Claiming Callie: Part two (14 page)

Callie says nothing at first, surpri
se at Maya’s blunt question stealing her words. “Excuse me?”

“Do you really care for him?”

Does she know?
Her scalp prickles at the insinuation behind her questions. She can’t possibly have a way of knowing they’re not really together. So, why is she askin
g? Because she feels for Dean and doesn’t want to see him get hurt? If that’s the case, Operation Get the Girl is working. So, why does Callie feel so annoyed right now?

“Of course I do. I more than care I about him,” Callie says, her tone forceful.

Maya c
rosses her arms and cocks her head. “You’re going to hurt him.”

It’s not a question but a statement, and Callie flinches at the accusation. “I would never.”

Maya smirks and shakes her head. “Don’t be so sure.”

A ball of anger ignites in Callie’s chest. She
fists her hand, but before she can say anything else—defend herself or her “artificial” relationship with Dean—Maya turns and walks away, making a beeline straight for him.

CALLIE

Callie wakes, feeling rested and restored. She pads her way
through her bedroom into the kitchen, letting her mind drift back to the events of last night and replaying them in her head. It
’
s all a little surreal—pretending to be Dean
’
s girlfriend, the whole rose stunt at the game, Maya’s confrontation.

She moves
past the little kitchen table where a huge vase sits, overflowing with red roses—evidence of Dean
’
s display of affection for his “
girlfriend
” at the game—and she smiles. If it weren
’
t for the visual reminder, she would probably think she dreamt last night.
It was like something straight out of the movies.

The jock, star player, making a show of giving his a girl a rose for every basket? Unreal
.

But it was real. Dean had done it.

She leans over the table and inhales their sweet perfume, then frowns. If only
he had done it for a real relationship and not a fraudulent one. She can
’
t help but feel the romantic sentiment was almost…wasted.

She turns on her heel and grabs the package of coffee from the kitchen cupboard, then dumps some in the pot and flicks the ma
chine on. As her morning fuel perks, she unloads the dishwasher and reflects on her current mood, which, for the most part, seems to have returned to normal.

She got carried away last night, caught up in the romanticism of Dean
’
s display. And who could bla
me her? Any estrogen-laden female would have done the same. His display with the roses was incredibly sweet, and the response of the Panther fans around her only served to heighten the excitement.

She smiles as she recalls dancing with the mascot on the bl
eachers, screaming and cheering along with the crowd with each new basket that he scored, followed by the fluttery sensation in her stomach when Dean crossed the gym with a final rose at the end of the game. Completely irresistible. She thought she might p
ass out right there. I mean, if another guy had done that for her… If it were a different situation and not a ploy…

He isn’t a real boyfriend, though. And it is a ploy.

Callie nods to herself. She
’
s clearheaded now. Not stuck in the moment, and she
’
s back
in the game. She sees Dean as her almost-brother once again. No butterflies. No crazy heartbeat. Operation Get the Girl is back on and in full swing.

Who cares that he has startling blue eyes and muscles that strain against his T-shirt?

“
I don’
t. That
’
s wh
o,” she mutters.

She promised to help him win Maya over and win her over he would, in no small part to Callie
’
s jealousy-inducing ways. And after the condescending tone Maya used with her last night, she relished every moment of making her suffer, while it
lasted.

She nods in self-affirmation just as the door to Jinny
’
s bedroom opens
. The oversize T-shirt Jinny wears falls to her knees overtop a pair of flannel pants that are too big and drag on the floor as she walks. Her eyes are all squinty, as if she go
t no sleep, and her hair
’
s a tangled mass.

Callie narrows her eyes. Her cheeks have a definitive glow to them. “Todd
’
s in there, isn
’
t he?
”

Jinny grins. “He snuck in at one o
’
clock. You were already asleep.”

“Gah! Fine, feel all smug about having a
real
bo
yfriend. I
’
ve decided as soon as I help Dean hook Maya, I
’
m going to start looking.”

It
’
s more like I
just
decided. As in, right that second.

“Oh yeah?”

Callie shrugs and stands. She moves to the cupboard above the coffeepot and pulls out a mug. She nods, more to herself than for Jinny, liking this newly sprung idea more by the second.
Yes, this is a good idea. Just what I need. A boyfriend, STAT. This tim
e with Dean will allow me to focus on what I do want in a man. Then, once he has Maya and I
’
m proverbially cut loose, I can launch myself right into the dating scene.

“Yeah. It
’
s time. I
’
ve been without someone special for too long, and last night just mad
e me realize how much I miss it, you know? I miss having someone who makes me feel special, all warm and fuzzy inside. And I miss having someone on my team.”

Jinny bites her lip and nods. “Yeah.”

Callie pours herself a cup of coffee and adds cream, then ta
kes a sip. “
I don’
t have any prospects, but I guess that needs to wait, anyway.” She shrugs.

“What about Dean?”

Callie snorts. “For real?”

“Yeah.”
Jinny blinks at her.

Callie shakes her head. Even entertaining the idea is preposterous.
Isn
’
t it?

Frowning, she leans back into the counter, knowing the truth.
It doesn
’
t matter
. “Dean wants Maya.”

“Right. Yeah, he does,” Jinny says, chewing on her bottom lip. She moves toward Callie and the coffee, where she pours her own mug full of fresh brew.

She
’
s
acting strange. The lip chewing is a total giveaway.

Jinny doctors her coffee the way she likes it, then stares into the mug with sharp concentration, as if the exact ratio of sugar to cream is the most important thing in the world. When she speaks next,
her voice is so quiet Callie
’
s not sure she hears her right. “Well, what if he didn
’
t want Maya? What about then?”

Callie takes a huge swallow of coffee. The scalding liquid burns her throat and her eyes water, but it gives her something else to focus on o
ther than the unsteady beat of her heart.

Why would she even ask me this?

“That would be…” Callie pauses, unsure of the right word.
Nice
is the first one to pop into her head, but she can
’
t say that. Definitely not. And what is nice, anyway? Nice is the old lady next door. Nice is coming home to a sink devoid of dishes.
Relationships shouldn
’
t just be
nice
.

Besides, it would definitely be weird. More than weird.

Sure, last night was great,
but she can
’
t even imagine it. He
’
s still the little boy who put bugs in her hair and chased her around the Michaels
’
yard, earthworms dangling from his dirty fists.

“
Well?
” Jinny prods.

“It would be too strange. I
’
ve known him forever. He
’
s your brother.
He
’
ll always be like family to me. I mean, I lived with you guys for a whole year, for God
’
s sake,” she says, as if it should be obvious. Then, to make her point clear, she sets her mug down and adds again, “No. It would
never
happen.
”