family-style. “Will you have wine with dinner?” he asked as he took out two glasses.
“I’ll try it, but I can’t promise that I’ll like it.” Wine usually tasted like vinegar, but she’d let him push her limits with no guarantees.
He filled both stemmed glasses with a blush-colored wine. Small bubbles clung to the sides of the glasses.
She sipped cautiously and admired its light and fruity taste. For some reason there were no traces of vinegar, or any taste that was unpleasant. As Lexi ate, her stomach filled in satisfaction. After all of her food requests, it would be better if she enjoyed her meal.
“Did you save room for dessert?” Caleb asked as he moved his plate.
“Seriously? I might explode.”
“It’d be worth it—I promise. Don’t worry. We’ll share,” Caleb said as he put away the remainder of dinner. Minutes later he brought over the ice cream–topped chocolate lava cake to the table. “Mike made it. I just had to warm it up and put ice cream on top.”
“Well, it looks amazing,” Lexi said as she dug her spoon into the gooey cake. The chocolate dripped onto the table as she brought the spoon to her mouth.
“Good, right?” Caleb asked, clearly amused by her pleasure.
Lexi closed her eyes and savored each bite. They shared the cake until only crumbs were left.
“What do you dream of doing?” Caleb asked, his eyes focused on Lexi as they both sat, still dazed by overeating. He wanted to know what made her tick?
“I don’t know. What do you mean?” Lexi looked at him.
“What I mean is, what would you do if you could do anything? Without the worries of bills or what other people might think.” Caleb looked unfazed by Lexi’s apprehension to answer.
She shifted her gaze downward, embarrassed to share such a personal admission. “When I was younger, in high school, I always thought I would like to be an artist. I used to be pretty good at charcoal portraits.” Her pace quickly sped up. “It’s silly. I know. Who really can make a living doing something like that, right?” She didn’t look up at him at first, but finally lifted her chin higher.
Caleb grinned, pure satisfaction on his face. “That is an amazing dream, Lexi. Do you still draw?”
“No, I haven’t in years, or at least nothing serious. I guess it was just something that disappeared once I went to college,” Lexi said in a shaking voice. Speaking openly about herself wasn’t something she did with any regularity.
Caleb seemed to sense Lexi’s anxiety. “Would you like to see the rest of the house?”
“I would love that,” Lexi said as she willed her muscles to relax.
Caleb showed Lexi the remaining downstairs rooms. The laundry room was behind the kitchen and looked like any other laundry room she’d seen. His washer and dryer were nice though. Each sat on an elevated pedestal and was a silver metallic color. There was a small office toward the back of the house that was parallel to the laundry room but was only accessible through the living room, and that also had a massive wooden desk in it, much like his desk at the clinic.
“Would you like to see the second level?” Caleb asked as he started toward the stairs.
Lexi followed him up the wide staircase. There were two guest rooms on one side that had an adjoining bathroom. The rooms were nearly identical and finely decorated. “It looks like a hotel. I mean, it’s just all so nice and put together.” The bachelors she knew wouldn’t have had such nicely furnished or clean houses.
Caleb blushed at Lexi’s odd compliment. “And this is my room.” He gestured to the French doors that were open. He turned on the bedroom light, which revealed the grand room.
The space was the size of the other two bedrooms combined. The finishes were ornate, and there was a tray ceiling centered over Caleb’s bed. The walls were painted a cool slate, while the ceiling and trim were white. The massive bed decorated in navy-blue bedding caught
“I’ll try it, but I can’t promise that I’ll like it.” Wine usually tasted like vinegar, but she’d let him push her limits with no guarantees.
He filled both stemmed glasses with a blush-colored wine. Small bubbles clung to the sides of the glasses.
She sipped cautiously and admired its light and fruity taste. For some reason there were no traces of vinegar, or any taste that was unpleasant. As Lexi ate, her stomach filled in satisfaction. After all of her food requests, it would be better if she enjoyed her meal.
“Did you save room for dessert?” Caleb asked as he moved his plate.
“Seriously? I might explode.”
“It’d be worth it—I promise. Don’t worry. We’ll share,” Caleb said as he put away the remainder of dinner. Minutes later he brought over the ice cream–topped chocolate lava cake to the table. “Mike made it. I just had to warm it up and put ice cream on top.”
“Well, it looks amazing,” Lexi said as she dug her spoon into the gooey cake. The chocolate dripped onto the table as she brought the spoon to her mouth.
“Good, right?” Caleb asked, clearly amused by her pleasure.
Lexi closed her eyes and savored each bite. They shared the cake until only crumbs were left.
“What do you dream of doing?” Caleb asked, his eyes focused on Lexi as they both sat, still dazed by overeating. He wanted to know what made her tick?
“I don’t know. What do you mean?” Lexi looked at him.
“What I mean is, what would you do if you could do anything? Without the worries of bills or what other people might think.” Caleb looked unfazed by Lexi’s apprehension to answer.
She shifted her gaze downward, embarrassed to share such a personal admission. “When I was younger, in high school, I always thought I would like to be an artist. I used to be pretty good at charcoal portraits.” Her pace quickly sped up. “It’s silly. I know. Who really can make a living doing something like that, right?” She didn’t look up at him at first, but finally lifted her chin higher.
Caleb grinned, pure satisfaction on his face. “That is an amazing dream, Lexi. Do you still draw?”
“No, I haven’t in years, or at least nothing serious. I guess it was just something that disappeared once I went to college,” Lexi said in a shaking voice. Speaking openly about herself wasn’t something she did with any regularity.
Caleb seemed to sense Lexi’s anxiety. “Would you like to see the rest of the house?”
“I would love that,” Lexi said as she willed her muscles to relax.
Caleb showed Lexi the remaining downstairs rooms. The laundry room was behind the kitchen and looked like any other laundry room she’d seen. His washer and dryer were nice though. Each sat on an elevated pedestal and was a silver metallic color. There was a small office toward the back of the house that was parallel to the laundry room but was only accessible through the living room, and that also had a massive wooden desk in it, much like his desk at the clinic.
“Would you like to see the second level?” Caleb asked as he started toward the stairs.
Lexi followed him up the wide staircase. There were two guest rooms on one side that had an adjoining bathroom. The rooms were nearly identical and finely decorated. “It looks like a hotel. I mean, it’s just all so nice and put together.” The bachelors she knew wouldn’t have had such nicely furnished or clean houses.
Caleb blushed at Lexi’s odd compliment. “And this is my room.” He gestured to the French doors that were open. He turned on the bedroom light, which revealed the grand room.
The space was the size of the other two bedrooms combined. The finishes were ornate, and there was a tray ceiling centered over Caleb’s bed. The walls were painted a cool slate, while the ceiling and trim were white. The massive bed decorated in navy-blue bedding caught
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