Page 21 of Keeping You
But then she’s pulling away, scrambling out of her own car, and rushing toward her front door without looking back.
Chapter Seven
Callie
Istumble into the freshly aired-out Bluebonnet Café the next morning, sunglasses firmly in place even though it's overcast outside. My head is pounding like someone's using it for drum practice, and my mouth tastes like I licked the dance floor at Pete’s.
God, I can’t believe I stupidly thought fake dating Luke would make Harper angry. Instead of being furious that I might be attracted to her older brother—something she clearly took issue with back in high school—she looked happy to see us together last night. Kirk, on the other hand, didn’t. Not that I care one iota about him. I’m long past mourning that relationship.
The events of last night play through my mind in a humiliating highlight reel: the awkward conversation, the even more awkward dancing, the tequila shots, that horrible kiss on the dance floor, and then...
That unexpectedly perfect kiss in my car.
The best kiss I’ve had in… since kissing Luke in the back of the truck.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Ruby calls from behind the counter, her voice carrying across the nearly empty café. “Rough night, honey?”
I wince at her volume. “Something like that.”
“Coffee's fresh. I'll bring you a cup and my hangover special.”
I slide into a booth near the back, keeping my sunglasses perched on the end of my nose despite the dim lighting. The last thing I need is for anyone to see the dark circles under my eyes or the remnants of last night's mascara that I didn’t thoroughly scrub away. Caffeine better than I can make at home is my priority this morning.
As I wait for my salvation, I notice Martha and Gloria at a nearby table.
Martha's pinched expression screams disapproval as she whispers, “Dancing like that in public? Bless her heart.”
Gloria checks something in her day planner. “Did you sign up to bring cookies for the church social? Anna might need the business.”
Seems they’ve switched sides.
They avert their eyes when I catch them staring.
“Heard you were at Pete's last night.” Ruby sets down a steaming mug of black dark roast and slides a plate of greasy eggs and hash browns in front of me. “With Luke Caldwell. Martha's been in here clutching her pearls about ‘decorum in public places,’ while Gloria was more concerned about whether you'll both be volunteering for the summer reading program. Those two never miss a beat.”
I take a long sip of coffee before answering, the fragrant brew burning the back of my throat as I swallow. “News travels fast.” Even my voice sounds like it’s been through the wringer.
“Sure does, honey.” She drops into the bench seat across from me, her shrewd eyes taking in my disheveled state. “Marthaarrived at six this morning, practically bursting to tell me all about it.”
Of course, she was. Martha's probably coordinating a neighborhood watch program to monitor our relationship status, while Gloria's already penciled us into the Christmas pageant committee as 'Callie-and-Luke' like we're a single entity and hoping we’ll get our ‘decorum’ in order before then.
“It wasn't a big deal,” I say, lifting a fork and picking at my food. “Just two old friends catching up.”
Ruby's one eyebrow arches so high it nearly disappears into her black and grey hairline. “Uh-huh.”
I'm saved from responding when the bell above the door chimes. Hopeful that the newcomer will pull attention away from me, I start to breathe a sigh of relief.
But it’s short-lived, choked off before it’s even completed. The sudden silence that falls over the café is enough to spill the beans.
I wait. I don’t turn around. I don’t glance at Ruby because I know she’ll be watching much too closely. I simply sit, take another scorching sip of coffee, and pretend all is right in my world while I listen to the fall of his boots on the tiled floor, inwardly cringing as they draw closer.
I don’t glance up when he stops at the end of my table. He’s staring at me, though. The intensity of his gaze must be burning a hole through my skull. I sniff the air, surprised I don’t smell burning flesh.
Curiosity finally gets the better of me, and I turn my head slightly, just far enough to realize I’m looking straight at his crotch. And the bulge behind that zipper is… prominent. And the longer I stare at it, the bigger it seems to get.
He clears his throat.
Ruby kicks my foot.
