Page 36 of Here & There

“If by bully you mean I bullied you into going to school and graduating, then yes, proud of it.”

I’m wiping tears from my eyes by the time they quit bickering.

Finally Cal rubs his stomach. “I stopped by to see if you wanted to grab some lunch, Mac, but if you’ve got other plans?—”

“Nate and I are cleaning out the spare room,” Mac says.

“Yes, that will endear your teenage son to you.”

Mac scowls and explains where I was staying and why I can’t stay there anymore.

Cal grimaces. “You’d be better off staying in this place as-is than being anywhere near those assholes,” Cal says.

“The bed’s not accessible as-is,” Mac says. “It’s full of boxes from…you know.”

He and Cal exchange a glance I don’t get. Then Cal says, “Right. Okay, let’s get to it. I accept payment in BLTs. Ooh, or maybe that soup you made the other day.”

“I can help, too,” I say. “For free.”

Cal slaps his chest like he’s been undercut.

I laugh.

But Mac shakes his head. “No.” He says it stiffly and seriously enough that I bite my tongue to keep from insisting. “We’re fine. Nate needs to learn how to deep clean, anyway. His room is a biohazard.”

“Where is the mini-Mac, anyway?” Cal asks.

“Nate!” Mac hollers. “Excuse me,” he says when he gets a muffled response.

“Hey, don’t look so guilty,” Cal says when Mac disappears into the house. “Mac’s been meaning to fix this room up for a decade. You’re doing him a favor by giving him a reason to finally do it.”

“Hasn’t he had houseguests?”

“Yeah, but they sleep in the spare room.”

It hits me that Mac offered me this separate space so that I’d feel more comfortable. I’d be touched, but then I feel even more guilty than before. “I just wish he’d let me help. I’d be more than happy to clear out the whole thing myself. I can always go shopping tomorrow.”

Cal chuckles. “You wouldn’t even be able to offer. You’ll see. The guy’s helpful to a fault. He bends over backward for this whole damn town.” He glances over to the room. “It’s the reason he never—” Cal squishes his lips sideways like he shouldn’t have started that sentence. “Are you staying?” He deflects. “For a bit?”

I’m curious, but whatever he was going to say is really none of my business. “Just until those ATV guys leave the inn.”

“Great. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other.” Cal gives me a grin that could be called panty-melting but doesn’t have an ounce of lasciviousness to it. I like this guy. There’s a kindness to him I can see under that charm. Or maybe it’s just his proximity to Mac.

We chat for a bit about my plans for the day until Mac comes back with a sullen Nate in tow. Mac scowls when he sees Cal’s easy posture against the railing next to me.

“We’re besties now,” Cal says.

Mac grumbles.

I laugh. “I’ll get out of your hair. Could you maybe point me to the best cab company to use, though?” When I was at the inn, downtown was within walking distance. But not out here, unless I want to spend an hour getting there.

“I’ll drive you wherever you need to go,” Mac says, already pulling out his keys.

“No,” I say, insistent this time as I think about what Cal told me. “Thank you, though. Besides, I need a place to sleep tonight.”

Cal frowns. “You said you were going shopping?”

“Yeah. I didn’t bring much in the way of clothes…”

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