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Since the benefit, I find myself thinking about Callisto just as much as I think about Reid, and that scares me. The thought of becoming that invested in another person is terrifying. I dismiss my obsession with him as lust, but it still doesn’t make me feel better.
I must’ve written him twenty different Thank You cards for the painting. Every time I think I have just the right words, I second guess myself. By now he’s probably thinking I’m just ungrateful and rude. I keep making excuses to go see him, then chicken out.
Unfortunately, my time for hiding is up. Carlos has always been sort of a father figure to me and in just a few weeks—after six long, hard years of college, I will finally be finished. My mom and Brynn are planning a party to celebrate my graduation, and it would mean a lot to me if Carlos were there. Of course, I could always mail the invitation, and the Thank You card, to the restaurant but where’s the fun in that? I’m secretly craving the sound of Cal’s voice, his masculine scent, and perfect smile. So, I decide to hand deliver them both.
The moment Jaxon sees me walk through the front door, he smiles from ear to ear. “Well, well, well. Isn’t this a nice surprise?”
I slide his invitation across the wooden bar. “Party invite. Mark your calendar.” I hold the second invitation in the air. “Is Carlos here?”
Jaxon grabs the phone and informs Carlos of my presence. This time, I actually wait for the approval to go to his office rather than barge right in.
I walk in and he’s sitting behind his desk looking as powerful as ever.
I hand him the invitation and smile. “Both you and this restaurant have played an important role in me actually crossing the finish line, so I’d really love to have you there to celebrate with me.”
“I would be honored,” he says with a smile.
An awkward silence fills the room. I really have nothing else to say. There’s no other reason for me being here. Other than hoping to see Callisto. I’m not sure how much Carlos actually knows about what has happened between us, so I’m careful what I say. Instead I look around as if I expect him to walk in at any moment, hoping he is going to walk in at any moment. When he doesn’t, I can’t help but feel foolish. I worked myself up for a big apology, and I’m not even going to see him.
“He isn’t here,” Carlos finally says, an amused twinkle in his eye.
“I didn’t think he would be. But, the invitation is for both of you. If you both can make it.” I’m embarrassed at how insecure I sound.
The smile on his face spreads. “Thank you. I’ll let him know.”
“There’s one more thing.” I hold the card I have for Cal in the air. “It’s nothing special. I just wanted to tell him thank you for that night at the benefit.” I shake off my awkwardness. “It’s no big deal. It can wait.”
That’s a lie. It is a big deal, to me at least. Of all the times in the past I’d wished to avoid seeing him here, the one time I hope to find him is the one time he’s nowhere to be found.
He smiles a warm smile. “Hold onto it. It would mean more coming from you. Why don’t you get something to eat while you’re here?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine. Really.” Why do people keep trying to feed me? I swear I eat. Maybe it’s a quirk of owning a restaurant and a grocery store. You’re always giving people food.
“I insist,” he says firmly, and I don’t have the guts to refuse.
I’m two bites into my vegetable lasagna when Jaxon sets a familiar green glass beer bottle on the bar in front of the empty stool next to me.
I glance over at him and he winks. I look away from him just in time to watch Callisto turn the corner and slide onto the empty stool. He’s wearing black sweats, a hoodie, and the famous baseball cap, and he’s downing the beer like it’s his first drink all day.
“What happened to thou shalt not chug Peroni?” I ask, intrigued at the way his lips cling to the glass rim of the bottle.
He sets the empty bottle on the bar and looks at me with a smirk. “That only applies to those who haven’t just run three miles.”
If he hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known. The man is a machine. Anyone else I know would be out of breath and covered in sweat after that. I think about how I’d like to know what he looks like covered in sweat and breathless. Suddenly, I’m no longer hungry for food.
Then I remember the card I brought and snap back into the moment. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you.” I pull the card from my purse and slide the white envelope in his direction.
I haven’t spoken to him since the night he dropped me off after our dinner, but not a day has gone by in the past week that I don’t regret how that night ended.
He eyes the envelope, pinning it down with a long middle finger and guiding it across the bar. He lowers his chin but lifts his eyes to meet mine. “May I?”
“Please do.”
He slips a finger beneath the envelope lid and pulls out the black and white simple card. The message is short and sweet but speaks volumes.
“Thank you for making me smile when I thought I’d forgotten how.”
He studies my words just long enough to make me wonder if perhaps I should have gone with one of the other ninety-seven options I came up with. After a moment, he turns to face me, his gaze as dark and deep as the sea.
