Page 10 of Breakaway Hearts

Sienna calls to me from her table, and when I stop and glance over at her, she slips through the crowd to meet the two of us near the door.

“Hey,” she says as Callie and I both turn to face her. “It was good to see you. I’m, um, I’m glad you came out tonight.”

“It was good to see you too,” I say, and as if on cue, Callie shifts closer to me, wrapping both of her arms around my waist.

God, she really is fucking good at this.

Sienna’s gaze tracks the movement, and her smile definitely has a pasted on quality as she nods to Callie and says, “It was good to see you too. Have a good night.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll see you at work,” I tell Sienna, and then I guide Callie out the door and to my car.

Sienna’s poorly-veiled look of jealousy burns in the back of my brain as I slide in behind the wheel and crank the key in the ignition. I glance over at Callie in the passenger seat as we pull out onto the street, heading toward her place.

“Thanks for that,” I murmur over the low sound of the music coming through the speakers. “You were amazing. I had no idea you were such a good actor.”

She rolls her eyes and snorts, twisting a lock of her red hair around her finger. “I guess. Honestly, I felt like I was so awkward most of the time, especially when I first showed up. But Sienna was either gullible enough or jealous enough to buy it.”

“Jealous?” I probe.

“Yeah, it looked like she was gonna blow a gasket when you put your arm around me.”

“Hm.” I tap the steering wheel and turn the heat on full blast. Callie puts her chronically cold fingers against the vents. “Anyway, I think you gave an Oscar-worthy performance. The guys definitely thought something was going on between us.”

“Really? I think they saw right through us.”

“Nah. You know how dense they are. Plus, they were all drinking too.”

“You underestimate them.”

I arch a brow at her. “What do you know about them that I don’t? I spend way more time with those guys than you do.”

Callie laughs but doesn’t offer a snarky response. I can feel her gaze on me, but I keep my eyes on the road.

“What did you want to talk about in private?” she asks softly after a moment. “I was serious when I asked if you were okay.”

“I’m totally fine. Kind of. You know, as good as a guy can be after fucking up a hockey game and running into his ex-girlfriend less than an hour later.”

“Fair enough.”

We fall into a comfortable silence for a minute while I collect my thoughts. I don’t know the best way to do this, but I’ve never been one to go into something with a fully-formed plan. Callie knows that. She knows me better than anyone, which is why she’s the only person I trust to help me now. I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and take a deep breath.

“Callie, will you do something for me?”

“Will you buy me more whiskey?”

“A lifetime supply if you want.”

“Wow. Must be a big favor.” She glances at me, and the lights from the streetlamps outside illuminate the golden strands mixed in with her red hair. “Still, I don’t know if I should sell my soul for alcohol.”

I don’t say anything for a moment. I maneuver in and out of traffic until we reach her neighborhood and pull to a stop in front of her ancient apartment building. Killing the engine, I lean back in my seat and blow out a breath.

“I have a crazy idea,” I say.

Her eyebrows shoot up, and then she makes a show of reaching for the door handle. “Alright, goodnight.”

“Callie.”

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