Five Dates Only

by R. L. Kenderson

  I did some other work that I needed to finish that morning, including doing a walk-through for a closing I had that week, without hearing back from Caleb. I was trying not to get irritated, but I wanted to start doing a search for him. So, next, I sent a message to Melanie.

  Me: Do you know where Caleb lives?

  Melanie: Why?

  I explained how I was going to use his current address as a place to start my search.

  Melanie: Did you talk about this on Saturday when you met with him?

  I sighed. I was going to have to tell Mel about me being Caleb’s fake girlfriend. I wouldn’t tell her about the blackmail though. I would just tell her I was helping out as a friend. But I wasn’t going to tell her today.

  Me: Long story. I’ll tell you about it later.

  Melanie: Ooh. Now, I’m intrigued.

  Me: Don’t be. It’s boring. Now, do you know where he lives?

  She gave me his address, and I wrote it down in my notes I’d started for him.

  Me: Thank you.

  I looked up Caleb’s address and saw that he lived in an apartment, and I found the apartment’s website. I didn’t know if he lived in a one- or two-bedroom, but the monthly rent for both wasn’t that big of a difference.

  After doing some calculations, I figured out a reasonable price range for Caleb that I could start with until I actually spoke to him.

  My phone buzzed.

  Melanie: You’re welcome. Are you going to start showing him today?

  Me: I don’t know. He won’t respond to my texts.

  Melanie: He’s probably at work.

  Or avoiding me. I looked at the time. I had a couple of hours before I had to meet with another client. Maybe I could go to Caleb’s work and force him to set up a time to see houses.

  I smiled. He did want me to play his girlfriend. A nagging girlfriend sounded like a lot of fun.

  Me: Thanks. I’ll wait until later to talk to him then.

  Melanie: Good luck.

  I didn’t let myself leave for Caleb’s work until I found five reasonable listings. I had a feeling he was going to shoot me down, so if I could negotiate two or three out of the five, I would be happy.

  The store was easy enough to find, and the parking lot wasn’t full. For a moment, I wondered why he wanted to buy the place. However, it was the middle of the day during the week. It was probably busier on weeknights and weekends. Either way, the sparsely filled parking lot was a good sign for me. Caleb couldn’t ignore me if there weren’t any customers.

  I walked into the store and was immediately surprised at how large the space was. I had pictured it smaller in my head. I knew they sold used sports equipment, but I hadn’t realize they sold used exercise equipment, too. Treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes lined up almost one whole side of the store.

  “Can I help you?” a young lady asked as she approached me. The tag on her shirt said her name was Leah.

  “Yes. I’m looking for Caleb.” I almost asked if he was working that day, but I caught myself just in time. A girlfriend or fiancée would know when her man worked.

  Leah stood on her tiptoes and looked around. “I think he might be in the back. I’ll go get him.”

  “Thank you,” I told her.

  After Leah walked away, I glanced around the store. I was checking out an elliptical when I heard someone say my name. I turned around to see Ted.

  I smiled. “Hello.”

  “What are you doing here, young lady?”

  “I came to persuade Caleb to look at some houses with me after he gets off work today.” I leaned toward Ted and whispered, “Maybe you can help me convince him.”

  Ted laughed. “Like pulling teeth, huh?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Ugh. You wouldn’t believe it. I just don’t get it. Looking for a new house is fun.”

  “I can understand where Caleb is coming from. That’s why Mary and I have been in the same house for twenty years.”

  I laughed.

  “Sloan? What are you doing here?”

  I looked over to see Caleb’s surprised face as he approached Ted and me.

  “She wants to take you house-hunting this evening,” Ted said as Caleb reached us.

  “I tried texting you. I was beginning to think you were ignoring me.” I slid over to his side, put my arm around him, and arched up to kiss him on the mouth. It was what a normal girlfriend would do. Unfortunately, the spark I felt when our lips touched cleared all thoughts from my brain.

  Caleb tilted his head to the side with his brow raised, and I realized that he’d said something to me. I’d completely missed it.

  “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “I didn’t have my phone on me. I would never ignore my fiancée,” he said.

  Just your fake one, I thought.

  “Besides, I can’t go tonight. I already have plans with Greg. Remember?”

  Damn. I had to think quick. I should have known that he already had plans.

  I hit my head with the heel of my hand that wasn’t still around his hip. “That’s right. I’m all messed up on my days. It’s only Tuesday.”

  “You can leave early today,” Ted said. “I can cover the floor for you.”

  Caleb’s hand tightened around my waist. I had a feeling he didn’t want to go with me.

  I put my head on Caleb’s chest. Wow. He smelled good.

  “Uh, that is so sweet of you, Ted. But I’m actually working with a couple this afternoon.”

  I felt Caleb relax.

  Ha. I’m not letting you off that easy.

  I looked up at him. “What about tomorrow night?” I stuck out my lip.

  Caleb glanced at Ted and then back at me. “Okay, tomorrow night.”

  I grinned. “It’s a date.”

  Caleb smiled and waved his finger in front of my face. “Uh-uh-uh. It’s house-hunting. It is definitely not a date.”

  I had known he would probably say something like that, but I’d had to try.

  “What are you two doing this weekend?” Ted asked.

  “I’d have to look at my calendar,” I said. “Why? Did you change your mind about buying a house?” I joked.

  Ted laughed. “No. Mary and I are going to our lake cabin this weekend. You two should come up.”

  A whole weekend with Caleb? Pass.

  “Oh, I—”

  “We’d love to,” Caleb said, cutting me off. He squeezed my side again.

  “But I have plans,” I lied. Kind of. I had cleared my weekend for a couple coming from out of town, but last night, they had canceled on me. So, my new plans were to sit on my butt and watch Netflix.

  “What plans?” Caleb asked.

  “Uh … um … Melanie and I …”

  “Oh, come on, baby. It’s only summer for a little while. We should go to the lake before it gets cold. You’ll love it. It’ll be a date,” he said.

  That would be one more out of the way.

  “How far is the drive?” I asked Ted.

  “About an hour, hour and a half.”

  I looked at Caleb. “I’ll go up one day. We can drive up in the morning and drive home that night. I’ll move all my plans to the day we don’t go.”

  “Deal. What day do you want to go?”

  “Saturday work for you?” I asked him.

  Caleb looked at Ted. “We’ll be there on Saturday.”

  I extracted myself from Caleb’s embrace. I’d gotten what I wanted. House-searching plans. I didn’t even have to pull up any of the properties I’d found. And he’d gotten what he wanted. Another date. It was time for me to leave.

  “I’d better go. It was nice talking to you again, Ted. I’ll see you on Saturday.” I turned to Caleb and poked him in the chest. “And I’ll see you later. Maybe tonight?” I said for Ted’s advantage. Let him think Caleb was coming over to spend the night with me. “If not tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow after work.”

  “Yes, you will,” he said and looked like he really
meant it.

  I dropped my arm and took a step back. “Later then.” I turned.

  “Sloan?” Caleb said.

  I swung back. “Yeah?”

  “You forgot to kiss me good-bye.” He grinned.

  I rolled my eyes, so only Caleb could see and moved toward him again.

  I went in for the same kind of peck I’d given him when I first arrived, but Caleb cupped my chin between his thumb and forefinger and opened my mouth for him. His tongue slipped inside, and I moaned.

  Oh God. He’s a good kisser.

  I hadn’t been kissed like this in a long, long time.

  A throat cleared, and my senses returned swiftly. I quickly took a step back.

  “Sorry, Ted,” Caleb said. He turned his gaze to me and smiled. His look told me that he was anything but remorseful.

  I took another step back and ran into a rack of workout pants. “Sorry.” I turned and made sure I hadn’t knocked anything to the ground. “I’d better go.” I walked toward the door. “See you later,” I called over my shoulder without glancing back.

  When I got to my car, I inspected my image in my rearview mirror. I looked the same. I couldn’t let one kiss affect me.

  I pulled out my phone and brought up Caleb’s number.

  Me: No more kissing.

  Two seconds later.

  Caleb: No promises. It’s what couples do.

  So much for him not having his phone with him. He had been ignoring me.

  Me: Fine. Kissing only when others are around. But no tongue. And, next time, answer my texts, so I don’t have to show up at your work.

  Caleb: Kinky. I never took you for a voyeur, but if that’s the way you want it. Kissing only in front of others. Lots of tongue. Got it.

  Me: Quit twisting my words around.

  Caleb: I have to go back to work. Talk to you later, baby.

  I really hated it when he got the last word.

  Nine

  Caleb

  I stopped at the front door of the sixth house Sloan had brought me to when I realized she was leaning up against the side of the house, staring at her phone.

  “You’re not coming in with me?” I asked.

  “Why bother?” she said, her eyes not leaving her phone. “You haven’t liked a single one. We spend more time driving place to place than you do checking it out.”

  I shrugged. “I know what I like and don’t like. If I don’t like something, why bother sticking around?”

  She looked up at me and tilted her head. “But will you ever like something?”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  “We’ll see.” She waved her hand. “Go. Look around. Hate, so we can move on to the next place. I’m getting hungry.”

  I quickly walked through the house, like the five before, and walked out the front door.

  Sloan put her phone down and pushed away from the wall. “I didn’t want to be right, but it appears that I was.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just not me.”

  “Well, maybe, if you gave me a little more detail about what is you, then I would know what to search for.”

  I nodded my head. “Okay. Let’s go to dinner first.” I grabbed her hand and started for her car.

  She pulled her arm away. “No. No dates tonight. I can’t. I am way too tired.”

  “It’s not a date. It’s just two friends having dinner. We’ll go somewhere no one knows us. There’ll be no pretending. We’ll just relax and eat. Maybe talk about house stuff.” I shrugged. “Or maybe we won’t. It’s up to you.”

  She peered at me out of the corner of her eyes. “We’re friends now?”

  “We could be if we stopped fighting.”

  “Friends don’t blackmail friends.”

  I laughed. “That sounds like a conversation to have over food and drinks.”

  “I thought you said no more drinking?”

  “On our dates. This isn’t a date, remember?”

  She stood there, and I could practically see her making a list of pros and cons.

  “Okay. I’m starving, and I don’t want to go home and cook.”

  “Great.” I walked over to the passenger door. “Where do you want to go?”

  “What restaurant do you hate?”

  “Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s too loud.”

  Sloan grinned. “Great. Let’s go there.”

  “What if I say no?”

  She unlocked her car. “What if I told you I know it’s actually one of your favorite restaurants?” She opened her door and got behind the wheel.

  I opened my door and slid inside. “Then, I’d accuse you of stalking me, and I’d tell you where the nearest one is.”

  She turned the engine over and backed out of the driveway. She stopped and stared at me. “I already know where the nearest one is. And, if I were stalking you, you’d never even suspect,” she said in a serious tone.

  I chuckled nervously. “I know you’re joking, but you’re kind of scaring me, too.”

  She laughed, put the car in drive, and hit the gas. “Good.”

  “I think I just heard you cackle.”

  Sloan laughed again, and I grabbed on to the nearest handle.

  “Feeling better?” I asked as Sloan pushed away her almost-empty plate.

  “Yes.”

  I smiled. “I’m glad.” I pushed my own plate out of the way and rested my arms on the table. “Would you like to talk houses?”

  “Sure.” She reached over to the nearby chair where her purse sat and took out a notebook and pencil. “Let’s start with neighborhoods and prices.”

  “I noticed you tried to get close to where I live now, but I don’t need to live there. Ideally, I’d like to live as close to the store as possible.”

  Sloan looked up from her pad of paper. “Even if you don’t get to buy it?”

  I winced. “I’d hate to think that it wasn’t an option, but yes. It’s still a good job, and it pays me well.”

  “Unless the new owner fires you.”

  “Now, why’d you go and have to say something like that?”

  She shrugged. “It could happen.”

  I tilted my head. “You’re kind of a Negative Nancy.”

  Sloan frowned. “I am not.”

  “I think I’m going to start calling you Cynical Sloan.”

  “Those two words don’t start with the same letter.”

  “Who cares? It has a ring to it. Cynical Sloan. I like it.”

  “I don’t. Can we just get on with the house stuff?”

  “Right. Yes. I’d like a three-bedroom, two baths at least.”

  Sloan wrote down what I’d said and looked up again. “Can I ask why? You’re only one person.”

  “Two reasons. It’ll sell faster if it has at least three bedrooms. And it might not always be me. If I find someone and get married, we could live there for a few years before we had a bunch of kids. And I can go about fifty thousand more than the houses we looked at today.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “A bunch of kids?”

  I laughed. “Okay. I was thinking one or two.”

  “I never took you for the type of guy who wanted all that stuff.”

  I frowned. “Why not?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just surprised, I guess.”

  “Don’t you want all that stuff?”

  She shrugged again. “I don’t know. At one time, I did, but …”

  “But what?” A disturbing thought occurred to me. I leaned in closer and lowered my voice. “Did someone hurt you?”

  I could admit it; Sloan wasn’t my favorite person, but the thought of someone hurting her pissed me off.

  She sighed. “Just my bank account, my pride, and my ability to trust my taste in men.”

  “Is that why you haven’t had sex in a long time?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

  “You told me.”

  “When?” she accused.

  “The night of our first date.” />
  She sat there, and I could tell she was trying to remember everything we’d talked about. “Oh, yeah. I guess I drank more than I thought.”

  “I suppose that’s why you tried to blackmail me back. Thankfully, you were drunk enough for me to grab your phone.”

  Sloan chuckled. “Yeah, that wasn’t my finest moment.” Her smile dropped. “But I was mad at you.”

  “I was mad at you, too.”

  I could see this conversation going one of two ways. Either we started fighting again or we made a truce. And, seeing as how I’d started the whole thing, I should offer up peace.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you that night. I was panicked and worried, but it didn’t give me a right to holler at you. I know you were trying to help. You could have ratted me out instead, but you didn’t.”

  Sloan stared at me, and I had no idea what she was thinking.

  “Also, I’m sorry I blackmailed you into being my girlfriend. That was wrong of me. I know we don’t know each other that well, but I should have just asked you to help me out rather than forcing you.”

  She still didn’t speak.

  “Will you please say something?”

  “I’m just trying to see if you really mean it.”

  I sat back in my chair and rolled my eyes. “Yes, Cynical Sloan, I really mean it.”

  She bit her lip like she was trying not to smile. “Don’t call me that.”

  “If the shoe fits.”

  “I … accept your apology. I, too”—she cleared her throat—“am sorry. I didn’t mean to make the situation worse by saying we were almost engaged.”

  I nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” I leaned forward again. “Do you think that maybe we can start over? Instead of me blackmailing you, we can move forward as one friend helping another friend out?”

  Sloan took a deep breath. “I suppose we can do that.”

  I grinned. “Great.”

  Sloan looked down at her notebook again. She was trying to hide it, but I could see she was smiling, too.

  “Let’s get back to house details. And, while I have my paper out, maybe you should tell me what I’m going to need for the lake.”

  Ten