1 Night (A Time for Love Series Prequel)

Chapter 8

"Well..." I began, not sure I wanted to bare my sole to a stranger, even if we'd been through a lot together tonight.

"Look, I've had so much to drink tonight, you could tell me you murdered a man and I wouldn't remember. I'm surprised I know my own name right now; I sure as shit don't remember yours," Cal said with a dry laugh, and I knew he was probably right.

Besides, I hadn't talked about it with anyone, so maybe it would help me to get over Micah and move on in Mexico.

"Okay," I began, then got up and grabbed a small bottle of vodka out of the mini bar. I was going to need some liquid courage for this.

"Get me one?" Cal asked, and I thought about denying his request for a moment, then decided that he was an adult, and although he was wasted, he obviously wasn't poisoned or on the brink of death or anything, so I complied.

I took a swig, then focused on dipping my fry in ketchup.

"I've always been a bit of a hardass," I began, my heart pounding. I hated talking about myself. "I had a rough childhood, ran away at a young age, got to Vegas and began stripping ... yada, yada, yada."

I gave Cal a self-deprecating grin, then went back to playing with my food.

"I keep people at arm's length, it's just easier that way, and I don't mix business with pleasure. I don't have a lot of friends, and I've never had what you would call a boyfriend. I don't trust anyone enough to let them in in that way. So, anyway, Micah was different. At least, I thought he was. I guess you could say I was crushing on him, even though that seems like such a teenaged girl thing to say ... Still, he wasn't just hot, or funny, or a seemingly good guy who worked hard and never acted like an ass. He was all of those things, and I'd never met a guy like him."

I rubbed my chest as I thought of all the times we'd harmlessly flirted, or the way I'd find myself watching him when he wasn't looking.

"So, yeah, I really liked him. Despite my rules about no ties with coworkers and all that. One night I got up the courage to go for it, and I did. He was right there with me, I swear he was. We spent the entire weekend wrapped up in each other. Not leaving the hotel room. We ordered room service, took baths together, watched episodes of The Tonight Show together, and talked about what we wanted down the line."

My eyes filled as I thought about how sure I'd been. Sure that Micah was the one, that he got me and wanted the same things I did.

"I was naïve. Stupid. I moved too fast, I know I did, but I thought we were on the same page, you know?" I looked up then, catching the sympathy in Cal's gaze and hating every second of it.

"Of course, you know," I said bitterly. "Because you felt that with Shelly. The difference is, she felt it, too."

"Tell me," Cal said, his half-eaten burger forgotten, all his attention on me.

"I told him I loved him, and he laughed," I admitted, my voice breaking at the end. I dropped my head, focusing on the food in front of me, and when I continued, I hated how small my voice sounded. "I must have looked devastated, because he stopped laughing right away, said he'd thought I was joking, since I never kept any man around seriously."

Pushing away from the food, I flopped back onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm not an idiot, I know what they say about me at work. I'm untouchable, an ice princess, the supreme bitch of the club. And it's true, I've never had a serious relationship, but that doesn't mean I don't want one, or that I'm not capable of it."

"Maybe he was just taken by surprise," Cal said softly, and I rolled my eyes so far back the room went dark. Of course he'd try and take Micah's side. Dudes had to stick together, right?

"He was," I conceded, then added, "And he's tried to apologize and asked me to talk a dozen times, but I can't. I told him I was falling in love with him after the best weekend of my life, and he laughed. I can't forget the way I felt in that moment. The embarrassment. I grabbed my stuff and left, never looking back, and I've been avoiding him ever since. I should have stuck to my own rule, because having to see him at work is awful, and having to dodge him every night is getting harder."

"Why not give him a chance to apologize, an opportunity to explain," Cal suggested, and I wanted to slap him in the face. "Maybe he was surprised that someone like you, a gorgeous woman who doesn't let anyone get close, would be willing to let him in. I bet he regrets laughing, and would give anything to take it back. I know I would."

Softening toward Cal once more, I shifted my head his way and smiled.

"That's cause you're a good guy who knows what he wants and goes after it. That's who I want, and what I deserve, not someone who laughs when I put myself out there."

"You're right, you do deserve that, and I hope you find it."

"Maybe in Mexico," I said hopefully.

"What's in Mexico?"

"Vacation, relaxation, and hopefully, a little romance."

"Sounds great," Cal said as he shifted lower to lay down in the bed.

I got up and moved the tray to the table, then went back and laid down on my side.

"I'm just waiting for my friend to call me with my flight info, and for your buddies to get here and take over, then I'm outta here."

"You don't have to wait with me," Cal said sleepily. "You've already done more than any stranger should. I'll be fine. Go to Mexico and find happiness."

I didn't respond, but as I drifted in and out of sleep, I had a smile on my lips and hope in my heart.