Dirty Red

I waited for his next move. Whatever he did, he was mine anyway.

He stood up and kissed my hand. I was confused.

“Goodnight, Leah,” he said. Then to my utter astonishment, he walked away.

Confounded.

I thought we had chemistry.

I thought about him the following day as I nursed my hangover. Who was he? Why had he come? What had she done to him to make him pass me up? Me! I briefly entertained the idea that his ex was a celebrity. God knows he was good looking enough to break a celebrity’s heart. I thought about his cool nonchalance, the flutter I felt when he finally looked at me. Had I ever had to work that hard to make a man look at me? No. And when he did look, you wanted him to stop. He looked at you like he already knew you — direct, slightly bored, judgmental. He made you wonder how it would feel to be on the other side of that look, to have his eyes on you because he wanted them there.

I dug around a little bit, tried to find out who he was and where he hung out. I was a talented sleuth. My social network was broad and within two phone calls, I knew where to find Caleb Drake. Two more phone calls and I had someone setting us up on a blind date.

“Wait at least a month,” I said to my cousin. “Give him more time to lick his wounds before I save him.”

One month later, I was walking up to a sushi joint called Tatu, the heat clinging to my bare legs, my heart boom booming against my ribs.

“No way,” he said as soon as he saw me.

I feigned surprise. Dipping my head down, I asked, “Single and British, looking for a redhead?”

He laughed a stomach laugh and hugged me.

He was wearing a white button down, rolled to the elbows with khaki shorts. He was golden bronze, like he’d been tanning every day since I last saw him.

“How do you know Sarah?” He held open the door for me, and I stepped past him.

“My cousin,” I smirked. “How do you know her?”

Of course I already knew the answer. Sarah’s boyfriend and Caleb were frat brothers. The night of Katine’s party he’d tagged along with them.

I listened as he explained the connection. His accent was sexy. When we followed the host to our table, he put his hand on my lower back. It was familiar and possessive. I liked that. I wondered if he would have done that if this were our first time meeting.

“You know how Sarah lured me into this blind date?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“She told me you had good legs.”

I smiled and bit my lip. “And?” I extended them out from under the table, ankles together. My dress was dangerously short. Of course I knew he liked a good pair of legs. I’d grilled Sarah’s stupid boyfriend for an hour to find out everything I could about him.

He grinned. He looked me in the eyes when he said, “Not bad.”

I felt the tingle all the way down to my toes. That was the look I was waiting for.

The next morning I woke up in his bed. Stretching, I looked around his room. My muscles were luxuriously sore. I hadn’t been bent that many ways since I was a gymnast in high school.

I heard the shower in the adjoining bathroom, and I rolled over to see if I had a view of him through the open door. I did.

The previous night we made it through three drinks and dinner without a pause in conversation. It was like talking to someone I had known for years. I was so comfortable with him, and I presumed he was with me, because he answered any questions I had without hesitation. When we left the restaurant, there was no doubt whether or not I would go home with him. I hopped into his convertible, and we drove the short fifteen minutes to his high rise. Our trail of clothes started at the front door and ended at the foot of his bed, where we playfully tossed aside the last of what I was wearing. It would be nice to be able to blame the alcohol for my recklessness, but truth be told, we both stopped drinking before we ate. Everything that happened ... happened without the influence of liquor.

When Caleb got out of the shower, I was still leaning on my elbow. I made no pretense about watching him. He ran the towel over his hair, making it stick up. I smiled broadly and patted the bed. Dropping his towel, he climbed in next to me.

“Are you still sad?” I asked, leaning my chin on his chest.

He surrendered a half grin and tweaked my nose.

“I’m feeling a bit more cheerful.”

“Oooh — a bit more cheerful …” I mocked his accent and started to roll out of the bed. He caught me by the ankles and pulled me back.

“A lot more cheerful,” he offered.

“Wanna have one more go and then get lunch?” I asked, tracing my finger across his chest.

“Depends,” he said, grabbing my hand.

I waited for him to continue without asking the customary “on what?”

“I’m not looking for anything serious, Leah. I’m still all messed up in the head from — ”

“The last girl? “ I smirked and leaned up to kiss him. “Whatever,” I said against his mouth. “Do I look like a commitment sort of girl to you?”

“You look like trouble,” he grinned. “When I was growing up, my mother used to tell me to never trust a redhead.”

I frowned. “There are only two reasons she’d say something like that.”

Caleb raised his eyebrows. “And they are?”

“Your father either slept with one, or she is one.”

I buzzed under his crooked smile. It extended all the way to his eyes this time.

“I like you,” he said.

“That’s swell, Boy Scout. Real swell.”

Chapter Five

Present

Two days after Caleb left for his business trip, my mother packs her bags and informs me she’s leaving as well.

"You can't be serious," I say, watching as she zips up her suitcase. "You said you wanted to stay and help."

"It's too hot," she says, lightly touching her hair. "You know I hate the summers here."

"We're in air conditioning, Mother! I need your help."

"You'll be fine, Johanna."

I notice the slight tremor in her voice. She’s slipping into one of her depressions. Courtney was the one who knew how to deal with her when she got like this. I always seem to make it worst. But, Courtney isn't here; I am. Which made Mother Dearest my responsibility.

I shrugged. "Fine, let's get you to the airport. Caleb comes back at midnight, anyway."