"It's alright. I just have to run it past the boss, is all. But we usually settle bills once all the work's done anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Maddie blinked as relief settled into her veins. But then she asked, "Oh, are you not the boss?"
His eyes twinkled. "Just 'cause I'm old, sweetie, don't mean I'm the boss."
Her cheeks burned. "No, that's not what I meant."
"I know. I'm just teasin'. Not everyday I get to tease a pretty girl." He gave her a harmless wink that set her at ease and then, turning his head towards a set of metal stairs on the far wall she hadn't noticed, bellowed, "Boss! Come down here a minute, will ya?"
The stairs led up to a faded red door. On it was a placard that she couldn't quite read, even though she squinted a little. A large window next to the door overlooked the garage, but the blinds were down, so she couldn't see inside. Streams of light poked through the cracks. She figured it was an office of some sort.
A moment later, the door swung open and a jolt of shock passed through Maddie's body. She tensed, her heart forgetting to beat for a couple moments, before it resumed its purpose with renewed fervor. For a brief second, she thought her mind was playing tricks on her, but even it wouldn't be so cruel as to toy with her.
As the man descended the steps, a scowl on his achingly handsome features, Maddie felt as though she was seeing a ghost.
Caleb Montgomery.
The sign outside the building flashed into her mind. Montgomery Restoration & Repair. She should've known right then. But how could she have? Maddie hadn't seen Caleb since he'd graduated high school, no matter how many times she'd hoped to catch a glimpse of him over the years. Almost ten years later, here he was …
The first thing she noticed was his eyes. Of course, it was always his eyes that had captivated her. Eyes so dark that they were almost black. Obsidian eyes, as cold and harsh as the rock itself. Those eyes had starred in her teenage fantasies and replayed over and over in her dreams.
His hair was longer, she noticed. He'd worn it short in high school, buzzed close to his head. But now it was thick and full, a deep chocolate color that she wanted to run her hands through. She wondered if it was as soft as it looked.
Caleb's obsidian eyes locked on her own. She forgot to breathe. How many times had she hoped he'd look at her? How many times had she been disappointed? But not now. His gaze was steady and she felt a flush making its way up her body, filling every vein, warming her. She'd never responded to a man as potently as she did Caleb. It was probably why she'd never been intimate with someone, because no man had ever quite measured up. The sad thing was … he probably hadn't realized that she'd existed until now.
Maddie could see that time hadn't changed her response to him. Except, time had changed them both. Caleb had never been young, but she could see the years in his broad shoulders and muscular thighs, in the hard jaded look on his face, in the tattoos peeking out from underneath his worn black t-shirt.
A sadness washed over her. No, Caleb Montgomery had never been young.
A memory rose unwillingly, no matter how much she tried to fight it. She remembered that day, one of the last days of Caleb's senior year. The day where everything fell apart and she'd seen a guarded boy turn into a cold man.
This man approached the three of them now, his booted footsteps falling hard on the concrete. Maddie didn't remember him being this massive, but he was well over six feet tall, dwarfing her respectable five foot seven frame, even the added inches her heels gave her. Strong cords of muscle lined his arms. He wasn't overly bulky, but no one could deny his strength. Even though he wore a black tee, she could still make out the broadness of his shoulders, the expanse of his chest, his tapered waist. He'd always been beautiful.
"What is this all about?" he grated, his voice rough. Even though his eyes were still on Maddie, the question was obviously directed to the older man.
There was no flash of recognition in his gaze and Maddie felt a part of her slump in defeat. Caleb had never even noticed her in high school, even though she'd had a crush on him from the first moment she'd laid eyes on him. Suddenly, she felt like that 13-year-old freshman girl all over again, pining for the mysterious, brooding junior from afar.
How pathetic.
Straightening her spine, Maddie reminded herself that she was a 25-year-old woman now. However, she found herself in an embarrassing situation … one she was loathe to disclose to him. She hated to play the damsel in distress-not that Caleb Montgomery would have any interest in coming to her aid-but she was out of options.