Maddie quickly entered the coffee shop she was meeting Kate in, glancing down at her phone to check the time. She was a few minutes late since there was a slight delay on BART.
She spotted Kate, already at a table, in the corner, along with a familiar blonde. It was Christie, one of Caleb's friends, who she'd met at Hemlock Tavern. Maddie waved when Kate spotted her and made her way over.
"I'm sorry I'm a little late," she said, putting her purse down and shrugging out of her jacket.
"No worries," Kate said. "I hope you don't mind, but Christie wanted to tag along when she found out about our coffee date."
"Not at all," Maddie said, smiling as she took a seat.
"I told my boss I had a doctor's appointment," the blonde explained, winking, "but I just had to come and get all the gossip on Caleb."
"Um," Maddie said, a sudden laugh escaping her. "Gossip?"
Christie waved her hand, beautiful gold bangles jingling on her wrist. "You know, an insider's perspective on the mysterious man himself."
Maddie didn't follow and Kate must've seen the confusion on her face because the brunette said, "Sorry about her. She's had too much caffeine already and is too nosey for her own good. But speaking of caffeine, what can I get you?"
"Oh, no, don't worry about it. I'll order."
"Nonsense. I asked you here and I know you're busy. Now, what do you want?"
Maddie caved when she saw how determined Kate was. "A latte, please."
"Right." She stood from the table. "I'll be right back."
As Kate ordered their drinks, Christie smiled over at her, wiggling her eyebrows. "So, about Caleb … "
Even from the counter, Kate yelled over, "Stop it, Christie."
Christie pouted. "Oh, she's no fun." She leaned forward, whispering, "She's just as curious, even though she won't admit it."
Maddie laughed. She liked Christie. There was something refreshing about her, lighthearted and carefree.
She wouldn't tell her that she'd just come from Caleb's house after looking out for him all night, but she figured she'd at least give the blonde something. "Well, he seems to have an endless supply of black t-shirts. And his car is freakishly neat."
"You've been in his car?" Christie asked, mouth dropping. "He doesn't let anyone in his car. Not even the boys!"
"Oh," Maddie said dumbly, wondering why. "Well, he gave me a ride home after what happened with my car."
"Woah, woah, woah, start from the beginning," Christie commanded, just as Kate sat back down. "And don't leave anything out." She turned to Kate. "She's been in his car."
So, Maddie told them how she and Caleb met, leaving out the fact that she'd had a crush on him in high school. She figured that if she told Christie that, the stunning blonde would pop a blood vessel and interrogate her on what Caleb had been like as a teenager.
When she finished recounting that night, Christie said, "How romantic."
Romantic?
Maddie laughed. "Caleb is probably the least romantic man I've ever met." The thought of him giving some girl flowers or chocolate, or treating her to a candlelit dinner was actually hilarious. "I can't picture him doing anything romantic for someone, especially for me."
Christie exchanged looks with Kate. Maddie suddenly felt like she was about to be privy to some information she shouldn't know.
"He told Alex and Olivia about you," Christie said, leaning forward on her elbows. Maddie's brow furrowed. They had also been with Caleb on Saturday night, if she remembered correctly.
"When?"
"I think early last week."
"What did he say?"
"I'm not sure. Olivia wouldn't tell us everything, but that's not the point. The point is that he told them about you. This is Caleb we're talking about. He doesn't talk about women. Ever."
A server brought over their coffees, which was a relief. Maddie didn't want to think about why Caleb brought her up to his friends. She didn't want to hope for something that would never happen. She took a sip of her coffee before answering. "I'm sure he just told them that I was working for him."
"Then why did he drag us all to Hemlock Tavern on Saturday night? Caleb hates that place."
So her suspicions had been correct. Caleb went there because he'd known that she would be there. Again, she didn't want to read too much into it.
This time, Kate jumped in. "Do you like him?"
"What?"
"Do you have feelings for him?"
"I-I … " she stuttered, caught off guard. Frowning, she realized that she'd never questioned what she'd felt for him. It was like she'd always had feelings for him, always in the background, over the years, even when she thought she'd never seen him again. He'd given her a hopeful, beautiful moment in that courtyard, and it wasn't something she'd ever forget.