“Hey.” Tobias reaches out to stop me. He’s smiling, but I can see in his eyes that he’s about to say something serious. “I secretly always hoped she’d come around for you.”
“What?”
He nods. “For years. The tension between you two has always been electric, and it never went unnoticed by the group. Simon, maybe, but that’s because she’s his sister, and I think guys tend to not get that type of energy off their sisters.”
At that, I laugh.
“But to the rest of us, this is great. Really. Congratulations, and let me know if I can help at all or if you just want to talk.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll take you up on it.”
“See you later.”
“See you—oh hey,” I call out as Graham ends his calls and is following Tobias. “Did you ever finish unpacking your apartment?”
He shakes his head. “Six months later and no. Between deadlines and book signings, the idea of figuring out where everything goes exhausts me.”
“What do you think of paying Calla to do it?”
“To unpack my shit?”
I roll my eyes. “To unpack and decorate your place. Organize it. Set it up. She loves to do that kind of stuff and I think she could make a career out of it.”
A huge smile takes over his face.
“Ah, what now?”
“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “I’d love to hire her. Have her get me a quote.”
My heart hammers in my chest. If she doesn’t like the planner, this is a great backup.
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem. See you next Wednesday.”
I get in my car and rush home.
Calla’s car is here when I pull up. Of course it is. Now that I know she doesn’t have a job, she doesn’t have to pretend all day. Shit. I should have noticed sooner. I hate that she felt she had to hide that from me—or anyone.
I park next to her, failing miserably not to grin like a fool at the idea of always coming home to park next to her.
As soon as I walk in the front door, the scent of vanilla fills the air, and yeah, there is no hiding this smile.
“You’re home,” Calla says before I even have the door closed. She stands from the couch and turns off the TV. “I think we should talk about last night.”
She looks nervous, and even though I heard her, I’m too excited to wait to share my own news. On impulse, I kiss her mouth.
She doesn’t stop me, but her widening eyes tell me she wasn’t expecting it.
Her fingers touch her lips after I pull back.
“I have a surprise for you,” I tell her and hand her the bag with her planner. “I also bought you this.”
She slowly reaches for the bag and pulls out the planner. Then, she smiles. She sits back down and flips through it.
I swallow the lump in my throat because she never stops grinning.
“Why do I love this?” She looks up and laughs. “It’s a planner, and yet, I don’t know, it feels like this is exactly what I needed.”
