Chapter 32 Astrid
ASTRID
Aknock on my bedroom door drags me from slumber the next morning. I had a terrible night’s sleep. Another reason to never drink alcohol again. “Come in,” I holler, stretching my hand out to reach for my phone.
Mom slips into my room, and I remember now she took today off work because she worked overtime in the run-up to Halloween. “Callan is here. He has breakfast for you, but I didn’t want to let him stay without checking with you first.”
I hadn’t said anything to my parents about our breakup, and I don’t think Callan said anything to his either, but they aren’t blind, and they knew something was up this week. When Mom asked, I told her I didn’t want to talk about it.
My vision clears as I sit up against the headrest, and my eyes widen when I see the time on my cell. I fling the comforter off me. “Skit! It’s so late. What about the girls’ classes? You should’ve woken me!”
Mom grasps my arm. “Calm down, sweetie. Callan dropped the girls off at ballet. He said you were both out late and he wanted you to sleep in late so you aren’t too tired for work, which is very sweet of him.” Her eyes twinkle as she smiles. Mom adores Callan.
“He did?” I rub at my aching temples. Did I mention I am never drinking alcohol again? “Oh, good. And um, yeah, that was sweet of him.”
“What about breakfast? He made it himself.”
“I’ll come down.” It’d be rude to refuse him when he’s gone to so much trouble, even though I haven’t made any decision yet. I was churning the pros and cons most of the night, going back and forth and feeding my headache. “Give me five.”
I brush my teeth, wash my face, and comb my hair before dressing in sweatpants and an oversized sweater and slipping my feet into my slides, and then I head downstairs.
Mom is laughing at something Callan is saying when I walk into the kitchen. His head instantly turns in my direction, and he smiles. “Morning, sleepyhead.”
“Hey.”
“I’m going to run a few errands in town.” Mom grabs her keys and purse from the counter. “I’ll pick up the girls and drop them at swimming, so you’re off the hook, sweetie,” she tells Callan, giving him a quick hug. “Where is your car?” she asks me. “Do you need a ride to work?”
“Gwen has it and no. I’ll go get it before work.” Gwen isn’t working today because her gran has a hospital appointment and she wants to go with her.
“I’ll bring you over to get your car,” Callan offers, and Mom beams at him, softly pinching his cheek.
“He’s a keeper!” She waggles her brows and hugs me quickly before leaving.
“Sit.” Callan points to the island unit where a placemat and silverware are already laid out.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I say, pulling myself up on the stool.
“I have to start groveling somewhere,” he quips, flashing me a cheeky smile as waves of thick, glossy brown hair tumble against his brow.
Like always, he’s gorgeous, and he makes my heart race.
He looks hot in jeans and a black hoodie over a white shirt.
His favorite black and white Nikes are on his feet.
His expression turns somber as he removes a plate from the oven.
“I hope this is okay.” He sets the plate on the mat in front of me. “I don’t mean to seem pushy. I—”
“It’s okay,” I reassure him, staring at the plate of whole grain toast with scrambled eggs with a tiny lump in my throat. It’s not a cordon bleu meal or anything close to it, but it’s the thought that counts. I grace him with a small smile. “Thank you.”
“Drink this first.” He hands me a glass. “I made it for you. It’s coconut water with a few added ingredients and electrolytes. It should help you to feel better.”
“Wow, you’re going all out,” I say, lifting the glass to my lips.
He shrugs. “If I was, it’d be a hell of a lot more romantic than this.”
“Like what?” I ask, curious now. “If you could romance me, how would you do it?”
He thinks about it for a minute while I drink my coconut water.
“I’d take you out on a luxury boat around the lake.
” His eyes drill into mine. “I’d cook eggs Benedict, and we’d have them with mimosas sitting on the top deck with the sun beating down on us.
After, I’d treat you to a massage on a lounger and then rub your feet while plying you with strawberries and chocolates or maybe cake.
” He rubs his lips before spearing me with an intense look I feel all the way to my toes. “Definitely cake.”
“I like this plan,” I agree as I cut into my toast and eggs.
“Music would play in the background, and we’d doze in between sunbathing and reading before taking a dip in the lake. Later, we’d share the jacuzzi before I’d cook steak and gratin potatoes for dinner.”
I want to ask what’d happen after dinner, but I don’t want him to know I’m thinking about us like that.
I meant it when I said I would think about us.
I’m not rushing to make a decision. I can’t forget how much he hurt me, and I’m wary of sharing my heart with him now.
“That sounds perfect,” I truthfully admit.
“Except we might have to ditch the mimosas for mocktails.” My hand lands on my stomach.
“The thought of alcohol makes me feel sick all over again.”
He chuckles. “I’ll bet.”
“I’ve never drunk that much before.”
“I didn’t think so.”
He clears his throat and pushes off the counter. “Did you remember anything else about last night?”
I shake my head. “I’m still drawing a blank.” I don’t like how I’m missing ten or fifteen minutes of my life, and I’m feeling way more uncomfortable about it in the cold, sobering light of day. “I want to talk to Joe. I need to find out what happened.”
His mouth opens and closes, and I continue eating while I wait for him to spit it out. “Let me come with you,” he says a couple of minutes later before quietly adding, “Please.”
An inner voice stops me from declining. If Joe did something to me, it’s not safe to be alone with him.
When it comes to Callan Hunt, I’m unsure about a lot of things, but I know he won’t let any harm come to me.
“Okay.” I chew slowly on my food. “We’ll go after I’ve finished eating.
Get my car and then drop by Joe’s before work. ”
“Are you feeling well enough to go to work?”
“I’m feeling better now I have some food in my belly. I’ve never called in sick before, and I’m not going to start now.” He nods before moving to the coffee machine. I scoop up the last of the eggs and shovel them in my mouth while watching Callan make me a cappuccino.
“Thanks,” I say when he passes it to me.
He sips his black coffee while he watches me, and his attention lifts all the fine hairs on my arms and the back of my neck.
Callan brings an intensity to everything he does, and as the current focus of his attention, I’m feeling it all over like a sensual caress.
I haven’t met anyone whose physical presence affects me so much.
It’s a little unnerving, though thrilling at the same time.
“I need to get changed for work.” I slip off the stool and stand, aiming toward the sink with my plate and mug when Callan steps in front of me.
“I’ve got it,” he says, reaching out to take them.
His fingers brush against mine in the exchange, and I tingle all over.
My gaze bounces to his lips before drifting up to his eyes, and I notice he’s doing the same as me.
I miss being kissed and held by him, and it would be so easy to just sink into his arms and let him comfort me, but he’s not being forgiven that easily.
“Thanks.” I step back and avert my gaze.
“Go get ready. I’ll clean up and meet you out in the truck.”
“What is he doing here?” Gwen purses her lips as she stares at Callan through the window of his truck.
“He gave me a ride.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re back with him.” She folds her arms, pushing her chest up with the motion. “Have you forgotten what he did?”
“No, Gwen.” I heave out a sigh. “I haven’t forgotten, and I’m not back with him, though he has asked me to be his girlfriend officially.”
Gwen laughs. “Of course, he has. Nothing like a little competition to put a fire up his ass.”
“It’s not like that.”
She arches a brow. “Really? Cause he was all over Ana until he saw you with Joe.”
“He wasn’t all over her.” Now that I think back on what I saw, I realize Callan was standing there like a statue while Ana pawed at him. His hands weren’t touching her, and it’s clear now it was one-sided.
“So, what? He says all the right words, and you just fall back into his arms?”
“That is not what’s happening.” My voice elevates a few notches because my bestie is starting to piss me off. “I told him he’d lost my trust and I’d have to think about whether I want to be with him again. Thanks for the vote of confidence though. Good to know what you really think of me.”
“Babe, no. You’ve got it all wrong.” Her expression softens as her arms go around me. “I’m just looking out for you. I don’t want him to hurt you again.”
“I haven’t made any decisions yet,” I confirm, shucking out of her hold.
“I’m sorry, Azzie. I don’t want to fight with you or project my fuckups onto you. Look at my track record? How many times did I forgive Cole, only for him to hurt me over and over again? Same with Dwayne and Rusty. I just don’t want to see you make the same mistakes I’ve made.”
My ire flitters away now I know where her advice is coming from.
“Callan isn’t like any of your exes.” Except for Scott, all of Gwen’s boyfriends were self-centered jerks.
I never knew what she saw in any of them, and it feels unfair for her to lump Callan in with those assholes.
I don’t articulate the thought because I don’t want to stand at my bestie’s front door and argue with her in front of Callan.
“I can’t hang around to talk.” I hold my hand out for my car keys.
“My shift starts in an hour, and I want to talk to Joe first.”
“Why do you want to talk to him?” Lines furrow her brow as she drops my keys in my palm.
“I can’t remember everything from last night, and I want to ask him what happened.”
“Why does it matter?”
“What is with you today?” I’m getting irritated again. “I don’t know what we did in that room, and given how drunk I was, I doubt it was consensual. I want to know what happened.”
Her eyes pop wide. “You think Joe raped you?”
I wince at the word. “No, but I think he did something, and I want to know what.”
“Joe can be a jerk, but he’d never go there. Would he?”
I scrub my hands down my face. “I don’t know what to think anymore. If I talk to him, hopefully he can clear it up.” I don’t want to imagine what might’ve happened while I was pretty much passed out on that bed. Not knowing is worse than knowing—even if it’s bad.
“Okay, yeah.” She hugs me again. “You should definitely go talk to him. Want me to come with?”
“Thought you were taking Mara to her hospital appointment today?”
“That’s not until four.”
“It’s cool. I can handle it myself.” I’m not mentioning Callan is coming with, because he seems to be a touchy subject for my best friend.
“Call me if you change your mind,” she says, glancing over her shoulder as her gran calls out for her.
“Will do. Good luck at the hospital, and tell Mara I said hi.”
Callan trails me to Joe’s house, but it’s a wasted journey because no one is home. So, I say goodbye and head to work early.
Work is hectic, and I barely have a second to breathe.
The hotel is hopping with activities all weekend, and people are constantly coming and going from the desk.
The phone is also busy, and I’m rushed off my feet attending to guests in person and on the phone.
I don’t mind. At least the shift is going fast because I’m flagging and dying to go home, get into my PJs, and crawl into bed to watch a movie.
I’ve just checked in a couple, and I’m finishing the online form when a shadow looms over the desk. When I look up, I’m startled to find Callan in front of me. “Here for a workout?” I ask, noticing he’s in training gear.
“Yeah, and I wanted to let you know the news.”
“News?” I click on a button to complete the form and give him my undivided attention.
Alarm spikes in my veins when Callan’s expression turns grave. “Your ex was in an accident last night on his way home from the party. An elderly couple found his car wrapped around a tree when they were out walking at six. He’s at the hospital, and they don’t know if he’s going to make it.”
Shock skitters through me. “Oh my god.” I clasp a hand to my mouth.
“The cops are investigating, and they want to speak to anyone who was at the party.”
“Fan. Will the guys get in trouble?” I don’t know what kind of beating Joe took before he left, and I really hope that wasn’t a factor in whatever happened.
Callan sighs before dragging a hand through his hair. “Maybe.” He shrugs. “We don’t know enough yet to tell, but it could be serious.”
“This is awful.”
“Yep.” He grips the strap of his bag tighter. “They will definitely want to speak to you.”
I nod slowly. “I’ll drop by the station after my shift.”
“Why don’t we go together?” he suggests. “Unless you’d prefer to go with your parents?”
“Hell no. I don’t want Mom or Dad knowing the details of what happened last night.
” Dan is the local sheriff, and he’s a good guy.
He’s lived here his entire life, and he knows everyone.
I have no issue talking to him without my parents.
It’s not like I’m a suspect or being brought in for official interrogation.
“I can pick you up, and you can leave your car here until tomorrow. I’ll bring you over in the morning to collect it.”
It would be good to have company when I’m giving my statement. “Okay, that’d be good. I’ll see you at nine.”