Claiming Callie: Part one (15 page)
Read Claiming Callie: Part one Online
Authors: Paige Rion
Dean glances up at her before he reaches a hand into the back pocket of his khakis and pulls out a check.
Holy flashbacks! At least it’s not in a white envelope.
He hands it to her and she glances down at it. It’s a check, written out to her, for $6500.00. Her eyes pop open, and she blinks at it for a few moments before she lifts her gaze. “How do you have this much money?”
“I have some funds set aside—”
“I can’t take this,” she says and thrusts the check toward him, but he pushes her hand away.
“I want you to take it whether you agree to this”—he waves his hand—“whole deal or not. It’s yours. No strings attached. As a friend, I want you to take it. You can pay me back once you have that hotshot job. I know it might not be enough, but I figured that maybe you could just sell some of your stuff, instead of all of it. That, and if you cut back on your spending, you might be able to wrangle up a full ten thousand dollars with the check.”
“But I…” She swallows hard, unsure of what to say. To say she is stunned speechless would be the understatement of the century.
“If you need some time to decide—” He shoves his hands in his pockets and his eyes search hers.
“No.” Callie glances down at the check again, then back into Dean’s eyes.
He must be pretty desperate if he’s coming to me for this.
But pretend to be Dean’s girlfriend? Go out with him? Hold his hand and…other stuff. What other stuff
would
be involved? Could I even do this? He’s like my brother! And I can’t imagine what Jinny would say. And—God—would Mr. and Mrs. Michaels find out?
No, of course not. Why would they need to know? This is just to convince one girl and the student body.
Her head spins, but the same questions remain. Could she do this? And did she even want to?
She glances up at him again, into eyes that sparkle with something unfamiliar—hope, desperation? Did he really want this Maya person so bad?
A lifetime of friendship with Jinny flashes through her head, and it’s not lost on her that Dean has been there for her throughout the years every bit as much as she has. He held her while she sobbed after her parents’ accident. He spoke at their funeral when she couldn’t. He helped her change flat tires, move into her apartment with Jinny, and redo her closet. He’s held her hand through heartbreak and scary movies. This man before her has been every bit as much a best friend to her as Jinny. And he trusts her with this favor. This request. He has never asked anything of her before, but how many times has she called on him? Maybe this whole time, she’s been far too selfish. And suddenly, she knows her answer.
She knows what she’ll do.
Part two is now available!
He's the man of her dreams. She just doesn't know it yet.
Dean Michaels has nothing to lose, and after all these years, he's finally hatched a plan to win the heart of his long-time crush Callie Cartwright.
Operation Get the Girl is on. For however long it takes, Callie will pretend to be his girlfriend in an effort to make his ex jealous and win back her affections. What she doesn't know is that Dean only has eyes for her, and his plan is simply a ploy to win her heart.
But with Callie's job hanging in the balance, her future uncertain, and the anniversary of her parents' death looming, Dean's scheme is one more thing adding to the chaos of her life.
Will his plan work? Or will it backfire, leaving him brokenhearted?
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