Page 6 of In Good Company

Callahan balances my work supplies in one hand as he opens the trunk. I try to rush and close the distance between us to help him, but he beats me to it. Instead, I just end up standing too close to him as he slides my items into the back.

I’m immediately hit by the smell of him. Bergamot and sandalwood. It’s incredibly masculine and makes me want to inhale deeply and bask in the richness of his scent.

“It was a surprise to see you here tonight.” Callahan’s deep voice breaks me from analyzing what other notes I’m getting from his cologne.

I let out a nervous laugh before taking a step back. Now that my supplies are safely tucked in the back of the Bronco, it doesn’t seem necessary to stand so close to him. “Yeah. You were the last person I expected to see tonight.”

His head cocks to the side. “Did Ollie not tell you we summered in the Hamptons?”

My teeth dig into my bottom lip as I try to decide how honest I want to be with him. “It seems there were alotof things Oliver didn’t tell me.”

Like the only reason he ever talked to me in the dorm dining hall was not because he was interested in me…but because he wanted to talk to Sophia. She didn’t give him the time of day, and I did. He dated me because I was convenient. The entire time, he was still interested in Sophia.

Callahan stares at me for a moment, his dark eyebrows drawn in. I fidget underneath his intense gaze. I wish I knew what was going through his mind. Does he think it’s patheticthat I dated his brother for an entire year and feel like I barely knew him at all?

“Are you looking for a full-time position for the summer?”

I blink, trying to catch up with his total change of subject. “What?” I figured he was going to ask me another question about Oliver or even stick up for his brother, but instead, he took me by surprise with his line of questioning.

“Do you prefer splitting your time between Pembroke and dinner parties, or are you looking for something more stable this summer? Like what Thomas and Rina were asking?”

I think about his question for a moment before answering. “I’d prefer not to split my time if I didn’t have to. Cooking is what I want to do this summer. Waiting tables at the club is just a way for me to make a nice paycheck.”

“What if you could make a better paycheck doing more private chef work? And it’d be more stable? Would you want that?”

I nod slowly, wondering why he cares so much. Thomas gave me his card before they left the dinner party, so there’s a chance I’ll be able to do a test cook for them and see if it’d be a good fit. I’m hopeful they were serious about wanting to hire someone for the summer, but I can’t be sure. I don’t want to get too excited about the prospect and get disappointed in the end.

“The entire reason I came to the Hamptons was to get a more permanent position.” I laugh, pushing stray pieces of my hair out of my face. “Well, as permanent as something can be when I only have a summer left here.”

Callahan is quiet for a moment, his eyes scanning my face. The intensity of his gaze makes me shift on the balls of my feet. What is he thinking, and why does he have to be so intense about it?

I don’t know how long we stand there quietly when hefinally clears his throat and keeps his striking blue eyes pinned on me.

“Become my private chef for the summer.” His words don’t even come out as a question. They come out like a demand, as if he’s already decided on my answer without my input. Maybe that’s normal for him. It’s possible he’s used to always getting what he wants. He’s going to quickly find out that it won’t work with me.

“What?” I ask, trying to read his features to see if he’s joking. He doesn’t seem like the joking type with his rigid posture and brooding stare. “No,” I add, shaking my head. The idea of working for him is crazy. “Absolutely not.”

FOUR

CAL

I blink a few times, trying to replay Lucy’s response back in my head. I analyze every one of her words, trying to figure out if I heard her wrong. “What do you mean, no?”

She crosses her arms across her chest. “It’s a pretty easy word to understand. I meanno. Not happening. Absolutely not.”

I frown, wondering why her immediate answer to my proposition is no. She just told me that becoming a private chef for the summer is exactly what she wants.

My jaw clenches as I try to figure out how to respond. People rarely tell me no, and because of that, her immediate denial hits harder than I care to admit. “Did you not just say you’d rather be a private chef for the summer over working at Pembroke?”

She looks at the ground, making me wonder if this conversation is making her uncomfortable. Her next words are directed toward the driveway as she answers my question. “I said that, but I thought you were asking about your friend Thomas. Not aboutyou. I can’t work for you.”

“Why?”

She lets out a nervous laugh as she buys herself more timeto answer by closing the back of her Bronco and stepping even further away from me. Her wide brown eyes look at me as she shakes her head at me in disbelief. I stare right back at her, waiting for her answer. I didn’t think hiring her on as a private chef is as crazy as she’s making it out to be.

“There are tons of reasons I can’t work for you,” she finally answers. It’s another moment where I can’t get a good read on her. I can’t tell if she’s just surprised by my offer or if she’s upset by it. With anyone else, I’d be able to tell. I’d know how to proceed because I’d have a good idea of where their head’s at.

But with Lucy, it seems like I’ll have to work harder than I thought. Her immediate no comes as a surprise, one I hadn’t quite prepared for.

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