4

Sasha still couldn’t quite grasp that Kaleb Luthor was there in the cramped quarters of a food truck, cooking Thai entrées like a professional.

She tried to imagine other guys she'd met jumping in and helping out and couldn’t. The image refused to solidify, because they would never have done it. Not many men of her acquaintance would’ve bothered getting their hands dirty. But then again, two hours ago she wouldn’t have been able to picture Kaleb getting his hands dirty, either. And especially not for her.

As Sasha closed the serving window and hung the Closed sign, questions crowded into her head. But before she could ask them, he turned, tugging down his sleeves and rebuttoning the cuffs.

“I actually came to invite you to my party,” he said, thrusting his arms into his jacket, then his coat. 

"Your party?" Sasha repeated. 

"Yes. I've decided to stay here. I mean, move back here…. Permanently. I've bought a house too, and I'm throwing a small house warming party… with a few close friends and business acquaintances. I do hope you will come too. Tomorrow evening…. It starts at 10pm till dawn… or at least… whenever you feel like you want to retire for the night.”

He winked at her, and with a brisk nod at Tilly, he stalked out the door, leaving a weighty silence behind.

Sasha was the first to break it this time.

“What in the hell just happened?” she yelled, voicing the question that had been plaguing her since Kaleb's sudden appearance.

Tilly shrugged. "I guess he finally made up his mind about the party." she said, "He didn't want to have one but mom talked him out of it. He also insisted on inviting you by himself so I kept my big mouth shut. You know how Kaleb is…. I prefer to stay out of his way." 

—------------

A formal dress…. 

Sasha selected a classic red dress from her wardrobe, applied light make-up with emphasis on her eyes, twisted her hair into a careless knot and fixed it with a large clip, added minimal jewelry, stepped into stilettos and caught up a black evening purse.

She stared at herself in the mirror and told herself that her look was perfect. She didn't look overdressed… or underdressed either. She was an hour late already, but she'd done that on purpose too. She didn't want to arrive too early, and more importantly, she didn't want to look like she was trying too much to get anyone's attention… Definitely not Kaleb's attention. 

This wasn't a date. He was just celebrating his new home and God knows how many people he'd invited. Kaleb was the kind of guy who always went extra with everything he did. 

She left her apartment and got into her car. Following the address Kaleb had sent to her two days ago, she drove off. 

It took her thirty minutes before she finally arrived at her destination, and although she knew that Kaleb's house would be beautiful, judging by how wealthy he was and also his family, she wasn't prepared for the magnificence of the premises. 

The gate came first, ornate wrought iron with an incongruously hi-tech security box on the driver's side.

Then it was like riding through a park. An extraordinarily well-kept park.

Manicured lawns. A rogue blade of grass wouldn't dare show up there, let alone a weed, she thought. The trees, all native to this part of the country, were stately and thick, providing ample shade for their flowered skirts.

A full-time staff would be essential in keeping this gorgeous lawn so pristine, and she wondered about the budget. He probably spent a fortune on fresh flowers and plants for the house, too.

Already feeling very nervous, Sasha got out of her car and headed for the entrance. Also she could hear loud music and the voices of people and again, she wondered just how many people Kaleb had invited. It certainly didn't look like a 'small party', as he'd called it. 

She entered the large living room which she felt was almost bigger than her apartment and looked around. People stood around, some were sitting, mostly in pairs or groups, drinks in their hands as they chatted excitedly. Sasha recognized some of them and even noticed some of Kaleb's friends from his high school days. One of them, Samson, came to say hello to her. 

Sasha usually saw Samson around. Mostly at the grocery store, the park or the cinema and he was always nice to her. She smiled broadly at him, delighted to see someone she could interact with. 

"Hello, Sam" she greeted cheerfully, "I should have known that I would see you here" 

He returned her smile. "I wouldn't miss it for anything. Kaleb would have been mad at me. Besides, I couldn't give up the opportunity to have a little fun. All work and no play certainly isn't good for anyone." 

Sasha nodded in agreement and smiled as they continued her chat. All the while, her eyes scanned the room for Kaleb. It didn't take long to find him. He had a presence about him that made it hard not to notice him. He was tall, masculine and incredibly handsome with a personality that drew people to him. He was in a corner of the room, surrounded by a few people, mostly females who seemed delighted to hear whatever he was saying. 

Sasha rolled her eyes. Guess nothing much had changed about him. He was still the ladies man. The man every girl wanted, and as usual, he enjoyed the attention. She noticed in particular a lady in a green dress standing rather too close to him and she winced at the jealousy that hit her. Looking away, she forced herself to concentrate on what Samson was saying. Soon, Samson got into conversation with another guy and Sasha found herself alone again, but not for long. 

Tilly appeared almost immediately, wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She didn't look like she cared about the party one bit and neither was she dressed for it. 

"There you are!" Tilly said as she approached Sasha. "Why the hell did you arrive so late?" she scolded.