Page 9 of Caleb's Salvation
He scowled again. “I only meant I don’t want you asking any of the men at camp for favors. I’m not saying any of them would expect anything in return, I just don’t want you planting ideas in their head. Up here things that help you survive are considered transactional items.”
I felt the rush of heat in my cheeks. Shame for him thinking what he did. Although I couldn’t say I blamed him. I had made that crack about my name being prophetic. I’d never gotten that low, probably because sex had been the last thing on my mind after having Sam. But I also knew desperate.
Once a person reaches desperate, all options are on the table.
Here, I wasn’t desperate. Not yet anyway. “I wouldn’t do that,” I said softly. “What you’re thinking. I’m not…I wouldn’t do that.”
“I didn’t mean…anything. Just said I didn’t want you asking for favors. That’s all.”
“So you’ll help me?”
“I didn’t say that either,” he grumbled. “I’ll send Eli over tomorrow.”
I smiled as sweetly as I could. It only made him scowl harder.
“Thanks Caleb. Sorry…Cal. Hey, you want to invite me inside to get a drink with you?”
It seemed to take him a second to realize what I was saying. Then he got all flustered.
“What? No! You can’t take a kid into a bar!”
I smiled, feeling like I’d pulled one over on him.
“Hmm, you might not want to mention that to Zeke and Eve. But I understand. Having Sammy around might put a damper on things. Not very romantic. Especially if he acts up. We’ll do it another night when I can get Shelby to watch him. Night, Caleb.”
I turned then, while I had the upper hand, and left him standing outside of Bud’s with his mouth open. Teasing him was just about the most fun I’d had in months. With an adult anyway. Sam was always fun.
“Aren’t you, baby?” I asked, even as I snuggled into his neck, which I knew would make him giggle. “You’re the most fun ever. After you, teasing Caleb comes second. He’s going to make sure we have all the wood we need. I just know he will. We did it again.”
* * *
Cal
I walked into Bud’s still pissed. It was like this was all a game to her. Surviving with a baby in Hope’s Point. Trying to swing an axe she could barely lift. What the hell was she thinking?
I shouldn’t have made that comment about not asking the other guys at camp for help. I wasn’t trying to insinuate she would sell her body for wood, I just didn’t want it to get in anyone’s head that Vivienne needed favors. Needed food and wood and help to survive.
Because while some of the guys might not expect sex as payment, they might think a woman who was indebted to them would be more willing to befriendly.
When Jenny had shown up in town, it hadn’t been an issue because it was evident she was totally self-sufficient and completely closed off from any type of social interaction with the men at camp. As far as I knew, Ark and Bud were the only two she talked to around here.
Vivienne wasn’t like Jenny. Vivienne screamed vulnerability and softness. She might as well haveHelp Meon her forehead andSave meon her ass.
Don’t think about her tight, little ass.
Which of course I did, which only pissed me off more. I made my way to the bar and saw Eli and Jackson there. The originator of my problem.
“Cal,” Eli greeted me.
“I’m not talking to you,” I said, reminding him he was all but dead to me. “You forget that? Bud, I need a drink!”
“Come on, Cal,” Eli insisted. “Eventually, you have to get over it.”
Get over it?Get over it? I flipped Eli the bird while Bud handed me my beer. Then I looked at Jackson who was only slightly less to blame for my predicament. He could have stopped Eli or, at the very least, could have warned me. Then I could have put a stop to it before Vivienne even got here.
Except Jackson looked like someone had stomped on his soul with some big-ass boots.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked Eli, jerking my chin in Jackson’s direction.
