Page 58 of Just Add Friendship

Steph updated her parents, then texted Lori it was okay for her to go home. They stayed in the hospital room with Pops for the next hour, which was interrupted by blood pressure checks. Even Aunt Rachel stopped in after Cal texted her. She was on duty anyway, and she was able to answer some questions for Steph since the doctor wouldn’t be back in again until the morning.

“We don’t think he had a stroke because he seems to move and speak fine—at least for his age,” Rachel told the both of them after Pops finally fell asleep. “We need to figure out if the dizziness was medicine related or something else. Because of his age, we’re keeping him overnight.”

“That makes sense,” Steph said. “Can I stay the night in his room? I know there’s only a chair, but I worry that he’ll wake up in a panic.”

Rachel put a hand on her arm. “He’ll be in good hands. We’ll be checking on him regularly, and if there’s an emergency, the hospital will call you.”

Steph released a slow breath. “Okay.” She glanced over at Pops, who was sleeping soundly. “I’ll come over first thing in the morning.”

Rachel squeezed her shoulder. “That sounds fine. Now, you get some sleep. We’ll take care of him on our end.”

Steph finally relented and left the room with Cal.

He slipped his arm about her shoulders as they walked through the empty hospital lobby. “I think the news is the best it can be,” he said.

Steph nodded, but didn’t say anything, only leaned into him.

When they reached her car, she paused. “Thanks for everything you’re doing, Cal. Driving me. Having Rachel come talk to us—” Her voice broke.

“Hey, come here.” He pulled her close, and she let him hug her.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“No apologies allowed. You’re tired and wrung out. Let’s go to your place and follow my sister’s orders. Get some sleep.”

She lifted her head.

“I’ll take the couch.”

Her brows arched, and he smoothed back some stray hair from her face. “Come on, you need sleep.”

The streets of Everly Falls were completely silent as they drove to Steph’s place.

Cal straightened up a few things in the house while she got ready for bed. Soon, she brought him a blanket and pillow.

“You can use Pops’s bed if you want.”

“It’s fine,” Cal said. “Too close to you—and tempting.”

She gave him a small smile. “Do I need to lock my door?”

He wanted to pull her close, kiss her, and tell her he was already tired of the friend zone. “No. I’ll pretend the floor is hot lava.”

She laughed. “Whatever helps you out. See you in the morning.”

Cal didn’t sleep for a long time after he heard her bedroom door shut. He worried about Pops, sure, but he was worried about Steph, too. She was juggling a lot on her own, and even though his aunt Rachel had been a fierce woman living on her own, too, she wasn’t taking care of an elderly person on top of that. Not that Cal the teenager had been easy at all …

It felt like he’d just fallen asleep when he heard an alarm go off. The sound was faint, but it was definitely an alarm. Steph must have set it. He moved to a sitting position and parted the drapes on the other side of the couch. Barely dawn.

Stifling a yawn, he rose and folded the blanket, then went to find the bathroom that Steph said he could use.

After a quick shower, he came out into the hallway to find her waiting for him. Showered and dressed and folding her arms.

“Am I late?”

“I didn’t think you’d take such a long shower.”

In Cal’s estimation, he’d been in the bathroom for twenty minutes—but that was because he’d shaved.

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