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She started to turn away but he framed her face between his hands, locked his eyes on hers and thought, fleetingly, that he was about to make the most important declaration of his life to the most important person in his life while they both courted pneumonia

So ht time and place

“It was the biggest lie of my life because I don’t ‘care’ for you, sweetheart, I love you I adore you With everything I a I ever will be And if you were to leave me … if you were to leave me …”

She stared at hi Caleb put his arm around her, drew her close and led her toward the coffee shop

“I’e said, but without conviction

Caleb opened the door “Heck,” he said with a quick smile, “here’s that opportunity you were so hot for, remember? The chance to discuss the intiet some input from a waitress”

She looked up at him

Then she laughed

It was quick, over al that had happened since she’d run away

Still, he was afraid to , very wrong, and if she told him that she didn’t feel about him the way he felt about her—

“Caleb”

Her whisper ht him back to reality

There were people in the place A couple of guys at the counter, beefy hands wrapped around bigcoffee Two couples in one of the booths, haers and fries in front of them There was a counterman in a stained white apron, a waitress in a pink-and-white uniform …

And they were all staring at Sage At him At what probably looked like a pair of half-drowned idiots, dripping water on the scuffed, none-too-clean tile floor

Caleb cleared his throat