Page 35 of Boss Abroad
I video call Callie from one of the bar stools at my kitchen island and lay my elbow on the cold marble counter to help me support the weight of the iPhone. That’s how spent I am.
I chomp away, waiting for her to digest my latest news while she’s on a monologue, repeating “girl” with every inflection imaginable.
“Girl… What?” Disbelief. She shakes her head, trying to clear her mind, and looks at me like she can smell something funny.
I give her time to process everything and try a pistachio biscuit next. Yum.
“But… girl, no, no, no, back up…” Confusion. To my surprise, her eyebrows meet at the bridge of her nose. She must have missed a Botox appointment. Calista is on a crusade against her imaginary wrinkles and I’m so not here for that.
Oh. My. God. Are these the best chocolate truffles of my life? Yes or absolutely? I nod to myself and let Callie carry on.
“GIRL, HOW? HOW?” Perplexity. Her pitch is high. Her nostrils grow wide, her eyes pop and I laugh at the scene playing in front of me before I try the dark chocolate bar and moan in appreciation.
“Ohmygod, girl!” Utter shock. Eyebrows touching her hairline. Yeap. She most definitely skipped the Botox. Good for her. But then again, I take notice of dark circles under her eyes and get a bit concerned for my friend. I’m gone for two days and she looks like she’s already taking extra shifts at the hospital.
I make a mental note to ask Preston to keep an eye on her while I’m away. I put down the jar of lemon curd I didn’t bother opening.
“GU-URL!” Okay, she’s finally smiling. There’s my Callie. Her eyes sparkle and I laugh, unable to match whatever her mad imagination is concocting at this second.
“Girl, I know.” I finally join in, then pop another truffle in my mouth and smile, recognizing the mischief on her face too well.
“Honestly, I’d ask if you made that shit up, but no offense, you’re not that creative.” That’s it. I made it in life. I’ve stunned Calista Maverick. “Even I am not that creative.”
I laugh so hard I choke a bit on my chocolate. “None taken. I wouldn’t come up with something like that in my wildest dreams.” I cough a little more and clear my pipes with a gulp of rhubarb sparkling water. Nope, that just ruined it. I put the telephone down to get myself a glass of delicious, normal, flawless tap water.
“Hey. What about the other Liam?” she wonders, and a twinge of guilt stabs at me for not asking about the guy first. Hell, one Liam is enough for me to handle at the moment.
“You tell me. I’m not downloading or going anywhere near Tinder ever again.”
Callie snickers and asks for a second to login to my account. Her eyes move from side to side, reading the messages on the app. She throws her head back, hollering. “He was there. He thinks you stood him up.” Her eyes squint shortly after and her laughter dies a sudden death. “Oh, dude got rude.” Callie huffs, exasperated. She recites as she types what she’s about to send him. “‘Hi hun, is your phone waterproof? Cause your fragile masculinity is leaking.’ There. Now block. Delete. Boy, bye.” She stares back at me. “But wait up, let’s go back to the wrong Liam. The sex was good?”
I turn to the sink to refill my glass and not face Callie while confessing this. “Oh, Callie. So much better than good. It was the best ever.” I miss it already. Has it even been twenty-four hours yet?
“And you still said no to another date with him?” I’m back to the counter and find her making that weird smell face again, making me feel like I’m being unreasonable.
“Of course I said no.” I do my best to sound as pragmatic as my usual self, when the thought of him makes me feel anything but. “He’s my boss.” Erhhh, but is he really? To be confirmed. It doesn’t matter. We’re still working together. “He thought I was an escort, Callie. He made other people at my workplace think I was an escort, too.”
I run my free hand through the long strands of my hair. “Arrrrrgh, it’s too complicated. Just thinking about the last two days gives me a headache. He owns the club that hired me to look after Max’s recovery.” Not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself at this point. “It’s too messy. It’s a no-go.”
She cocks a single eyebrow and gives me her dirtiest smile. “Hierarchy wouldn’t be enough to keep me away from the best sex I’ve ever had. Just saying.”
I don’t smile back, determined not to entertain this hypothesis.
“It’s not just that, Callie. Apparently, he’s a big shot around here. There are loads of stories about him online.”
She smiles a knowing grin. “Oh, I see. We did some googling, did we?”
Of course, she had to catch that. “Okay, fine. I googled him. Sue me.” I wait for her gloating laughter to subside before I carry on. “Seriously, now. Max gave me a ride to the stadium this morning, and some paparazzi followed us. He drove like a maniac to ditch them. And he acted like that was just another Monday.” That gets her worried. “Can you imagine if someone had taken pictures of Liam with me last night? It’s my career we’re talking about here.”
“’Kay, fine. I see your point.”
I move to the couch, dropping my full weight on it. The cushions yield to me, molding perfectly to my body. I hum wordless, undying love promises to the furniture. Settled in, I throw an accusing look at Callie before I ask, “Do I attract crazy people?”
She deadpans, unfazed. “I’m your best friend. There’s your answer.” She waves a hand in the air to dismiss me, feigning impatience. “Now stop distracting me and let’s circle back to Good Dick.”
“Good Dick is a no dick from now on. He’s my boss. He’s too rich, too famous and too old. He’s forty-two.”
She turns even peppier and annoys me much more. “And you’re broke and twenty-four! Opposites really do attract, ha.”