Cal's POV

I felt so much better after talking with Steph this morning. I agonized for hours over what to plan for our date and nothing sounded right. I really did think about doing the traditional, overdone, getting all dressed up and going out to a stuffy dinner. The more I thought about it, though, the less it seemed like the right move. Don't get me wrong, Steph looked amazing all dolled up, but I personally thought I'd never see her look more beautiful than sitting on her couch in her donut pajama shorts and tank top with her hair pulled back and her makeup washed off. She was so full of life, and I desperately wanted to plan something that would allow us to relax and have fun together.

I knew it was a gamble asking her to come to my beach house in Point Pleasant, but it felt like the perfect solution. It would give us the opportunity to get to know each other without feeling pressure to be something we weren't. The ocean has always been the place that I went to when I needed to get away and recharge, or when I was feeling off-center. There was something about the sun, the water, and the waves. I was nervous about her reaction to my offering to have her spend the night there, but she'd mercifully saved me from my rambling and told me she'd consider it.

I had a few hours until I needed to meet Steph, so I headed down to the gym to get a good workout in. Working out some physical energy would help me feel more relaxed and grounded. I entered the gym and walked over to the weight bench. It once again wasn't my day because Santos sauntered up with a smirk on his face.

"So, imagine my surprise when I realized that you made it back to Haywood before we did last night," he started in. I just gritted my teeth and started lifting. "I mean, since she was so ready to leave the club with me, I thought for sure you'd see some action. Guess you're losing your touch. Maybe I'll track her down and give her a call."

I pushed the bar into the stand and turned hard eyes on Santos. "You'd do well to watch what you say about Steph," I warned him sternly. "She's not just a cheap fuck, and I won't treat her as one. What she and I do is none of your business. She'll be out with me this afternoon and evening though, so don't look for her then."

"You know I'm just giving you shit, man. Good for you," Les finally said with a smile. I picked the bar up and started lifting again. "You like her? Where are you taking her?" he asked. For all his playboy ways, he was a really good friend.

"I like what I know about her so far very much, yeah. I know last night she was all bombshell, but I like her even more when she's just being her. Last night, after we left the club – that was perfect."

"What did you end up doing last night?" he asked.

"We went through the McDonald's drive-thru and then went to her place. She changed into these shorts with donuts on them and washed all her makeup off. We just sat and talked," I replied with a chuckle. Les joined my laughing and shook his head.

"You're already crazy about her, and don't even try to deny it. Need help getting reservations for tonight? I could get you in pretty much anywhere you want," he offered.

"Nah, I'm taking her to my house on the shore. I'm going to cook dinner and we're going to enjoy the ocean and boardwalk."

"Well played, friend. Have fun, and don't do anything I wouldn't do," Les replied with an eyebrow waggle. I laughed and finished my last few reps and then went to the treadmill for some cardio. By 1:00 I was showered and changed into board shorts, a tank top, and flip flops. I drove to the neighborhood grocery store and picked up hand cut steaks, fresh lobster tails, potatoes, veggies, a bottle of wine, a premade tiramisu, and some other items to go with dinner. Then I thought a little more, and added pancake mix, maple syrup, bacon, eggs, orange juice, and milk. Best to be prepared. I packed it all away in the cooler I'd loaded into the back of my personal SUV and headed off toward The Brew House to meet Steph.

I was still a couple of miles away when my cell phone rang, and I'm pretty sure I sighed when I saw who was calling.

"Yo!" I answered tersely. I wasn't in the mood for a call from work since I was supposed to be offline for the rest of the weekend.

"It's Tank. I'm sorry to call you when you're offline, but we have a break-in a few blocks from your current location. We don't have anyone else who can respond as quickly as you could get there. Can you go secure the scene until I can get a team over? They're already en route."

Dammit. The last thing I wanted to do was to go take care of this, but Tank never asked for favors. I knew he would have called someone else if he could have. "Send me the address," I barked out and hung up. I scrolled my contacts and called Steph.

"Hey, it's Cal," I informed her voicemail. "Listen, Angel, I need to swing by one of our clients for a few. They have a break-in and no one else is in the area. I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm sorry, baby."

Steph's POV

Mary Lou and I had chatted on the phone for well over an hour, talking about the previous evening and Cal. She was so excited to hear about how we'd accidentally found each other at the club and what we'd done after we left. I hadn't left out any detail as I told her all about the way I felt wrapped up in his arms on the dance floor, how our bodies fit together just right, hitting the drive-thru for food and talking back here at my place, and that goodnight kiss. She'd squealed when I told her how I'd felt when he kissed me. I wasn't afraid to admit that I was one smitten kitten.

My hair was still down in natural curls from this morning, and I didn't see the need for much makeup if we were going to the beach. I swiped on a couple of coats of waterproof mascara and some pink lip gloss and then walked to my bedroom. Deciding what to wear on the beach seemed so much easier than deciding what to wear to some fancy restaurant. I threw on my turquoise bikini halter top and belted bikini bottoms and then slid my cutoff denim shorts back on over the bottoms. I topped it off with a soft grey tank that showed a hint of my bikini and then slid my feet into my favorite sandals.

Outfit settled, I moved on to packing an overnight bag. I'd asked Mary Lou if she thought I was crazy for considering staying overnight, and she assured me that I wasn't. Then she really dropped a doozy on me – she told me that she just had this feeling that Cal and I would end up together. Normally even the thought of dating someone casually would freak me out after my disaster of a marriage, but hearing those words from her just made me feel all warm and happy inside. Maybe I really was finally ready to move on. Dickie Orr had wreaked havoc on my life for too long. It was past time for me to take control and build the life I wanted.

I gathered up another bikini – this one black and pink – along with a change of clothes, pajamas, a little bit of makeup, and some hair stuff. I threw that all in my overnight bag and then put a huge beach towel, sunscreen, and a book into a beach bag. I took one last look in the mirror, fed Rex a few crunchies and a grape, threw my sunglasses on, and headed out.

I was nervous all the way to the coffee shop. It wasn't that I was nervous about seeing Cal again; I was anxious to get on to actually seeing him instead of waiting impatiently. I parked and walked into the coffee house. I hadn't had much to eat today so I ordered an iced coffee and a Panini and then headed to a table in the back to watch for my date. My eyes kept drifting to the clock as I ate my lunch and sipped at my drink. Excitement gave way to anxiety as the clock struck 2:02 and there was no sign of Cal. I finished eating at 2:10 and was still alone. By 2:20 I'd given up. I threw my trash away and headed toward the door. Maybe I just wasn't meant to be happy or share my life with someone. Suddenly I felt like maybe a trip to the liquor store and a repeat viewing of Ghostbusters were in order.

I was on autopilot, eyes downcast fighting off tears, as I walked through the door. Once again, I wasn't enough for a man. I palmed my keys and jumped as I heard footsteps pounding my way. Before I knew it, I was wrapped in strong arms and being held tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Angel. I got here as quickly as I could." He was breathing heavy and looked frantic. I shrugged out of his arms and leveled him with a look.

"What's the excuse this time, Cal?" I asked harshly. "I can't imagine what I'll hear this time that will justify you being twenty minutes late for our date and not at least picking up the phone to call and let me know you were running behind. I don't know why I thought a man would actually care about me and treat me well."

Cal looked like the breath had been knocked out of him and took a step back. "I did call you, Steph. You didn't get my message?" I went rummaging through my purse and realized that my phone was nowhere to be found. I remoted my car locks and reached into the cup holder where I'd apparently left my phone and unlocked it. I felt about two inches tall when I saw the missed call at 1:40.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I'd left it in my car. I've messed this all up," I apologized as I fought not to cry.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm just grateful I caught you. You can listen to your voicemail if you'd like, but I got a call from the office on the way here. There was a break-in and no one else was in the area. I had to go secure the scene until another team arrived. I thought you'd get my message. Believe me when I say that I didn't want to go, but my boss never asks for favors," he explained.

"I feel like such an ass. I'm so sorry, Cal. I understand if you don't want to go out now," I whispered, unable to even make eye contact with him. He reached for my chin and tilted it up so I was looking into his eyes.

"There's nothing I want to do more than to go out with you," he assured me softly. "I've been looking forward to it since I left your place last night. Let's head out now, if you're okay with that, and maybe later we can talk about why it is that you believe you're not worth effort and honestly from a man."

I really didn't want to have that conversation, but I guess I could be a big girl. "Okay," I agreed. "I guess I'll go park my car at my parents' house, maybe? I don't want to leave it parked here. Hopefully we can leave it and get out of there before they see that I'm with someone or they'll corner us and have us married off tomorrow," I joked. I was really only halfway joking. My mother desperately wanted me remarried, but I had a suspicion Cal wouldn't be high on her choices because of his dangerous job and the tattoo that had first caught my attention. Just as well – my mother had shit taste in men, other than my father of course.

"We can do that if you want, or we can go park it at my office building. We have an underground garage with an entire level for personal vehicles. You could park it in my spot and it would be guaranteed to be safe until we come back," he offered. "You're not the only one with a mother who wants to marry you off. Remind me to tell you about that later," he said with a blush.

"That sounds perfect."

"Alright, let's load your things in my car and then you can follow me there."

Cal easily handled my overnight and beach bags and then dropped a kiss on my forehead before walking to his SUV. A girl could get used to having such a handsome, sweet man who took such good care of her. I hoped I'd get the chance to really get used to it.

I followed him to a non-descript 7-story brick building on Haywood and watched as he parked on the street. He walked back to my car and got into the passenger side.

"Security is tight around here; goes with the territory since we're in the security business," he explained. He fobbed the gate open and then directed me into the garage and up one floor. I pulled into the spot labeled "C. Holmes" and parked my car. "I'll bring you back to get it whenever we decide to come back from the shore."

I nodded and grabbed my purse, phone, and keys and then met him at the back of the car. He took my hand and led me across the garage to the stairs and then back out onto the street where his car was waiting for us. He helped me into the passenger seat and then leaned down and kissed me gently.

"Sorry, Angel. I'm kind of a touchy-feely guy," he said with a laugh, and I shook my head as I laughed with him.

"I see that, but you don't need to apologize. I'm not a super touchy-feely girl, but I like it with you," I said, and I instantly felt my face heat as I blushed.

"I'm glad you do," he whispered. He jogged around to the driver's side and got behind the wheel. He pulled out into traffic and then reached over and laced his fingers through mine and laid our joined hands on his thigh. I needed to get to know him better fast and determine what he was looking for because my heart was falling quicker than I ever thought possible. I thought I should probably be scared, but my head told me that Cal was a good guy and my heart would be safe.

"So, that's RangeMan?" I asked, looking back toward the building. I needed to quit thinking for a bit.

"Yeah, that's it. I live on-site in an apartment on the employee floor and then also have the house you'll see today for when I want some time away."

"What's your favorite part of the job?" I asked.

"I think my favorite part is skip tracing. I like doing the research and trying to figure out where I can nab them, and then I get to exercise some muscle and go bring them back in," he answered, and I nodded.

"Is it very difficult?"

"It can be sometimes if they don't want to be found. I have one I'm working on now who's giving me trouble. He's been slippery," he answered.

"Maybe it's someone I know," I joked, and he laughed.

"Do you know a Marty Castello?"

My eyes got big and I nodded. "I do, actually. We went to high school together, and his sister and I were good friends. We're still friends although we're not as close as were once were. I know he's made some bad choices and his family has turned their backs on him because of them. I can get you a lead on where he'll be when we get back if you want, though," I offered.

Cal looked at me in shock and then smiled. "You really are my angel," he said softly. "That would be fantastic. Thank you."

We spent the rest of the drive to Point Pleasant talking about family. "Wait!" I suddenly interrupted. "You're supposed to tell me about your mother wanting to marry you off."

He blushed a deep red and chuckled. "Fair enough, Angel. She's been on me to settle down and start a family for a while now. My mother and my sister were on me right after I met you the first time, and before I knew it, I told her that I'd met someone. When she pressed me for details, I gave her your name and told her that was all she was getting. So, my family thinks we're seeing each other."

"That sounds exactly like something I would do," I replied with a laugh.

"Well, hopefully I didn't lie to them and we are seeing each other," he said quietly, almost shyly.

"I sure as hell hope so."