Page 53 of Keepsakes and Kismet

A smile softens the edges of my mouth. “Incredibly good.”

He nods. “Good. Can we hug again tomorrow? My morning’s free.”

I breathe out a laugh. It’s so clear, in his persistence, that he hasn’t done this in a while. I love this feeling, being wanted so openly without pretense. Without a game. And without promised intimacy, though I find myself wanting more and more of that with him these days. Whatever this is with Callum has unlocked feelings that have laid dormant for years. Feelings I didn’t think I was capable of ever feeling again. When I actually looked forward to being touched.

I sigh. “I can’t tomorrow, because I’m booked all day with work, and then I have a birthday party to attend. Rounding out the guest list and all that.”

Callum cringes. “Yikes.”

I shrug. “Yeah, it can be sad, I guess. But I like to think about this type of gig as a way to meet new people.”

Callum tilts his chin up. “There’s that positive energy I like, Pey.”

The casual nickname wraps around me like my favorite, coziest jacket.

“What do you think about the day after tomorrow?” I ask him.

“I think that the day after tomorrow sounds almost as perfect as tomorrow.” He rubs the corner of his smile with his thumb. “I’ll take it.”

Chapter 12

Callum

Unplayed Voicemails: (7)

“Surprise!”

I press my hands tightly against my cheeks, mouth agape, and bulge my eyes out dramatically in feigned shock.

I’m not surprised.

My family loves surprise parties. So much so, that on each of our birthdays, they’ve become regular parties, because we’re all expecting them.

I grin, appreciating the amount of effort Cait must’ve put into this. Her house responsibility has always been event planning, so the orange balloons (five-year-old me’s favorite color) are all her. And I know for a fact Clementine made the Happy Birthday, Cal! sign hanging above the mantle. Even though her spelling skills have drastically improved since she was small, she still leaves the “R” facing backwards—her trademark.

What does surprise me, however, is the number of faces in the room. The entire family being here is par for the course, but family friends are also scattered across the space. From where I’m standing in the doorway, I spot Clover’s idiot boyfriend, Jackson, and a few other faces I recognize as members of Carter’s gym. Scanning the rest of the crowd, I nod at Dad’s friend from work, Peyton in the corner next to Cait, one of Mom’s gardening club friends, and⁠—

What. The. Fuck. Peyton is here?

My eyes snap back to the corner of the room where she stands, an impish grin on her face. I thought she was busy. Wasn’t she working at some loser’s birthday party today?

Oh my God.

I’m the loser.

I quickly stop to greet most guests, saying things like, “Thank you for coming, Brad,” while secretly wondering who Brad is. After seven half-hearted I look forward to chatting with yous, my eyes zero in on my big sister. “Cait, can I see you in the kitchen for a sec?”

She hangs her head, trudging behind me. On our way, we pass⁠—

“Mr. Chung?” I ask.

Mr. Chung stands next to a tray of appetizers, holding a tortilla chip loaded with buffalo chicken dip. He pops it into his mouth, slowly chewing while staring at me.

Mrs. Chung joins him and gives a little wave. “Happy birthday, Inspector Galvin.”

“We’re very happy to be here celebrating with you,” Mr. Chung adds, sounding like he’s reading the words from a teleprompter.

“Uh, thank you,” I say absentmindedly, before grabbing Cait’s wrist and pulling her next to the refrigerator, out of sight.