Page 26 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
She pointed behind me, and I turned.
Then it all made sense.
There he was. Callum Gabriel. Naturally, he looked fine as hell in his black suit, crisp tie, and paisley-patterned pocket square. His black hair was short and slicked back. The new hairstyle suited him better than his floppy high school cut had. He was clean shaven, which showed off his jaw, which was much squarer than I remembered. As he drew up closer, I became very aware of just how bright his blue eyes were.
“Oh shit,” I said.
Cal drew to a stop in front of us and mindlessly popped open the buttons of his suit jacket. It fell open to reveal a form-fitting black vest underneath. Damn, he was fit. His broad shoulders tapered down into a narrow waist. He was a man now.
He nodded at me. “Hey, Lina.”
“Hi.” My voice sounded weak. Hollow.
“Cal,” Kelli said in greeting beside me. “You look good.”
“Thanks. So do both of you.”
Cal didn’t just look good. He looked incredible. I swallowed.
His gaze flicked to meet mine. “Lina, can I get you a drink?”
I shook my head. “Thank you, Cal, but Kelli and I have to go mingle.”
He nodded. “No problem. Maybe later?”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
I reached for Kelli. She was there, hooking her arm through mine again in a show of not so subtle support. We both smiled at him and walked as normally as we could manage away from the buffet spread and across the gymnasium.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”
“I know, right?” Kelli gushed. “He looks so fucking good! That’s unreal. I mean, we thought he was a looker fifteen years ago, but he really grew into that jaw. And those shoulders. And—”
“Kelli,” I said sharply. “You’re not making this easier.”
“Sorry,” she said. We ducked between a few chatting people and found an open table to sit down at. A waiter appeared with two bottles of wine, one red and one white. We both opted for a glass of red, and he topped off the empty glasses in front of us before flitting away to help someone else.
I rested my hand on the base of the wine glass and dragged my finger up the stem. “I can’t believe I was foolish enough to think he wouldn’t be here.”
Kelli shook her head. “I didn’t think he’d show either.”
I sighed. “How embarrassing.”
“Why is it embarrassing? You look like a smoke show, Lina. Maybe this is a good chance for you to, I don’t know, get some answers? You should take him up on that drink. Ask him the questions that you’ve had for him since that night.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need to talk to him about anything. It was a long time ago.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt,” she said.
No words had ever felt truer. That night was still a dark stain on my memory. What should have been a joyous evening, dedicated to celebrating, had become a night of horrible, horrible change. Everything I had mapped out for my future had suddenly been ripped away from me.
It was devastating. And it was Cal’s fault.
“I think if I talked to him, I’d just start yelling. Or crying. And I don’t know which one is worse.”
Kelli shrugged. “Maybe he deserves both.”
I gave her a crooked smile. “Thanks, Kelli. But the only person I need in my corner is you.”
