Page 16 of Something Borrowed

Thank goodness Audra had gone to bed. She wouldn’t have to deal with her mother and the toilet at the same time. But what should she do? Cal flashed in her mind. Was there any chance he’d answer on a Friday night? He was probably cozied up at home watching movies with his wife and kids or something. Her brain snagged on that for a moment, imagining the big bear of a man with three dark curly-haired peas-in-a-pod children and a doting Snow White of a wife.

She wrung the towel out over the bathtub and laid it down at the base of the toilet again. She didn’t want the water to leak into the hallway and seep into one of the hand-knotted wool runners. Audra would have a fit.

That decided it. She’d call Cal. Worst-case scenario, he wouldn’t answer. At least she’d be able to truthfully tell Audra she’d tried to get someone after hours.

Turns out she was wrong. The worst-case scenario was that Cal would answer the phone sounding incredibly angry at someone named Carrie—the someone he thought was calling him. His wife, maybe?

“I’m sorry.” Vic tried not to stammer. “I didn’t know who else to call.”

There was silence from the other end of the line. Then, “Who is this?”

A better question was who did he most not want it to be? She had been calling his company a lot lately. But she couldn’t lie. That would be extra weird. And he probably had call display. Didn’t he have call display?

“It’s Vic.”

“Vic!”

She could hear but couldn’t understand the exclamation point he said behind her name. He didn’t sound angry anymore, but it’s not like he’d be pleased . . .

“I’m sorry to call so late, but my toilet’s leaking.”

“Well, that’s not good.”

“No.”

Another long silence.

“It’s Friday night.”

“Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry,” she half mumbled, half babbled, “and you probably don’t do evening calls unless it’s a big emergency, but my mother . . . if I can spare myself her knowing about this, I’ll pay you double.”

“Is she awake?”

“No, went to bed close to an hour ago.”

“Will she wake up all of a sudden?”

Vic smiled and shook her head. “Nope. She takes a sleep aid.”

“Okay, I’ll come over. Give me twenty minutes.”

“Thank you,” Vic whispered, shocked that she’d been so candid about wanting to avoid Audra’s wrath. It took her a second to realize she’d thanked dead air. Cal had already ended the call.

Chapter 11

Vic stood by the front door, porch light on, waiting. She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Cal that Audra took a sleeping aid, but she didn’t want to take any chances. When she heard his heavy tread on the stairs, she opened the door before he could knock or ring the bell.

His eyebrows rose and he stepped back as if startled by her abrupt appearance, then nodded a greeting.

“Hello,” she replied. “Thanks so much for coming out on a Friday night. I’m sorry if I pulled you away from your family, or plans, or whatever.”

Cal surprised her by chuckling. “Nothing on my end on either of those fronts, so no worries there.” He gave a wry smile, and Vic noted with chagrin that the lips curving above his beard were lovely and full.

Very kissable, Shoulder Devil observed.

Are you freaking kidding me right now? Shoulder Angel countered.

“Shall I take a look then?”