Page 96 of Bourbon Bliss
I hesitated, but George continued talking to her. A second later, I decided the best course of action would be to leave immediately. As quickly as I could, I stuffed her hair in the plastic bag I’d brought to contain the DNA sample.
Glancing up, I caught Luke’s gaze. His eyes were wide, his expression full of alarm.
“It’s better if you don’t know,” I whispered.
Staying on my hands and knees, I crawled quickly for the door.
31
George
The door opened and shut, but I didn’t see anyone. Was that June? Jesus. She’d practically ripped a handful of hair out of Callie’s head. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice her leave.
“My name’s George, by the way,” I said, trying to keep Callie’s attention.
“Callie.” She reached up and smoothed the back of her hair down.
The waitress came to my table and asked if I was ready to order. I didn’t want to stay and have a meal, but it would look odd if I got up and left now. I ordered a coffee and a bagel. That wouldn’t take too long.
I figured June would want me to see what I could find out about Callie while I was in here. So, I kept talking. “Are you from Philly?”
“No, I moved here recently,” she said. “I grew up in Virginia. What about you?”
“I’m from Charlotte originally. But I’ve been in Philly for a while.”
“It’s a beautiful city,” she said. “I’ve always loved it here. What do you do for a living?”
The way she asked that question set me on edge—something in her tone. It reminded me of girls trying to pretend they didn’t know who I was, so I’d think they weren’t typical groupies.
“I used to play professional football. But I retired last season after an injury.”
“That’s terrible,” she said. “I’m sorry, I haven’t exactly been following… well, anything for a while now.”
Was she fishing for me to ask why? Or was she trying to avoid the topic of her supposed imprisonment by a cult? I decided to take the bait and see what she said.
“Pardon me if this is forward, but you look familiar,” I said. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
She batted her eyelashes and looked down. “Maybe. I guess I was a little bit newsworthy recently. I’m Callie Kendall.”
“Right,” I said. “The girl who reappeared after going missing all those years ago. Wow. It sounds like you had quite an experience.”
She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I did. I’m just glad to be free.”
The waitress brought my coffee and bagel, then set a sandwich down on Callie’s table. She glanced at me again, her eyes widening with an expression I knew well. Recognition.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe I missed it before,” the waitress said. “You’re GT Thompson.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She practically giggled. “It’s really you. I’m sorry, I’m just such a big fan. I literally cried when you got hurt last season.”
A few other patrons were glancing my direction. Great. I hoped June hadn’t expected me to stay incognito. Now the whole place knew GT Thompson was here.
“Thanks for your concern,” I said with a smile. “But I’m doing just fine.”
Callie was watching me with what appeared to be mild curiosity. The waitress asked for an autograph, and the next thing I knew, I had a line of half a dozen people asking me to sign something.
Callie was still eating when the attention on me faded, and everyone went back to their meals. I decided I needed to get out of there. I didn’t think June would come in looking for me, but you never knew with that girl. She was ballsy enough, she just might.
