AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER25
Calista shook her head at her phone. Nope, no grade depended on brainstorming with Dodo. Dodo could email the idea, and she’d consider it. Then again, he’d said, ‘down’ and that meant the conference room by the lockers. She may run into Ronan, then she could skip afternoon class, and go with him back to his place before he had to leave for his away game. Her lips curved up, and her heart did a happy patter.
What was she thinking? She didn’t even know if Ronan wanted her to stay over again. Being together didn’t necessarily mean under the same roof. She was presuming, but she did need to finish his treadmill. She couldn’t help a little skip as she shifted her feet in the direction of the tunnel. Calista reached the conference room adjacent to the team locker room, opened the door, and slipped in.
Fluorescent lights glowed, and deep-voiced chatter met her. Her feet stumbled to a stop.
Dodo stood at the front of the room below the overhead screen. That wasn’t what stopped her.
The room was packed full of players chugging blue sports drinks and talking all at once. Each side of the table held eleven seats with additional spots on the end. Normally, the room felt large, now it was cramped.
Calista backed up a step.
The room quieted as all the players’ eyes caught sight of her.
“There she is, knew she’d get here eventually,” Dodo said to Willow, as if Calista were late.
Was she late? Calista resisted the urge to check her schedule on her phone. She would have remembered an all-team meeting.
Willow sat at the head of the table in a red tank dress, her lips pouting. “I can handle the party. January’s almost over, and we’ve scheduled it for this weekend. We need to move on the planning.” She turned to Calista. “I got this, you can go back to…you know, your stuff.”
Calista simply didn’t have it in her to give Willow anything she wanted. Not when Willow had hurt both her sister and her cousin. At first, Calista had only blamed Warren. When he had been dating her sister, he was the one who had cheated. Willow hadn’t been the one to make promises. But after Willow had gotten together with Dodo. Well, Willow had been actual friends with Dahlia at the time. And Dodo and Dahlia had been publicly engaged. There had been no excuse. The combined factors hardened her against Willow.
Calista shook her head. “I have plans for the January birthday bash.” Ooh, she should tone down her language and their expectations.
“Elaborate,” Dodo said.
Her throat dried up. Okay, she didn’t exactly have plans. Yet. But she had thoughts. One thing she’d done was order the guys overstuffed, wide, leather massage chairs for in here. Who didn’t like a big comfy chair? They were all looking at her. She had to say something. Embarrassed heat flushed through her.
She could delay explaining by darting out to find Dahlia, that would work. She tilted her head and eased back a step.
Calista caught Ronan’s encouraging gaze. He wanted to hear what she had to say. That was nice. The embarrassed heat inside her shifted to a fluttery warmth. Truth was, she didn’t want to run out and look unprofessional in front of him. Ronan needed to know she could handle herself. Which she could, couldn’t she? Calista took a breath and tilted her chin up the way Dahlia did when confronting Dodo.
She also reached for her inner Olivia to throw logic at the thirty percent owner. “You want me to say what Liam’s birthday plans are? Won’t that spoil the surprise?” Her stomach flipped as the eyes in the room stayed on her.
“We just want to make sure you’re on top of it,” Dodo said in a condescending manner.
He had only just given her the task. Did he want a diorama? Her annoyance eased some of her nerves.
Dodo winked and made a finger gun at Liam. “Liam is one of my starters.”
She knew that.
“Give us something,” Willow said, speaking slowly as if Calista had an IQ functioning problem.
Calista stared her down. Fighting with her in the Mer-bar aquarium had been easier.
Jerry rolled his chair back and the base squeaked. “Do I have to be here for this?”
Calista’s gaze lit on the wheels. She could fix that noise, and she would before they donated these old chairs.
Dodo nodded.
Why was Dodo pressuring her? Did Dodo want to take the planning away and give all special events to Willow? If he’d simply emailed that Willow was handling the party in the first place, Calista wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But now that the event was assigned to her, she wasn’t giving control back. Was he nuts? Did he not understand how women worked at all? “I can tell you, I’ve decided on new chairs for in here, big recliners, in honor of Liam.”
Eyes blinked at her.
Why weren’t they clapping? They were always on about their muscle aches. “Leather massage chairs, a gift for everyone to commemorate Liam’s birthday.”
