Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rhett
I hear Callie and Olivia the second they pull into the driveway. It shouldn’t come as a shock to me. Nothing about Callie is subtle, from the rumbling red pickup truck she drives to her shining personality, she was born to stand out.
“I’ll just wait out here while you go inside to drop Maverick off,” Callie says from her spot in the driver’s seat.
“Okay, I’ll be right out.”
“Don’t hurry back.”
Oh my god. Is she trying to play matchmaker? She’s unbelievable.
Olivia hardly has time to knock on the door before I’ve swung it open. She takes a step back, looking a bit surprised.
“I heard you two coming from a mile away,” I explain.
“Oh, okay.” She blinks, revealing the soft pink shimmer coating her eyelids. It makes those amber eyes I’ve grown so fond of nearly impossible to look away from.
As she steps in, Maverick in tow, the cowgirl boots she’s wearing click on the tile. She’s still wearing her signature high-rise shorts that accent her curves and make her legs look a mile long, but she’s traded in her usual oversized t-shirt for a form-fitting red top that looks incredible on her. I want nothing more than to just stare at her in awe, but I’m cut off when she asks, “What are you two going to do tonight?”
I force my attention from her pouty pink lips to Maverick, the safest place my eyes can be considering the knockout woman in front of me right now. “I don’t know. Guy stuff? Most days on the ranch we bond over chasing cattle and peeing outside.”
“Gross. I’m glad I’ll be gone then.”
I glance out the window at Callie waiting in her truck, music blasting. With my front window open, I can hear Miranda Lambert’s voice all the way from here. “How are you getting home? I hope Callie isn’t planning on driving you after she has a couple drinks.”
“Of course not. We’ll just get an Uber or something.”
“Roots doesn’t have Uber.”
“Oh, well, uh, we can walk home if we need to. Roots is small enough.” She laughs, clearly proud of her own joke.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. Ignoring it, I offer, “Do you need a ride?”
“No, that’s okay. You enjoy your guys’ night. I was just joking about walking. We will figure it out. I think Callie may have mentioned something about a friend who works at the bar. Jax or Dax? I don’t remember. I think we might catch a ride with him though.”
Jealousy rips through me. I know Jax. He has a reputation for being the biggest flirt in Roots, maybe in all of Texas. And it’s a big state. No part of me feels comfortable with that womanizer hanging around Olivia.
My phone vibrates in my pocket yet again. And again. And again. I huff and glance out the window, knowing full well the only person who would text me this many times in a row is Callie. She’s sitting in the truck, pointing insistently at her phone, a bright and innocent smile on her face.
“Give me a second.” I sigh, pulling my phone from my pocket.
Callie
Want to come out with us tonight?
Okay I can tell from here that you two are totally flirting
Just give into it already
You want to come out with us. I know you do.
You will have a veryyy good time
Rhett stop being a stick in the mud and come with us!!
Please
Olivia wants you there too!
Knowing she won’t stop texting me until I acknowledge her, I groan and type out a quick message.
Me
We aren’t flirting. We are talking about how you’re getting home. I can’t come tonight. There’d be no one to watch Maverick
He can be on his own for a little bit
“Sorry, am I interrupting? I can just go. Callie is waiting outside.”
“No, sorry. It’s just my boss being an asshole like usual,” I quickly cover. “So, you’re a real cowgirl now, huh?”
“What?”
“The boots.”
“Oh, these old things?” She sticks one of the brown boots out for me to see properly. “I’ve always had these.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you got a lot of use out of them in San Francisco.”
“Okay, fine, Sherlock Holmes. They’re Callie’s.”
“I knew that.”
“Really? Do I look like that much of a fraud?”
“No, you look beautiful. You’ll fit right in tonight. It’s just a different look for you,” I hurry to correct myself. “I like it though.”
“Thanks.” She glances down at her boots, blushing, before looking back at me with sweet eyes. “Do you want to come out with us tonight? I know you have Maverick, but he’d be okay for an hour or two on his own. Plus, you could use a little fun. Leave your annoying boss behind and come hang out with us. I heard some band is playing there tonight. Callie is excited about it.”
How the hell am I supposed to say no to those pleading eyes? I want to say yes. I want to go dance with Olivia and end the night by finally kissing her, but I’ve already said yes too many times where Olivia is concerned. I’m headed down the wrong path, and I need to reel things back in.
Forcing myself to buck up and do the right thing, I step back from her, trying to pry myself out of her elusive aura. “I don’t really go to bars.” Her shoulders visibly sag, and it crushes me. “You make an enticing offer, though.”
She gives me a small smile, the slightest bit of hope in her eyes. She leans in toward me, grabbing onto my arm and looking up at me with big doe eyes. Her touch is electric, and my resolve is rapidly crumbling.
“Please come out with us tonight. Callie is the one who suggested it, so I know it’s okay with her. Plus, I’m a little nervous about being alone with her all night.”
Again, I have to put some space between us before I can tell her no. “You’ll be fine. You and Callie have been getting along really well. This will be good for you.”
“I’m sorry. Did you just say this will be good for me?”
“I may not enjoy bars all that much myself, but I think Callie is great and the two of you could become good friends. It’d be nice for you to have a friend here. You need someone to hang out with besides a grumpy cowboy.” The traces of a smile line my lips.
“Are you making a joke right now?”
“Maybe.”
She narrows her eyes. “Didn’t you once tell me Callie and I are trouble together?”
“You need to listen a little less to everything I have to say. I’m allowed to change my mind every once in a while.”
“Okay, but don’t do it too often. It’s freaking me out.”
“Trust me, I try not to.” The irony isn’t lost on me because I know it’s going to take every fiber of my being to keep from changing my mind, accepting her invitation tonight, and letting myself completely fall for her.