Page 25 of He Loves Me Knot
“How do you mean? Airport security said they couldn’t do anything.”
“Yeah, but airport security doesn’t know where Sergio might be tomorrow. I do.”
Liddy turned in her seat as sharply as she could, wishing this was one of those times that her fused spine didn’t make it difficult to move like that. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
Callum’s expression was blank, and he shrugged. “I heard Sergio talking to someone on the phone while we were in line at immigration. He said something about some event he was invited to in a church in the middle of the country tomorrow.”
She gaped at him, her mouth parting.What. The. Fuck.She wanted to beat him with the rest of her ice cream bar. “Why didn’t you say something about that sooner?”
He polished off his ice cream, then set his hand on the shifter. “I didn’t think it would be worth mentioning.”
“Not worth mentioning . . .” How in the world would itnotbe relevant? He knew how upset she was and what that wedding dress meant. “And now you do?” Lydia asked, baffled by his logic.
The ice cream no longer tasted as good with his words. Was that why he bought it for her? To butter her up? Without the ability to dispose of it, she finished it, then opened the iced tea to wash it away.
He pulled away from the curb. “Yeah. Well, after hearing Elle so upset...I might try to look for that bastard. But seeing as nothing may come of it, and it’s a monumental task, I have a favor to ask of you in return.”
She should have known Callum was being too pleasant.
He’s still the same jerk from London.
“What sort of favor?”
Callum gave her a deliberate look, up and down. “You won’t like it. And to be honest, neither do I, but it’s the only chance I have of escaping the next week with my sanity intact.”
She crossed her arms. “I already don’t like the sound of this.”
“My mother is going to be driving me mad about Sophia for the next week . . . unless I show up happily attached to someone else.”
Oh. Man . . .
He wants me to pretend to be in a relationship with him?
She almost barked with laughter.Herwith Callum?
“I don’t know if Elle would buy it. She knows . . .”
“How much you loathe me? Yes, I assumed.” He turned a palm up. “You’re welcome to tell her, but then?—”
“You mean, if I agree to it. Because I would have to be out of my mind to agree to that.”Also, I clearly haven’t been that great at hiding my dislike of him.
His smile indicated he was losing his patience with her. “Of course, if you explain to her why you feel the need to repay me a favor, you may have to explain about the stolen wedding dress. Or, you could do things my way, potentially find Sergio, and attempt to get the dress back without her knowing a thing about it being stolen.”
Son of a bitch.
Was this even a tenable plan? Sergio wouldn’t hold onto the stolen dress that long, would he? But if they tracked him down in a day, it narrowed the window of time he had to get rid of it. And how easy could it be to get rid of a priceless heirloom wedding dress?
Or I could not do this ridiculous plan, then face telling Elle that I lost her dress and didn’t try the only ludicrous idea to get it back.
Elle. Who was clearly stressed as it was. Who would do anything for her.
Who had done everything for her.
When their mom had gotten into a terrible car wreck while Elle had been in college, her older sister had quit school—sacrificing her career plans—and come home to take care of Liddy and their younger brother, Kyle, because they’d both been in high school and needed the help.
Elle had also used the money she’d gotten from her career as a country singer to buy their parents a better house and get Liddy started in London—as well as paying off Liddy’s loans from college.
Acid rose in Liddy’s throat. That Callum had a way to help her and would only do it in return for a favor was despicable. “You know, as Quinn’s friend—and groomsman—you should help with no strings attached. Sorry that your situation with your mom sucks, but that’s not my problem. I could just as easily tell Quinn about how you’re trying to bribe me, you know.”