Page 35 of Raise The Bar
“That’s not a secret. It’s obvious that you had a great time; I’m excellent company.” She laughs at this and I prepare myself to be invited inside.
“You are and I appreciate it. Thank you for a lovely evening.” She starts to close the door when I’m still standing outside. “I’ll talk to you soon?”
“Uh… yeah. Definitely.”
“Good night, Clark.”
“Goodnight, Lois.”
She gives me a final smile before closing the door.
I stand dumbly at the door for a minute before making myself move in the direction of the stairwell.
What did I expect? This wasn’t a date, it was a business dinner. A business dinner where we didn’t discuss business once.
Chapter 20
Maggie
Acar horn from outside rips me from my sleep. I was in the middle of a dream that is still slipping away from me as I prop myself up to grab my phone from my nightstand. Eight forty-five? I slept in.
Still very groggy, I roll myself out of bed and stumble sleepily to the bathroom. Even though I clearly slept long enough, I’m guessing it wasn’t a restful sleep. I’m sluggish and almost sore which is not like me. Maybe I drank more wine than I realized last night.
Last night.
My evening with Callum comes back to me all at once. I wonder how he felt about me ending the night so abruptly. I wonder what he did after we said goodnight. For all I know, he could have met up with someone after he left my place, which is fine. He’s not your boyfriend, I remind myself. Still, knowing that doesn’t make the thought of him hooking up with someone else any less depressing.
Go after what you want. What if I want someone who doesn’t want me back? At least not the way I need him to. My feelings for Callum are becoming more and more difficult to ignore. I’ve never felt such an effortless connection to anyone before. And my physical attraction to him isn’t diminishing in the slightest. Hell, there were moments during dinner last night that I was tempted to launch myself over the table at him.
But then he answered my question about kids. It’s not that I got the impression that he didn’t want them. Having children is a big decision that people should be fully committed to. It’s a deeply personal choice. If he had said flat-out that he didn’t want kids, I would have at least known where he stood on the matter and appreciated his honesty.
But he didn’t confirm or deny wanting children someday. Instead, he acted as if he had no clue if he did or not. It was almost as though the idea of having a family had never crossed his mind.
I may not know what route I’m taking in life, but I’ve got a general destination in mind. I need to remind myself that despite the fact that we enjoy one another’s company, we are not headed in the same direction.
My phone buzzes as I’m getting dressed.
Callum:Do you know what I realized?
You’re crazy about me and are suddenly feeling like boyfriend material?
Me:What did you realize?
Callum:We didn’t talk about your business once at our business dinner
I can’t contain the snort of laughter that escapes me at this revelation. He’s right. We talked about almost every subject under the sun, but we did not talk about the soap business once. I take a minute to think of a lighthearted response.
Me:Oops
Leaving my phone on my dresser, I walk to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Morning routine complete, I go back to grab it finding another message from Callum.
Callum:Rain check?
I know what I want to do. I want to text him “definitely” and see him again as soon as possible. Just because I want to, doesn’t mean I should.
Before I can think about it further, the phone starts to vibrate in my hands. I smile as I see who it is and accept the call.
“Hi, Dad.”
