Chapter 15

 

Over the next couple of days, things settled down, albeit a little tentative, between Callum and Georgie. On the Sunday afternoon, once Callum had managed to have a little more sleep, and a shower, he finally began to feel somewhat human again. He took Macy for a walk, giving Georgie a little bit of space.

He hadn’t been that surprised that evening when she went straight to her room. Still, he felt disappointed none the less.

By the time he left for work on Tuesday morning, he was happy that Georgie was at least making eye contact with him once more.

“What’s the plan for the day?” Callum asked as he sat at the breakfast table with Macy on Georgie.

“We have a swimming lesson this morning,” Georgie said, looking up at Callum and smiling before she turned to Macy, as her smile widening. “Then we are going to the park.”

“Sounds like a fun day,” Callum replied, watching Georgie for a moment before he glanced over at Annie, who was standing behind the counter preparing dinner for the evening. The moment his eyes met hers, she gave him a sad smile before she returned her focus to what she was doing.

Callum could feel his face flush a little because he knew that Annie could see straight through him. It was strange, of all the people in Callum’s life, Annie was the one person who could tell what he was thinking almost before he knew he was thinking it.

“Hey,” he said, turning back to Macy, smiling at her. “You can bring your suit and your water wings to Uncle Landen’s tomorrow for the barbeque. Maybe we could all swim in his pool.”

“YAY!” Macy squealed excitedly, clapping her hands before she turned to Georgie. “Georgie, will you swim with me? Liam can swim with us too. We can splash him.”

“Well, I won’t be there, Sweetie,” Georgie said, and Callum was surprised to see her face flush with embarrassment, as her words surprised him. “But I’m sure your daddy will go swimming with you.”

“You’re not coming with us,” Callum had the words out before he even had time to think.

“Tomorrow is about being with your family,” Georgie explained, giving Callum a nervous smile. “I don’t want to intrude, besides I told my friend Erin that I would go hang with her and some of her friends, as she is having a 4th of July party. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

“I… Yeah, I guess,” Callum replied, trying his hardest to hide the disappointment he felt. He remembered her friend Erin from the day he met Georgie in the coffee shop. He was just surprised that she had decided not to come with him and Macy to Landen and Amelia’s. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is,” she replied, giving him another smile as she pushed up from her chair. “I should go get Macy’s bag ready for her swimming lesson. We need to catch the bus in thirty minutes.”

“Okay,” Callum said, as Macy climbed down from her seat, quickly following Georgie from the kitchen. He released a long, frustrated sigh.

“You know you could talk to her,” Annie said suddenly from where she was standing behind the counter. “Ask her to go with you.”

“She has plans,” Callum replied, turning to look at Annie, as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. “She’s entitled to a day off.”

“Okay,” Annie said, smiling at him before returning her focus to the dinner she was preparing for the evening meal, but then added. “Or you could simply tell her how you feel about her.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Callum said, pushing up from his chair. “I don’t feel any way about her.”

“If you say so,” she replied with a knowing smile. “But the longer you leave things, the harder it’s going to be. Georgie is a very pretty girl. She may even meet someone else, and then it will be too late. But what do I know.”

“I don’t have feelings for her,” Callum insisted, then gave Annie a sad smile. “But even if I did, she doesn’t feel the same way. She likes Liam.”

“Did she tell you that?” Annie asked, giving Callum a questioning look.

“She didn’t have to,” Callum sighed. “I can see it in her eyes every time she sees him, or whenever she hears his name.”

“You see that in her eyes?” Annie asked with a laugh. “Callum, you are only seeing what’s in your head, look at her with your heart.”

Callum stared at Annie for a moment. She never called him by his first name.

“Talk to her,” she continued before she picked up the dish she was working on, turning towards the fridge to put the food away until later.

Callum turned, making his way out to the living room. He was halfway across the living room when Georgie and Macy appeared at the top of the stairs. Callum couldn’t help but smile when he saw Macy was already wearing her water wings. She was also carrying her doll and Georgie’s bear.

“She insisted on wearing them,” Georgie explained with a bright, genuine smile as she made her way across the living room. “Let’s hope she is as keen when we get to the pool.”

“I was thinking,” Callum said, as he pulled his keys from his pocket. “Why don’t you take the Audi?”

“You want me to take your car?” Georgie asked, giving him a surprised look.

“Well, you have your driver’s license,” Callum shrugged. “And the insurance covers other drivers.”

“But it’s brand new,” Georgie said, as she nervously looked down at the keys in his hand.

“And?” Callum asked, giving her a smile. “It’s just a car. Besides, I trust you with something a lot more important to me than a new car. I guess I would be happier if you and Macy didn’t have to travel on the bus.”

“But…” Georgie replied, but Callum quickly stopped her.

“I trust you,” he said, as this time her eyes finally met his. “Maybe you can learn to trust me.”

She stared at him for a moment, as her face flushed slightly. Callum had no idea what she was thinking right at that moment.

Slowly a smile spread across her lips, and Callum couldn’t help but smile too.

“Thank you,” she said as she reached out to take the keys from him. “I will be extra careful.”

“I know you will,” Calum replied, but as she took the keys from him, her fingers touched his. It was the briefest of touches, but it was the first one since he had kissed her. He held his breath, as his heart hammered in his chest, memories of her lips against his, her in his arms filled him with a sudden longing.

He quickly stepped back, knowing he needed to shut his thoughts down.

“I should go get ready,” he said, suddenly feeling awkward and unsure of himself. “I’ve got a meeting I’ve got to get to.”

“Then I’ll see you later,” Georgie said, giving him a strange look, but then she smiled. Callum turned to Macy, kissing the top of her head.

“Love you, Peanut,” Callum told Macy and was rewarded with a big smile from his little girl. “Have fun at swimming.”

“You forgot to kiss Daisy,” Macy said holding up the doll to Callum. Callum duly complied, giving the doll a kiss as requested. Then Macy held up the bear. “Don’t forget Puddles.”

He kissed Puddles too.

“What about Georgie?” Macy asked, looking up at her father with her big blue eyes. “You didn’t kiss Georgie.”

Callum froze, unsure of how he should respond to that comment. He glanced at Georgie, and he wasn’t surprised to see her face was now burning with embarrassment.

“Macy, Sweetie,” Callum began to say, but Macy cut him off.

“You have to kiss Georgie, too,” Macy insisted, giving him an expectant look.

He looked at Georgie once more, not really surprised to find her looking anywhere but at him. Finally, she let her eyes meet his. To his surprise, she just smiled at him, as if she was telling him it was okay for him to kiss her.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward, and softly pressed his lips to her cheek, breathing in her beautiful scent. Callum's heart felt like it was ready to burst from his chest.

“Yay!” Macy exclaimed, as Callum quickly pulled back from Georgie, then turned and headed towards the door. “Bye, Daddy.”

“Bye Macy,” Callum called after her, but his eyes were still on Georgie. “Bye, Georgie.”

“Bye,” she replied, giving him a smile that he didn’t understand, before she turned, walking towards the door, too.

Fuck! Callum sighed to himself as he grabbed his briefcase from the armchair in the sitting room, then turning towards the door himself.

He stopped when he saw Annie standing there, giving him a knowing smile.

“Don’t say a word,” he said, giving her a pleading look.

“I won’t,” Annie replied, with a knowing smile. “It’s still okay for me to take the next couple of days off, right?”

“Sure,” Callum nodded, smiling at her. “You need to be with your family; I get that.”

“It’s just,” Annie continued. “I know I’ve been missing a lot lately…”

“Stop worrying,” Callum said as he walked to the older woman, giving her another smile. “When it comes to family, I get it, believe me.”

He kissed the woman on the cheek, surprising her completely.

“I can’t leave you out, now, can I?” Callum exclaimed with a chuckle before he headed for the door, grabbing his car keys as he passed by the hall table.

Callum left his office a little after five. He had decided to cancel his last two meetings, choosing instead to go home to join Macy and Georgie for dinner.

He climbed into his car, heading for home. As he stopped at traffic lights, he glanced over at his briefcase and spotted a CD sticking out of the back pocket.

Reaching over, he pulled the CD from the pocket and read the words written on it. It said ‘Macy’s mix.’

He had no idea how it had gotten into the pocket of his briefcase. Still, he smiled as he slipped it into the player in his car. A few moments later, the song that he had danced with Macy and Georgie filled the car, as his smile widened. Reaching out, he turned up the volume, before he reached up and loosened his tie.

He liked this song. It was very Georgie.

By the time he reached home, Callum’s mood was high. Georgie was right; music just made everything seem better somehow.

When he opened the door, the smell of dinner hit his nose, making his stomach growl. Slipping off his jacket, before he headed into the kitchen.

“Daddy!” Macy exclaimed the moment she saw her father.

“Hey, Mace,” Callum replied, walking around the table to kiss the top of her head. He couldn’t help but smile to see she was still wearing her water wings. “How was swimming?”

“Good,” Macy replied as she pushed a big spoonful of food into her mouth. Callum couldn’t describe how good it felt to see her happy and more importantly eating.

“Sam said that she is the best student in his class,” Georgie told Callum as he walked towards the kitchen to get himself a plate before he took his seat.

“Sam?” Callum asked, giving Georgie a questioning look.

“Her swimming teacher,” Georgie explained, but before she could say another word, her phone began to ring in her pocket. She pulled it out, looking at the screen.

Callum was surprised to see her frown before she hit decline, then power her phone off. She suddenly looked up and smiled when their eyes met.

“Sorry,” she said, pushing her phone back into her pocket, surprising Callum. “I should have knocked that off before I sat down for dinner.”

“It’s okay,” Callum assured her. “If it’s important and you need to take it…”

“No!” She cut him off, once more surprising Callum yet again. “It’s nobody I want to talk to, ever.”

“Oh,” Callum replied, as Georgie returned her focus to her dinner. Callum was tempted to push her further, but he decided against it.

Instead, he returned to his own dinner, serving himself from the serving plates on the table.

Callum was sitting on the sofa, flicking through the news channels, when Georgie made her way down the stairs.

“Is she asleep?” Callum asked, looking up at Georgie, but he already knew the answer.

“She is,” Georgie replied with a giggle. “It was all I could do to get her to agree to take her arm bands off. She has certainly taken to swimming in a big way.”

“Arm bands,” Callum repeated, giving Georgie a curious look.

“Um… water wings,” Georgie replied with a smile. “Back home we call them arm bands.”

“I see. Well, she certainly seems keen,” Callum chuckled but then added. “She seems so much happier about everything, and I know I have you to thank for that, so thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Callum,” Georgie said, giving him a genuine smile. She looked at him for a moment, before she took a step back, smiling. “I think I’m going to call it a night. I have Macy’s bag ready for you for tomorrow. I have her swimming suit, and some clean clothes packed for her. I also put her Minnie mouse towel in her bag, because she wanted to show…um…she wanted to bring it.”

“Okay,” Callum sighed. He knew she was going to say Macy wanted to show Liam, but she stopped, and he wondered why. Suddenly a memory from the night he was drunk crashed into his mind. He asked her if she liked Liam.

You asshole! He thought to himself. What else did you say to her that night?

“Good night, Callum,” Georgie said, giving him another smile, before she turned, heading for the stairs.

“Georgie!” Callum called out, standing up from the sofa. “About tomorrow.”

“Is there a problem?” Georgie asked, turning back to Callum, giving him a worried look.

“I know I said things,” Callum began, his face flushing with embarrassment. “The other night, I mean. I don’t remember most of them, but I can only guess.”

“You don’t have to explain,” Georgie quickly replied but Callum stopped her.

“No, but I want to,” Callum insisted. “Georgie, you’re a very important person to Macy, and to me. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk about my family, or you must avoid them.”

“I… I don’t,” Georgie assured him, but he knew that she wasn’t being honest with him.

“Then why won’t you come with us tomorrow?” He had the words out before he thought about them.

“Because I… I just think it’s best if I don’t go,” Georgie replied, her face burning with embarrassment.

“Because I acted like an asshole the other night,” Callum sighed, giving her a nervous smile. “Over Liam.”

“I just don’t want to upset you anymore,” Georgie replied honestly. “I like you, Callum. I like working here, and I love Macy. I don’t want anything to come in the way of that.”

“Then come with us,” Callum pleaded. “I promise. I’ll behave; I give you my word.”

“Callum, I don’t know…” she replied, shaking her head nervously.

“Please,” Callum pushed. “Tomorrow is about family, so you should be there.”

She stared at him for a moment, and he knew she was torn.

Finally, she released a long sigh, as a smile slowly filled her face.

“Okay,” she said, giving Callum a nervous smile.

“Thank you, Georgie,” Callum replied, unable to hide just how happy she had made him.

“Good night, Callum,” Georgie said once more as she turned back towards the stairs.

“Good night, Georgie,” Callum replied with another smile. “Sweet dreams.”

Callum stood and watched Georgie as she climbed the stairs. He was surprised by how happy he felt by her agreeing to go with him and Macy to Landen’s. Now he just needed to stop over-thinking, and keep his emotions in check.