Chapter Six
CALLIE
I was lost in a spreadsheet when a shadow fell over my desk. A familiar perfume teased my senses.
“Callie Winters, as I live and breathe.”
Meghan’s smile outshone the bright lighting of the cubicle maze. Her air of superiority filled my small workspace, and I felt myself shrink in her presence.
“Wow, Meghan?” I said, doing my best impression of a confident adult woman. “It’s been a while.”
“Thought I’d surprise you.” Her grin remained, but there was something tentative in the way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The motion looked strange on her.
“Mission accomplished,” I said, my hands flat on the surface of my desk, bracing for an attack.
I allowed myself a closer inspection of her appearance.
Her transformation was dramatic. She had ditched the long, wavy blonde locks, opting instead for a sleek bob that gave her an air of maturity and sophistication.
Gone were the glittery tops and denim shorts, replaced by a tailored navy blazer that accentuated her slim frame.
“Love the hair,” I blurted. “You look great.”
“Thank you,” she said, flipping her bob with a practiced ease. “So do you.”
She hovered awkwardly for a moment, then perched on the edge of my desk with a sigh. “Listen, about what happened freshman year. I just want to clear the air. Start fresh, you know?”
She fiddled with the delicate chain of her necklace. I guessed it was a nervous habit. Nothing I recognized from our dorm days. Then again, it wasn’t as if we’d been friends.
The whole situation was uncomfortable—for the both of us, apparently. I couldn’t figure out why she was making the effort. So, I gave her a nod and said, “Our first start didn’t go so well, did it?”
She exhaled. “It definitely did not. God, I was such a little bitch.”
I snorted, and she grinned.
“It’s true! Honestly, I don’t know how you didn’t claw my eyes out. But you got the guy in the end, so I guess you didn’t really need to.”
Yeah, I got the guy, but I wouldn’t have minded a friend. I certainly could have done without the harsh rumors spread across campus about me. But it was in the past, and for the sake of my job, I would leave it there. That didn’t mean I trusted her.
“All in the past,” I said, forcing a smile.
“I can see you’re not quite convinced. It’s fine. I get it. But just you wait, Callie Winters. We’re going to be the best of friends. I can tell.”
“If you say so, Meghan.” My smile was more genuine now. It would be nice to have a girlfriend. I had Marco, but now I was living at his place, I needed a break from him sometimes. A break and a different perspective.
“Great! What’s your number? We can’t very well be besties if we’re not texting about booze, boys, and boob jobs all day, now can we?”
Is that what rich girls did all day?
The look on my face must have betrayed my thoughts because Meghan burst into giggles. “Callie, ohmygod, I’m kidding! Not about getting your number, obviously. But you definitely don’t need a boob job. You’ve got a killer rack for such a tiny thing.”
Someone choked on the other side of my cubicle wall.
Meghan got up and poked her head around the corner.
“Emmett Price! Are you eavesdropping on my conversation with Callie?” She righted herself and came back to sit on my desk.
Emmett followed her in, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking sheepish. It was adorable.
With the three of us shoved into my tiny cubicle, there was hardly room to move. Emmett shuffled his feet. His eyes shifted between me and his sister, lingering briefly on my chest.
“I was, uh, just making sure you weren’t stirring up shit. I know how you can be.”
“Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
“A shit stirrer,” he deadpanned. Meghan simply laughed. He turned to me. “You don’t have to give her your number. That is not part of the job requirements.”
Meghan scowled at him.
“No, it’s fine.” I wiggled my fingers at Meghan, summoning her phone. She dropped it into my waiting hand. I entered my number and saved my contact info under “Callie ‘Killer Rack’ Winters.”
Meghan glanced at it, then back at me. “Oh, yeah. We’re going to be best fucking friends.”
Emmett mumbled something that sounded like, “Great, just what I need.” Then he frowned.
“What’s wrong, big brother? Jealous that Callie wants to be my friend and not yours?”
After all his teasing, it was nice to see someone giving it back to him.
“No, I’m not jealous. But I don’t even have your number. What if I needed something?”
Meghan spoke before I could. “Send her an email, bossman. It’s 2024. Everyone has email on their phones. You don’t need to text her.”
“I’m also certain that if you really needed my number, you could look in my employment file,” I said.
“Yeah, but it’s not the same.”
It almost seemed like he was jealous—like he was throwing a mini tantrum right here in my cubicle over his sister and her friend leaving him out. I bit back a giggle.
“Alright, bossman,” I said, exercising my newly acquired “best fucking friend” privileges to steal the nickname from Meghan. His head whipped in my direction and glared at me.
“Hand it over,” I said, repeating the same motion I used on Meghan.
“Really, it’s fine. You don’t have to.”
“No, no. After witnessing your little emotional breakdown, I wouldn’t want to damage your sensitive male feelings any further.”
Meghan was cackling now. He shifted his glare to her as he silently handed me his phone. I stuck with the standard “Callie Winters” this time around.
“Thank you,” he said. Then he turned and walked away.
I watched him disappear down the hall. Meghan’s eyes glittered. “Fuck, that was fun. You’ve only been here, what? Three days? And you’re already getting under his skin?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m getting under his skin.”
“Oh, you most certainly are.” She paused, sizing me up.
“He remembers you, you know? From freshman year? He asked about you as soon as we got in the car. I told him he was a creepy old fuck and then said some less-than-nice things about you. But he had full-on heart-eyes when I stumbled upon you two in the lobby that night.”
“No, he did not.” Heart eyes? No way.
“Whatever you say,” Meghan singsonged. “Okay, bestie, I’ve got to run. I’ll call you!” And with that, the whirlwind that was Meghan Price flitted out of my cubicle.
And, apparently, I had a new best friend and a heart-eyed boss.