Page 21 of Bad For Me (Rock Canyon, Idaho 5)

“What do you mean? Who are you?”

“Rhett. You can call me Rhett.”

Callie paled. “What?”

“I’m the guy who’s been calling the station at the same time every morning for a year. I didn’t know how to just come out and say, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m the dork who tried to pick you up over the phone.’ I just figured I’d tell you when the time was right.”

“Hey, Callie, we need to get this show on the road,” Dave said over the intercom.

Everett held Callie’s gaze, one that said she’d rather gut him and throw him in the Snake River. “Sure. Go ahead and count us down.”

As numbers sounded in his headset, he tried to talk to her again. “Look, I have no idea what you must be thinking, but I wasn’t trying to pull anything. I was going to tell you. I was just afraid to scare you off.”

Callie raised her coffee cup to her lips and didn’t say anything.

Trying to break the ice that had formed between them, he said, “Considering how good you look glaring at me, I bet you’re even more beautiful when you really smile.” Callie missed her mouth, and coffee spilled down the front of her shirt. Everett was up out of his chair and rushing to her side before he could think about it. “Are you okay? Did you burn yourself?”

He reached out toward her, and she grabbed his hands, holding him back. “I’m okay.”

Her voice was shaky, but when he looked at her, their gazes crashed hard. Everett couldn’t stop thinking of her warm hands in his, and slowly, he stroked his thumb across her skin. He watched as her lips parted lightly, and she took a soft breath . . .

“You all right, Callie?” a voice asked in the headphones.

Callie jerked her hands away and slid her chair back. “I’m fine.”

Everett realized then that he was on his knees at her feet. He had been so caught up in her that he hadn’t noticed Ratchet sitting next to him, his large jaw open and breathing right down his neck.

He froze.

“If I move, is he going to take me out?”

“It’s okay, Ratchet. Come here,” Callie said, reaching out for the dog, who lumbered a few inches forward to lay his head in her lap. Both of them watched Everett warily as he stood up and walked back over to his seat.

As he sat, Callie spoke into the mic, her voice strong and steady. “And we’re back with the head of Stateside Support, a nonprofit organization helping our military personnel readjust to civilian living. They offer counseling, job placement, and a multitude of other services. Please join me in welcoming Everett Silverton.”

The sound of applause went off in his ears, and he looked over at the little box where two men sat at a large soundboard.

Pay no attention to the men in the sound box.

Everett chuckled at his silent joke. Callie was watching him suspiciously, like maybe she thought he was laughing at her.

The applause finally died down, and Everett said, “Thanks, Callie, it’s great to be here with you. I was just trying to get used to the headphones. This is my first radio interview.”

“Really? Well, I hope you enjoy yourself.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will.”

She glared at him warningly, and he suppressed a smile. She really was pretty with her scrunched-up nose and squinty, angry eyes.

Of course, he was probably treading on thin ice, so he didn’t say anything more.

“Good. Now, I know you were in the military, but can you tell us a little bit about your service? How old were you when you joined?”

Everett took a deep breath as memories flashed in his head. He’d spent years in therapy working through them, but they were still gut-wrenchingly painful.

Especially the ones with Robbie.

“I joined the United States Marine Corps when I was eighteen and was honorably discharged when I was twenty-six.”

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