Page 19 of Raise The Bar
Funny. Smart. Tall. Blond. Blue eyes. Beard. Dimples. Built.
Stop picturing Callum.
“I want someone who’s easy to talk to.”Like Callum. “Someone who makes me laugh.”Like Callum. “I want to feel valued and respected.”Like I feel with Callum. “And of course, I want to be attracted to him.”Like I am to Callum. “I want someone I can rely on. Someone who wants to be with me.”
Not like Callum.
I’m not going to lie to myself; the man does it for me. He checks boxes I didn’t even know existed. I feel like myself when I’m with him, but a brighter, shinier me. He excites me in a way few people ever had. I’m used to drawing the male gaze, but Callum sees me. All of me. And when those sapphire eyes are focused on me, I feel like he likes what he’s looking at. Not to mention I have never been this physically attracted to anyone before. When he looks at me with that sly smile, heat spreads through my body and pools between my legs.
What if Josh hadn’t interrupted us earlier today? Would he have stopped? Would I have? Or would we have slowly gotten closer and closer until no space remained?
“If that’s the case, I don’t think you’re asking for too much in a significant other,” she smiles kindly at me then continues with a glimmer in her eye. “Tell me more about Callum.”
Get out of my head, doc.
“I don’t have much to say about him,” I say with a forced laugh. “I can count the number of times we’ve met on one hand. He’s essentially a stranger.”
“Don’t you think it’s unusual that he showed up at your coffee date this morning? Could it possibly be because he has a romantic interest in you?”
“From what I understand, he has a romantic interest in a lot of women. Probably most women, if not all of them.” I try and fail to keep the bitterness out of my voice. Betty has warned me that Callum is a serial womanizer, but it’s so hard for me to believe it sometimes. I mean, yes, there was the leggy blonde on New Years Eve, but I didn’t stick around long enough to get more details about that. Have I seen the way women look at him? Of course, I’m not blind. Women stop mid sentence, jaws agape, when he walks by them. Still, anytime I’ve been with him his focus has been on me. I’ve never so much as seen him look at another woman with interest.
“And yet he hasn’t been attempting to date you, correct? Why do you think he’s going out of his way to help you when you barely know one another.”
“I don’t know,” I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest. “Repressed hero complex? Maybe he couldn’t make it as a firefighter, so he’s decided to help the hopelessly hopeless find love. Maybe I’m his metaphorical kitten who is stuck in a metaphorical tree. Maybe I’m not his type.”
I say the words, but don’t believe them. Sure, I may not look like the girls that Callum typically gets involved with, but I don’t believe for a moment that he’s not attracted to me. There are times when he looks at me that he actually smolders. The way the muscle in his jaw tenses when I say something suggestive, like he’s holding back a curse. How his eyes travel over my body with purpose, trying to memorize every swell and valley. How he keeps himself just out of arm’s reach of me, the same way I do from him. What would happen if we both stopped holding ourselves back?
“Maybe,” Winnie laughs. “Or maybe he wants to get to know you better and sees this as an opportunity to do just that. What did you say he does for a living?”
“I didn’t. He’s some sort of business…guy. He’s built a few companies. Successful ones, from what I understand.”
“Interesting.”
“Why is that interesting?” I ask. Winnie smiles at me like she knows something I don’t. She pushes her billowy pink sleeves past her elbows as she leans forward, resting her forearms on her desk.
“Did you make any progress researching the expansion of your soap business?”
Shoot. I had really hoped that I would dazzle her so much with the details of my eventful week that she would forget all about my other homework. Completing one of her assigned tasks should count as a passing grade, right?
“Um, sort of,” I say with a shrug. “I did a Google search. There are a lot of factors to be considered.” None of that was a lie, but I still feel bad that I put next to no effort into looking into the business expansion. In my defense, I had a lot of things on my plate.
“Of course. Dig a little further into it this week. Maybe ask your new friend for some advice.”
The thought never even occurred to me. Callum is obviously on a completely different level than me, but maybe he could give me a few pointers. My esthetics clients have all come through word of mouth–I’ve never had to advertise my services. But Callum knows all about running a successful business. I could ask him for some advice on where to start.
“I will run it by him and see what he thinks. What’s the worst that could happen?”
You make a complete and total ass of yourself. While he doesn’t seem set on pursuing me, Callum does seem like he wants to be my friend. Why else would he keep offering to help me? Maybe this will be a good way for us to get to know one another better that doesn’t involve him inviting himself along for my dates.
“Wonderful!” Winnie claps her hands delightedly. The movement makes her peacock blue beaded earrings jangle. “Take chances! Life is a journey and you are the only one who should be in the driver’s seat!” Her enthusiasm is contagious and her faith in me boosts my confidence. I can do this, I just have to accept the challenge. There is nothing I can’t accomplish!
I thank her as I make my way to the door and she stands to see me out.
“I’m excited to hear what you come up with. Also, I have a few more book recommendations for you.” She holds another hand written note out, but before I can take it she frowns at the list. Grabbing a pen, she scratches out something before offering it to me again. I give her a perplexed look. “You have proved yourself to be rather…suggestible,” she smiles sheepishly. “I removed the book about a reverse-harem. I don’t think either of us are ready for you to attempt that.”
Chapter 11
Callum
