Page 15 of Screwed
“Yeah. Beau had lunch with your dad the other day at the Houston Club.”
“Shit.” She sighed. “Eat that macaron tower, I was just playing around with it.”
“Don’t want it to go to waste.” He wolfed down the cookies, then patted his flat abs. “Good thing I went for a run this morning.”
“Well, I guess I’d better clean up. After I do a few more pictures.” She moved a plate and snapped some more images.
“I’ll help.”
“You don’t have to. I mean thank you, but…” She met his eyes. “I’m fine.”
He nodded slowly. “I know you are, darlin’.”
They shared a slow smile, and Callie tried to ignore the sparks that heated her bloodstream. Damn. Last night she’d blamed that tug of attraction on all the booze. Today…she couldn’t blame it on anything. But it was wrong. Cash was a friend. In fact, he wasn’t evenherfriend—he was Beau’s.
When they had restored order to her kitchen, save for the boxes of goodies, she said, “Thank you for Mama Maybelle’s. And the help. And for looking after me last night.” She was still embarrassed that her memories of coming home were so murky, though parts of it had come back to her through the morning. Hopefully she hadn’t said or done anything that would be mortifying…like act on the attraction she’d felt. Ack.
“No problem. Glad you’re okay today.” He paused. “You ever need anything, you call me, right, Callie?”
“Sure. But I’m good.” She’d called on him too many times for help. She needed to learn to stand on her own two feet. Having married Beau right after college, this was the first time she’d ever lived alone, and she had to prove she could do this.
Macarons went into a glossy white cardboard box she’d bought at the baker supply store, and she handed it to Cash. “Here you go.”
“Hey, my mom’s birthday is next month. You think you could make a fancy cake like that for her?”
“Oh, I’d love to!”
“That’d be awesome. We’re still not sure what we’re going to do, maybe a small party. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, great.”
“You still set on getting inked?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head but said, “Okay, I’ll make an appointment for next weekend, okay?”
“Sure.” Her smile felt glum. “I don’t have much else going on.”
He stood at the door, keys in his hands, watching her. Then he nodded. “Okay then. Bye, darlin’.”
She waited in the open door and watched him walk down the driveway, bakery box perched on his arm, and climb into his truck. Then she closed the door and turned back into her big empty house.
Now it felt even emptier without Cash’s big presence.
She wandered back to the kitchen, which smelled like vanilla and sugar, two of her favorite scents. Her cake wasn’t quite as perfect as she’d like it, but she knew it would impress people. Probably not her parents. If she wasn’t married to Beau and a member of the Junior League and busy organizing charity balls, she wasn’t a true Sutherland.
…
“Happy birthday, Mama.” Callie leaned in to air kiss her mother’s cheek. “I brought you this.” The cake was packed in a big white box, and she’d tied a pretty pink and purple ribbon around the box and into a big bow.
“I said no presents, honey.”
“It’s not exactly a present. It’s your birthday cake.”
“Ah, Callie, that’s so sweet.”
“I told Daddy not to buy a cake because I was bringing one. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
