10. Callum
10
CALLUM
I want to put my energy where it really matters, you know?
I sighed as Darcy’s words played over and over in my head. My coffee had long gone cold, but I still walked the park, fighting my way through my thoughts. How could so much have gone wrong in one night?
When I first kissed Darcy, I didn’t understand what a hold that kiss (and everything that came after) would have on me. Sure, I had always found her smart and beautiful. But the feelings coursing through me now were more than some crush. I wanted to be near her, and Darcy’s efforts to push me away left me feeling confused and wounded.
And on top of these personal problems, I was facing furious bandmates and an irate manager who thought I had somehow gone behind all their backs to break up the band. I had spent the morning on the phone, trying to make them understand that my concert last night hadn’t been some big statement. I only wanted to try out some new music in a safe place.
Needless to say, the band and Brady were not convinced.
And even worse, every time I checked the YouTube clip, the number of views had jumped up. And my name was officially trending. My voicemail was filled with news outlets or reporters, asking for a statement. So far I was ignoring them, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I would need to give a response. I took out my phone to see if I could report the video to YouTube. Maybe I could claim a copyright infringement and ask them to take it down. But my mind started floating to all the strange outcomes that might come from this.
I imagined the headlines: “Rock star silences his fans” or “Famous singer advocates censorship.” I hated that I even had to think this way, but I had been in the public eye long enough to know that anything could be used against me. No, I would need to make a statement. It was the only way to clear up this mess.
I pulled up my email and sent off a quick message to my publicist:
Hey Andrea,
Can you draft a statement for me? The music last night wasn’t meant to be an announcement of any solo career. It was just me playing around with some new music in what I thought was a safe space. Would love a statement to send to all these people requesting interviews.
Thanks,
Callum
There—one problem down. I knew Andrea would create something to fend off the hungry sharks of the media. At least for a little while. I sighed. I had never been so glad to have a media team that could handle things like this!
With this problem on the way to being solved, my worries about Darcy floated back to the surface. Had I given her the impression I didn’t want something serious? It was possible. After all, if Liz had asked me just a few months ago if I wanted to find a relationship this summer, I would have laughed in her face. But lately, I had been feeling the urge to settle down. And the presence of Darcy wouldn’t leave my mind.
Year after year, relationship after relationship, Darcy was the girl I had never stopped thinking about. In my last year of high school, only weeks before heading off to college, I had thought we might finally have our chance. I took Darcy on a date, beaming the entire time to have her on my arm. But it hadn’t worked out. Darcy had shown me she wasn’t interested in me in that way.
Just like now , I told myself. Darcy was making it clear she saw last night as a one-off event. She didn’t want anything more with me. But did Darcy really know me? Sure, she knew the rock star she saw in magazines, a carefully curated image my media team perpetuated. But would she feel the same way if she knew the real Callum Jones?
I threw my coffee cup in the trash with renewed energy. I could get to know Darcy and, in turn, she would get to know me. Darcy would see that I wasn’t the person she thought I was. And then, if she still wanted nothing to do with me, I could walk away. At least I would have given it my best shot.
Feeling more energized than I had all morning, I left the park and took off down Main Street until I reached my destination. With a slight smirk, I pushed through the door of Dream Home Realty.
“What are you doing here?” Liz asked. She sat at her desk with a pen in her mouth, flipping through a folder of papers.
“Alright, we got the contract.” Darcy emerged from the copy room, looking down at the contract in her hands.
“We have a visitor!” Liz announced.
I saw Darcy flip into realtor mode, a huge smile on her face as she prepared to welcome a new client. But then she saw me standing in the doorway. I tried not to feel insulted as the smile dropped quickly from her face.
“What are you doing here?” Darcy asked. It was curt and cold, a clear indication she was not happy to see me.
“ Wow , Darcy,” Liz said, responding to the harshness in her friend’s tone. “Can’t the man come by to say hi to his sister?”
I watched Darcy relax her face. At least she wasn’t scowling at me anymore.
“Sorry,” she muttered. Darcy crossed to her desk and kept her eyes on the paperwork in front of her. It seemed she was resigned to ignore me.
“Who knew your concert would make such a stir?” Liz said as I took a seat in one of the chairs set up across from her desk. I dropped down with a groan when I heard her words.
“Don’t remind me,” I said. “This whole thing is getting blown way out of proportion.”
“Might be a good time to capitalize,” Liz said. “Seems like all your fans are ecstatic over the idea!”
“I’m not sure my bandmates are so excited.”
“Yeah, but they’ll get over it. Haven’t you been thinking about going out on your own?”
“Sure,” I said. “But not in any serious way. It’s just something I like to daydream about.”
I let my eyes slide over to Darcy’s desk. I wondered if she was listening to us. I secretly hoped she was. Anything to let Darcy see the real me.
“So, look,” I said, standing up. I made a slow cross to Darcy’s desk, hoping to draw her attention. I was pleased to see her look up at me, her eyebrows raised.
“I’ve been thinking about some property.”
“Really?!” I heard Liz squeal from the other side of the room. I inwardly groaned at my sister. I needed her to be quiet right now. This conversation was meant for Darcy, and Liz’s interjections would only complicate it.
“Property?” Darcy asked.
“Right.” I kept my eyes on her. “I want to see what’s available.”
“You’re thinking of moving back?” Liz asked. She was standing now, moving around to the side of her desk so she could perch on it. Though I answered Liz’s question, I kept my eyes pinned on Darcy.
“I’m thinking more of a commercial property. Something I could turn into a business.”
“A business?” Good, I had caught Darcy’s attention. I held back a smirk as I congratulated myself on drawing her into conversation.
“A recording studio,” I told her. “Liz is always complaining about how I don’t visit enough. If we had a recording studio in town, I could come here anytime I need to record music.”
Darcy seemed skeptical, as if trying to figure out if I was telling the truth.
“You won’t find any recording studios in Maplewood. Not in any of the surrounding towns, either.”
“That’s alright. I can renovate it. Some of the most famous studios were converted from other spaces. Could be a cool project. And it might even bring some other artists to town.”
“How exciting!” Liz said. “There are plenty of spots you could look at. A bunch of old factories and stores shut down ages ago and the owners don’t know what to do with them. We can look at some this afternoon—”
“I want Darcy to take me.”
This silenced Liz, and I watched my sister look between Darcy and myself. Slowly, she seemed to understand that something else was going on here. To Darcy’s credit, she didn’t seem shocked by my words. She only looked at me casually before dropping her eyes, still pretending that the contract on her desk required all of her attention.
“Liz usually handles our commercial buildings,” she said, dismissing me. I had no way of knowing if this was true, but I wouldn’t let it deter me.
“I’d like you .”
She looked up and stared at me, her gaze full of challenge and a hint of anger. I stared back, unwilling to back down. I needed Darcy to know who I was as a person, and if forcing her to show me real estate properties was the only way to do this, then so be it.
“No,” Darcy said.
It was a simple and decisive answer. I hadn’t expected an outright decline, but I wasn’t ready to give up.
“You wouldn’t turn down business, would you?” I asked. “Not when I have good money to spend.” I saw the hesitation on Darcy’s face. It would be impossible for her not to think about all that rock-star money sitting somewhere in my bank account. I knew Darcy was looking to expand into the next town, and I knew an all-cash offer from me might just seal the deal.
“Have Liz take you,” Darcy tried again. Her voice was conflicted, and I could tell she was losing steam. Still, I didn’t want to push my luck. If I was determined to show her I was a nice, down-to-earth guy, then I needed to start now.
“Look,” I said, getting closer to her so our conversation could be more private. “It’s just looking at some properties. It’s nothing more than that. And I love Liz, but if I take her along, she’ll spend the whole time trying to make my decision for me.”
“I can hear you,” Liz called out, and I glanced over to give her a rueful smile.
“I need someone objective,” I said, returning to Darcy. When I caught her gaze, I saw something shift there, a gentleness that was more in line with the Darcy I knew last night. The Darcy I held in my arms …
She stared back, and I saw the hint of hunger in her eyes.
“Fine,” she said. She stood up from her desk with a sigh. I watched as she carried the contract over to Liz’s desk.
“Deal with this,” she told Liz. She crossed back to her desk and grabbed her purse before opening her desk drawer to sort through what looked like dozens of keys. I watched her pick out the ones she wanted, dropping them one by one into her bag.
“Come on,” she said. Darcy squeezed her way through desks and chairs as she headed for the front door.
“Where?” I asked.
“You want to see properties, don’t you?”
Now it was my turn to be surprised.
“You want to go now ?”
“Do you have something better to do?” Darcy asked. I smiled at her and shook my head.
No, I did not. Right now, there was nothing more important than spending time with Darcy and showing her exactly what sort of a person I was.