AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Weston interrupts my confused thoughts by saying, “You have the wrong idea, Callum. Not that we need to defend ourselves, but this looks a lot more suggestive than it was.” His voice is raspy from sleep, and it only makes him sexier. Then he tacks on a comment that makes me wonder what on earth he means. “I’ll need you to help me fix a tree today.”
Not knowing what else to say, I tell them, “Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.” And I spin around to head back to the kitchen. What is wrong with me? Why does my chest hurt like this?
Behind me, Weston asks in a groggy voice, “Would you mind letting the dogs out? I need to take a piss, and I bet Petra would like to put some clothes on. And thanks for breakfast. We’ll be right down.”
He says “we” like they’re already a couple or something, and I’ve never felt so left out. At least the dogs all seem to like me; they beat me down the stairs in a mad rush to the kitchen door. Tails are wagging—well, except for tailless Dave, who makes up for it by hopping up and down. And their happy faces greet me eagerly as they wait for me to let them out.
Ten minutes later, I’m dishing up freshly made waffles and plating omelets as Petra and Weston wander into the kitchen, still looking sleepy. I don’t want to think of why they didn’t get much sleep.
“Oh my God, Callum,” Petra exclaims. “This looks amazing! You went to a lot of trouble for us.” She comes up behind me and hugs me. The feel of her almost makes me feel a little better, but then I hope it isn’t some kind of a consolation hug for the loser in the room.
“Wow, thanks, Callum!” Weston says with a brilliant smile as I hand him his plated omelet. His big brown eyes look to be full of amusement and happiness, but then he gives me a wink that makes my insides melt. He’s so cocky; he came to breakfast in jeans and still shirtless. I mean… I know it’s his home and all, but he seems to be advertising just a bit. At least Petra put on a T-shirt and yoga pants. She sure has pretty legs and hair, and… well… everything.
“Last night was scary,” Petra exclaims as we all tuck into our food at last. “It was hailing here, and the wind was terrible. The thunder kept waking me up all night too. Did you get bad weather over in Crawfordsville?”
“Oh, um, yeah, we had a tornado watch, but nothing was spotted, so it never turned into a warning. That’s pretty typical,” I answer. “I was just happy I wasn’t out driving in the hail.”
“The tree I mentioned earlier was threatening to bust right through Petra’s window in all of that wind. It wasn’t safe for her to stay in that room. We need to see about trimming off a long branch that’s hitting the house if you’re up for that today. I should have done it sooner. I’m sorry, Petra.”
Now I’m getting a better idea of why she was coming out of his room this morning, but they still looked pretty couple-y. Anyway, it’s not my business. I nod. “Sure. Happy to help.” I’ll just have to see if she stays in her own room after we get rid ofthe branch. “I dragged a big tree limb out of my way when I got here this morning. It was blocking the driveway.”
Petra chuckles and says, “If we’re lucky, it will be the same branch that was hitting my window. Could be that the storm saved you some work. I did hear a lot of cracking and crunching sounds all night.”
No such luck, of course. After cleaning up the kitchen, Weston and I tackle the offending tree branch. It takes us a while to wrestle the thing down and safely away from the house. We’re both sweaty and covered in sawdust by the time we’re done. I wonder privately whether Weston would have preferred to leave it so Petra would be tempted to visit his room more often. I need to forget that train of thought. It just serves to make me feel grumpy.
Six
Weston
All through breakfastI can’t help but notice that Callum has his nose out of joint about last night. Well, he can just get over it. Being a gentleman and not doing something with her was a real test of my willpower. She was restless all night, and if that and the thunder hadn’t kept me awake, her light coconut scent in my bed and remembering how she felt in my arms while we watched the movie certainly did. I must have counted a million sheep to keep from fantasizing about her. My brain kept telling me,She came to your bed. She must want you too, but I know it was because she was frightened about the window breaking. And rightfully so.
I think Callum finally gets the picture when we have to haul down the branch outside. He seems to relax a bit and acts friendlier, especially after I compliment him again on the amazing brunch he fixed for us. I’m also glad to see that Petra pitches in and picks up the sticks and debris around the yard while we work. I think they’ll both make good roommates if only I can keep my attraction to them in check. The last thing we needis for someone to get jealous, although I’m definitely getting an interesting vibe from both of them.
It takes less time than we expected to handle the yardwork, so we decide to tackle rearranging the garage and then help Callum bring in his stuff. He doesn’t have much, so that’s easy. When we’re done, we leave him putting linens on his bed and head off to take showers. Petra says she has some stuff she needs to write down before she forgets. I guess that’s what it’s like sometimes when you’re an author. Strike while the iron is hot and all that. She must have been thinking pretty hard while she was walking around collecting sticks. And, as a matter of fact, after her shower, it’s a couple of hours before she emerges from her room.
Callum, on the other hand, has spent what’s left of the afternoon making a sauce and cutting up a bunch of stuff for our dinner. He says he’s making chicken Cacciatore tonight—whatever that is. Man, I could really get used to having him around permanently. One day of his cooking, and I’m already hooked. He’s also so easy on the eyes. I’ve noticed Petra looking at him when he’s not aware. She looks at him like he’s just as delicious as his food. I tend to agree.
“Would you guys like to watch a movie tonight?” I ask as we do the dishes after an amazing meal that we have outside.
“I’ve heard about a great series on Netflix,” Callum tells us. He explains what he knows, and we all agree it sounds great. “I’ll bring dessert downstairs while you get it set up,” he tells me.
“I’m going to go toss a ball around for Gus for a few minutes. He seems restless,” Petra says. “I’ll meet you both downstairs in a little bit.” She looks at the dogs and says, “Come on, all of you. Let’s go have some fun. It’s nice outside now.”
I can’t stop watching her as she heads out the door surrounded by a pack of excited pups. Her cute butt jiggling inthose yoga pants is something to behold, and I’d sure love to grab a handful of it. Callum catches my eye and smirks.
“She’s something, isn’t she?” I ask him in a low voice. His eyes widen as he acknowledges my question.
With a nod, as soon as Petra is out the door, he asks, “You think she has a boyfriend?”
Wondering if he’d like to take over that position, I say, “I know she doesn’t, actually. She can tell you her story herself, though. All I’m going to say is we need to be careful and keep a watchful eye out for anyone strange hanging around the house. She’s had a bad breakup, and it spooked her. I promised her we’d do what we can to keep her feeling comfortable and safe.”
“Oh! Things are making more sense now about the dog and the sudden need for a new place to live. I hope no one followed her here.”
“We’ll find out, I guess. You’ll want to get Petra to fill you in on more of the story.”
Seven
Callum
