Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Work is fine.” I wasn’t about to complain to Eric about that either. He didn’t need to hear about my doubts about fitting in or how weird it was to start over at forty-two. And no one wanted to hear about the weird pull Caleb seemed to have over me. It wasn’t simply his distracting scent and eyes. A purely physical reaction I could suppress, but I enjoyed being around Caleb on an unfamiliar level. In fact, thinking about seeing him again soon made my pulse speed up, and I didn’t like that one bit.
“And?” Eric continued to stare expectantly at me.
“I’m getting used to how young most of the crew is.” I kept my tone nice and bland.
“You and me both, buddy.” Eric saluted me with his coffee cup. “I’m the old man on my crew too.”
“Speaking of you old dudes who can’t keep up…” John cackled before adopting a more pleading tone. “Can one of you throw for me tonight? I need to get some reps in.”
“What does practice matter? Your team never wins.” Tone hyperlogical, Wren shook their head mournfully.
“It matters to me. There’s a scholarship out there with my name on it. I just know it.”
The memory of being sixteen and similarly convinced slammed into me with all the force of the tackle that had stolen said dreams and replaced them with reality.
“Here’s hoping.” My tone came out way too pragmatic, and John and Eric both frowned. I forced a smile and a brighter tone. “If my shoulder cooperates, I can throw for you. Hey, maybe we should call Cosmo, see if he wants some practice too?”
I’d only seen my sisters a couple of times since I’d been back, and I was still adjusting to how old the nephews were now, including one who was John’s friend.
“I forgot your sister has a kid on the team.” Laughing lightly, Eric shook his head. “How are Cathy and Angel mom-age now? I guess we all went and got old.”
“I know, right?” Catching sight of the oven clock, I swallowed the last of my coffee. “I should head out.”
“Make like a tree and leave.” Eric’s dad joke drew a chorus of groans and gave me a chance to escape to the older compact I’d bought off Angel so she could upgrade to a newer SUV for her family.
Once at the station, Mr. Disconcerting Himself, Caleb, had more training tasks for me.
“Today, we’re taking more inventory.” He led me to the shelves located off the engine bay. He lowered his voice to a sympathetic tone. “Nothing messy, so you shouldn’t need gloves, but I grabbed a pair for you in case you prefer.”
Even though Caleb was clearly trying to be considerate, I tensed and glanced around. “Mess doesn’t bother me.”
“Liar.” He rolled his eyes as he handed me a clipboard. “And it’s okay. Everyone has their hangups and dislikes.”
“Name one of yours?” As far as I’d seen, Caleb was agreeable, almost to a fault, never complaining, even when the rest of the crew gave him a hard time or left him to a dreaded chore like loading the dishwasher.
“Hmm.” Caleb pursed his lips, taking the question more seriously than I’d expected. “I don’t trust the SCBA tanks. Always check mine a dozen times, and still hate the damn things.”
There was a story there, but his cloudy eyes warned against asking. “Fair enough.”
“Let’s get to work.” Far from his usual affable self, Caleb was unusually clipped, which continued as we counted and straightened gear. I was known for being detail-oriented, but Caleb took things to an extreme, making minute adjustments to items I’d handled, placing everything at exact right angles, and muttering to himself the whole time.
Finally, I had to ask. “What’s got you in a snit?”
“Me? I’m not in a bad mood.” Caleb was an utterly terrible liar, so I gave him a pointed look.
“Yeah, you are. And I’m starting to wonder if you’ve got a problem with me.” I was nothing if not direct. “From what I’ve seen, you’re usually Mr. Cheerful Personality.”
“Yep, that’s me. The crew comedian.” His voice was flat.
“So, either it’s me you dislike, or something else is bugging you.” I wasn’t sure why I was continuing to press him. Friendly Caleb was far more dangerous than this surly and distant version, and I shouldn’t have cared so much about what was happening with him. But I did.
“It’s not you.” Caleb’s tone was just cagey enough to make me doubt that. “And it’s no big deal. Just kid crap.”
“Kid?” I tried to keep my expression neutral and not reveal my surprise. “You’re married?”
“Oh, hell no. Not that that would be bad…” Caleb’s cheeks went pink as he trailed off. “No kids of my own, but I have my teen brother staying with me for the summer and school year. And he hates me.”