Page 17 of Screwed
“Let’s go see who’s here,” she said quietly, moving past her father.
More and more people were arriving, filling the spacious living room with laughter and chatter. She greeted her brother Josh with a lukewarm hug, then turned to her cousins, keeping a smile firmly in place.
When Griff walked in, she flew across the room to greet him.
“Callie!” Her brother gave her a long squeeze.
“I’ve missed you so much, dammit.” She sniffled and smiled up at him, her chest full of emotion. They’d kept in touch, but it had been too long since she’d seen him. “Whoa. You need a haircut.”
He shook his head, grinning. He now wore his long blond hair pulled up into a bun that she was sure Mama and Daddy despised. But she had to admit, it suited him.
She gave his shoulder a punch and whispered, “How could you leave me here alone with them?” She rolled her eyes at their family.
“You can handle them. Plus, you left, too, taking off to Europe all on your own.” His eyes crinkled up at the corners. “So, I heard Kristy threw you a divorce party.”
“Yeah. Crazy idea, but it was fun. How long are you staying?”
“Just tonight.”
“Damn.” She pouted. “That’s way too short.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Mama hurrying over to greet Griff, and then Mama dragged him off to see Grandma and Grandpa Sutherland, who’d driven in from White Willow Ranch. Callie studied Daddy and Josh Junior as they watched Griff with identical narrowed eyes from across the room. Yep, neither of them was rushing over to see Griff. Callie’s shoulders tensed.
She answered questions from her extended family about her European trip, as she hadn’t seen most of these people since she’d gotten back a month ago. She told them about the little flat she’d rented in Paris while working at the patisserie, the things she’d learned, the sights she’d seen.
Much discussion at the party centered around worries about the oil industry. The crash in the price of oil had definitely caused some turmoil in the Sutherland family. Although the price of oil had revived briefly last spring, it had recently plunged to a new low. The Sutherland fortunes weren’t at risk, as the family had diversified, but the economy in Texas as a whole was affected, and even Daddy was concerned about his real estate development business as other companies scaled back on expansion plans.
The doorbell rang again. Mama was busy talking to Uncle Aaron and his son, Callie’s cousin Nash, so Callie moved to answer it.
Her ex-husband stood in the doorway with a small wrapped gift in his hands.
“Beau.”
“Callie.” He gave her an up-and-down look. “Hi.”
She wanted to close her eyes and drop her chin to her chest. She hadn’t really thought her parents would invite Beau. But Jesus tap-dancing Christ, here he was. She couldn’t even make herself smile as she stepped back. “Come in.”
She could do this. She was over him. It had been more than a year since they’d split up and longer than that since he’d broken her heart. She’d been gone much of the last year, so she hadn’t seen him a lot. But she was over him.
“You look beautiful, Callie,” Beau said in a low voice.
“Thank you.” She kept her tone light. He looked good, too. He always had. His dark-gold hair swept across his forehead. His square chin, firm lips, and high cheekbones gave him an elegant look, and his body was big and fit in his tailored suit. Like Cash, he’d played college football, which was how they’d met, and he’d stayed in shape since then.
“I was hoping I’d see you tonight.” He kept his tone quiet. “We should talk.”
She frowned. “About what?” The divorce was final, everything had been sorted out by their attorneys without animosity or fighting, and there was nothing left to talk about.
“Us.” He met her eyes. “I miss you.”
“Oh right.” She’d already heard that from Daddy, so her jaw didn’t hit the hardwood floor. “I think you’re just confused.”
His forehead creased. “What?”
She waved a hand, smiling. “You don’t miss me, Beau. If anything, you miss being married. But you’ll find some other sucker, er, some other woman to settle down with. Now come on in and say happy birthday to Mama.”
She breezed past him and into the living room, heading for the bar at the far end, where she poured herself another glass of wine and gulped half of it down.
Eeek.She’d better control herself. She had to drive home. There was no Cash here to rescue her tonight. She turned to see that Beau had followed her. He was walking toward Mama, but his eyes were on her, his expression somber and thoughtful.
