“I dunno. I’ve always heard opposites attract.”
“Walk me through what happened. You’re just off the plane at Orly. You’re wandering through Paris. What happened next?”
“I met a newlywed American couple on the bus to the pension and we got to chatting and I told them how I’d left you behind to follow my bliss. They hired me to photograph their honeymoon travel throughout Europe. It was a total blast. I thought they were poor like me because they were staying in a pension, but I found out they were just being frugal, saving their money for a startup company. They hired me to do freelance photography and graphic design. I still work for them occasionally.”
“I swear, Ava,” he said, admiration in the respectful shake of his head. “No matter what happens, you always come out smelling like a rose.”
“Not always. The stories I could tell you about my missteps.” Laughing, she tossed her head. “But mistakes are how we learn, right?”
“Right,” Caleb echoed.
Sandy returned with the chili mac. “Hey, Ava, what do you think of Caleb’s remodeled kitchen?”
Ava knew a fishing expedition when she heard one. Sandy was looking for juicy gossip. Ava looked across the table at Caleb. “You remodeled your kitchen?”
“Yep.”
Sandy looked disappointed that Ava hadn’t known and added, “All by himself.”
“Not all by myself. I had help from Phil and Mort.”
“Not professional help. Get him to show you pictures. I’ll be back to check on you soon.” Sandy picked up Ava’s abandoned salad.
“Thank you,” Ava said to Sandy, To Caleb, she said, “I want to see pics.”
“Of…?”
“Your remodel.” She motioned for him to call up the photographs on his phone while Sandy moved on to the next table.
“These pictures aren’t up to Ava Miller standards,” he said, taking his phone from his jacket pocket.
“Please. I’ll be looking at your remodeling skills, not your photography talent.”
Grinning, Caleb handed over his cell phone.
Making the pictures bigger on the phone screen, Ava studied the changes in the old farmhouse kitchen. She’d always loved Caleb’s home, especially the big sprawling kitchen. But nothing looked the same. Gone was the dark brown and yellow color scheme she remembered. Now the kitchen gleamed with stainless steel appliances and black quartz countertops. Modern white cabinets replaced the dark oak. Even the floor was new, with a gray herringbone patterned tile.
“Wow, you really remodeled.”
“Yes, my ranch hands, Phil and Mort, are also good with construction. We did the remodeling over a few weekends last winter.”
She studied the picture, admiring their handiwork. The room was modern and bright. Ava couldn’t help feeling a little sad that the old kitchen was gone, but they’d done an excellent job. “I’m impressed.”
“Why? You know I like to putter.”
Only Caleb would consider a massive kitchen remodel “puttering.” The man was the salt of the earth—solid, dependable, an all-round reliable guy.
And she’d missed him more than she’d realized.
“I’m just surprised by your skills,” she said. “I had no idea you were so accomplished at construction.”
He laughed. “A little remodeling job hardly counts as construction. Plus, Phil and Mort have both worked in building maintenance. What we didn’t know, we learned on YouTube. I’m pretty proud of us.”
“You should be.” She passed the phone back to him. “That’s excellent work. If you ever gave up ranching, you could always fall back on flipping houses.”
“It was fun. I wish you could have been there.”
“Me too,” she said and meant it.
“You have a brilliant eye for detail and design,” Caleb said. “You’ve come a long way.”
She studied him. “We really are different people now than we were ten years ago, aren’t we?”
“Why? Just because I successfully remodeled a kitchen?” He set down his fork and knife and blinked at her.
“No. It’s much more than that.”
“Oh?”
“You’re much more open than you used to be.”
“Am I?”
“Although you still serve up the same monosyllables.” She smiled at him. “But I see some expansion.”
“How’s that?”
“You’re willing to give me another chance.”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
“You invited me to dine with you at the Kringle Kafe at noon on a Sunday in full view of devoted churchgoers, so yes, that’s how I’m interpreting it.”
“For the record, I invited your parents too.”
“That was your safety net.”
“And still when the safety net bailed, I brought you anyway,” he mused and seemed surprised by the thought. “Maybe I will give you a second chance, if you wanted one.”
“After the way I left things?” She dabbed chili mac from her bottom lip. “I didn’t know if you’d ever even speak to me again.”
“I was hurt, I admit it. And I sulked. Not proud of it, but not ashamed either. A guy’s got to get through losing his first love anyway he can.”
First love.
Ava’s heart quickened. “I’m so sorry for what I put you through.”
“I’m not. You found yourself. And me? Well, I learned not to take anything for granted.”
Her heart broke right in two. “Oh, Caleb.”
They sat there, gazes locked over chicken fried steak and chili mac. Being here with him at Christmastime felt perfect.
“May I ask you something?” She took a drink of water.
“Sure, but I can’t promise I’ll answer.”
“Fair enough.”
“How come you haven’t gotten married by now? Why don’t you have a passel of kids? That’s the life you were made for, Cabe. Home, family, the whole nine yards.”
His measured gaze never left her face. She felt the heat on her cheeks. “I did date after you. A lot, in fact, but I couldn’t find anyone that compared.”
“That’s silly. There're tons of wonderful women in Kringle. What about Suzannah Owens?”
“She’s Zach’s girl.”
“Chloe?”
“We never got to a third date.”
“You dated Chloe? I didn’t know that.”
“We drove to Fort Worth for our dates to dodge the rumor mill.”
“Why didn’t it work? You’re both terrific people.”
Caleb’s eyes drilled Ava to her seat. “Nothing. We just didn’t have chemistry. Chloe is a wonderful woman and she’s a great friend, but…she’s not you.”
That took her breath away, and Ava abandoned her beloved chili mac completely.
“Zach told me the company you were working for went out of business. Do you have another job lined up?”
Ava was finding it increasingly hard to breathe deeply. “No.”
“I see. But you’ll find another job soon.”
“No doubt.”