***
When Callie entered the kennel early the next morning, Lucky immediately jumped off the couch and bolted straight to her. “Hey there, buddy.” Picking up the dog, she gave him a quick squeeze. “How about a game of fetch?”
Grabbing a bright yellow tennis ball from a basket of toys, she pushed open the door. The air outside was warm, already close to seventy degrees even though it was barely eight thirty. In the distance, she heard the waves crashing on the shore. For a moment, she closed her eyes, simply absorbing the atmosphere. It was so tranquil and relaxing.
“You’re up and about early.”
Opening her eyes, she saw Jake coming toward her. Wearing a pair of shorts and a sweat-soaked t-shirt, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess he’d been running.
“I wouldn’t call this early. I’m usually at work by now,” she responded, tossing the tennis ball. Lucky took off like a shot in hot pursuit.
Jake stopped next to her. “Nice arm,” he commented, sounding impressed. “Dylan mentioned you played softball in college.”
Callie picked up the ball Lucky dropped at her feet and pretended to examine it closely. She was surprised Dylan had mentioned her to anyone, let alone told them she’d played softball. It wasn’t as if they’d had a real relationship.
How much did Jake know? She didn’t think anyone other than Marty Phillips, Dylan, and Elizabeth knew about his little agreement. That didn’t mean Jake didn’t know they’d been intimate. Somehow Sara knew, or at least suspected.
Throwing the ball again, she finally answered, “Mostly center field, but sometimes I would play right too.”
Jake dropped down to the ground, stretched his long legs out in front of him, and leaned back on his elbows.
It looked like he’d planned on staying for a while. Preferring to let him continue the conversation, she once again picked up the ball Lucky dropped at her feet.
“I never played baseball,” he admitted, picking at the blades of grass. “Basketball and soccer were my games. And, as you can imagine, Sara’s not exactly into team sports.”
No big surprise there. She couldn’t imagine Sara intentionally getting sweaty unless it involved sitting in a steam room wrapped in a big white fluffy towel.
Not waiting for a reply, Jake continued his family history lesson. “Dylan was big into cricket and rugby, although he did play a little basketball too. He probably would’ve played football if his school in England had a team.”
She could picture Dylan as the star quarterback, the football player who had all the girls falling at his feet.
Chucking the tennis ball even harder this time, she tried to keep her emotions from bubbling over. So much for the peace she’d been feeling a few minutes ago. Yet she couldn’t blame Jake. He had no way of knowing that talking about Dylan would upset her. He was just making conversation.
This time when Lucky dropped the ball, Jake reached for it before Callie could. “I know you two were seeing each other,” he said, his voice gentle.
Okay, so much for just making conversation. “It was nothing.” She hated how her voice cracked with emotion. Nothing to him at least. To her, it had been so much more. God, she didn’t want to talk about this.
Jake looked up at her, an eyebrow cocked. “I’ve seen the pictures. It was more than nothing.”
For a split second, she wished Jake was more like his sister Sara. Then, they would never be having this little heart to heart.
Dropping down to the ground, she sighed loudly before realizing it. “You can’t always believe what you see.”
Her half-brother laughed sarcastically. “You do not have to tell me that.” Judging by the tone of his voice, he spoke from experience. “In this case though, you’re wrong, Callie.”
Neither said anything for a few minutes, which was fine with her. She didn’t want to talk about Dylan. Instead, they took turns throwing the ball for Lucky, who repeatedly bolted after it, usually making the catch before it hit the ground. Callie had started to think he’d let the subject go, but then he looked at her.
“Dylan can be a cutthroat bastard in the boardroom, but he’s not the type to screw with someone’s emotions. He’s a good guy, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my half-brother.”
She remained silent. What was she supposed to say? You don’t know him as well as you think you do. That would just make things uncomfortable between them, and she didn’t want that. She liked Jake. He seemed to be a nice guy, someone she could become friends with.
“Did you know he was once engaged?” Jake asked. It seemed he was unable to let the topic of Dylan go this morning.
The news stunned her. “No, he never told me that.” Then again, she had never asked about his previous relationships, and he hadn’t asked her.
Jake pulled out another blade of grass. “He doesn’t talk about it.”
“What happened?” It wasn’t any of her business. Still, she couldn’t help but ask anyway.
“Francesca turned out not to be who Dylan thought she was. Let’s just say things didn’t end well between them.”
Why was he telling her this? She doubted Dylan would appreciate it if he knew.
“He hasn’t had a serious relationship since then. Not until you.”
If you only knew the truth Jake, Callie thought bitterly. “There was nothing serious about our relationship, Jake. We only went out a few times. It was no big deal. Really.”
Jake scratched Lucky, who had collapsed on the grass between them panting hard, and shook his head. “I don’t buy it. He respects my...I mean, our father too much to just fool around with you.”
Callie shrugged, but didn’t comment. What was she supposed to say? Dylan was trying to protect Warren by faking interest in me? She didn’t want Jake or anyone else to know how naive she’d been. She should have known from the beginning that something other than a true interest in her drove Dylan’s actions, but Callie had been too wrapped up in her feelings to stop and consider things from the analytical side.
Not that she would’ve ever guessed the truth.
As if knowing he wasn’t going to convince her otherwise, Jake got to his feet when she remained silent. “Why don’t we head back for breakfast?” Holding out his hand to help her up, he continued, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry and want some coffee.”
“Coffee sounds like a great idea.” Callie accepted his hand and come to her feet. Thanks to their conversation about Dylan, her appetite was shot, but she was always up for a good cup of coffee. Especially if it meant Jake would finally end this talk about her and Dylan’s relationship.
The Teacher's Billionaire Page 37