Page 26 of Call My Bluff
She shook her head and tried to banish the memory as shepulled her backpack from under the seat in front of her. Noah Campbell was getting too close for comfort. It wasn’t like he was the first guy to ever catch her attention, but hewasthe first one to really get under her skin like this, and it needed to stop. Winter break was the perfect chance to conduct a personal detox—a two-month Noah Campbell cleanse.
The simple truth was that, even if she were in the market for a man, she and Noah wanted very different things. She wanted someone serious, and he wanted a girl who would entertain him. He’d find somebody willing to play that part soon enough; all she had to do was keep him at arm’s length until he did.
It was simple: out of sight, out of mind. Problem solved.
“Hey, Liv, can you grab my bag?” her friend Robin asked from across the aisle. She pointed to an overhead bin just ahead of where Olivia and Lexie were sitting.
“Yeah, sure thing,” Olivia replied, rising to her feet. She slid her phone back into the pocket of her jacket before reaching to retrieve first Robin’s bag and then her own. The small plane was filled with the normal hustle and bustle of people all anxious to get out of the cramped space and off to whatever adventures awaited them, and Olivia made a decision right then and there: she was not going to spend this girls’ trip worrying about Noah-anything.
He simply wasn’t worth the aggravation.
Thursday, December 15
Noah:I guess you guys are home because Lexie is here.
Noah:Jake answered the door. No screaming. I think the Cold War might be over.
Noah:Which is good because now we can go on that second date.
Olivia:Your wishful thinking is adorable.
Noah:I’m told it’s part of my appeal.
Olivia:You have a peel? That sounds like a personal problem.
Noah:Ha ha. You’re not funny.
Saturday, December 24
Noah:See you tomorrow, Pix.
Olivia:??
Noah:You’re what I asked Santa for. I’ve been a good boy this year.
Olivia:Keep dreaming, Campbell.
Noah:Oh, trust me, I will.
8
“Incoming,” Riley warned,her voice low as she turned her back and started randomly straightening the magazines in front of her register—anything to look busy.
Noah stiffened, his hands automatically clenching around the edge of the checkout stand as he fought the urge to turn around. Meeting this problem head-on wouldn’t make any difference.
“Campbell!” Simon bellowed from somewhere behind him. “If you let one more cart go out that door without your hands on it, I will personally hang you from the rafters in the deep freezer!”
Heat rose in Noah’s neck, and he took a long, slow breath before turning to face his manager. He’d lost track of the number of times he’d been yelled at that afternoon; it was almost like Simon had a reprimand quota and only four hours left to meet it. “I’ve offered to help every customer, sir,” Noah answered, nearly choking on the last word. “Sometimes they say no.”
Simon gaped, peering up at Noah through close-set eyes that made him look a little like a ferret—a very ugly, very sweaty ferret. “I don’t care what they say!” he screeched. “You walkthem out anyway!”
A vision of Olivia flashed across Noah’s mind, and her voice taunted him from months before. “But isn’t running off with someone’s groceries sort of like stealing?” he asked.
Simon planted his hands on his hips as a pair of obvious armpit stains inched their way across his white polo shirt. “It’s the Watson’s way,” he hissed, “and you’d do well to remember where you work before you don’t work here anymore.” He jammed his index finger into Noah’s breastbone, punctuating each word as he spoke. “Every. Cart. Got that?”
Noah glanced down the bridge of his nose, eyeing the smaller man’s finger where it still rested against his vest. “Yes, sir,” he answered tightly, and Simon’s eyes widened, as if he’d just realized the young man he was bullying had at least four inches on him.
“Good,” he snapped, though his voice was slightly higher than before. He opened his mouth again, like he had something else to say, but apparently thought better of it. Instead, he turned and stalked toward his office before stepping inside and slamming the door behind him.
