Page 13 of Hit the Ground
It had been twenty hours since I’d kissed Caleb Kelly, and I still couldn’t believe I’d done it. I didn’t know exactly what had come over me. It had been a strange night. The letter from Silla’s lawyer had unsettled me, then Caleb and I were close—so close, I could see the blond and red whiskers peppering his unruly beard.
I simply couldn’tnotkiss him.
That kiss…wow. It had been pulled straight from my favorite books.The reckless thrill of Romeo and Juliet’s first kiss without the shadow of tragedy, I hoped at least.It was Gatsby finally kissing Daisy again when, for one fleeting moment, everything had been golden.
Fireworks and a revelation, like Elizabeth seeing Darcy for who he truly was.
Caleb had finally seen me too.
I couldn’t say what had gotten into me. How I’d made the decision to be bold. Probably something to do with being so very close to him for the first time. And even more to do with the news about Silla. My sister, who had never let me be close to her, wouldn’t have the chance to kiss the man she liked or ask him to take her out.
Iwas still here.
Ihad taken that chance.
My toes curled inside my shoes, which were more sensible than I would have liked for the occasion, but I hadn’t had any time to go shopping, so I’d done the best with what I had.
My hair was in soft waves—which were already falling flat since it was too long and heavy for its own good—and I swiped on lip gloss I’d picked up at the five and dime. I was wearing my favorite red dress. It skimmed my curves and ended mid-calf. Nothing fancy or sexy, and it was still cold enough I had to wear a sweater over it, but I felt pretty, if understated.
I hoped Caleb liked it.
I hoped he didn’t mind if I talked about books and asked him a hundred questions about his family’s ranch.
I hoped we kissed again. At least once, but I would take as many as he wanted to give.
The rumble of his truck reached me before the headlights came around the corner. My stomach swooped. I’d seen his truck parked in front of Joy’s or along Main Street a hundred times, but it was here forme.
Pulling up to the curb, he killed the engine and stepped out. Tall and broad in a dark flannel and jeans, his hair scraped back in a messy bun, casual and unassuming, I couldn’t look away.
He walked around the front of the truck, something in his hands. Two somethings.
A small bouquet of wildflowers wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine, and a pink pastry box withSugar Rushprinted on the side.
I started to get even more excited…until I looked at his face. He didn’t have the expression of a man eager to pick up his date. His jaw was set too tight, and his eyes were on everything but me.
“Hey,” I said, moving forward, trying not to let my voice wobble. “You came.”
“Yeah.” He stopped a few feet from me. Too far. “You look really nice, Alice.”
“You do too.” And he did. I didn’t need him to make a great big effort. He always looked nice, even after a long, hard day on the ranch, and this evening was no different.
“Appreciate it.” He scuffed his boot on the walk. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
The bakery box and flowers shifted in his hands like he wasn’t sure what to do with them anymore.
I looked at them, then back at him, trying to piece together what was happening. “Is everything okay?”
He hesitated. Then nodded stiffly. “Everything’s fine.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, his discomfort like a neon sign. This wasn’t going to go the way I wanted. I braced myself, and still, when he finally spoke, I wasn’t ready.
“I’ve been thinking about the right thing to do. As much as I’d enjoy taking you to dinner, Alice, I’m not going to. It’s not right for either of us.”
This.
This, this,this.
I should have known this was coming. This was exactly why I kept to myself.This.
