Page 18 of Pinky Promises

Chapter 8

Callum

Ihaveonehandon the knob of the front door and the other holding my suitcase when my phone begins to ring from my pocket. “Fuck.”

I drop the handle of my luggage and retrieve my phone.

Brynn’s name appears. Last night, she and the girls left for the Crossroads Vineyard, where Ben and Lexi are getting married. I’ve never been there but have seen plenty of photos. Ben says that they don’t do the views justice, but we will have a gorgeous background for the wedding if the pictures are any indication. Ben had found this place a few years back and took Lexi this for their first official date. Yeah, he set the bar pretty high with their relationship.

It’s only about two and a half hours away from Willow Creek. The girls have a whole itinerary planned for getting ready today, so that’s why they left last night, whereas we guys are just getting ready to hit the road. Asher and Ben are on their way over to pick me up now.

Why is she calling me?“Hey, is everything okay?”

“Hey.” I hear the panic in her voice, and I hold my breath as she continues. “You haven’t left the apartment yet, have you?”

“No, I was just walking out the door to meet the guys downstairs. Why, what’s going on?”

“Oh, thank God.” Her voice instantly relaxes. “I have a huge favor to ask.”

I exhale as I throw my suit bag on the back of the couch and lean against it. “Shoot.”

“I was just going through my bag and can’t find the necklace I’m supposed to wear for the wedding. Do you think you could go into my room and find it and bring it up with you?”

“Yeah, sure. Just give me a moment.” I push off the couch and head down the hallway.

“Okay, I’m in your room. Any idea where it might be?” The combination of warm vanilla and brown sugarfills my nostrils as soon as I walk through the threshold. The scent reminds me of coming home. Even though Brynn has been gone since last night, her essence still lingers. She’s worn the same perfume and lotion scent since high school.

“Umm, I think maybe on top of my dresser or possibly in the nightstand.”

I head to the far side of the room where her dresser is. On top, there are a million things. Brynn isn’t a slob per se, but I think she’s still making up for all the years she had to keep her room in pristine condition. No one is here to judge her for her mess, although deep down, a part of me wants to tell her, “You know if you cleaned your room, you’d know exactly where it is,” but it’s better to remain quiet.

I move a few things around. The top of the dresser has some collage frames—a few of the girls and her at college, most of them I took. But my favorite one is the group shot of all of us from Ben and Lexi’s engagement party. It feels like a lifetime ago, yet the day is finally here.

“I’m not seeing it. What about in your jewelry box?” I lift the lid before she responds.

“No, I don’t think so. It should still be in the blue Tiffany’s box.”

I double-check anyways. “Nope, I don’t see it there either. Okay, let me check the nightstand.” I step over the items she left strewn over the floor. “How was the ride up there?”

I walk around the bed and first look on the top of the nightstand but come up empty.

“It was amazing. Oh my God, wait till you see this place. Ben was right; the photos seriously don’t do it justice. It’s gorgeous.”

I open the top drawer and quickly shut it.Nope, not in this drawer. There’s no necklace in there but definitely a small, teal vibrator—on to the next one.Dear Lord, please let the necklace be in the next drawer or the one after.Although, if I come up empty after that, I’ll have to reopen that drawer to search further.

Brynn is a woman—of course she would have a vibrator. At least she doesn’t have a plethora of them that I know of and call them the pussy posse like Hadley. That’s one of those things I wish I could just erase from my brain—some things I just don’t need to know.

I slowly open the second drawer with one eye cracked open, concerned with what I might find in this one after my discovery in the last one. I’m honestly not sure whether finding that should gross me out or turn me on—possibly a little bit of both. A small book with an image of a woman on the cover is the first thing I see.Phew, at least this is better—

Hold the motherfucking front door. This might be worse than finding her vibrator.

Is that Brynn in lingerie? What do they call those? Boudoir photos? Is this an album just of her? When the hell did she have these done? More importantly, who the hell did she have these done for? It better not have been that fuckwad, Spencer.

“Callum? Are you there?”

I cough and clear my throat. I slide the album to the side with caution, afraid it might burn my fingers or sound an alarm that I’m touching it. I see the corner of the blue box just behind the album.Thank God I don’t have to snoop anymore.“Huh? What? Oh yeah, I found it. I’ll pack it in my bag and get it to you before the ceremony.”

“Perfect! I’m off for hair and makeup. Love you,” she singsongs into the phone before hanging up.I love you, too, more than you know.

---