Chapter 11

Lisa could only feel Cal. Everything else fell completely away, leaving only the roughness of his hands on her face, the warmth from his mouth against hers, the scent of his cologne. He completely overwhelmed her, and when he pulled away, Lisa knew she’d just been kissed by a real man.

Wow, she thought.

“Yeah,” Cal said. “Wow.”

So maybe she’d spoken that word out loud. Her brain wasn’t exactly operating at the moment, because he’d shorted it out with that electrifying kiss.

They breathed in and out together, the scent of leather and air freshener and his cologne filling her nose.

“Brunch tomorrow,” he said, his voice a little husky.

“Yes,” she confirmed again. She finally dared to lift her eyes to his, and in the next moment, they both laughed. The ice between them broke, and relief rushed through Lisa.

“I haven’t kissed anyone in a long time,” Cal admitted, wiping his hand down his face.

“Well, you’d never know,” Lisa said.

“Yeah?” Cal looked at her with such hope in his eyes, and all Lisa wanted to do was kiss him again. So she did, this human connection so welcome and so wonderful. He made her heartbeat do things it had never done before, and her skin cells buzzed with an energy she’d never experienced.

“I better go,” she whispered a few seconds later, and Cal settled back behind the wheel.

“Yeah, me too.” He sighed and looked out the window. “Maybe you’d like to come hang out with me and my daughter sometime.” He swung his attention back to her, and Lisa saw something there she wasn’t sure about.

“Of course I would,” she said. She knew that if she had any chance of winning Cal’s heart, she’d have to win over Sierra too. “How did she—I mean, did she say anything about me?” She’d wanted to know what his daughter thought of her, but their first meeting hadn’t lasted long. And it had been very tense.

She also didn’t want Cal to feel like he had to tell her anything his daughter shared with him. “Never mind,” she said, shaking her head. Her skin suddenly itched from being in the sand all day. “I don’t need to know.”

“Maybe next weekend,” he said. “We can all go out to Lightning Point. Or Shark’s Reef. Or something. She likes to wakeboard.”

“Next weekend…” Lisa tried to think through her calendar. She couldn’t, her lips still tingling from that kiss. “I’ll have to check my calendar and let you know. The weekend after that is the wedding.”

“Right,” he said.

“Okay, bye.” She got out of the truck then and walked up to her front door. Inside, Suzy was already barking, but Lisa took a moment to turn back and wave to Cal. He lifted his hand too, and then started backing out of her driveway.

The new floor inside was still surprising, and Lisa bent down to scratch her dog. “Well, he kissed me, Suze.” She giggled as she dropped her beach bag, made her way to the couch, and collapsed onto it with a happy sigh. “And it was amazing.”

Suzy jumped up onto the couch and curled into Lisa’s side. She absently stroked the animal as her mind wandered. Cal had not confirmed nor denied that Sierra had said anything about her.

“She probably didn’t,” Lisa said, getting up. “They probably talked about the new boyfriend and not me.” At least she hoped that was what had happened. Her nerves took on another dose of energy, but this time it all came from anxiety.

Could she really be a mother to a fourteen-year-old girl? Sierra knew and remembered her mom. She would never think of Lisa as her mother.

She pulled out her phone and ordered dinner for herself. Normally, she hated being home on weekend nights alone, but usually because that meant she didn’t have a date—again. But she’d just spent an amazing day with an amazing man, so she was fine to order her fried chicken and stay in for the evening.

As soon as her order had been confirmed, she dialed her mother.

“Sweetie,” her mom said after the phone had only rung once. “I’m showing a house right now. Call you back?”

“Okay,” Lisa said, and she’d barely gotten the second syllable out before the call ended. She sighed again, because she really needed to talk to her mother about well, being a mother.

Step one, she thought. Be available.

She couldn’t really blame her mom. When Lisa’s dad had left, her mother had to figure out how to support herself. She’d been married for almost forty years and never worked outside the home. She’d turned to real estate, and things on the island had been hopping lately.

Her food arrived the moment her mom called, and Lisa managed to take the bag of food and answer her phone in the span of a single second. “Hey, Mom,” she said.

“Honey, how are you?” Her mother had a bit of drama in her, but Lisa supposed she did too.

“Great,” she said. “Where are you showing right now?”

“There’s a great five-bedroom in the gated community just outside town,” she said, as if Lisa was in the market for a five-bedroom mansion.

“Wow,” she said. “Many people stopping by?”

“A few, yes,” she said. “At least at the end here. It was mostly neighbors in the beginning.”

“Well, they have to keep an eye on their property values,” Lisa said, putting her food on her kitchen counter. She switched her mother to speaker and started unpacking the bag. “Look, I called because…” Why had she called?

“Did you hear about Kylie?” her mother asked. “Because she was worried about how you’d take the news.”

Lisa looked up as if her younger sister would be standing there, ready to tell her “the news.”

“No,” she said. “I haven’t heard from Kylie.”

“Really?” Her mother wore her frown in her voice. “She said she’d call you.”

“When?”

“Oh, ages ago.”

“She probably forgot.” Her youngest sister thought a real career could be had on the Internet. Sure, Lisa knew there were people who made money with video channels and all of that, but her sister wasn’t one of them, despite her best efforts. She wasn’t exactly flighty, but she did move from idea to idea at the speed of sound.

“Well…she’s engaged.”

Lisa dropped the plate she’d just taken out of the cupboard. Her heart had forgotten how to beat. “Engaged?” fell from her lips once the ear-splitting sound of the plate hitting the counter had stopped.

And now her cute, perky, blonde sister was engaged before her.

“She and Kyle are thrilled, of course,” her mother said. “And we’re thrilled for them. I mean, I know you are.”

“Of course,” Lisa said, looking around the house like it was an alien planet. Her older sister had been married for a couple of years now, and Lisa really wanted to be second. She was already the second sister, and there was something so much better about second than there was last.

Last.

The only one not married.

“Vic is throwing her a bridal shower in a few weeks.”

“A few weeks?” Lisa asked. “When are they getting married?” She forgot that not everyone booked Your Tidal Forever for their nuptials, and not everyone took upwards of a year to plan the perfect wedding.

“Oh, not until September, but Vic is a little excited.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lisa said. “Me too.” Her older sister loved throwing parties, and a bridal shower? Vic would’ve been on cloud nine since the announcement. The announcement Lisa had not gotten.

Her throat pinched, and she tried to tell herself that it was okay. Her sisters didn’t deliberately leave her out. Obviously, Kylie had spoken to their mother about making sure Lisa didn’t feel bad. Excluded. Whatever.

She didn’t know how she felt. She just knew she wanted this conversation to end. She knew she wanted to eat her fried chicken and mashed potatoes. And she knew she’d need a lot of ice cream to get through the evening alone.

Her mother had started talking again, but Lisa hadn’t been listening. “Hey, Mom,” she interrupted. “I’m so sorry, but I have to jet. Call from work.”

“Oh, okay. Love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too.” Once again, Lisa’s last word fell on a dead line, as her mother had already hung up. Lisa looked at her phone and then set it down on the kitchen counter. Robotically, she scooped her food onto a plate and went into the living room, where Suzy waited obediently on the couch.

With the TV on, she ate, feeding bits of chicken to her dog. She had no idea what she was watching, only that it numbed her mind enough so she wouldn’t have to think.

***

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Lisa said the next day. She knew it was closer to eleven-thirty than the top of the hour, but her meeting with Deirdre that morning had run long. “There was so much to do at work this morning, and…” Her voice trailed off when she realized she’d left her purse in her office.

Twenty minutes across town from where she was currently turning a corner to go to Cal’s house.

“And what?” he asked.

She shook her head. She didn’t need her purse—unless she got pulled over. “And nothing. I’m two minutes away.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll get everything hot again.” He didn’t sound upset, but Lisa’s stomach clenched.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“We’re fine, Lisa,” he said. “See you in a minute.” He hung up, and Lisa put both hands on the steering wheel. This brunch felt huge to her, and she wasn’t even sure why.

She parked beside Cal in his driveway, noting how perfect his lawn looked, and how quaint and quiet the neighborhood was. The porch looked like it had been cared for by a feminine hand, and she knocked once before the front door opened.

Cal stood there wearing a pair of khaki pants and a shirt the color of watermelon skins. His dark beard was oh-so-sexy, and she remembered the scratch of it against her face. “Hey,” she said, everything tense inside her releasing.

He smiled at her, and everything seemed right in the world. “Hey. Come on in.” He stepped back, and Lisa entered to a small foyer. An office sat to her right, with a hallway in front of her.

“Kitchen’s back here,” he said, starting that way. She tried not to worry that he hadn’t kissed her or taken her hand in his. She followed him past a small bathroom and into the kitchen, dining room, and living room.

“Oh, the windows are great,” she said, basking in the tropical light that came from the back and sides of the room.

Sierra looked up from the island, where she worked with a knife.

Lisa kept her smile in place. “What are you making?” she asked.

“Just chopping some parsley,” the teen said. No smile. Barely looking at Lisa before focusing on the herbs on the cutting board.

“We have poached eggs and toast,” Cal said, opening the oven. “Sierra cut up some fruit, and we got a bunch of grapefruits from our trees and juiced them.” He put a sheet pan with food on the counter beside Sierra and turned to the fridge.

The beautiful, pink liquid shone in the glass pitcher, and Lisa smiled at it. “Wow, that’s beautiful.”

Sierra made a noise, and Lisa looked at her. She wasn’t sure if it was a scoff or a laugh or a sigh—or nothing at all. She still steadily chopped the herbs, and Lisa thought they’d be pesto before long.

“Bug,” Cal said, something cool in his voice. “I think they’re good.”

Sierra stopped chopping and looked at her father. So much was said between the two of them, just like last night. Lisa didn’t like not being included, but she was the newcomer here. She looked back and forth between them, and Cal finally said, “I think we’re ready.”

“Forks, Dad,” Sierra said, and Cal opened a drawer in front of him.

Three forks on the counter later, and he said, “Now we’re ready.” He smiled at Lisa and Sierra and reached for a plate. He handed it to Lisa, which made her feel warm and welcome, and he scooped up an open-faced egg sandwich and put it on her plate.

Sierra sprinkled a little parsley on it and added, “There’s a sort of hollandaise on the stove, if you want that.”

Lisa did want a rich sauce for her brunch, and she stepped around the counter to get it.

“Juice?” Cal asked.

“Yes, please,” she said. They danced in the kitchen, each of them getting their food before heading over to the table, which had windows on two sides of it.

Lisa sighed as she sat, and Cal asked, “Rough morning at work?”

“There’s just a lot of little pieces to work through,” she said. She cut into her poached egg, and only a little bit of yolk ran out.

“I told you they’d be overdone,” Sierra said, her own egg yolk not running at all.

“It’s fine,” Cal said, putting a bite of toast and egg in his mouth. His eyes didn’t agree with what his mouth had said though, and Lisa looked at Sierra.

“What do you like to do, Sierra?” she asked. “Are you on any teams? Clubs?”

The girl looked at her with those big hazel eyes, and she wondered what her mother had looked like. “I like to eat on time,” she said.

“Sierra,” Cal said sharply.

“What?” Sierra got up and took her plate into the kitchen. “This isn’t even good anymore. Can I make a sandwich?” She didn’t wait for Cal to give his permission before she opened the trashcan and dumped her breakfast into it.

“I’m sorry,” Lisa said to the whole house, her chest hitching. She looked at Cal helplessly.

“It’s fine,” he said, calmly cutting another bite and putting it in his mouth. Sierra indeed made a sandwich and returned to the table. Her phone chimed, and Cal glared at her. “We don’t eat with—”

“Holy cow, Dad.” She held up her phone for him to look at it. He took it from her and adjusted how close it was to his face.

“Prom?”

“Can I go?”

“Who is this boy?” He looked at Sierra. “It’s not Travis, and it’s not Justin.”

“That’s Mikel,” she said. “You know, the boy down at the end of the street? We’ve been friends forever with the Palou’s.”

“Mikel Palou,” he repeated. “He’s fourteen.”

“Yep.”

“So his parents would drive you to the prom.” Cal looked at Lisa, as if she was going to give him any advice in this situation.

“Probably.” Sierra took her phone back. “Can I go with him?”

“When is it?”

“April thirtieth.”

“He asked you over a text,” Cal said, clearly disgusted. Lisa had to agree with him on that, but she reminded herself that she and Cal were from a different generation than Sierra and Mikel.

“Yeah, and he’s cute, and we’re already friends.” Sierra looked at Cal with so much hope in her eyes. Lisa would’ve said yes in a heartbeat.

“The thirtieth is five days after my two-week grounding ends,” she said. “Please, Dad?”

Cal looked at Lisa again and back to his daughter. “All right. But I want a full itinerary. I want to know what you’re wearing and what he’s wearing and who else you’ll be with.”

Sierra squealed and jumped up from the table to hug him. “Thanks, Dad.” She started tapping on her phone a mile a minute, her bad eggs as well as the sandwich she’d made clearly forgotten.

“You’ll need a dress,” Lisa said. “Have you bought a prom dress before?”

“No,” Sierra said without looking up.

“I know the best places on the island,” Lisa said. “If you’re interested, I can give you the names of the shops.”

Sierra did look at her then. “I’m sure I can find something at the mall.”

“Oh, okay,” Lisa said, not quite sure why this girl didn’t like her. Cal had said he’d made a promise to his late wife to find someone else to grow old with. He’d said Sierra was fine with him starting to date.

But apparently, not with him dating Lisa.

She gave the teenager a tight smile and went back to her rubbery egg. It really wasn’t good, and it probably would’ve been had she been on time. She sighed and put down her fork, looked at Cal, and tried to smile.

It didn’t quite work. He reached over and covered her hand with his, a silent show that he didn’t mind that she’d been late.

But his daughter certainly did, and Sierra left the table a moment later. “I’m going to call Megan,” she said. “Maybe her mom can give us a ride to the mall today.”

“I can take you,” Cal said.

“I’ll ask her,” Sierra said, walking through the kitchen and down another hall, where the bedrooms clearly were.

“Well, that was a disaster,” Lisa said as soon as she was gone. “She doesn’t like me much, does she?”

“She’s fourteen,” Cal said. “She doesn’t know what she likes.”

Lisa might not have had a lot of experience with teens, but she knew the cold shoulder when she got it.

“I mean, this is the third boy she’ll be going out with this month,” Cal said darkly. “She goes by how she feels in the moment.”

Lisa nodded and helped him clean up the kitchen. “I really am sorry I was late.”

“I know.” He took her into his arms. “I’m glad you’re here. You want to go for a walk up to the waterfall?”

“Mm, yes,” she said, some of the pressure off her shoulders now that she was alone with him.

“Okay, but first.” Cal smiled and kissed her, and Lisa decided she could put up with surly teenagers if she got to kiss Cal Lewiston afterward.