Claiming Callie: Part two Read online

  Claiming Callie

  Part Two

  By Paige Rion

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Theresa Souders

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. No parts of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

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  CHAPTER ONE

  DEAN

  She said yes. She said yes.

  Those three words replay in his mind like some twisted mantra. It’s all he can think as he makes his way across campus to his dorm. It’s all he could think as he stared at her after she gave him her answer, and he wonders now just how stupid he looked in those seconds following, before he excused himself and fled from the apartment.

  But how could I stay in the same room with her when my head was spinning like a top? He needs a second to think. He needs to make a plan, to figure out how it will all work now. He went to see her with the intention of pitching his proposal, but he thought he’d have a harder fight. He thought she’d need way more convincing, and even then, he wondered if she would say yes or if it would be too weird for her.

  Maybe winning Callie’s heart isn’t as hopeless as I once thought?

  The thought fuels him. He is a balloon, filled to the point of bursting, the combination of excitement and anxiety mounting inside of him until he doesn’t feel the sting of cold air on his face while he runs. He doesn’t feel the burn in his quads or his calves, nor the way his lungs scream from the intake of frigid air. All he feels are the remnants of the electric jolt to his system after Callie agreed to be his fake girlfriend.

  Dean bulldozes past a cluster of students at the entrance to the dorm and makes his way to the men’s wing on the third floor, bypassing a cute brunette on the way to his room. “Hey, Dean,” she calls after him, but he barely notices. He could blame it on his rush to get back to his room, but that would be a lie. He never notices anyone. Except Callie.

  He turns and steps into the hallway, where he spots Emmett leaning toward a girl he’s never seen before. He’s facing the wall, one hand braced beside her head. She’s laughing at something he said, when Dean walks up to him and grabs a fistful of his shirt. “She said yes,” Dean says, giving him a little shake before releasing him.

  Emmett’s eyes widen. “Dude,” he says, glancing at the girl next to him, who laughs and then turns away, telling him she’ll see him later.

  Watching her leave, Emmett waits until she’s out of earshot before turning on Dean. He shoves him in the shoulders and glares at him. “What the hell? I was getting a perfectly good flirt-on with that chick. I was just about to ask her out, and now if I wanna see her later, I have to go to bio, which I was definitely planning on skipping because I have a date with that cute cheerleader with the—”

  “I did it.” Dean spreads his arms wide and he smiles. Victory wells inside of him, bubbling and spurting like a freshly tapped spring. “I finally did something… This is it. I can feel it,” he says as he begins to pace the cramped hallway outside of their room.

  “Fine.” Emmett sighs and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll bite. What did you do that is so miraculous, so groundbreaking, you felt the need to ruin a perfectly good prospect?”

  Dean stops pacing and his stomach twirls at the thought of Callie by his side, holding his hand, going out with him, kissing him… He presses a hand to his abdomen at the thought. “I hatched a scheme to finally win Callie over.”

  Emmett raises his brows and whistles. “Seize the fucking day, man. I’m impressed. Let’s hear it. What’s this brilliant plan?”

  “I gave her some money to help her with her debt so she doesn’t have to worry about any more crazy schemes or dating to earn money. And then I got her to agree to pretend to be my girlfriend. I sold her some story about how I want Maya back and that the only way I thought that was possible was to make her jealous. Which is perfect because she’ll have to really act like we’re together, ham it up for Maya’s sake. She bought it and agreed.”

  Holding a hand up, Emmett says, “Wait a minute. Let me get this straight…” He rubs his face, then continues. “Callie’s going to pretend to be your girlfriend to make this Maya chick jealous, while you’re going to pretend you want Maya back—which you really don’t—and that you need Callie’s help to do it, when in reality, this is just all some ploy to somehow get Callie to fall for you?”

  Dean nods, the corners of his mouth curling at the thought. “Yep. That’s pretty much it.”

  “Holy shit balls, dude. That’s messed up.”

  Dean’s smile falls. “What do you mean? It’s perfect! What would happen if I told Callie the truth? If I went to her place and laid it all out there for her, told her how I felt? That I’ve been in love with her for the past seven years, that I haven’t truly fallen for anyone else because I’m so obsessed with her. What do you think would happen?”

  “She’d freak. Dude, I’m actually a little freaked just listening to this shit,” Emmett points out.

  “Exactly.” Dean shoves his hands in his hair and exhales a long breath. “Getting out of the friend category is hard enough, let alone the pseudo-brother category. I knew it would take something drastic, and something indirect, a way in which I could make her see me as a man and not just her best friend’s brother. This is it. It has to be. I can make her really see me. I can make her see what it would be like to be with me—something she never imagined before.”

  Emmett places a hand over his chest. “That’s poetic, dude.”

  “Shut up.” Dean glares at him. “Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to actually win her over.”

  “Well, you’re either a fucking genius or a complete idiot. I’m not sure which, but I have to give you props for finally doing something, bro.” Emmett laughs and shakes his head, then delivers Dean a fist bump. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  Dean smirks. “Neither did I.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  CALLIE

  Callie sips her coffee as she stares outside. The sky is a cornflower blue, with only the slightest wisp of clouds. The sun streams over the pavement and reflects brightly off the large windows to Buzz. Inside the little shop, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, espresso, and pastries fills the air. Basking in the heat from the sunlight, she finds herself wishing it were as warm outside as it looks. Nevertheless, she’ll take the sunlight, if that’s all she gets. She tilts her head into the light, hoping that somehow the Vitamin D will soak into her and erase her nerves.

  Her job is hanging by a thin thread, her reputation—large campus or not—just got slaughtered at school, and now she’s agreed to pretend to be Dean’s girlfriend—a boy who, at one time, used to run cir
cles around the family home and climb the trees, with nothing but a loin cloth to cover his privates, pretending he was Tarzan.

  What was I thinking? As if I don’t have enough to deal with.

  As happy as she would be to fast forward the next month or two, time is her enemy, she reminds herself. She needs to get a better stake on her hard-earned position at GG Financial, and as of yet, she hasn’t had the chance. Dean’s money is a start, but may not be enough. Especially since she isn’t sure she’s going to use it. Sure, she deposited the check this morning—he would’ve pestered her relentlessly otherwise—but she’s going to hold onto it, at least for the time being, to see how this whole charade plays out. If she can manage to make Maya jealous and help Dean win her back, then she will use the money for her debt, as he insisted. But if she can’t, she’s not sure she should take it. He’s her friend, and she doesn’t want to take advantage. Lord knows he and the Michaels have all done enough for her over the years. If anything, she owes him this one favor.

  The door jingles, jolting Callie from her thoughts. She glances up to see Dean stroll in. He smiles and takes a seat across from her, and she watches as he shakes off his coat, noticing he’s dressed in a variation of his usual attire—a hoodie and jeans. A knit cap covers his thick chestnut hair, with a few locks curling below the edge of the wool.

  They lock eyes for a moment and Callie swallows. This is so weird. He’s still just the boy down the street. Jinny’s little brother. Can you actually pretend to be his girlfriend?

  Of course you can. Suck it up, Callie. You’re doing this for him. You’re doing it for both of you, and it will be fun. Think of it as a game. You love playing games like this. Besides, you and Jinny never liked Maya anyway; torturing her will be fun.

  Callie doesn’t remember too much about Maya; only the aftertaste she left in Callie’s mouth following her relationship with Dean. From what Callie recalls, Maya’s domineering, too wild, and just not the type Callie would pick out for him. She’s a year older than him. They dated Dean’s freshman year, and the relationship lasted through the summer. Then it ended, with little explanation on Dean’s part. Now Callie wonders what the reasons were. But she supposes it doesn’t matter. Dean wants her back, and that’s all she needs to know.

  “Here, I got you this,” Callie says, pushing an iced coffee toward him.

  “Thanks.” Dean takes the drink.

  She draws in a deep breath. “So, I guess today is day one of Team Dean and Callie. Just so you know, I haven’t told Jinny about our little plan yet, which is why I told you to meet me here after her shift. I’m not sure if she’ll think it’s weird or be completely cool with it, so I was saving that fun conversation for later today.”

  “I think she’ll be fine with it.”

  “Probably. I don’t know how much she liked Maya, though. I’m not sure she’ll be too thrilled about that part.”

  Dean shrugs. “I don’t pick her boyfriends. I mean, Todd? She can’t do better than him?” Dean raises a brow and shakes his head.

  “True. And what is with his hair, anyway? Every time I see him I want to run for either a comb or a pair of scissors, but I’m not sure which to go for first, so the straggly locks remain.” Callie laughs. “But he seems to be good to her, and she likes him. I guess that’s what counts.”

  Dean grimaces, as if he doesn’t completely agree.

  “But that’s not what we’re here to talk about.” I can do this. I can be mature and discuss this. After all, we need to hash out the details. “We’re here to talk about us. About our…relationship,” Callie says, stumbling over the word. “I think it might be a little weird for us at first. You know, since we’ve known each other forever. It may be a little awkward, like holding hands with your sister.”

  Dean’s cheeks flush, so Callie continues. “But I’ve been thinking…we can get past that. We just need to keep our heads in the game. It’s just like acting.” I’m an actress! Cool. “And if you keep your eye on the prize, Maya, then we can do this. I think the newspaper idea is a good one. Valentine’s Day is coming up in a couple weeks, so it would be the perfect time for the student paper to do a fun article on college sweethearts or something, just like you said. We need to start with that. Just plunge right in.”

  Dean nods and leans forward in his seat. “Okay, yeah. I’ll talk to my buddy who’s on the paper. I’m sure I can get him to do something like that. It’d be a feature about campus life and relationships. I think it would work. Plus, it’ll spread the word to a lot of people who know us.”

  Callie purses her lips. “But there’s no way to guarantee she’ll see it. Not everyone reads the student paper.”

  Dean runs a hand through his hair, then pauses and snaps his finger. “I got it.” His gaze shifts to her. “Maya’s an art major. She’s a photographer. I can find a way to get her to take a picture of us for the article, instead of the normal photographer. I think she’s actually done that for them before, so it’s perfect.”

  Callie smiles. “That’s genius. Not only will she end up reading the story when it comes out, but she’ll get a close, personal look at us together. We can really milk it for the cameras. By the time we’re done with her, she’ll be a raging jelly machine.”

  Dean’s smile vanishes, concern taking its place. “It’s a good start. We’ll need more, though. Even if it makes her jealous, she can easily move on once she’s away from us. But I can find out her schedule and we can try to run into her together. Let her see us as a couple on campus. We can’t let up. We have to bombard her with sightings of us.”

  Whoa. He’s serious about this.

  Callie raises a brow at him. “Bombard her with sightings of us?”

  Dean glances away and shrugs. “Well, it’s just that this is going to take some time and dedication if we want it to work. It won’t be an overnight thing, is all. Plus, we want this to help you, too. You want people to know there was no truth to that story about you, and the only way to do that is to convince them we’re madly in love,” he says, mumbling his last words.

  She takes a sip of her coffee, giving herself a moment to think. Madly in love? Holy cow. This is serious.

  Callie squirms in her seat. Remember…acting. It’s just acting.

  “Okay, fair enough,” she says. “I’ll admit that I’d like to put the remaining rumors of that disgusting article to rest. If I have one more guy stare at me during class like there’s a for sale sign taped to my head, I’ll scream. This will get them off my back, and Maya onto yours.” Callie shakes her head. “Or onto hers…or…you get the picture.”

  Dean stares at her a moment, looking as though there’s something he’s not saying. Some unreadable emotion flickers in his eyes, and Callie can’t help it. Her curiosity gets the best of her. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything,” he says.

  “Why do you want her back so badly? You don’t have to tell me, of course, but seeing as how we’re doing this thing together and will be spending a ton of time with each other in the next couple weeks—months, even—I’d like to know. And why’d you break up in the first place?”

  Dean draws in a deep breath and fidgets with his cup. “There was someone else.”

  “She cheated on—”

  “No.” Dean shakes his head. “It wasn’t her, and I didn’t cheat. I just…there was someone else I had feelings for and I couldn’t get past them. At least not enough, and Maya and I just couldn’t move forward, so I broke it off.”

  “Oh.” Callie straightens in her seat. This is news.

  She frowns as this new information sinks in. “I don’t remember you dating anyone else after. At least, not seriously.”

  “I didn’t. It’s a long story. Let’s just say that my hopes with this other girl stalled, and, well…here we are.”

  “So you’re over this thing with the other girl?”

  Dean nods.

  “And now Maya’s dating someone else, but you want her back.”

 
“Yeah. My crush on this other girl was ridiculous, and I’ve realized I made a mistake.”

  “And you think the only way to get her back is by pretending to go out with me? Are you sure? What if it backfires and does the opposite? What if we do all of this and it pushes her further away?”

  Dean nods and swallows hard before meeting Callie’s gaze. “I have no other choice. I’ve gone over this a million times in my head. This is the only way she’ll notice me. So, I guess that’s a chance I’m willing to take.” His eyes darken to a stormy blue. “I can’t just sit by and do nothing. I know what I want, and I’m going to fight for it.”

  Callie takes in his expression. The firm set of his mouth, the determination in his eyes and the emotion in his voice. Reaching across the table, she takes his hand in hers and laces their fingers together—an intimate gesture reserved for couples—and something that in all the years she’s known him she’s never done before. His hand is large and warm over hers, and although the feel of it is foreign, it’s more natural than she would’ve expected.

  See! Physical contact with Dean—piece of cake!

  She smiles as he glances down to their interlocked hands with flushed cheeks, and she wonders if maybe this wouldn’t be harder for him than her. “You must think I’m a real piece of work.”

  Dean narrows his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “Me. With the mess I’ve made of things. My credit cards. Possibly losing my position with GGF. I’ve screwed up, when I could’ve had it so easy. I mean, because of my parents and…” She pauses, feeling the weight of his gaze on her as she speaks. “I had my tuition paid for, my room and board. All I had to do was go to school, earn a little extra spending cash if I wanted, and that was it. But I blew it. And over what?” She looks at him now. There is no judgment in his eyes, only warmth, and that’s the one thing she has always loved about Dean. His ability to listen, to take things in and give insight without saying much. “A pair of Jimmy Choos? A Chanel handbag? Some Gucci shoes?”