Claiming Callie: Part two (5 page)

“It
’
s a risk I
’
m willing to take.” He pulls a hand from his pocket, moving it around as he speaks. “Look, I knew it would take something drastic to ge
t her to see me as a regular guy. Right now she sees me as some kind of brother stand-in. That role is a tough egg to crack. This is the only thing I could think of. I can show her what kind of guy I am. ME,” he says, pointing at himself. “Not your brother
or her friend. But the real me. Who I am as a person, as a boyfriend, as a man.”

Jinny nods, understanding washing over her features. “You
’
re right. I can see that.” She moves forward and squeezes his arm. “I might still see you as my gross, idiotic littl
e brother, but I know you
’
re a good guy. You deserve the best. And, despite her issues, Callie
’
s just that. I hope it works,” she says, taking a step back. “If you need anything at all, just let me know.”

Dean nods in answer and watches her as she leaves.

That might be the nicest she
’
s ever been to me. God, what did that mean? Is my situation that hopeless? Does she really think I
’
ll get hurt that bad? She must.

Dean plunks himself back down in his desk chair. It doesn
’
t matter, he reminds himself. This is
his shot. And he
’
s going to take it.

With that in mind, he picks up his phone and dials Greg
’
s number.

#

In the end, Greg agrees to Dean
’
s idea of a story on them, coerced in part by the prostitution story they ran and legal repercussions. A few days pass
and it
’
s time for their interview. Despite their chat at Buzz, Dean and Callie have yet to really kick off their “relationship.” But today would be the big day. Today is the day Callie becomes his. Sort of.

Dean picks Callie up at her apartment. She gets
in the car, and as she does, the intoxicating scent of lavender and spice fills the air around him. He has no idea how this will go, but now that she
’
s here, in his car, his nerves get the best of him. He grips the steering wheel with damp palms, his mouth
dry, as if he
’
s just run a dozen miles. This is the beginning…

But the beginning of what? An awakening? Making Callie see what
’
s right in front of her? What they could have together? Or would this all implode like Jinny thinks it will and simply be the be
ginning of his heartache?

Gazing at her now, with flowing blonde hair that falls in a wave down her back, her startling blue eyes and fair skin, those rosebud lips—neither pink nor red, but rather some nameless, yet perfect shade in-between—he realizes his
heart
’
s been aching for the past seven years. What
’
s a little more risk? A little more hurt?

Because I could break entirely.

He swallows over the thought, because it doesn
’
t matter. This is his chance and he
’
s taking it. They have yet to introduce
themselves as a couple, choosing to use today as the official start to their “relationship,” which means after this his plan would be set in motion and there would be no stopping it.

Dean drives to Buzz, trying to figure out what to say in the silence of t
he car. Why should this be awkward? He needs to snap out of it. He needs to try and forget that this is everything he
’
s ever wanted. He needs to push aside the fact that everything is at stake here—his chance with Callie, his love life, h
is happiness.

The
pressure builds in his chest as he navigates the city streets, until he pulls by the curb of Buzz and draws in a deep breath. The tightness in his lungs eases just a bit. Clearing his throat, he finds his voice works. “You ready?”

Callie flashes her dazzli
ng smile,
as if it
’
s the easiest thing in the world. As if this is just another day, and her heart isn
’
t on the line—which it
’
s not, he reminds himself.

“Ready,” she confirms. “Dean Michaels. My boyfriend.” She laughs. “This is definitely going to take som
e getting used to, but we
’
ve known each other forever, and so we
’
re completely comfortable together. We can do this. Just remember. We
’
re in love. We need to be touchy-feely. We need to remember how we
’
ve been with people we
’
ve been crazy about in the past
.”

Like that will be hard!
“Touchy-feely. Got it,” Dean says, pretending his pulse isn
’
t jumping like a jackhammer. “We
’
re gonna rock this.”

“We absolutely are. Acting hat on.”
She starts to open her door.
“
Let
’
s go make some girls jealous. Operation Get
the Girl, take one.”

Dean takes a deep breath and follows her lead. He gets out of the car and extends his hand to her as she makes her way over to him.

Just act like you would if she were really yours. Well, maybe not entirely. If she were mine, I
’
d…

He g
rabs her hand, which curls inside his, small and warm. When he opens the door to Buzz, she glances up at him and smiles. They step inside, and the warm, bright atmosphere of Buzz greets them. The creamy walls and colorful décor—the familiarity of it all—he
lp to lighten his mood and take the edge off his nerves. The robust scent of coffee fills the tiny shop, and it only takes him a second to spot Greg seated at the couches in the back.

Dean leads Callie toward him, comes to a stop in front of him, and exten
ds his free hand in greeting. “Hey, man. Thanks for having us.”

Greg, one of the first guys Dean befriended his freshman year, shakes his hand and glances to Callie. His brown eyes are sharp. The eyes of a reporter. Ambitious to the core, Greg is one of th
e few guys Dean knows, besides himself, that has real dreams—aspirations beyond sports or boozing at college parties—and it shows in the way he scrupulously eyes them. He wears casual attire—a Panthers sweatshirt and jeans. His wire-rimmed glasses accentua
te his large eyes, but they
’
re kind as he turns them to Callie. “This must be the infamous girlfriend.”

The way he says it makes it clear to Dean that he
’
s unconvinced of the details behind their story. When Dean initially spoke with him about writing an a
rticle, he had been careful not to tell Greg too much, only explaining that he and Callie had been secretly dating for a while now, and he wanted someone to clear up the misunderstanding from Jason
’
s article. Dean knew Greg valued truth in reporting, but r
egardless of whether he bought the story or not, he would do Dean this one favor. Not only because of their friendship, but because the legal repercussions that could
’
ve been laid onto the paper were too great a risk. His handling of every aspect of the Pi
tt News only looks good after graduation if he keeps his record free of any major glitches.

“Callie,” Dean says, then glances to her. “This is Greg. He
’
s a buddy of mine, and obviously, the one writing up the article.”

Callie nods and says, “It
’
s nice to
meet you.”

“Why don
’
t you take a seat,” Greg says, motioning to the couch behind them.

Callie and Dean move across from him to the small love seat. Dean finds himself glancing around Buzz for signs of Maya and finds none.

“Where is she?” Callie says under
her breath.

“
I don’
t know.”

As if on cue, Greg says, “Our regular photographer couldn
’
t be here, so we had to find a last-minute replacement. She
’
s on her way now.”

Callie raises her brows at Dean, her eyes shining with their shared secret. He can sense he
r anticipation, the excitement of playing her part and helping him.

“Anyway, we
’
ll get started. As promised, we won
’
t discuss anything in regards to, the uh…” He clears his throat. “The recent article, other than Dean
’
s statement of how devastated you were
when it ran, not only for yourself, but for him. So, why don
’
t you guys start by telling me how you met.”

Callie smiles and jumps in before Dean even has a chance to speak. They had only briefly discussed this prior to today and said they
’
d just build the
story as they went. Now that they are sitting here in front of Greg, he isn
’
t sure if that was the smartest idea, but Callie seems to like the excitement of creating their fake romance. The energy vibrates off of her, when she starts.