Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
PARKER
“Alex told me, but I needed to see for myself.” Ciara leaned against my desk and pinned me with a stare. “You’ve been holding out, girl.”
I jolted back in my chair, my hand automatically going to Falkor’s head. “What?”
“You and Callum! This is a thing that is happening, and you haven’t told the group.”
Heat licked its way up my cheeks, and I couldn’t stop myself from glancing toward the back, where the man in question was currently doing inventory. “We’re taking things slow. We haven’t had any discussion about defining anything. Bringing it up in the group chat felt like making it some kind of official.”
Her grin spread wider. “Pretty sure announcing to his business partners that you snogged him made you some kind of official.”
“Gah!” I buried my face in my hands. This was not how I’d planned for this to reach my friends. Though, of course, I should’ve known Alex would’ve told her. Honestly, it had been slightly more than a week. I was surprised it had taken her this long to call me on it.
“Whatever stage you two are at, you officially have plans for the night.”
I eyed her with caution. “We do?”
“Aye. It’s time for the monthly dinner.”
“What monthly dinner?”
“The squad dinner. It rotates between mine and Alex’s place and my brother, Ewan, and his fiancée Isobel’s house, once or twice a month. Callum has skipped the last three, so I’m here to be sneaky-sneaky and issue the invitation, because if you say yes, he has to go.”
“That doesn’t seem entirely fair.”
Ciara only laughed. “I never said anything about playing fair. So you’ll come?”
Okay, yes, we’d spent basically every evening together since that toe-curling kiss in his office, but that didn’t mean I had the right to make decisions for him. “I?—”
“He’s missed, and we want to see you, too. Plus, Isobel is dying to meet you. You’ll love her. Besides, if you don’t come, it’ll throw our numbers off. Please say yes!”
My mouth opened to say I needed to ask Callum, but what came out instead was, “I suppose we will. What can we bring?”
Wait, no! You can’t speak for him like you’re a real couple!
“Oh, grab a bottle of wine or some beer. Whatever is fine. We’ll see you at six at my house.” Before I could gather my wits, she waggled her fingers and flounced out the door.
I looked at my dog. “Oh, boy.”
Falkor wagged his tail, his brown eyes alight as if to say, “I get to go, too, right?”
Callum came down the hall. “Was that Ciara?”
“It was.”
He frowned as he took in my expression. “Why do you have that look on your face?”
“Um.” Unaccountably nervous, I wrapped my arm around Falkor to dig my fingers into the thicker fur at his chest. “Don’t get mad.”
“Why would I get mad?”
“I think we just got shanghaied into dinner. Apparently, there’s some kind of squad dinner thing you’ve been avoiding. And Ciara just did an end run and kind of browbeat me into it, assuming I could answer for you, in a couply kind of way.” I winced. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make assumptions, I just didn’t know how to say no. She manipulated my Southern sense of the polite.”
Rather than irritation, his grey eye warmed, and the corner of his mouth kicked up in a half smile. “Boxed you in right neatly, didn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s a devious little minx. Her brother’s the same.” He shrugged. “Well, I couldn’t avoid it forever. It’ll be better having you with me. What time are we meant to be there?”
He wasn’t upset. The knot in my gut relaxed, and so did my fingers on the dog. “Six. We’re supposed to bring wine or beer or something.”
“Okay, then we’ll go. But we canna stay late. We’ve got an early start in the morning.”
I beamed at him. “I know. I’m really excited about our hike.”
“Weather should be fine for it, by Scottish standards.”
“Meaning pack for three seasons?”
He tapped the end of my nose. “You’ve been paying attention. Go on and wrap whatever you need to here. I’ll give you a lift home, then pick you up five ’til six for dinner.”
That didn’t give me long to get ready, but it would be more time than if I walked home. “Sounds good.”
But when I stood in front of my closet forty-five minutes later, I was struck by an unreasonable nervousness. This dinner felt like our first official appearance as a couple. Which was stupid. We hadn’t defined ourselves as such. We were just… seeing each other. Still, I wanted to look nice, and I had no idea what to wear. Not that my options were extensive. I had only what I’d packed, which skewed heavily toward layers and outdoorwear, with a handful of nicer things filed under the heading of just in case .
Before I could overthink it, I called Jade.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
As her voice came over the line, I tucked the phone between my ear and my shoulder. “Hello to you, too.”
“Sorry. Hi. You’re calling outside your pre-scheduled time.”
“I am. And I’m fine, but I do need your help. I’ve got this dinner tonight.”
“A dinner?”
“Yeah, it’s a thing.” Way to be descriptive, Parker.
“A thing?” she repeated. “Like a date thing?”
“Kind of like a group date thing? Sort of.”
The suspicion in her tone turned to interest. “Girl, are you dating somebody?”
“Sorta. Maybe? Kinda.” I couldn’t think of any other way to describe whatever I was doing with Callum. Trying not to climb him like a tree was not, in fact, a relationship status, even if it was accurate.
“Tell. Me. Everything.” But the demand came out as bestie, not bodyguard, and it made me ache with missing her.
“It’s new. Like, really new. We haven’t defined anything, but we’ve got this group dinner with his friends. I want to make a good impression, but I have no idea what to wear.”
I heard her clap and rub her hands together in glee. “I’ve got you, boo. Is this an eating out sort of dinner or an eating in?”
“Eating in at someone’s house. We’re tasked with bringing booze.”
“So this isn’t like a fancy, sent an engraved invitation sort of shindig.”
I laughed. “Definitely not. I gather this is a recurring, round-robin style sort of dinner.”
“Their version of a cookout, then. You want casual and cute. You packed the lavender V-neck long-sleeved T-shirt, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Your boobs look amazing in that shirt. Pair it with the gray flyaway cardigan and jeans. Or those black stretchy pants, if you’re feeling fancy.”
“Pretty sure those are in the laundry, so jeans it is. Thanks, J.”
“No problem. I haven’t heard you sound this nervous-excited since that New Year’s Eve gala you went to with Harry Bronson.”
I winced and put her on speakerphone so I could change. “God, I hope this turns out better than that.”
“Bronson ended up being a douchecanoe, but you did look incredible that night.”
“I don’t think he appreciated the sparkly Chuck Taylors I wore with my evening gown.”
“Shut up. You were adorable.” She paused. “It sounds like you really like this guy.”
I dragged my shirt over my head. “I do. He’s… not like the other guys I’ve dated.” Not that there had been many. Between my fibro and my family ties, I’d led a remarkably sheltered life for being twenty-seven.
“Where’d y’all meet?”
I was hardly going to admit he was one of my bosses. “Nice try, J. I’ve gotta go. Talk soon, okay?”
“Fine. And Parker?”
“Yeah?”
“Have a good time.”
I had just enough time to finish changing clothes and freshening my makeup and hair before Callum arrived. The slow survey he made of me from my head to my toes and back again had every inch tingling. And that was before he stepped up to curl a careful hand along my ribs, neatly avoiding the tender spots on my hips. “You look beautiful.”
Whatever super articulate response I might have made melted out of my ears when he lowered his mouth to mine in a lingering kiss that was no doubt designed to leave me muzzy headed and revising our plans for the night. It almost worked. Almost.
“You’re unfairly good at that,” I murmured, body pressed to his, fingers curled into the front of his navy button-down shirt. “But we’re still going to dinner.”
He hummed a note of acquiescence. “Was worth a try.”
“Please feel free to try at every available opportunity.”
Callum chuckled, sliding his hand around to the small of my back in a touch that shouldn’t have branded me but did, anyway. “After you.”
My brain didn’t kick fully back online until we loaded Falkor into the backseat. “Oh! We forgot the wine.”
“I didn’t.”
A few minutes later, Callum parked behind Finn’s truck in front of the cottage that I gathered must be where Alex and Ciara lived. Multiple other vehicles were in the drive and at the curb. At five after six, I had to fight the instinctive feeling that we were late. We hadn’t spent that long kissing. It was fine. This was fine.
Callum came around to open my door and sprang Falkor from the back. He went brows up as I slid out of my seat. “Okay?”
“Fine.” But even I didn’t believe myself.
He had a bottle of something tucked in one arm, but took my free hand with his and led me up the front walk. Butterflies struck up a synchronized aeronautic routine in my stomach. The front door flew open before either of us could knock, and Ciara beamed. “You’re here! Welcome. Come in. Mind your step. We’re still unpacking a bit.”
The moment we stepped through the door, the scent of wood and fresh lavender enveloped us. The main room—the lounge, I’d learned they called it over here—had richly colored walls and exposed beams along the ceiling. A stone fireplace dominated the space, surrounded by comfortable, well-worn furniture, with a multitude of the obligatory tartan pillows. There were still boxes stacked in the corners, but it was already a warm and inviting room. The kind of place that made you want to curl up on the sofa with a book and a mug of cocoa. As we followed Ciara through the space, I noted that one wall was dominated by photographs. I caught glimpses of sun-drenched landscapes and smiling faces, several of which I recognized. There were at least a dozen of Ciara and Alex. Candid moments that captured the essence of their relationship.
The lounge opened into the kitchen, where every horizontal surface seemed to be covered with food. A massive white dog that made Falkor look small nosed the edge of a charcuterie board.
“Havoc, no! Out!” A blonde woman who looked vaguely familiar waved her hands toward the open back door. “Out. You know better than to counter graze.”
With a slow blinking look of affront, the big dog sighed and lumbered out the door. I saw Maeve streak by, nipping at him in an effort to start a game of chase.
“Falkor is welcome to go play in the back garden,” Ciara added. “Havoc would no doubt appreciate assistance in distracting the chaos monster.”
My faithful pooch had sat obediently beside me, his dark gaze taking in everything and everyone, his tail the only sign of his vibrating excitement. “You wanna go play, baby?”
He looked up at me with hopeful eyes.
“Go on out. You can go play. I’m good.”
He took two dancing steps toward the door before he came back and whined.
“Go play. Make friends.” I waved him away.
Falkor looked up at Callum.
“I’ve got her.”
Damn if that rumble of a promise didn’t make me shiver. Evidently satisfied that I was covered, my pup gave both our hands a lick and pranced out the door.
That was when I realized two things: Callum and I were still holding hands, and we were being stared at.
“Right, I should make introductions.” Ciara gestured to a hulking guy I recognized from the pub. “This is my big brother, Ewan, and his fiancée, Isobel. This is Parker.”
The blonde tucked at his side beamed. “I’ve so been looking forward to meeting you.”
I shook her offered hand. “Nice to meet you.” There was something about that face. “Has anybody ever told you that you look an awful lot like Elizabeth Duncan, the violinist?”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“There’s a reason for that,” Isobel said. “I am Elizabeth Duncan.”
My mouth dropped open. “Holy shit. That’s… wow.” This woman was literally world famous. “I love your music.”
“Thank you.”
Because Callum still had a grip on my hand, I gravitated back to his orbit. At this point, I wasn’t sure if the contact was for him or me, but I wasn’t about to complain.
Ewan toasted the pair of us with the bottle in his hand. “Nice of you to finally join us, Quinn. I see it took a woman to get you out of hiding.”
Feeling protective of Callum, I tucked closer, ready to come to his defense. But Callum only chuckled, the vibration of it seeping into me where his chest pressed against my back. “Nah. I heard it would be open season on Finn as the lone single guy. Didn’t want to miss my shot.”
As more laughter broke out around the room, I could only focus on what he’d said. The lone single guy. As if Callum didn’t consider himself single anymore. Did that make us…?
I looked over my shoulder and caught his eye. There went the corner of his mouth again.
“Did I hear my name?” Finn came ambling into the room. “See! There it is! He’s doing it again. Someone get a camera.”
Callum didn’t tear his gaze from mine. “Shut up, Patterson.”
And that was when I knew tonight was going to go just fine.