In Good Company: Chapter 33

“Cal, you really don’t need to do this,” I insist for what feels like the tenth time.

Cal doesn’t listen to me. He keeps his phone pressed to his ear as he talks to someone on the other end. We’d been looking over the vegetables at Dolores’s farm stand when Cal had asked me why I drove instead of riding my bike. I told him that my basket was broken and I didn’t have the storage I needed to get the food back to his house.

By the time we checked out with Dolores and were walking back to our cars, he declared I needed to ride with him because he had somewhere to take me.

Turns out that somewhere was a local bike shop, where he insisted I pick out a brand-new bike. We’ve been standing in the aisle for a while now as I wait for him to accept that I’m not letting him buy me a bike.

Cal turns and talks under his voice for another minute before he faces me once again. “Which bike are you picking out, Lucy baby?”

I stare at him with my mouth wide open. The man really is stubborn and not listening to a thing I’ve been saying.

“I’m not picking out a bike,” I tell him as I fold my arms across my chest.

“Then I’ll pick one out for you.”

A strangled noise comes from my throat. “No, you’re not doing that either.”

“Are you two still doing okay over here?” one of the sales workers asks from a few feet away from us. He smiles nervously as he looks between Cal and me.

“The bikes here are beautiful, and I’m sure they’re top of the line,” I begin, my eyes scanning all the different choices the store has to offer. There are pink bikes and yellow bikes and bikes of any other color I could imagine. Ones that are retro and ones that are electric. If I needed a new bike and had money to spend, this would be the perfect place to shop. “But I don’t need a new bike,” I continue, narrowing my eyes at Cal in a look that I hope conveys to him that I’m serious.

I look at him for a few more seconds before focusing my attention on the worker. “Thank you for offering to help, and I’m sorry to waste your time.”

“What about this one?” Cal asks, grabbing onto the handlebar of a light green bike with a cream-colored woven basket.

“No.”

He sighs, keeping his grip on the handlebar as he looks the bike over. It’s beautiful. If I were looking for a new bike, this one would be a contender. But I’m not looking for a bike.

Cal clicks his tongue as he continues to admire it. “I thought you’d love this one. The green reminds me of the apron you like to wear.”

My heart melts at him bringing up my favorite apron. It was one my mom got me before I left for the Hamptons. I know it was a splurge for her to buy, so it’s my favorite to wear when I cook. It touches me that he remembered it at all. “The bike is gorgeous, Cal. It doesn’t mean I need a new one. If anything, I need a new basket for the bike I already have.”

“This bike has a basket that looks good.” He pulls on it gently. “Looks sturdy to me too. Could fit a pretty decent farm stand haul.”

I shake my head. “You know you’re supposed to listen to the person you’re on a date with.”

This makes him laugh. He walks away from the bike and closes the distance between us. With no one around, he cups my chin and tilts my head up to look at him. “Trust me, I hang on every word you say. I understand you don’t necessarily need the bike, but I want to get it for you. The one you’ve been using is old and clearly falling apart since the basket came off. It isn’t safe for you to be riding around the Hamptons on.”

I roll my eyes at him. With each comment he makes, it’s getting harder to deny his offer. “The basket came off, Cal. I’d hardly call the bike unsafe. I got it for a good deal since I don’t need it for long. I’m leaving at the end of the summer, remember?”

He lets out a growl as his lips press into a thin line. His eyes track my face for a moment. “I’m well aware you’re leaving. I’ll pay to have it shipped to Virginia for you.”

His calloused fingers scrape against my skin as he moves his hand from my chin to my cheek. Now isn’t the time to ask, but I can’t help but wonder where his callouses even come from. I know it can’t be his job.

The two of us are quiet as I try to think of another excuse to give him about why I don’t need to pick out a new bike. Some things come to mind, but I know by the hard set of his jaw and the way his blue eyes stare into mine that I’m not going to win this battle with him. He’s made up his mind that I need a new bike, and he’s determined to buy me one.

I let out a long sigh before leaning into his touch. I’ve tried to make sure to keep my distance from him, unsure about his feelings on other people seeing us like this, but the bike shop is empty besides the workers. I don’t think we’ll be caught here.

“I don’t want you to think you have to buy me expensive things. My bike is fine.”

Cal leans in and presses a kiss to my lips. It’s the first time we’ve kissed since he walked me to my car last night.

I missed kissing him. He kisses me slowly but possessively, making my toes curl in my sneakers.

He pulls away before the kiss gets too deep. It’s still intense enough to make my entire body heat with desire. “I want to buy you expensive things, Lucy. What’s the point in having an ungodly amount of money if I can’t spend it on the first woman to capture my attention like this?”

There’s a whooshing sound in my ears with the intense spike of my pulse at his words. I don’t think I heard him correctly. He’s thirty-four years old; surely, many women have caught his attention. I know I’ve seen photos of some of them on the internet when I used to look up his family. His pinky gently presses against my pulse from the way he holds my face, making me wonder if he can feel the way my heart rate jumped at his words.

He doesn’t take them back or elaborate. All he does is stare at me, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

I can’t think of a response. I’m still too stunned by what he admitted—and questioning the truth of it—to come up with a witty remark. Seconds pass, maybe even minutes, as we stand in the middle of the bike aisle, staring at one another.

Finally, I accept that there’s no stopping him. If he wants to buy me a new bike, he’s going to. “Fine, you buy me the bike. But I want you to know I’m not used to people buying me things often, and I don’t know how to properly accept them. If I act weird, that’s why.”

Cal smiles before moving to cradle my face with both of his hands. “That’s okay. I’ll make sure to spoil you so much in the time that I have you that you get used to it.”

And before I can respond, his lips press to mine again. The kiss is perfect. He takes his time, kissing me right in the middle of the bike aisle for anyone to see.

When he’s done, he’s patient as I look at every single bike the store has to offer before deciding on the green one he found earlier.