Claiming Callie: Part two (31 page)

“
So, my popcorn wins?”

Dean grips his coffee and grins. “Geez. Do there have to be winners and losers here? The dill is a totally different experience. It
’
s robust. Bold. Manly,” he says, deepening his voice. “
You won
’
t be tempted to eat an entire bagful li
ke your devilish chocolatey stuff.”

Callie laughs. “Okay, fine.”

Callie nibbles on another piece of popcorn and lets her gaze fall on the cluster of brightly-colored canvases on the wall emblazoned with the coffee shop’s logo—a goat holding a mug of coffee
—and smiles, thinking this is the perfect place for Dean. She hadn
’
t really thought about it until now, but his entire being is just like that goat with the mug. Easy. Goofy. Bright and joyful. At least to her that
’
s what he
’
s been, like some giant ray of
sunshine in her life, bathing her in his light and his warmth.

It
’
s so funny how you don
’
t notice these things and then, BAM.

“So, how are things at GG Financial? Have you talked to your boss yet? Told him you took care of some of your debt?”

Callie
’
s
smile fades. Biting her lip, she squirms in her seat. “Not yet.”

“I was just wondering if you
’
d want to clear the air and see if that was going to be enough money. I thought maybe you said something to him.”

“
Well, I don
’
t think it
’
s going to be that easy.
He said something to me a week ago that makes me think he expects more than a lower figure. I think he
’
s going to pay attention more to my actions. My spending, and what I do with my money from now till then. GGF actually has a sister company. I don
’
t kno
w…I’m pretty sure he thinks I should consider them. And who knows? Maybe my place isn’t here.”

Dean sits back in his seat, his face a mask of concern. “But, I thought… GGF is your dream. Have you been...spending?” He squints at the question, as if he
’
s afr
aid to hear her answer.

Callie twists her mug in her hands. “Actually, I haven
’
t since you lent me that money. Nothing. It
’
s pretty miraculous for me, but…” How could she tell him that the money he gave her is just sitting in a savings account? That she ha
sn
’
t actually used it yet?

She had been waiting to see if this scheme with Maya actually worked, if she was able to help him. Only then would she use the money. It seemed the fair way to handle things. At the time he gave it to her, she didn
’
t want to take
advantage of him, and now… Well, her insides are so mixed up, and if these feelings she
’
s having about him have any substance to them at all…

If there
’
s any chance of being with him—God, did I really just think that?—or even if there
’
s not, how could I
use his money, feeling the way I do about him right now?
It seems wrong somehow
.

Furthermore, she doesn’t want him with Maya. She’s not right for him, and regardless of whether he may or may not have some semblance of feelings for Callie, the irony of the
situation isn’t lost on her. The only way to keep the money and her chance at GGF is to ensure Dean wins Maya’s heart. And that’s a thought that inexplicably tears her apart.

Knowing Dean would be angry with her if he knew she has yet to use the money, she
says, “Mr. Bucek seemed like he was pushing their sister company. They had a representative in the office from there, and I just got the feeling he was trying to tell me I should consider them. I feel like he
’
s setting me up, letting me know ahead of time
that I probably can
’
t make it work there.”

“Where is this other place?”

Callie swallows and moves her finger across the image on the mug. “California.”

Dean
’
s face pales at that.
Is he upset at the thought of me leaving? Or because he worries his money ha
s been wasted?

Callie adds, “I
’
m not really considering it. I don
’
t know what
’
s going to happen. Right now, I
’
m still determined to somehow win back my position at GGF.”

Dean nods and takes another sip of his coffee. A tiny crease forms between his brows,
and her fingers itch to lean forward and smooth the small line with her fingers. She wants to erase any worries he has.

“So, what
’
s next on the agenda?” she asks.

Dean glances at his watch. “Well, there
’
s somewhere I wanna take you. It
’
s almost dusk, which
is perfect. Then maybe after we could catch a movie? Since, thus far, this date is all about Pittsburgh traditions, I think a traditional date activity is fitting. We can gorge ourselves on buttery popcorn until we want to puke. What do you say?”

“Yes, to
the movie. No, to the popcorn.”

Dean shakes his head, frowning. “
No. You can
’
t go to a movie theater and not get popcorn. That
’
s not an option.”

“What do you call this?” Callie waves her hand at the popcorn on the table.

“This is different.” Dean waves he
r away. “
Besides, I
’
m making this up as we go, and I didn
’
t know we were going to the movies. It
’
ll be at least an hour from now and it’s a must for movie theater dates. You get a big tub of ridiculously overpriced corn with extra butter and eat it until y
ou feel completely and utterly nauseous. Like you might puke. That
’
s pure movie theater tradition.”

“Whatever you say. What movie?”
Callie raises a brow.

“We could go see the new Will Ferrell one.”

Callie groans.
“I can
’
t think of anyone less funny.”

Dean
gapes. “
Will F
errell? Not funny?” He grabs her bag of popcorn and inspects it. “Is there crack in this stuff?”

Callie snatches the bag back. “He is so not funny.”

Dean’s eyes widen, his expression so serious she has to bite the inside of her cheek not to
laugh.

“I have one word for you,” he says.
“Elf.”

“
Terrible.
”

He straightens in his seat, his eyes wide as the moon. “How could you not like
Elf
?”

“Okay,
Elf
is probably his best movie. I
’
ll admit it, but even it
’
s a little macabre. Didn
’
t I get you that
for Christmas one year?”

“As a matter of fact, you did.”

The things we do for love.

OMG! You did
not
just think that. Thank God you didn
’
t say it.

Dean takes another sip of his coffee, eyeing her in silence, and Callie can feel the horror wash over her.
Suddenly, her chair seems to drop out from under her.

Wait, you didn
’
t say that out loud, did you?

“Okay, change of plans,” Dean says, and Callie almost sighs in relief. She takes a deep breath and waits for him to continue. “We
’
ll go to the special place
I mentioned first, since I want to get there before nightfall. T
hen we
’
re grabbing my copy of
Elf
, and we
’
ll go back to your place and watch it, so that I can prove the genius that is Will Ferrell in an elf costume. Deal?”

Relieved, Callie smiles and says,
“Deal.”

#

They
’
re on Grandview Avenue. Callie knows now where Dean
’
s taking her. The Mon, or known to older locals as Coal Hill. It
’
s hands down the best place for a panoramic view of the city. Expecting him to park at one of the overlooks, she startles
when he slows down in front of a huge Victorian home. It’s peeling paint and weathered eves give it an untended appearance, as well as the old apartment building that sits next to it, but both nest on the precipice of Mount Washington, more than making up
for their lack of outward appearances.