Page 32 of Miss Fortune

Silence made me uncomfortable. Which meant five minutes after hitting the road in his truck, I couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Did you grow up here in California?”

He glanced in my direction, looking as if he would’ve preferred a quiet ride. “I did.”

Nothing further. Fine, I’d carry the conversation. “I grew up in a small town in Iowa where everyone knows everyone else.”

“Sounds awful.”

“Spoken like a city person. It was quite nice growing up where I did.”

“Why did you leave?”

“First for college, then for the job at NASA in Texas.”

“After Texas you moved here?”

“Nope, I went home for a while.” To have my surgery and recover for the longest few months of my life. “Then I came out here.”

“How often do you get home?”

“I try to go twice a year.” It was bittersweet when I did. I loved home, but I hated the way my parents fussed over me and tried to convince me I was making some terrible mistake by trying a new path in life.

“Your parents ever come out here to visit?”

“No way. My move to LA didn’t make them happy at all.” In fact, they’d cut me off financially once I’d moved here in an attempt to force me to come home.

“Do you have siblings?”

“Nope. I’m an only child. You?”

“I have two younger sisters. One is a year younger, the other is thirteen years younger.”

Thanks to Doris, I knew Caleb to be thirty-five years old. “Quite the gap. Are your sisters lawyers too?”

“Lucky for them, no.”

I’d definitely hit a sore topic. Made me wonder yet again if he enjoyed being a lawyer. Judging by his high billing rate and the respect other partners seemed to have for him in the firm, it was clear he was good at his job. But was he happy? I didn’t know, and it was not something I’d bring up a second time. “What do they do?”

“The oldest is a doctor down in Laguna Beach, and the youngest is still trying to figure it out.”

I wondered if they were close at all.

He glanced over at my bandage. “How’s the cut?”

“Better. Dr. Lucas came by on Wednesday and checked it for infection, and it’s healing well.” Silence settled in again, prompting me to ask, “What do you do for fun?”

His brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

“Your hobbies outside of work. Do you have a dog?” He seemed like he could be a dog person.

“No. My hours wouldn’t be fair to a pet. I suppose you could say my hobbies include doing anything outdoors. I like to stay active.”

“I’m surprised you don’t bill hours on the weekends.”

A frown marred his gorgeous face. “I used to, but once I made partner, I made sure I took some time away from work. There are exceptions, but I try to fit all billable hours in Monday through Friday.”

Interesting. “How did you get into building houses?”