Page 106 of Never Fall Again

“Wearegreat friends. But we’re going to be even better together.” Cal tilted his head in her direction. “Are you ... I mean, youwereon drugs at the time. Any regrets now that you’re back in the land of clear thinking?”

He was nervous too? She shouldn’t be surprised. In fact, given his history, she should have expected it. Maybe they’d both need reassurance. At least for a little while. She pulled him to a stop, rose on her tiptoes, and whispered against his lips. “My only regret is that I didn’t get strep throat a month ago.”

After that, they discussed many things.

They didn’t use words.

Twenty-Nine

On Friday morning, Landry dropped Eliza off at school for the first time that week. Cal had volunteered, again, but she needed to get back in the groove.

Eliza was back in fighting form and had been since Tuesday afternoon. The way kids bounced back was impressive.

Landry didn’t know if she would ever be back to her normal self. Her throat wasn’t sore. Her body didn’t ache. But she couldn’t seem to return to her typical energy levels.

Thanks to one of the many documentaries she’d watched this week, she now knew a lot about the world’s slowest animals. Including that sloths, while the slowest land mammals, were slightly faster than snails. This week she’d been a snail.

Today’s goal? Sloth.

Maybe by tomorrow she’d hit koala speed. Then she’d be well on her way to her normal worker-bee pace by next week.

On the one hand, the timing had been...perfect. If there ever was such a thing. Her studio remained a crime scene because they were waiting on some expert to come in to do something. They told her, but she couldn’t remember what they said. The bottom line? She couldn’t access her studio.

It hurt her heart to think of it. Pottery destroyed. Kilns ruined.

But she had work to do. She needed to order supplies, update her website, and pick up a few things from her house.

Cal had kissed her goodbye this morning and told her he would see her at work. Then he’d headed to The Haven.

She touched her fingers to her lips. Mercy. Cal kissed like it was his mission and failure wasn’t an option. Not that she was complaining. Far from it. Some kisses were sweet and tender. Some made her wonder if it was possible to melt from the heat generated by another person.

If his kisses were smoking, the look he gave her when he spotted her standing outside the fence of the construction site was scorching. She’d gone straight to the office when she arrived and taken care of the work that had to be done. She was exhausted, but there was no way she was leaving without seeing him.

They’d discussed their relationship, and while they had no plans to keep it a secret, they were trying to be discreet for Eliza’s benefit. Her world had been turned upside down enough.

But keeping it from Eliza meant avoiding any and all forms of PDA. Because while Mo, Meredith, Bronwyn, and, heaven help her, Cal’s entire immediate family were in the know, no one else knew.

As soon as they did, it would spread like wildfire, and then it was just a matter of time before someone—probably that punk kid in Eliza’s class—said something to her about it.

They planned to talk to Eliza this weekend, and then they’d go public. Although anyone who’d seen that look from Cal wouldn’t need any other proof.

Cal came out of the building and stood at the fence. “Hi.”

“You have to stop looking at me like that.”

Cal feigned innocence. “Like what, exactly?”

“You know what.” Her skin heated. That look, up close and personal, was even more potent than it had been at a distance.

“I can’t help it. I’ve missed you. It’s been”—he looked at hiswatch—“four hours since I talked to you last. I can’t touch you right now. Can’t kiss you through the fence. Can’t give you a hug. All I can do is look. It’s not my fault if my emotions and desires show.”

How could she be upset about that? She couldn’t. She wasn’t. The truth was that while it had only been a few days, she’d already come to realize that she’d never been loved the way Cal Shaw loved her. Oh, he hadn’t said the words. Neither had she. But she knew what this was, and she knew that any woman who could resist Cal’s level of devotion would have to have a heart of stone.

As much as it had hurt him, in the deepest, darkest part of Landry’s heart, she was glad Gina had been that kind of woman. Her loss was Landry’s gain.

“Can I take you to lunch?” Cal slid two fingers through the fence, low enough that it wouldn’t be visible to anyone who might be watching.

She locked two of her fingers with his. “I want to, but I don’t think I can manage it. I’m exhausted.”

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