Page 90 of Chasing Lynda

I smile at Callie, immediately getting the item for her. “Of course. I think you should actually keep it. It looks perfect for you and it’s way too expensive for me anyway. I’d be nervous to spill something on it, you know?”

She returns my smile, shaking her head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Lynda. This color is perfect for you, it matches your eyes. I just need to borrow it for tonight, if it’s ok.”

I nod, handing her the garment. It does look perfect with her white silk blouse and the 50s style skirt she has on. I don’t comment that she looks a little overdressed for the party we’re going to next door; it’s none of my business and I know firsthand how annoying it is to have other people judge your appearance.

We descend the stairs together, stepping into the living room where the guys are waiting for us.

They look hot in their casual t-shirts and shorts and I honestly couldn’t choose who’s the most handsome.

“Fuck.” Dodge is the first to react to our appearance, his gray eyes skim over my body with obvious heat in them while he looks at his twin sister, a little taken aback.

I know Callie and I are at the opposite ends of the “party dress code spectrum” right now.

I’m in a black and white, sequined tank top and a black denim skirt that’s a little too short even for my taste, barely covering my buttocks. Callie looks effortlessly demure in her 50s style outfit and with her blonde hair held back by a baby blue headband, she wouldn’t look out of place in a remake of Grease.

“What?” Callie asks, smoothing some invisible crease from her wide skirt. “Don’t I look good in this?”

I don’t miss the way her eyes flit to Bennett, who’s sitting by Dodge’s side, but her brother is the one who answers her question.

“You do, sis. It’s just ...”

Callie narrows her eyes at Dodge’s pause. “What?” She presses impatiently.

“I don’t know, man,” Dodge says carefully. “Isn’t that a bit much for a party at the Hayworths’? I mean, you look very pretty, but we’re just going to hang out in their backyard, drinking and maybe grilling some hot dogs. Probably go skinny dipping once everyone is drunk enough.”

Callie shrugs, nonchalantly. “You’d be right if I was coming to the party.”

She looks at Bennett again, obviously trying to get a rise out of him, but Dodge is again the one who takes the bait. “You aren’t coming with us? Why are you so dressed up then?”

She finally gets all the guys’ attention with her answer. “I’m going on a date.”

Carter sounds genuinely worried. “Another man from the billionaire app? Is Denise coming to pick you up? I don’t think you should go meet someone from that app by yourself. At least not on the first date.”

Callie sounds cautious. “No, I’m not going with Denise. She’s off somewhere with her cousin. And before you guys start freaking out, this is the third date. I saw this guy for the second time a few days ago, we had lunch. He’s really awesome, polite and very charming. He has a great conversation and he didn’t even try to do anything weird. We just talked and he kissed the back of my hand when we said goodbye. So don’t get your panties in a bunch, I’m going to be ok. We’re meeting in downtown Bridgeport.”

There’s a look passing around the guys. It’s something I’ve seen them do pretty often; some kind of silent communication where they’re magically on the same page without the need to actually talk. I guess it makes sense since they’ve been playing football together since they were old enough for the junior league.

“Callie.” Dodge is the one who finally speaks up. “What the fuck is going on? This billionaire app sounds fucking sketchy at best. And I can’t imagine you meeting anyone worth your time in there. Who would sign up for something like that unless they were old, ugly and weird?”

Callie doesn’t even attempt to stifle the eye roll her twin brother’s words cause. “That’s so narrow minded, Dodge! How is that any different from Tinder or other dating apps? It’s just that on this one, you have to prove a certain net worth to sign up. And you’d be surprised how many young people are on it. All those .com billionaires that got rich before hitting thirty. I shouldn’t be the one to tell you that sometimes having money makes dating harder rather than easier.”

Zane intervenes. “Sure, I understand that.” He tries to appease her, always the peacemaker. “But you have to admit that dating solely based on income sounds cold at best.”

Callie’s shoulders stiffen.

I partially understand how she feels. Having your actions constantly scrutinized is anything but easy.

“Look,” she says pointedly. “I don’t judge the shit you guys do. I never said anything when you were all going after Chrissie. I watched all of you going through more girls than I do panties from high school all the way to college. I watched Dodge getting engaged to Chrissie and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that it would be a shit show. The guy I’ve been seeing just turned thirty. He’s handsome and smart and a real gentleman, so far. Does it hurt that he’s well off? At least I’ll know Mom and Dad won’t be mad if it gets serious enough for an introduction.”

Dodge’s reaction is immediate. “Fuck, Callie! Did Dad put you up to this? I swear to God, if he’s trying to get out of trouble by selling you off ...”

I know Dodge’s family is having money trouble. I heard the guys talking about it here and there, but I’m surprised by Callie’s next words. “He didn’t put me up to anything, Dodge! But do you think that I’d watch you ruining your life by marrying Chrissie and do nothing?”

“Ha! Then this was Dad’s doing! Callie, seriously stay out of this shit show. We tried everything to get Dad out of trouble. But everything we do seems to go to shit the minute we think we have it figured out. Maybe we should just let him face to his fucking mistakes for once in his life!”

Callie’s reaction is full of outrage. “You can’t be serious! We can’t lose everything and let Dad go to jail! And it isn’t just our money that’s at stake. What about the guys? All their families work for Butten Enterprise. If we let it go down, we’re all on the street.”

Bennett weighs in by backing his best friend. “Baby C, don’t worry about our families. Worry about yourself and your own happiness. God knows our parents have always thought about themselves first. Did your father think about you or us before gambling away everything he had and stealing from the town when his fortune was gone? Why should you sacrifice your future and your happiness to save someone so selfish? Trust me, a marriage without love is doomed from the start. I’ve been watching my own parents going out of their way to avoid each other since I was old enough to understand what was going on. None of us wants that for you.”

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