Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay #7)(12)
Caleb knew that Spence was referring to the troubles he’d had before he’d met Colbie. Women had come after him for either his connections or money. Caleb too had some of that in his past, but he had a secret weapon called The Coven—aka, his sisters. Ever since a woman had stalked him years ago after a blind date, they’d taken to vetting anyone new in his life to within an inch of theirs. They’d become professional stalkers, weeding out the bad seeds with an eager ruthlessness that would’ve scared Caleb if they hadn’t been on his side.
“But it’s no reason to just give up on any kind of a real relationship,” Spence said.
“Marriage isn’t for all of us.”
“I get it,” Spence said. “You’re opposed to daily sex and someone fawning over you day and night.”
Caleb gave him a get real look. “Colbie ‘fawns’ over you day and night, huh?” He pulled out his phone. “Let’s just ask her . . .”
Spence winced and pushed Caleb’s phone down. “Christ, don’t call her. Okay, so maybe she doesn’t fawn. Maybe sometimes she wants to kill me. Whatever. It’s still a lot of sex, man.”
And sex was good. Actually, sex was great. For a while after Caleb had first found success, women had suddenly wanted a piece of him. And after being the asthmatic geeky loser all his life, he’d definitely made the most of it. But eventually he’d realized it wasn’t about him, but about what he could do for someone, and that had gotten old.
It wasn’t as if he yearned for someone to take care of him. That was the last thing he wanted. So he’d taken a step back and now he didn’t even really see the opportunities anymore. He just sort of flirted and charmed his way through life, and he was good with that.
A trainer had come through and tossed them each a towel. “I wouldn’t mind having a lot of sex,” he said wistfully. “There’s this woman who comes in for weight training and she acts like she’s into me, but I never know how to start a conversation with her without looking like the annoying dude trying to hit on her while she works out.”
“You could always drop a weight on your foot and ask her to take you to the hospital,” Spence said.
“Or,” Caleb said, “you could let me drop a weight on your head, seeing as you must have forgotten that I expect you to never hit on a woman in this gym where you work, ever .”
The guy winced and nodded like a bobblehead. “Right. Got it. Okay, I’m just gonna . . .” He gestured vaguely to another area of the gym and scampered off.
Spence slid him a look. “Not a bad idea, you know. Sadie’s come here before, right? You could drop a weight on your foot and—”
“Shut up.”
“Or on your head,” Spence said.
“Okay, we’re done here.” Caleb exited the ring.
“Hey, I’m just trying to be helpful—”
“You’re the opposite of helpful, Spence.”
“You could just wish on the fountain in my building.”
Spence owned the Pacific Pier Building, and hell no would Caleb be wishing on it. Setting aside that the fountain was only one hundred feet from where Sadie worked, there was also the myth associated with that fountain that said if you wished for true love with a true heart, it’d be granted. It’d happened to enough people he knew to be worrisome, including Spence and Colbie.
So yeah, he’d be staying far away from that fountain.
He took a quick shower in the locker room, dressed for his work day, and then headed to the Pacific Pier Building, making a quick stop and a phone call. Walking through the cobblestone courtyard, he stared at the fountain. It wasn’t that he had anything against the idea of love. Exactly. But love tended to come with things like responsibility and an openness he didn’t have time for right now.
He knew what he was worth monetarily. He had accountants for that and reports. What he didn’t know and couldn’t tangibly measure or print a spreadsheet for was what he was worth emotionally . By his own calculations, not much.
Not that it mattered, since he wasn’t going there. As for where he was going with this inexplicable attraction with Sadie , he had no clue. So much for being a so-called genius.
The day spa wasn’t open yet, and neither was the Canvas Shop. But he could see a glow of low light coming through the slats in the drawn shades.
Someone was in there. It wouldn’t be the shop’s owner. It was only six thirty a.m. and Rocco had never met a morning he liked. Caleb stepped closer to the window and cupped his hands around his eyes for a better look.
The interior of the tattoo shop was unique, which lent to its success. The place was done up in soft warm soothing colors, the walls filled with the artwork of the artists who worked there. There was a half wall separating out a waiting/reception area with comfy love seats and a coffee table with tattoo art books and magazines. A glass-front refrigerator was against one wall, filled with water, juices, sodas, and snacks, available to all. Beyond the half wall was the work area. There were six lux chair beds, three on one side of the room, three on the other. The overhead lighting was a combination of hanging open lanterns and strings of white lights that gave off both a warm glow and enough light to work efficiently.
He could just barely see the lower half of the worktable in Sadie’s corner. And a leg and a bare foot with midnight blue toenails and a tiny delicate silver ring around one of those toes.