Page 105 of Playmaker

“I think he likes me. He helped me talk to her so I could tell her I wanted to date. Take the feelings and run with them. As you can probably tell, that didn’t fly. I hope Callie wasn’t too angry with him.”

JJ rested his chin on his fists, elbows propped on the table. He stared over my shoulder. Despite myself, I wondered if he had some insight, something that could change my current situation.

“So she doesn’t think you’ll stay, and won’t risk anything unless you can prove you will.”

“I guess that’s it.”

“You need a way to prove you’re going to stick around.”

“And how do I do that? Propose?”

His mouth turned down. “Marriages don’t always last.”

Fuck.His ex had cheated on him and left him, in a public, messy way. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up the past.”

He shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s the reaction I get from everyone now that’s more frustrating than my feelings about Sharleen.”

“It was a shitty thing she did.”

“It was, and there’s nothing that can change that. But maybe we can do something for you. Is there anything your girl would consider proof? What makes her feel secure? What does she trust in?”

Could I get her the partnership she wanted? But no, she wanted to earn it, because then it was hers and couldn’t be taken away.

An idea formed in my head. Her idea of security. That was her deepest need. If I wanted her to give us a chance, she had to feel secure about me. To get her to trust me, maybe I needed to show her I trusted her first.

* * *

Callie

Feelings sucked.So badly.

I’d made the right call breaking off…whatever it was Cooper and I had. Because I was all up in my feelings. If we’d kept going—ugh. This was horrible enough now.

I was not a little sad. I waswake up in the morning and crysad.Not want to get out of bedsad. I’d wondered if maybe this was something different—clinical depression or something like that. But the way I’d responded to seeing Cooper again? The excitement I felt every time my phone pinged, only to be disappointed when it wasn’t him, despite never reading or responding to any of his previous messages? Yeah, this was all about the stupid feelings.

I dragged myself out to the kitchen for coffee and groaned. A huge bouquet of yellow roses had arrived a couple of days ago. The note said Cooper was keeping his promise—when he’d gotten my address from the charity. He’d said he would send flowers when I didn’t expect it, and I definitely hadn’t expected these. They were a constant, irritating, beautiful and aromatic reminder I didn’t need, but they were too beautiful to throw away. They wouldn’t last forever though. So symbolic.

I hadn’t slept well, again. Thankfully, Darcy was on an early shift and already had the caffeine burbling.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, pretending not to see the concern on his face.

“You okay?”

I swallowed a mouthful of coffee, slightly burning my taste buds, but shrugged. “Yeah, just had a hard time getting to sleep.”

He frowned. “When did you last have an easy time falling asleep?”

I shook my head. We both knew the answer to that. In Connecticut, when I’d slept with Cooper. But I’d lived for years without the man, and I’d get tired enough to start sleeping again without him around.

“I’ve got passes for a VIP screening. Want to go see a movie this weekend?”

“I should work.” My focus at the office had been off, and I needed to catch up.

“Callie, you have to do something other than go to the office and mope all the time. Come out for drinks, or watch a movie, orsomething.It’s not healthy to be like this.” His hand swept up and down, indicating me.

I looked down. I was wearing the shorts and T-shirt I normally slept in, with an open robe over top. If Darcy had a guest over, I’d tie up the robe. “What?”

“You’re losing weight.”

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