Page 67 of How to Fall for the Secret Billionaire
“I’m still at the hospital. They say I’ll be discharged in the morning,” he says. “I just wanted to say Cal was a huge help today. Really went above and beyond. He stayed and kept me company for a while. I had to convince him to leave so he could rest at the inn. Please tell him thank you for me, will you?”
I freeze, my fingers tightening around the receiver.
He did it again.
Stepped in. Took over what I should’ve done. Carried the burden like it was his to carry. And he didn’t even tell me anything about it.
“Of course,” I say softly. “You just focus on resting. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“All right. Goodnight, Margot.”
“Goodnight.”
I hang up, staring at the phone for a long moment.
Cal didn’t have to do all that. He didn’t have to drive Glen, stay at the hospital, or probably sit through hours of antiseptic and fluorescent lights. But he did.
I’ve been avoiding him all day, nursing my pride and… whatever else this knot in my chest is. But now? Now I just feel small. And grateful. And unsure how to say thank you without sounding like I’m apologizing for pushing him away in the first place.
I sigh and tap my fingers against the edge of the desk, the silence of the inn pressing in around me like a soft blanket I can’t quite get comfortable in.
Then I hear it—footsteps on the stairway.
I look up, and there he is. Cal. Like the universe decided to hand him to me, gift-wrapped in casual sweatpants and a black T-shirt. He smiles when our eyes meet. “I thought I might find you here.”
I blink. “You came down looking for me?”
He nods, his steps slow, easy. “I’ve been trying to talk to you all day.”
He stops at the desk, close enough that I can smell his cologne and the faint trace of whatever soap he uses that smells like pine.
I stare at him for a moment, words sitting heavy on my tongue. Then I step out from behind the desk. “Okay,” I say quietly. “Let’s go into the kitchen.”
He nods once. No hesitation. And follows me.
Cal takes a seat at the table without hesitation. I walk to the counter and glance over my shoulder.
“Tea?”
His face lights up like I’ve just offered him gold. “Absolutely.”
I smile despite myself, turning on the kettle and pulling the tea tin from the drawer. We fall into silence, but it’s not awkward. It’s that kind of quiet that feels like a shared breath. Like we’re both just… here.
When the kettle whistles, I pour the hot water over the tea bags, the steam curling toward my face. I place the two cups on the table and finally sit across from him.
We sip for a few moments, letting the warmth work its way into our bones.
“Glen called,” I say softly, watching the way his fingers curve around the cup. “He was really grateful. Said you were helpful at the hospital. He’ll be back in the morning.”
Cal nods, brushing it off. “It’s nothing.”
I sip my tea, watching him over the rim of my cup. “Why did you take Glen to the hospital?”
Cal frowns slightly, like the question confuses him. “Why? What do you mean?”
I lower my cup and rest it on the table. “I mean… I was supposed to do that. You stepped in. Why?”
He chuckles, quiet and low, and lifts his cup again. “Nothing. I just wanted to. Maybe I needed the exercise.”
