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Caleb was slightly winded when he rushed into Nothin’ But Knit. Jade was finishing up with a customer, and she held up one finger to let him know she’d be with him in a second. He paced back and forth in front of the pegboard displaying various sizes of knitting needles.
Jade was glad he’d stopped by to see her, but seeing his agitated state concerned her. She went over to him as soon as her customer left. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Millie. Have you spoken with her within the past half hour or so?”
“No. Why?”
“Does she have a habit of not answering her phone?”
“No.” Jade’s heart rate was ramping up. “I’ve got to get to her apartment.”
“That might not be necessary.” Caleb looked down at the floor. “I believe she’s upset with me, and that’s why she’s not answering my calls. So, call first, and if she answers, we’ll know she’s okay.”
“Why would she be upset with you?”
“We’ll talk about it after we’re sure she’s all right. Please.”
Jade took out her phone and called Millie. Her grandmother answered on the first ring. “Grandma, is anything wrong?”
“No,” said Millie. “Why would you think that?”
“Caleb said he’s been trying to call you but that you haven’t picked up.”
“I’m fine, just busy. I’ll talk with Caleb—and you—later. Both of you need to get back to work.”
Jade ended the call and turned to see that Caleb had discovered Mocha and was sitting on the bench by the window cradling the cat.
She sat with them. “That’s weird. Mocha typically doesn’t warm up to strangers so quickly.”
“Mocha is an excellent judge of character.” Caleb smiled at Jade.
“What did you do to upset Grandma?”
He looked around the shop.
“Don’t worry,” Jade said. “Terri is in the knitting room with a couple of our regulars. Now, what did you do to Grandma?”
“She came into Hightail It! and saw me hugging my ex-girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Jade lifted Mocha off Caleb’s lap and placed him on her own.
“No, not ‘oh.’ It’s nothing like that. Adalyn’s family lives in Greenville, South Carolina, and she found out this morning that her uncle died. She needed a shoulder to cry on—that’s it.”
“I’m sorry about her uncle. Will you be driving her to South Carolina then?”
“Of course not. I agree she shouldn’t be driving as upset as she is, but her dad is on his way to get her.” He stood. “I need to get back. I just wanted to make sure Millie was all right.”
“Thanks.”
He left, but Jade remained on the bench holding Mocha. As she stroked the cat’s soft fur, she examined everything Caleb had said. He was hugging his ex because she was distraught over the death of a family member. That was reasonable. It certainly didn’t mean either of them wanted to get back together.
On the other hand, Caleb hadn’t taken the opportunity to mention that he’d enjoyed their date. Nor had he asked her out again. Was he waiting on some cue from her? After all, she’d acted as if she hadn’t been interested in him at all prior to their date. Or was he simply not interested?
* * *
After he got off work, Caleb returned the picnic basket. Millie opened the door, took the basket, and said, “Come on in. Did you go see Jade to do damage control?”
“Not at all. When you didn’t answer my call, I was concerned about you.” He nodded toward the basket. “Thanks again for letting me borrow that. I think the picnic was a success.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. At least, that’s the impression I got.”
They were standing in the living room, and Millie invited Caleb to sit down. He took a seat on the armchair, and after placing the picnic basket on the kitchen table, she sank onto the sofa.
“It’s apparent you’re upset with me,” Caleb said.
“I’m not upset with you. I think you’re a wonderful young man. But I don’t want my granddaughter getting hurt.”
“I don’t want that either.”
Their eyes locked as if they were trying to read each other’s minds.
Caleb broke their gaze. “What did you need to see me about earlier?”
Millie explained that she was helping Greta by taking a list of proposed vendors around to Community Center retailers for their approval or disapproval. She got the list and handed it to Caleb.
He read over it and then initialed the form. “I think having these other vendors come in will only enhance the celebration and bring more attention to all of us. Don’t you?”
“I do. I believe the celebration will be a lot of fun and that we should go all out so that the Community Center can benefit from some great publicity.”
“Me too.” He grinned. “Will you quit being mad at me?”
“I was never mad at you.” She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. “I’d never been so impressed with a young man that I’d tried to fix him up with Jade. Until I met you.”
“You didn’t fix us up though. We met because of you…and Perry, but you didn’t arrange a blind date or anything. I asked Jade out, and she accepted.”
“Are you glad about that?”
“I am.”
Millie sat back in her chair. “What about the girl in the storeroom who was holding on to you for dear life?”
“Adalyn had a death in the family. She came to me because she needed someone to lean on.”
She smiled. “You’re smart enough to realize that some women will use any excuse they can find to get into a man’s arms.”
“She might want that, but I don’t. Whether things work out with Jade or not, Adalyn is out of my life.”
* * *
Before going home for the day, Jade went up to check on Millie. True, she’d spoken with her grandma earlier, but angry or not, it wasn’t like Millie to ignore a phone call. Even though she had a key to Millie’s apartment, she’d only use it in an emergency. She knocked and was relieved when Millie promptly answered the door.
“Grandma, hi. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.” Millie moved back, allowing Jade to come inside and put Mocha and his cat carrier on the floor. “I’m sorry if I worried you.”
“It’s just that, even if you were ticked at Caleb, I can’t imagine you not answering his calls.”
“I must’ve dozed off. I didn’t even realize he’d been trying to reach me until you called.” Millie walked over to the kitchen, and Jade followed her. “You’re probably hungry. Would you like me to make us something?”
“No. I appreciate the offer, but I need to get Mocha home and get him fed.”
Upon hearing his name, Mocha let out a plaintive meow.
“I might have some tuna,” Millie said.
“We’re fine, Grandma, really. I only came to make sure you’re feeling all right.”
“I’m fit as a fiddle.” She nodded at the picnic basket sitting on the table. “Caleb brought that back. In fact, he hadn’t been gone ten minutes when you got here.”
“Did he say anything about…you know…about the picnic?”
“He seemed to feel that it went well. What do you think?”
“I believe it did.” And Jade did believe that. Up until the part where he hadn’t kissed her. “He explained what you saw in the storeroom, by the way. That girl—Adalyn—had learned about the death of her uncle and needed a shoulder to cry on.”
Millie opened the refrigerator and took out a pitcher of tea. “Yeah, he told me. And I told him that some women will use any excuse to get close to a man.” She got a tumbler from the cabinet. “Want some tea?”
“No. I really do need to be getting home, Grandma.” She kissed Millie’s cheek. “Get some rest this evening.”
“Okay, sweetie, I will. And, Jade?”
Jade stopped halfway to the door and looked back at her grandmother. “Yeah?”
“If you want that man, you’d better let him know it. Because if you don’t want him, someone else does.”
* * *
By the time Greta came over to get Millie’s half of the retail shop approvals, Millie had already taken her bath and slipped into her favorite pajamas. They were mint green with tiny white polka dots.
“Mercy sakes, Millie, are you sick?”
“No, I’m not sick. Unless you count my being sick of everybody asking me if I’m all right today. I wanted to get comfy, that’s all.”
“Who else is asking after your health?” Greta asked.
“Caleb and Jade. He’s the one who started it. He apparently called, and I’d dozed off or something and missed it. So, he went and told Jade and got her all worried.”
“Well, it’s not like you to take naps.” Greta slipped her shoes off and put her feet up on the ottoman in front of the armchair. “How’d their date go?”
“Neither one of them was eager to discuss it with me, but I think it must’ve gone fairly well,” Millie said. “Do you happen to know a YP named Adalyn?”
Greta shook her head. “Name doesn’t ring a bell. Why?”
“I believe she’s the girl Caleb used to date. Today she found out that a relative died and needed to find comfort in Caleb’s arms in the Hightail It! storeroom.” Millie pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows.
“No easier way into a man’s arms than to shed a few tears.”
“That’s what I said.”
“I’ll nose around and see what I can find out about this girl,” Greta said. “You say her name is Adalyn?”
“That’s her—pretty little blonde.”
“I’d bet Kelsey knows her. Kelsey makes it her business to know everything, everybody, and everything about everybody.”
* * *
Driving home, Jade’s conversation with Millie kept going through her head. Maybe her grandma was right about Adalyn using her grief as a way to get back into Caleb’s life. Jade had never been one to employ any sort of calculated tactics to get a man. But one thing Millie had said resonated with Jade more than anything else.
If you want that man, you’d better let him know it.
Jade’s phone was connected to the Bluetooth in her car, and she and Caleb had exchanged numbers last night. Before she could chicken out, she called him.
“Hello.”
At the sound of his deep, sexy voice, she nearly ended the call. But she didn’t. For one thing, he’d know it was her and that she was a pitiful coward. Besides, one way or the other, she needed to know if Caleb was interested in her.
“Would you let me make you dinner tomorrow night?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’d love that.”
“Good. You can, um…follow me home from the Community Center. If that’s all right.”
“If I follow you home, will you keep me?”
She knew he was making a joke, but his words conjured up all sorts of images and feelings.
“Jade?”
“Yes. I mean…I might.”
He chuckled. “I’ll look forward to it.”