***
Callan versus Doug.
It was a battle in her mind that she’d avoided having. Her excuse had been that she didn’t want to start associating Callan with the black hole that was her ex. Truthfully though, if Callan was a good enough person, comparing the two of them should have resulted in her realizing just how different they were. She knew that now, thanks to her mother’s careful nudging.
Callan: Repaired items all over the house, spent his own money on new flooring.
Doug: Constantly criticized the older house and its unrenovated interior, cursing any time anything didn’t work, and all but refusing to go and visit her mom.
Callan: Had gone out of his way to print her more resumes and convince her to go to the mall to yet again pointlessly hand out resumes. It hadn’t resulted in anything, but he’d seemed too eager to help. It was fantastic.
Doug: Berated her constantly for not having a job, for not contributing to the income and in general making her feel like shit for not making as much money as he had.
Okay, maybe Mom had a really good point about me needing to think this over some more.
There were a lot of differences between the two, that was undeniable. But she couldn’t help but keep coming back to his comments about treasure.
“Once I have my treasure, it’ll be like this all the time.”
Those had been his exact words. Just what the hell did that mean anyway? She probably should have asked him. Callan had been nothing but honest with her, telling no lies, though he didn’t always tell everything. But he never seemed to lie about what he did tell her. It seemed clear he was hiding something, though she wasn’t sure what it was.
He’s going to have to explain everything to me if this is going to work out. That’s non-negotiable.
She finished undressing and started to pull on the legs of the black neoprene swimsuit. Normally she changed at home and just wore it under her clothes, but today she’d been in too much of a rush for that, so she had to change at the facility.
Her arms worked back and forth, lifting one side while she pulled the suit up, and then doing it on the other side as well. Eventually she had it seated properly, and stuffed her clothes into a bag before putting it into a locker and closing it up. She took the key, looped it around her shoulder strap, and then headed for the door, eager to get in the water and start.
The class was already there, and they were starting to warm up. She wasn’t late, but she didn’t have time to spare. Getting to the chair lift, she pulled up next to it and hit the brakes on her chair. The instructor started to bounce through the water toward her to help, but Kathryn shook her off. She was going to do this herself.
Just like she was going to have to make the decision about Callan herself. Thinking back on how she’d left things with the muscular giant left her irritated. Hell, she hadn’t even told him that she was uncomfortable with material displays of affection. That buying her something new every day wasn’t the way to keep her happy. She much preferred the thoughtful Callan, the one with the resumes, or who had accompanied her to her therapy lesson just because.
And don’t forget how good he looked in those swim trunks, either.
She laughed, remembering his joke about wearing an actual trunk, and how serious he’d been when he’d asked her just what it meant. Pulling herself into the chair lift seat, the smile still on her face, she reached over to activate the controls that would lower her into the water.
Instead of encountering metal switches, however, her hand brushed against warm skin, the contact sending pins and needles shooting straight up her hand. Kathryn’s head snapped around in shock to see who it was. The first thing she noticed were rock-hard abs, because that’s what was at eye level. Dragging her eyes upward, she saw the broad pecs, followed by a thick neck and square jaw.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed at Callan, finally latching on to his eyes, the purple undertones standing out brightly next to the light aqua of the pool water.
“Helping you out,” he said, long fingers that she knew from experience were strong and sensuous flicked the switch with exaggerated motion, and Callan stepped back as the chair swung her out over the pool and then lowered her into the water.
“Go away,” she whispered as he slipped into the pool easily, muscles bunching and becoming more defined as he lowered himself in on one side. His arm in particular bulged delightfully, his firm stomach drawn taut while she pouted in the chair at his presence.
Weren’t you just thinking that maybe you’d made a mistake, running away too soon before even voicing your concerns?
That was different though. Kathryn was going to go to him, on her terms, when she was ready. Him showing up here had thrown everything lopsided, giving him the advantage and leaving her out of sync.
“No. I’m still under contract to be your assistant, and if that’s all I get to be, then that’s all I’ll be,” he rumbled, the lower volume not disguising the steel in his voice.
Callan wasn’t going anywhere.
“Fine,” she snapped, more angry at being surprised than anything. “Let’s do this.”
She was already feeling more energized. It was time to get fit.