“Hanging out?” Austin repeated it in the same casual way Callen said it. “Shit, Cali. Hold back on the details. I think you’re getting too personal.”
Callen frowned at him. “You don’t have to be a smartass.”
“You don’t have to be a secretive pain in my ass.”
“Look, I don’t want either of us to get our hopes up about something that most likely won’t work out.”
Henrik’s brows knotted together. “Why won’t it work out?”
Callen picked at the stray threads in the comforter. “You’ve heard the rumors.”
“Yes. And they are just that…rumors. I’ve made it very clear to the entire organization I want you back on this team next year.”
Callen took in a long breath. He’d have to try a different approach. “Either way, you know how Leila and Magnolia are…they’ll have her at Sunday brunch next week if they find out. I haven’t even kissed the girl yet.”
“But you’ve been on a date, though. Right?”
He looked back the television. “Sort of.”
Austin nudged his foot. “It’s a yes or no answer, Cali.”
He sighed. “I guess we haven’t been on an official date. We went jogging, and then we hung out at the rink yesterday.”
Austin collapsed on the bed. “What are we going to do with you? Do we need to make you a manual? Step by step instructions on how to date a girl?”
Callen slapped the pillow across his smug face. “If you don’t stop with the attitude, I’m going to smother your wooly mammoth face in your sleep tonight.”
Henrik intervened. “I’m going to give you some very helpful advice that I once got while on a road trip. Call her.”
Callen winced. “I don’t like talking on the phone. It would just be awkward.”
“Then text her. Tweet her. Send a fucking singing telegram. Ask the girl on a real date before she sticks you in some kind of friend zone. Trust me, that place sucks.”
Callen scratched his head. “I guess I could FaceTime her.”
“FaceTime. Also a very acceptable form of communication. So, we have a plan. I’ll go do my interview. You stay and FaceTime your pretty little waitress.”
Callen nodded, still trying to convince himself. Austin grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him. “And if I come back in here later, and you haven’t called her…I’m going to smother your wooly mammoth face with a pillow.”
Callen rolled his eyes and waited for them to leave. Once he shoved Austin into his own room, he made sure to lock all the doors. Then he took a shower. He’d taken one three hours ago before he went to dinner, but he took another one. He needed time to think. Time to plot what he would say. He dried off and got a pair of underwear out of his suitcase. Then he made himself comfortable on the bed. He looked up Penny’s number and found the option to FaceTime.
There wasn’t a picture with her number. He would have to remedy that soon. Maybe on their date, if he could manage to actually ask her. His phone beeped, letting him know his call had been accepted and was connecting. Penny’s face popped on the screen. Her hair was down, and quite frankly a hot, sexy mess. Her eyes were wide and shining as she smiled. “Hi.”
Callen sat up a little straighter. “Hey. I’m not bothering you, am I?”
“It’s eight o’clock on a Friday night. What do you think?”
Callen paused, and Penny laughed. “I’m eating pizza and watching Gilmore Girls reruns. I think you’re good.”
Just to prove her point, she picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite. “What are you doing?”
Callen grinned and clicked on the screen to flip his camera around so it pointed at his television that just so happened to be on Gilmore Girls. Penny laughed, half choking on her pizza. “Oh, wow. Do the other guys know you watch that?”
Callen flipped his camera back around. “Please. Henrik can quote every single Friends episode and I’m pretty sure Austin has seen the Sex and the City movie at least fifty times. They can’t say shit to me about some Gilmore Girls.”
Penny’s smile covered her entire face. “I’m really glad you called.”
“Me too.” He glanced down at a random spot on the bed. “I missed you.”
“You saw me yesterday.”
He glanced back up, positive of the blush on his face. “And your point?”
Now it was Penny who suddenly couldn’t look at him. Her smile was shy.
It was his chance. “Would you want to do something when I get back in town…maybe go on a…” damn it, even the word was hard to say, “…date?”
Her blue eyes rose to meet his gaze. Her hair draped down over her shoulders, across the thin straps of her tank top. If only she was here, he would kiss her. He was sure of it. He wanted to know the taste of her lips, the texture of her skin beneath his fingertips.
Her voice was soft but serious. “An actual date, or a relaxation therapy date?”
“A real date. I want to take you somewhere nice. Someplace where you’ll want to wear a dress.”
Her eyes widened slightly as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Oh, really?”
“Yes. Then I’m going to buy you expensive champagne and get you tipsy until you start laughing at everything I say.”
She did laugh. It was small and cute. He loved it.
“Then I want to dance with you.”
“You can dance?”
He faked like he was offended. “Fuck, yeah, I can dance.”
Her laughter got louder. “Wow. That sounded really confident. Now I’m intrigued.”
“Is that a yes?”
She paused, pretending to think his offer over for a moment. “Fuck, yeah, that’s a yes,” she said, giggling as the curse left her mouth.
“So, you’re not going to put me in the friend zone?”
She cocked her brow at him. “Were you worried about that?”
“A little bit, perhaps.”
“Callen Copley,” she said very formally, sitting up straight as if she was about to lecture him, “you do realize I’ve been sitting here this entire conversation wondering if you’re actually naked over there or whether you’re just attempting to torture me to death.”
Callen glanced down his body, and then back at the screen that showed she could only see his bare chest and waist. “I have on shorts.”
She huffed. “Well, thanks for ruining that fantasy.”
Fuck. He was going to blush. Penny smiled like she knew it too. “You’ve always been a world away from the friend zone, Callen. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Yes, he definitely wanted to take this girl on a date. And soon. “So, the Friday after I get back. I’ll pick you up at seven?”
She smiled, spreading her hands out to showcase her empty couch. “I’ll be waiting.”
He nodded to keep himself from saying something completely stupid.
“Good night, Callen. Have a good game tomorrow.”
For the first time in a long time, his chest didn’t tighten up at the thought of his game. “Thanks. Good night.”
He let out a giant gush of air as soon as the call disconnected. He threw his phone on the bed and ran to the door that separated his room from Austin’s. He banged on it, and the door flew open before he could even finish the second knock. Austin grinned from the other side. “You have a date.”
Callen stepped back. “You were listening?”
Austin feigned surprise. “Of course. And when do you suddenly have dance moves?”
Callen slugged him. “Asshole. You weren’t supposed to listen.”
Laughter threatened Austin’s lips as he desperately tried to hold it in. “Can you twerk? I bet you can.”
“I hate you.”
Austin gave him a playful nudge. “I always knew you were a freak.”
Callen tried to shut the door in his face, but Austin caught it. He peeked his head around the side. “Seriously, though. I’m proud of you.”
Callen eased
the door back open. “Thanks.”
“And she’s totally into you,” he added.
Callen couldn’t help the goofy smile on his face. “I know.”
He hoped this feeling of euphoria lasted. He felt like he could give Henrik a run for the Rocket Richard trophy at the moment. His adrenaline thrummed in his ears, and his heart beat at an erratic but purposeful pace. He would have a good game tomorrow. He knew it.
***
“Boo.”
The sound reverberated throughout the Staples Center. Callen had never been so happy to be booed his entire life. Those zeros next to his name on the stat sheet were gone. He didn’t score a goal, but he did get two assists. Not one, but two! Sam had been on the receiving end of both goals. Sam jumped into his arms as the other guys on their line joined in around them. The buzzer never sounded so good. “Cali!”
Sam grabbed him by the head and shook him like a candy jar with one M&M left inside. “I knew you could fucking do it.”
Callen laughed and tried to shove him off. “You’re the one who hit the shot, dipshit.”
“Not without that pass.”
“Cali got his groove back,” Preston, one of the defensemen on his line, said as he rubbed the top of Callen’s helmet.
Callen pushed them all away as they skated to the bench. Henrik waited for him. He jumped the wall to take the ice and grabbed him in a bear hug. “Now, that’s the Callen Copley I want on my team next year.”
He couldn’t stop smiling. It felt good, this giant relief that washed over him like a cool breeze in the Sahara. He took a seat on the bench as the rest of his teammates continued to yell down the row at him. Only a few minutes remained in the game, and they had it pretty well in hand, thanks to him. His coach stalked down the tight space behind him. He slapped a rolled up piece of paper on his shoulder. “Good game. That’s what I like to fucking see.”
Callen nodded, that hope inside of him swelling up to his ears. Maybe tonight would dispel the rumors. Maybe it would lean favor back his direction. All he wanted to do was get home and see Penny. He wanted to take her on that date and cement her place in his life.
When the game ended, he went back to the locker room, and the team celebrated the win on the road like any other, but this time he enjoyed it just a little more. Smiles and laughter were contagious throughout the room. They were only a couple wins away from securing a playoff berth, and the room buzzed like they all knew it.
By the time Callen made it back to the hotel room two hours later, exhaustion from the hours of non-stop adrenaline finally bit at him. He slept well. Better than he had in a month of Sundays.
He opened his eyes the next morning to Austin’s face two inches from his own. He jerked back, slapping a pillow at him. “What the hell, Blakie?”
“Good morning, sunshine.”
Callen scooted up in the bed. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe your face isn’t the first thing I want see when I wake up?”
“You were smiling in your sleep.”
“I was not.”
“Yes, you were,” Henrik yelled from the bathroom.
Callen shoved Austin away and crawled out of bed. “Stop watching me sleep, weirdo.”
Austin laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “What were you dreaming about that was so majestically happy?”
“None of your business.”
“He was dreaming about Penny,” Henrik said, coming out of the bathroom, straightening his tie. He grinned. “You talk in your sleep too.”
Callen wanted to deny it, but it wasn’t the first time he’d dreamed about Penny or been accused of talking in his sleep. He decided to ignore them and went to his suitcase.
“Smile,” Austin said, grabbing his shoulder. “You have a date with a beautiful woman, and you earned second star of the game last night. It’s a good fucking day. Act like it.”
“I still have a lot to earn.”
“Not today. Today you are to be nothing but happy.”
“And that’s an order,” Henrik said, pointing toward the bathroom. “Now get dressed. I’m ready to go home.”
Callen took a shower and got his suit on for the trip home. He dropped his suitcase off at the luggage area and followed the guys to board their private plane back to Manhattan. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to turn it off and noticed he had a missed text from Penny.
It was a photograph. It was a picture of her, in her work uniform, standing on one of the chairs at the Bistro, directly in front of the television. Her hands were in the air in celebration, a giant smile on her face. Below it was another text.
Penny: I got a little excited during the game last night. Congrats, Mr. Second Star!
Someone nudged his knee, and he looked up. It was Austin. He figured his friend probably caught him smiling like an idiot again and was ready to make fun of him. Except Austin wasn’t smiling.
“Scoot over.”
Callen did, and let him sit down in the aisle seat. “What’s up?”
Austin looked around as if making sure who was in the vicinity. He leaned closer to Callen. “We should talk.”
Callen turned his phone off without replying to Penny. “Sure.”
Austin looked around again, and it made Callen nervous. Finally, he leaned in, his voice a soft whisper. “I heard a rumor. I don’t know if it’s true, but I figured it best you hear it from us, than on the news.”
“What is it?”
“One of the guys heard that the deal to Detroit for a swap between you and Stangesky is a sure thing. Said they heard Coach say he needed someone who could score points…not assists.”
Bile rose in his throat. “Who heard that?”
“I’m not sure. Romonav came and told me because he heard some of the other guys talking about it.”
Callen threw his head back against the seat. “Fuck.”
Austin put his hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let it get you down. There is still a lot of hockey left.”
“Not if they make the trade next week at the deadline.”
“That still gives you three games to prove them wrong.”
He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “Why bother? I’m gone.”
He’d never felt so disappointed. Even the times when they got so close to moving on in a playoff series, only to come up short, didn’t compare to the rock in his gut at the thought leaving New York.
Leaving Penny.
“Cali—”
The announcement came through the speakers. The plane was taking off. In a couple hours they would be back in Manhattan for what would most likely be his last week. “I don’t want to talk about it, Austin.” He turned toward the window. “If you want to do something for me, you can buy me a stiff drink when we get back.”
Austin nodded, patting his shoulder. “All right, man.”
Then he let it go. Callen suffered alone in silence. Apparently, some things never changed.
Chapter Thirteen
PENNY’S HAUNTED PAST
Penny pulled the tie out of her hair and threw herself down on the couch. She’d never had such a long shift at work. It felt like it would never end. Her feet ached and she had a sore spot in her neck. All she could think about was that Callen was back in Manhattan. His plane should have landed a couple of hours ago. Their date wasn’t until tomorrow night, so she wasn’t surprised when he didn’t show up at the Bistro, but she would be lying if she didn’t admit that it crossed her mind several dozen times. She glanced at the door, hope welling up in her throat, every time she heard the bell ding.
She wanted to lean back and relax, maybe not move for several hours, but she kept getting a whiff of fried food. She needed a shower. She dragged herself into her bedroom and threw her purse on her bed before retreating to her tub. She’d take a nice long soak, listening to some music and focus on tomorrow night. She still didn’t have any idea what she would wear, or what she would say, but she had the entire day off tomorrow to worry about it.
&nb
sp; She filled her bathtub to the brim, the bubbles threatening to burst over the edges. She sank down low in the water until it touched her earlobes. She set her phone up on the sink, turned to her favorite station. She washed the food smell out of her hair and then propped her feet up at the end of the tub. She planned to stay there a while, at least until the water turned cold. She was happily into her third song when the music on her phone cut off, suddenly replaced by her ringtone. Her eyes lit up.
Callen. It was probably Callen. She scrambled out of the tub, dripping water all of the floor. What if he wanted to FaceTime again? She was naked and bubbly. She glanced at the screen, already searching for the nearest towel.
It wasn’t Callen. She recognized the out of state number this time. It was Angel.
She answered it, heat already rising in her face. “Stop calling me. I’m changing my number tomorrow.”
“I need some cash,” Angel said frantically. “Just ten thousand. That’s it. I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Do you realize how many times I heard you spout that exact same lie to Gran? No. You’re not getting a single cent from me.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“Pay me back?” Penny laughed, grabbing a towel from the closet. She wrapped it around her. “You haven’t had a job in twenty years.”
Angel’s voice turned angry. “Whose fault is that?”
“Mine? Suddenly it’s my fault you can’t get a job? I wasn’t the one who got knocked up by a complete stranger.”
“Kris wasn’t a stranger.”
“Just because you kept having sex with him doesn’t make him any less of a stranger the first time.”
“You ungrateful little bitch.”
“Ungrateful? I’m sorry, should I thank you for all those nights I spent alone in ratty hotel rooms? Thankful for all those meals you didn’t give me? No wait, I should be happy that you tried to barter me off for heroin.”
“I’ll get my money, Esa. You just wait.”
“No, you won’t. Because I’m not your daughter anymore.”
Penny hung up and started to turn her phone off. She would change her number first thing in the morning. Before she could push the button, it started to ring again. This time it was Callen. She answered it quickly. “Hello?”
The Girl With Daisies (Midtown Brotherhood #3) Page 11