by Coco Holland
“You always take it too far Tom.” I shook my head.
“It gets things done.” Berger stood up to leave. “You didn’t complain when I sucker punched our way to success.”
“You don’t have to go below the belt with her. She’s just a kid,” I replied. “And we would’ve been successful without playing dirty.”
“She’s not a kid. Besides business is dirty, Callum, you know that,” he laughed mirthlessly. “You didn’t get your hands dirty because I did.”
I didn’t want to argue anymore. “You’re probably right.”
Berger held his hand out, and after a moment of hesitation, I shook it.
“Have a nice life, Berger,” I said. “We had some good times.”
He wordlessly saluted me as he backed out the door, the thick envelope with the signed papers underneath his arm. And there it was the end. I knew this would be the last time I saw him.
He was right in a way. I sat on signing those papers too long, even though it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to deal with the loss of our friendship and with moving on. Despite what he did, I would miss him. Regardless of how it ended, I would mourn what we had. At the same time, his absence made room for possibility. I felt invigorated. I had no idea where life was going to take me but I knew of one person I definitely wanted in it.
What was life about anyway, if not love?
Chapter 13
Leah
I still thought about Callum. A lot. A day wasn’t over unless I felt some pang of sadness over him. The dreams were worse. They were happy dreams. I’d dream that we were together and then awake alone. I was miserable but life moved on. It was a shame my heart refused to move on too.
“My kid brother driving me to work in his first car,” I sat in the passenger seat looking fondly at Ollie.
My brother was doing well in his new role at the shop. He was obsessed with his new project, a junky looking car he bought and wanted to repair. I was skeptical at first but he was so enthused about it. I couldn’t help getting excited too. So excited, I allowed him to drive me to work in his “new” car.
“Brings a tear to my eye,” I said wiping away a fake tear before reaching over to ruffle his hair.
“I’m trying to drive you, dweeb.” He said laughing as he shrugged me off.
The car made a screeching noise as we turned the corner.
“Are you sure this thing is roadworthy?” I looked around anxiously.
“It’s nothing,” Ollie said dismissively.
“Hmmm…”
“It’s nothing I can’t fix, Lee…”
I kept my mouth shut.
“Mama says ---“
“Oh god, I don’t want to hear it…” I interrupted him.
“She’s sorry, you know, for everything…” he said carefully. “She’s cut off Freddie.”
“Too little, too late, Ollie,” I sighed. “There’s nothing you could say to make me forgive her.”
“She hasn’t forgiven herself,” he said. “You both lose. You’re two of a kind, stubborn ass women.”
“You’re too kind,” I said sarcastically. “It’s between Mama and me. And since we’re two of a kind, you aren’t going to win by getting involved.”
“Don’t I know it,” he said under his breath.
The sun was rising over the coffee stand when we arrived.
“When all of your night classes are done, you won’t have to work at this dump anymore,” He said reassuringly. “You’ll be a world-famous photographer.”
“That’s the dream,” I said, though I doubted it. I knew it was unlikely that I’d be world famous but it couldn’t hurt to work towards something I liked. I had dipped into my savings and signed up for some night classes. It had paid off so far, my digital photography tutor Ted offered me a part time job as his assistant at his wedding photography studio. While it didn’t pay for everything, it meant I spent less time at Pretty Little Thing and more time doing something I actually liked doing.
“You’ll do it, Leah,” Ollie said reassuringly. “There’s no one more determined than you.”
“Where you off to now?” I pulled out my bag from the back.
“Off to meet the guys,” he said. He smiled brightly at me. The world was a good place when he smiled like that. In that moment, I knew that I would do anything for him. That’s what big sisters were for. I regretted what I did trying to help him out but I didn’t regret my intentions.
“I love you, kid,” I said, leaning into the window.
“I know, sis, calm down,” he wrinkled his nose. “I’ll see you in like five hours.”
I laughed. “Well, goodbye, jerk,” I joked. He grinned and waved. I waved back and watched his car disappear into the distance.
I turned toward the stand. Another day. I sighed.
I knocked on the back door and Kate appeared.
“It’s you, me and Rachel today.” She pressed her lips together in a tight line.
“Ugh,” I groaned.
“I know right,” Kate agreed. “She’s not in one of her moods today, so maybe you guys won’t get into a brawl this time.”
“It was hardly a brawl,” I scoffed. “I’m headed into the changing room.” I held up my bag.
“Sure thing,” she said. “The sooner this day starts, the sooner it’s over.”
“You’re right about that girlfriend,” I agreed. I closed the door behind me in the changing room. I opened my bag to retrieve my lingerie. It was the purple set Callum liked. I smiled sadly.
I looked myself over and sighed.
You’ll get it right girl... One day.
I tilted my chin and squared my shoulders.
It was going to be a good day, I repeated the phrase over and over in my head.
I repeated it to myself again when I was back in the stand and a customer walked up to the window.
I made small talk and his coffee, and he stood there leering at my body. He handed over exact change and left. No tip.
“I’m glad we don’t pool the tips,” Rachel sneered behind me. “You’d be the weakest link.”
“Ouch,” I said dryly bending down to get more milk from the bar fridge in the back of the room. “Coming from you that really hurts.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She practically growled. I expected her to pounce but she spotted something from the corner of her eye. She paled and moved away from the window.
Kate saw her reaction and walked over to see what Rachel had been looking at.
“Isn’t that your rich guy?” Kate’s voice was puzzled.
“Rich guy? What’s his name?” Rachel demanded.
“Callum Something.”
“What?” I sputtered.
“I don’t know any Callum…” Rachel murmured, peeking out the window.
“Right, maybe your rich guy directory is out of date,” Kate rolled her eyes. “Look at that car. Oh, he’s driving right to the stand. Shit, I think he’s going to run over Jerry.”
“What?!” I repeated almost hysterically.
“Get out there, girl,” Kate scolded me. “What are you still doing down there?”
I jumped into action. He was here. For me.
I headed out the door.
“Wait, where are you going?” Rachel snapped.
“Rachel, shut up,” Kate said.
“Shut up?!” Rachel gave an outraged shriek.
“Yes,” I swirled around to face her. “Shut. Up.” I punctuated each word with a clap.
Kate looked as though she were about to burst out laughing.
“You can’t just leave, you’re on for the whole day,” Rachel’s eyes bugged out. “You can kiss your job goodbye if you walk out that door!”
“Always with the threats!” I yelled back. ”You can keep the job!”
I left before Rachel’s impending explosion. I ran out to the front of the stand. There was Callum in a tuxedo, leaning on a pink Cadillac with a dozen roses in his arm.
I fl
ushed pink at the sight of him. The expression of hope and love in his face making me feel like a million dollars, even as I stood there in the parking lot dressed in my cheap underwear.
“What did I tell you about this lingerie?” His eyes darkened with lust.
“What are you doing here Callum?” I asked breathlessly.
“I’m doing my best to look princely,” he replied. He spread his arms out wide
“How am I doing?” He grinned. “I heard you like pink Cadillacs”
“It’s a nice car,” I moved closer to the car. I rested my hand on the hood.
“Do these help?” Callum pulled up his suit pants.
“Are you wearing green polka dot tights underneath your pants?”
“Yes, do you think I’m sexy?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Uh…” Callum didn’t let me answer. He gathered me in his arms and kissed me. Thoroughly. Sweetly.
I was in heaven.
“Is that your boyfriend Leah?”
It was Jerry. He stared at us from behind the car.
I tried to step away from Callum.
“Stay,” he whispered against my cheek. He stared Jerry down. ”Buzz off asshole.”
Jerry lifted his hands and backed away.
“I need to tell you something,” Callum turned to me. He rested the flowers onto the hood of the car and held both of my hands. “I didn’t tell you when I had the chance.”
“What?”
“I’m in love with you, Leah.” His eyes crinkled at the sides.
“But—“
“I was hurt but not only that I was a coward and a fool.” He kissed my hands.
“No, I’m the fool,” I said. “I’m so sorry, Callum.”
“I know,” He cupped my cheek. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Would it be weird to say I’m glad you did it?”
“Why would you say that?”
“I needed to let the company go, I held on for too long,” Callum stroked my hair. “And more importantly I needed to meet you and I needed to be brave enough to let you in.”
“I love you,” I said, tears filling my eyes.
He hugged me again.
He smiled.
“I was hoping you did, now what do you say?” He nodded toward the car. “Take a chance on a struggling entrepreneur?”
“If you’ll take a chance on a wanna-be-photographer former bikini barista.”
“Former?” Callum’s eyes lit up. He led me toward the passenger seat. “I don’t want anyone else. Now come on. Let’s ride into the sunset.”
From the corner of my eye I saw Jerry move closer to the car.
“Nope,” Callum’s eyes were steely. My man was pretty intimidating.
“Come on now, I just want my coffee, man!” Jerry protested.
“Hey, asshole,” Rachel yelled from the stand. “Move your car!”
“I think we should go.” I laughed, a genuine bubble of pure joy. I don’t think I had ever felt this happy.
“Seatbelt on, darling,” he said winking at me. “We’re going to drive off into the sunset now.”
“It’s the middle of the day, Callum,” I giggled. “The sun isn’t setting anytime soon.”
“Let’s pretend it is anyway.” I melted at the sight of his boyish smile and hopeful eyes, and the forgiveness that laid in the softness of his gaze. The car and the tights, yes, it was all pretty silly. It was pretty magical, too. A little like a fairy tale, if fairy tales happened to girls like me. The best part? It was real.
Chapter 14
Callum
When you want to accomplish something, most people have a lot of advice and motivational words for you. Plenty of people are willing to sell you words. You couldn’t swing a cat without hitting a life coach or a guru selling you their expertise on confidence and ambition. I never lacked those things. I was born confident, and ambition was the natural product of getting things done. One project leads to another, and you eventually win more than you lose the smarter you get.
While the self-help gurus will wax lyrical on what it takes, they don't tell you what’s up there on the top of the mountain. What to do when you get exactly what you want? What do you do when you’ve reached the top of a mountain you’ve been scaling for the better part of a decade? You get a little bored. You get a little complacent. When Leah came into my life, I thought I just needed another distraction, but I just needed her. I needed to love her with all my heart.
I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life, but love proved to be the greatest risk of all. I think Mom would be proud.
“Mr. Donovan, Ms. Allen is here to see you.”
“Let her in please, Josephine” I said. I put the desk phone down and surveyed my new office. It wasn’t a huge fancy office overlooking Chaswick, and my company was a lot smaller. But I never felt more satisfied in my career. Since the acquisition went through and Berger and I went our separate ways, I decided to dive into another challenge, and I loved every moment of it.
The best part of it all, I get to see her every day.
“Hi baby,” Leah entered the room like a breath of fresh air. She lifted two takeaway cups of coffee. “Coffee?”
“Hey gorgeous,” I smiled back. “Put those down and come here.”
She sat on the table in front of me. The smell of her perfume, the nearness of her still took my breath away.
“I got something for you too,” I said kissing her. I reached down to my lower desk drawer. “I was going to wait until your birthday, but I want to give it to you now.”
“Why?” she said. She took the box into her hand. “What is it?”
“Because I’m excited to give it to you,” I kissed her nose. “And you’re irresistible.”
She gave me a sardonic smile. She put down the coffee cups on a nearby filing cabinet.
“Open it,” I urged.
She gingerly opened the present.
“Callum,” she said, her smile widening as she realized what was inside. “Wow!”
She pulled out another box. It was a black box with the word “Canon” written in large letters and an image of a camera.
“It’s the one you wanted, right?” I sat down on my seat. “The one from work you always keep talking about?”
“Yes,” she squeaked. “It’s the one!”
I silently congratulated myself on my listening skills.
“It’s only the body,” I said, apologetically. “I wanted to go with you to get the lenses.”
“Thank you!” she carefully put the box down on my desk. She let out a squeal before hugging me to her chest and burying me into her cleavage.
“This is a nice way to thank me,” I joked. My voice muffled by her chest.
“Oh,” she stilled. “Should I stop?”
“Hmmppfh nope,” I replied.
I felt her laugh vibrated through her body.
“Mmmm…” I darted my tongue out and traced the tips of her breasts.
She reluctantly pulled away.
“Callum, stop,” she chided me.
“We should lock the door,” I pulled her back and started nibbling at her neck.
“It’s locked,” she giggled. “And that tickles!”
That’s my girl.
“But we don't have the time.” She continued to my disappointment. She stood up.
“Come here you,” I pulled her onto my lap. “Now where are you going? We have always had time for this don’t we?”
I began massaging her shoulders.
“Oh god, that feels nice,” she groaned leaning into my hands. She shifted in my lap.
“Don’t wiggle around like that,” I scolded her.
“Why?”
“Because,” I pushed my crotch into her ass. I was hard as a rock. “This.”
“Oh, right,” she said, turning to look at me. She frowned. “Why did you stop? Keep going!”
I resumed massaging her neck before making my way down and--
“Oh!” she said looking down at my hands cu
pping her breasts.
“Callum,” she scolded me laughing.
“So, you locked the door, huh?” I licked the sensitive part of her neck.
“Yes,” she moaned. “But Josephine is right outside.”
I grinned at her. “Are you wearing it?’
She rolled her eyes.
“Yes,” she opened her blouse and smiled coquettishly as she showed off her purple lingerie.
All mine.
“Can you be quiet?” I asked. “Because if you’re quiet, no one will know.”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“I can be very, very quiet,” she said as she led me to the couch.
She laid back. Her eyes were warm and inviting. I sighed happily. I touched the blonde hair that tumbled around her face, and she looked at me with such love and wanting that I felt my heart swell to twice its size. When she looked at me like that, I knew that I truly was a fortunate man to have finally found the place I was meant to be. With her, I was home.
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