Page 46 of Coast to Coast

“Be careful. I’m not saying there is anything about her that gives me pause; it’s the situation. You need her as a nanny more than you need her as a girlfriend or bedmate.”

“Heard,” I said as the guys surrounded me.

Jonah Virtanen, our forward, who had settled down with Britney over the summer, joined the group.

“Don’t forget, it’s initiation for the new WAGs. Both of you are in, right?” Damon asked with a grin.

I nodded, “Yeah, I’m in.”

Jonah protested, “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” glancing quickly at where Britney held court with some of the WAGs. She hadn’t stopped talking once, and I noticed Callie giving hera wide berth. Callie seemed more comfortable with Mila, Gwen, Bridget, and Mariana.

“If she can’t handle a little prank, she likely won’t be able to handle the rest of the stress,” Andre pointed out. He and Mila made eye contact, and she glanced back and forth at Callie and Britney with a knowing smile.

Mariana pulled the kids aside, set them up with popsicles, and helped us clear the deck. I stalked over to where Callie was talking to Gwen, snaked my arm around her waist, and pulled her back flush against the front of me.

“Where’s your phone?” I asked her.

“What? I left it at home. Why?”

Without warning, I scooped her into my arms just as Jonah picked up Britney and ran full steam to the pool. Both Callie and Britney hit the water at the same time. Britney emerged from the water with a shriek. But Callie? She came up for air and flashed a mischievous smile at me as she pulled her sundress up over her head, tossing it on the ground on the edge of the pool.

I could hear Britney screeching in the background, but I was only fully aware of Callie. She crooked her finger at me, beckoning me towards her, and I went, fully aware that Callie had some revenge planned but wanted to play anyway. She liked to play, and so far, it seemed like Callie was up for anything.

I leaned down towards her, fully expecting to be pulled into the water. Her hand snaked around the back of my head so she could whisper in my ear. “Fuck, Tom. You tossed me around like I was a sack of potatoes. If there weren’t a crowd here, I’d be climbing you right now.”

I pulled back just enough to make eye contact and smiled wide. “God, you’re so much fucking fun.”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” she said with a wink. And then Crew came running over.

“I come swim?” He asked.

She held her arms out wide. “Come on in, bud.” And he jumped right in.

Fuck it, I thought to myself and followed right after.

“I don’t think Britney likes the pool,” Callie said, looking over to where Jonah was still dealing with his irate girlfriend.

“I won’t say this was a hazing exercise, but it was an initiation or test. All the WAGs here, or those who last passed the test.”

“Let me guess, Britney failed?” she asked.

“The guys are currently making bets on how many games she’s going to last. And you’re going to be invited to book club.”

“Oh, great. I have a great recommendation,” she winked.

“Yeah, remember, these women spend a lot of the season alone. It’s not fair to work up their appetite when they have no one to help them scratch the itch.”

“Oh, Tom, that’s why they make toys.

CALLIOPE

Igot out of the pool, leaving Tom and Crew to swim for a bit more. My dress was hopeless, though I still hung it to dry and dug a cover-up out of the pool bag. Mariana and Gwen started cleaning up, and I felt bad swimming and having fun while they worked.

“What can I do?” I asked.

Gwen handed me a few of the bowls. “We’re going to store these in Alex and Mariana’s fridge. If people are still hungry, we can bring it back out at dinnertime.”

I followed them to Mariana and Alex’s home, which was very similar to Tom’s, though there was definitely a woman’s touch in the décor. Where Tom’s house was comfortable, with the exception of Crew’s room and the areas where you could see toys and evidence of a child, it was stark and a bit empty. I guess that happened when you spent so much time on the road.

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