41. CALLUM
41
CALLUM
The elevator doors ding in symphony with the email app on my phone. A red circle with the number one appearing on the little icon.
I open the application as I walk through the lobby of our office. Without looking, I open the email lacking a subject, but marked urgent, whilst greeting our receptionists. I reach over the desk and set the bag of bagels I picked up on my in.
“What do we owe a thank you for?” one of them asks, the other already sifting through them to find the cinnamon raisin that is her favorite.
“Nothing,” I say with a cheeky smile. “Cream cheese, napkins, and knives are at the bottom. Save the blueberry for Liam if you feel like it, but hide it first.”
When I glance down at my phone a photo of a jet is reflecting back at me.
“Holy shit. He did it,” I mumble to myself.
I retrace my steps backward to the desk.
“I’m going to need that bagel now.”
Dallas, the more seasoned of the two, snickers and hands me the bagel already smothered with cream cheese. “He told me this morning when I got in.”
“And you didn’t want in on fun reval?” She’s usually piping with gossip in the mornings.
“Oh honey, I already promised my silence in return for at least one flight. ”
Taking the outstretched bagel, I’m careful to not get my hands or the napkin in the overflowing cream cheese.
I find Liam in the boardroom, leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up on the table. My best friend and boss is always carefree, relaxed, and light—how does he do it?
“Like your present?”
“My present? You’ve never gotten me anything this nice before.”
“Did I not give you this job?” He asks, completely kidding, but also touché.
“What changed your mind?”
“Wanted to join the mile high club.” He shrugs smugly, planting his feet on the ground. “Kidding. You were right, it was a good business decision”
“Good?” I arch a brow, my heart speeding up at the smallest praise.
“Yes, good. Logical. Don’t hunt for gratitude from me. You know you are smart.”
“Are you taking it back to London?” He nods yes.
Liam and Emerson leave for London tomorrow. I love my friends, but I’m ready to have them out of our space, and be back to my routine.
Their disruption hasn’t been unwanted, but I miss the quiet mornings with Chloe. Her watching reality television at night, sticking her toes under my thighs for warmth even though she’s wearing fuzzy socks, while I read. Hearing her singing in the shower. Watching her reclean a spot on the counter, even though I have to go back to clean up after her no matter what. Trying to predict what her oversize T-shirt of the day will say.
I miss it being just us.
Liam Hayes will forever be my best friend.
Emerson Clarke will always be my bonus sister.
Chloe Henry. . . she’s the one though that will infinitely make me feel chosen .
Ben files into the room next, interrupting whatever Liam was opening his mouth to say. Today is his first day back since his delayed honeymoon with his new wife and Emerson’s ex-colleague, Blake.
“Coming back to work on a Thursday, for a two-day work week, is a power move,” I say to him.
He leans back, stretching his sunkissed arms behind his head. “If the school system can do it, I can do it too.”
“I don’t understand.”
“American school systems. School will start on a Wednesday or Thursday, only to go into the weekend and then give kids off school on a Monday for some holiday or another. My parents always hated it. I sort of loved it.”
“You were a kid.”
“Exactly.” He cheeses.
“How was your honeymoon?”
“We never wanted to leave. Tortola was amazing. The clearest and brightest blue waters we’ve ever seen. Kind of like your eyes.” Ben spins his attention to me.
“You staring?”
“Aren’t we all?”
Liam laughs, clapping a hand to Ben’s shoulder, welcoming him back.
“Before I leave, I wanted to discuss our plans for hotels here.”
“How was the property in Miami?” Ben asks. “It would be sick. We could market it as a destination for bachelorette parties.”
That would never work. Liam would never go for that. Hayes Hotels was never meant to be a revolving door for bachelorette or bachelor parties.
Have we gotten some of both? Yeah, sure.
Have Liam, George, and I hooked up with a girl or two from said parties? Yeah, unfortunately.
But that doesn’t make it our brand or mission .
Liam shakes his head—called it. “I didn’t love the property in Miami. Plus, we have Boca Raton in development already. I’d prefer to see how that resort does.”
We ended up buying an area of land that is connected by small waterways. Different hotels are being built with primary restaurants, wellness center, and more on the mainland.
“Where does that leave us? New York or Los Angeles?”
The two ping-pong ideas back and forth.
I’ve kept my mouth shut, calculating my ideas thoroughly. Pulling up proposals and cross checking them again financial reports and construction budgets of similar properties. My fingers move quickly across my laptop.
But I don’t know how to insert myself. Is it even my place if I’m supposed to be heading back to London?
“The market is hot, here in Chicago. Why don’t we open a sister location here?” I blurt, quickly, but Ben and Liam keep talking, missing everything I’ve said.
I open my mouth to repeat myself, before closing it. Rolling my shoulders back, I ignore that pressure in my chest. It wouldn’t matter if I tried to say anything. It never has.
Liam, finally, turns to me, asking for my opinion.
“My vote?” He nods. “New York.”
“That’s it?” he asks like he was expecting more from me, disappointed.
“You’ll never learn, will you? You are such a disappointment, Callum.” My mom’s voice says in my head. The first person who made me feel devalued.
Liam taps a pen in front of me to capture my attention. I pick my chin up to meet him. “I can see your brain turning and you have several windows up on your computer. Share.” He levels me with a knowing look. “Please.”
I swallow down my pride, remembering I’m not eight, or ten, or eighteen-year-old Callum anymore; and Liam isn’t my mom or brothers .
Sharing my idea about a second location in Chicago again, both Ben and Liam nod along. I flip my monitor around to show them the quick findings I have pulled up to support my statement.
“You never do anything half-assed. Do you?” Liam laughs. “Smart, Cal. Real brilliant.”
My ears perk up.
“It’s only a thought. If you want, I will compile a new analysis comparing our options and include budgets, similar brand comps, revenue, etc.—”
Liam raises his hand to stop me from talking. “Callum. You can send it, but I trust that you’ve thought this all out. I’m in. Plus, I couldn’t even get into dinner there last night. We are at max occupancy for the next seven months. If we do this right, we can move quickly.” He gives me a nod before addressing Ben. “We should schedule a meeting with Elizabeth ASAP. If she can meet this afternoon, or tomorrow, the better. Our momentum in the city is high, let’s ride it.”
“Roger that.” Ben stands saluting Liam. “Wish I thought of that, man,” he says to me before exiting my office.
Leaving Liam and I to ourselves, I swivel my laptop around.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you, needing to talk.”
I get nervous. Hearing ‘we need to talk’ is never warm and fuzzy no matter if it’s from your girlfriend or not. I’m out of fingers to count on how many times those words, or iterations of them, have been said to me.
“What did I do?” Is my response every. Single. Time. I sift through what I could possibly have done.
“Nothing.” Liam shakes his head as if there’s no reason for me to even be questioning this. “Are you coming back to London? Our deal was through the end of the year. It’s January.”
I swallow nervously.
This has been coming. I knew he’d eventually ask, I couldn’t avoid it .
Prior to the opening in September, Liam and I agreed that I would stay here as he had other business to tend to in London. However, we also agreed that I’d be back at the start of the year and we’d sell our place here.
Then I go and agree to Chloe living with me.
I try to keep her out of this conversation, but she’s the center of it. She’s the reason I’m still here.
Returning to London feels as if I’m letting her down. But is staying letting Liam and the business down? I don’t know which one outweighs the other.
Which poison is worse?
“I—”
“You want to stay,” he says for me. “You want to stay for Chloe.”
Involuntarily my head nods slowly. My brain and heart working in tandem before I have the option to try to control my response. Finally aligned and reality is hitting me. I’m not ready to accept it or admit it.
“You met with a realtor while you were back.” How does he know that?
Liam stands up to close the glass door. All offices and conference rooms are sound proof, not that any employee would dare to eavesdrop on us. Liam closed the door to change the dynamic.
This isn’t a conversation between a CEO and his CFO. This is a conversation between best mates that have a friendship that stretches over a decade.
He sits down, hands brushing over the tops of his thighs as he crosses his legs, resting his right ankle on his left thigh. Relaxed. Poised. Comforting. Open ears.
“I need you to be truthful with me.”
“How did you find out?” I ask.
“I have my ways. Tell me do you want to stay for Chloe?”
“Yes.”
** *
I’m lying on the couch, when Chloe walks in through the door. She shuts the door quietly, tiptoeing through the kitchen to the stairs. She jolts back when she spots me in the dim lamp light.
“Oh. I didn’t think you’d be up.” She wanders in front of the couch, sitting on the arm. “Did I wake you?”
“No.” I shake my book, finger holding my page.
“I read that last week,” she says with an all knowing smile.
“I know.” Reaching for my lukewarm tea, I take a sip. “Are you going to bed?”
“Going to change, but thought about watching TV. Wanna join?”
My heartbeat thunders in my ears, spelling out yes.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,”—Chloe tugs on her bottom lip, softening—”I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
Chloe could have said that she wanted to rob a bank with me, and I would have the same reaction. I’d give anything to have her say she wants me. Any part of me.
“Do you miss me, Dais?”
“Don’t read into it,” she adds, but I am. “Finish your chapter.” She heads to the stairs. “But for the love of snacks, please do not be Emerson. I’ll know if this chapter turns into finishing the book.”
***
Ifinish the chapter. And only that chapter.
Chloe is dancing around the kitchen. She opens a bag of popcorn, dumping it into a bowl, not paying attention to her surroundings.
She continues to hum while plating snacks. Opening the cabinet we use as a pantry, Chloe stands on her toes, an arm stretched above her head failing to reach a container of M&M’s .
I get up from the couch after enjoying a minute of her struggling. Her effort was cute. Walking up behind her, my chest brushes her back. She’s too short to grab the container, but I can easily.
Chloe spins. Her chest, brushing against mine. One hand on the counter, the other on the container of candy, I’m bracketing her in.
My eyes dip to her shirt. “Does your shirt say ‘Your Boyfriend Sucks’?”
Chloe pulls the hem of her shirt out. “Oh, yeah. Emerson bought it for me after Seth and I broke up. I thought it was a little late for the message. She said it’ll be a reminder for the future.”
“He did suck.”
“Thank you for the observation.”
“Not every guy will. I promise you.” I don’t, I hope. I glance at the candy, then the popcorn. “M&Ms and popcorn?”
Chloe nods, eyes locked straight ahead at my chest. I breathe, and our chests brush again. Chloe lets a small whimper, smokey grays flicking up through her dark lashes. My blues drop to her mouth.
A pink tongue darts out between her lips, wetting them. I take in the remaining air in the kitchen, purposely to feel her chest against mine. Through the material of the shirt, I can see the outline of her nipples.
“Cal,” she swallows, lips parting.
My hand fumbles with the top of the container, pulling out an orange chocolate candy.
“Open.” Lips part, mouth falling open. I place the candy in her mouth, her tongue brushing the pads of my fingers. Her pupils dilate and are burning with need.
Chloe doesn’t say anything before Tucker barks to go out. She pulls away, sneaking under my arm to grab his leash.
“You aren’t taking him out in that.” Eyes drop to her bare legs.
Chloe passes me the leash. “Thank you. ”
When I get back, the bowl of popcorn is scattered with M&M’s in her lap on the couch.
Without communicating, we’ve established our spots on the couch. Mine is the one I’ve always sat in when living in Chicago—the corner, closest to the window. Chloe sits in the opposite corner but throws her legs up in my direction.
Tucker curls up on the floor between the couch and coffee table, his snout resting on the edge of the mahogany. He knows I’ll sneak him a snack or two.
“What are we watching tonight?”
“My favorite, Survivor .”