Page 98 of Seven Year Itch
“Are you getting in, or are you planning to cut glass with those hard nips?”
And just like that, I’m thrust back to reality.
“This thing better be hot.” I tiptoe over to one end of the tub and test the water with my hand before stepping inside. I moan as I ease my body down into the heat, my back pressing against the narrow end of the metal basin. “Oh my God, this feels amazing.”
“A nice, balmy hundred and four degrees for you, boss,” Calder says as he ditches his shirt and joins me.
My eyes drink in the way his inked muscles flex and bend as he lowers himself down into the tub across from me. Our feet tangle for a moment before he grabs my legs and puts them on his lap, holding my feet in a way that feels oddly affectionate. There’s been a lot of tender moments between us in the past week since we’ve been doing this enemies-with-benefits thing officially. I guess seeing someone naked pretty regularly entitles you to a few sweet moments.
“This runs with no electricity or pump.” He smiles proudly as he looks around the space.
“Really? How?” I peer out of the tub to eye the metal tubing swirled along the ground.
“All the magic is in the stainless-steel coil. It takes the cold water from the bottom of the tub, sucks it into the coil, heats up because hot water rises, following the curve of coil, then gets pushed back out into the tub. At the top there’s negative pressure, so no moving parts.”
I stare blankly back at him. “I have no idea what you just said.”
The corner of his mouth tugs up as he rolls his eyes. “It’s fine. You don’t have to get it. This eco-friendly stuff is kind of Wyatt’s thing. I remember him and my dad arguing about it when we were installing it. My dad hated all that shit.”
I watch Calder as he glances around the space, taking it all in. He doesn’t speak about his dad much, but I am curious about that comment he just made. “Are you like your dad and not into the eco-friendly stuff too?”
“I don’t mind it, I guess.” A thoughtful look falls over his face. “I just do whatever makes my family happy.”
I watch him speculatively for a moment, so many things clicking into place at that simple comment. It’s probably why he’s never told anyone that his true passion is furniture-building, not house-building. He wants to be what everyone else wants him to be, not what he wants to be.
I open my mouth to say something but stop myself. He let me list some of his pieces on my website, and that’s probably enough meddling from me for now.
“What was your dad like?” I ask, shifting the focus back to him. “I only ever saw him in passing a few times before he passed.”
Calder smiles softly. “He was overbearing and pushy. Kind of like you.” He squeezes the arch of my foot, and I giggle, splashing some water out of the tub as I squirm. “He was also thoughtful and motivated and always pushing us to be better.”
“Better than what?”
“Better than we used to be, I guess.” Calder shrugs, wiping away some of the snow clinging to his beard. “If I had known we were going to lose him so soon, I guess I would have tried harder to impress him.”
“I’m sure he was proud of you.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Calder slides deeper into the tub, immersing his shoulders as he rests his head on the metal edge and hooks hisfeet around my hips. “I really looked up to him, and it just sucks because now he’s gone.”
“You can still look up to him.” I nudge Calder with my foot as I point to the sky.
He angles his neck up, squinting against the falling snow, and I do the same, feeling the wet flakes cling to my eyelashes. We fall into a comfortable silence as we both muse over our own thoughts. It’s humbling being out here in the middle of nature, staring up into the big open sky. Makes you grateful for what you have and less focused on what you don’t. Maybe I’m not as big a city girl as I thought.
“What’s the deal with your parents?” Calder asks, and I look down to find him gazing at me. “You guys close?”
“Ugh, my parents.” I wipe my face with my wet hands, feeling a sheen of sweat collect on my upper lip. “Divorced since I was in junior high and hated each other for years even before that. I grew up hopping between their two houses, and neither of them ever felt like a home. They both just felt like a place I stayed.”
Calder nods, his eyes laser-focused on me as he rubs my feet in the hot water.
“It’s why I was such a freak with you during my house reno. I had such big dreams for that house. I wanted it to be this perfect home where my husband carried me over the threshold, and I brought my first baby home in... a baby with two parents and a backyard... just... the dream, you know? Not split custody with alternating weekends, and parents arguing over who had to take me when the other one wanted to go have a life that wasn’t kid-friendly. I felt like a commodity and a burden all in one go. I swore I would never be like my parents because I was going to choose the right person... and just look at me now.”
“I’m looking,” Calder says pointedly, his eyes never leaving mine. “You look pretty good to me.”
I rub my lips together realizing he’s not talking about my suit. “I just wanted things to turn out different, you know?”
He takes a deep breath and tilts his head at me. “Do you think that deep down you knew Randal wasn’t the one, and that’s why you never wanted kids with him?”
My brows raise at that keen observation. “Probably,” I reply with a shrug. “I didn’t want to put a child through the same shit I went through.”
