hours later, and she thought she might be floating on a cloud. They had talked, laughed, and had a blast just the two of them. He gave her another soft kiss at the door and when she closed the door, she leaned her head against the wood wondering when she had ever had a more romantic evening. Except for the last one, where he had saved her life and then cooked her dinner. That was kind of hard to top, but this came close.
As she lay in bed, she tried to picture Josh and found that the face she had once considered the most handsome she had ever seen had gone foggy. She could no longer remember what he looked like and, what was more, she didn’t care.
Caleb’s warm chocolate eyes danced in front of her eyes with his soft smile and the rock hard arms that had held her with such purpose and tenderness. It wasn’t a careless club embrace or drunken groping, this was romance. So much more than what she had characterized as puppy love. Slow down, she warned herself, it has only been a day.
But she had never felt like this about anyone, including Josh, and her next job was to show Caleb how much she liked him because he had been doing an amazing job of romancing her.
Tomorrow, she’d start her campaign.
With that thought, she fell asleep.
CRAZY PUPPY LOVE
CHAPTER FIVE
Lisa had agreed to come too and she had been Claire’s partner in crime. A girl didn’t send a boy flowers to his office, so what did a woman do who wanted to woo a man? Casually, she asked how many friends were coming. Then she’d stayed up late, steaming lobsters and plucking carcasses.
Lisa had ordered rolls from one of the best bakeries and Claire broke out her last twelve pack of Wachussett Ale she had bought while skiing in Maine.
The bank was packed and the day passed quickly. Everyone was getting all their errands before the big storm rolled in. Despite the hectic day, she’d convinced the president of the bank to let her out an hour early so that she could assemble the cooler. A fresh salad and a few bottles on wine rounded out the picnic.
She knew other people would bring food but she guessed a bunch of them would eat the lobster. She also knew she was swinging big. A girl who showed up to meet a guy’s friend and cooked for the whole crew was either going to look amazing or like she was trying way too hard.
She tossed on jeans and her favorite black North Face fleece, then pulled her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed Rufus’ coat in case it was super cold. Loading everything in the Jeep, she had just finished when Caleb pulled in.
He too was in jeans and a black fleece and he grinned. “Oh man, I am going to catch hell because we match.”
Her cheeks flushed. Maybe this whole thing had been too much. “I’ve got another, I can change.”
Leaning over, he brushed her cheek with his lips. “No, it’s all good. I wouldn’t want any of them to think you’re available anyway.” Looking into the back of the Jeep, his eyes grew wide. “What is all this?”
Her cheeks got redder. “I made some goodies for everyone. I hope it’s OK. You’ve done so much and I wanted you to know that…” God, she sounded like an idiot. Correction, a needy idiot.
His lips came down on hers. Her toes curled in her sneakers.
“Seriously, that is amazing. What is it? Wait, don’t tell me. I want to be surprised.”
“You got it,” she whispered, handing him the keys. A thrill ran through her as she leaned closer resting her head on his chest.
He squeezed her tighter. Claire pulled her face back, wanting to feel his lips again. This kiss would not be quick, she wanted to explore every centimeter of his lips. But suddenly, they were being pushed apart. Rufus stood between them, staring at the Jeep. He gave a woof as though to say, let’s go.
They both chuckled. “Fine, Ruff Ruff.” Caleb reached down to give the dog a pet. “We’ll go.”
“Lisa is meeting us at the beach anyway. I wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”
“Lisa?”
Yeah, Lisa Pensky. She works at the bank, grew up here.”
Caleb shook his head, “I know Lisa, a few years younger than me. My friend Steve always thought she was super cute.”
“He never asked her out?”
“She was young in high school and then he was gone. He only recently moved back.”
“Well, she is still adorable.” Claire had that feeling about the evening, like it was going to be special. Jitters of excitement raced along her skin.
It was even better than she could have imagined. Lisa had hopped into the Jeep with them and they set off down the sand in a line of four cars. No one was on the beach and they raced along, flying out to the stretches of the beach that were completely uninhabited.
When they finally stopped, people started pulling out firewood to build a beach blaze. As the fire roared, Steve, Mike and Caleb pulled out coolers.
Mike’s girlfriend Allison had also come and Claire offered her a glass of wine. “Thanks,” she chirped cheerfully. “This is way better than Mike’s beer.”
“Shit,” Steve called. “I forgot my cooler.”
Caleb looked over at her and she gave a nod, beaming. “Steve, do you like IPA? I brought some of my favorite.”
“Absolutely!” He called enthusiastically. “Who needs food anyway?”
“No worrie
s there.” She walked over to her cooler. “I brought a bunch of food too.”
“Lobster,” Allison chirped again. “Yum.”
“There’s plenty for everyone and Lisa brought the rolls.”
Caleb brushed a curl from her face. “Thanks for doing this,” his husky voice breathed in her ear.
“It was no trouble at all. Anytime.” He pulled her close and Claire held her breath, anticipating the next kiss.
“Hey you two, better get some lobster, before it’s all gone,” Steve called.
“I guess he’s right.” Caleb gave the tip of her nose a light kiss before he grabbed her hand to find his friends devouring the food she had brought.
They ate and chatted, laughing with one another. Claire liked Caleb’s friends. They had the easy grace of a longtime friendship, while making sure to include all the ladies in the conversation.
She liked Allison and Lisa too. The three of them started talking when the guys pulled out a football and started playing with Rufus.
“OK, I’ve got to just say this. Between the house and starting the new practice, I haven’t seen Caleb date in forever. How did you get him to ask you out? I mean everybody tries to date him, he just usually…” Allison let her voice trail off.
Claire grinned. “He fished me out of the water, literally. I’m like a fishing story.”
Lisa and Allison laughed. “You might be the fish, but you caught the man.” Lisa slapped her knee.
“I think that is to be determined.” Claire shrugged.
“Oh I doubt it. I can’t remember him ever bringing a girl around. Mike and I have been dating for six years and I’ve never met a girlfriend.”
“Well technically, I’m not a girlfriend either. We’re taking it slow, just friends.” Claire put her hands out in front of her.
“Oh please, I saw him kissing you. When was the last time you kissed your ‘friend’s’ nose?”
Claire’s cheeks turned pink. It seemed time to change the subject. “So what about you Allison? You and Mike have been together for six years?”
“Yep,” her voice was a whisper as she leaned in closer. “We’re getting engaged. We were ring shopping in P-town yesterday.”
Crazy Puppy Love: Chance Romance with a Canine Helper! Page 3
