Chapter Twelve
Cash grabbed his pants and stepped into them so he was decent when the food arrived, while Callie pulled on a tiny pair of shorts and a thin T-shirt. He tamped down the guilt that tried to rise up, unwilling to let it ruin what had just happened. How could something so good be bad? And he sure as hell wasn’t going to run out on Callie again and hurt her feelings.
They ate in the family room off the kitchen, a room that should have been cozy but wasn’t. The huge size and high ceiling made the space feel empty and cool despite the leather sectional and the fireplace in the corner. Big windows on one wall overlooking the gorge and bayou let in a lot of light even at this time of day, and a ceiling fan circled slowly above them. Callie turned on the flat-screen television, then handed him the remote with a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged and channel surfed while she set out food on the big square coffee table in front of them. After checking every available channel, he concluded, “There’s nothing to watch.”
She smiled. “We could watch something on Netflix. There are a bunch of shows I missed when I was in Europe.”
“Huh.” He explored further.
“Ooh, Daredevil. Let’s watch that.”
He’d heard of the show but had never seen it. “Okay.”
“Oh God, this is good.” She held her shrimp taco over the Styrofoam container after taking a bite.
“Mmm.” He took a chip and scooped up some guac. “Have to agree. I was starving.”
They ate in comfortable silence, watching TV, quickly becoming engrossed in the show. Callie snitched several chips from him, but he didn’t mind since he had more than enough and he loved watching her enjoy food.
Well, somehow they’d done it again.
He was just gonna put that thought aside while he enjoyed his Tex-Mex and Netflix and Callie beside him.
His cell phone warbled, and he reached for it with a frown. “Who’s calling me on a Saturday night?”
“Uh-oh. Hopefully you didn’t have a hot date you forgot about.” Callie picked up the remote and paused the show.
He rolled his eyes. “My sister.” He swiped the screen. “Hey, Ginnie. What’s up?”
“I’m calling about Mama’s birthday party.”
“Oh yeah, right.” They’d decided on a date, the Saturday closest to Mama’s birthday, two weeks away. Ginnie would come home for the weekend. “I talked to Barb, and she’s making a guest list. I think she’s already told a bunch of people to hold the date.”
“Good. We need to figure out where it’s going to be. Any ideas?”
“The Houston Club?”
Ginnie laughed. “Mama would die if you had the party there.”
“Hey, why not? I’m a member.”
“She’d be totally intimidated. So would I.”
Cash grinned and watched Callie steal another chip from his dinner. “Okay, not there. The country club?”
“Just as bad. Come on. There has to be a nice restaurant she would like.”
Cash lowered the phone to speak to Callie. “Any suggestions for a restaurant for my mom’s birthday party?”
Callie tilted her head. “Hmm. Interlude is nice. Or Beaudelaire.”
“Who’s there with you?” Ginnie demanded.
Cash spoke into the phone. “Callie.”
Silence. “Oh.” A pause. “Are she and Beau back together?”
“Nope.”
More silence. “Um. Okay. What did she say?”
He named the restaurants.
“Oh, Interlude is so nice! I think Mama would like that. Can you see if they have a private room?”
Cash relayed the question to Callie, sure she’d know.
“Should I talk to your sister?” she asked with a smirk. “Maybe we could plan the party.”
“I wish,” he muttered.
“Yes, they do have a private room. It holds about twenty, I think.”
“That sounds good. We were figuring on about a dozen people.” He spoke to Ginnie again. “I’ll make the reservation.”
“What about food?”
“Jesus. Can’t we just order when we get there?”
Callie spoke up with a smile. “They have fixed-price, family-style menus. You can plan it ahead of time.”
“Uh. Okay.” Maybe he should hand the phone over to Callie.
“What are you getting her for a present?” Ginnie asked. “It’s her fiftieth birthday.”
“Yeah, I know. I haven’t thought about it.”
“You’ll be buying something that day.” Ginnie laughed. “I know you.”
She was probably right. “Diamond earrings.”
“Ooooh, show off. You know I can’t compete with that.”
“It’s not a competition. Hey. What’s up with the guy you’re seeing?”
“His name is Kevin. We’re just going out to a movie.” Cash could tell Kevin was there with her.
“He’s a good guy?”
“Yes, he is.” He heard the smile in her voice. “He’s coming home with me for the party so you can meet him then.”
“Huh. This is serious?”
“Mmmm. Who knows?” Ginnie’s tone was light, but he sensed that she really liked this guy.
His gut tightened. “Okay, good that I’ll get to meet him.”
“You be nice to him.”
“Not if he’s an asshole.”
“Cash!”
He grinned. “Just sayin’.”
“Okay. So we’re on track for the party.”
“Callie’s making Mama a birthday cake.”
“Oh. Okay.” Another pause. “Um, you and Callie…?”
“Gotta go. Take care, Gin.”
He ended the call.
Callie smiled. “I can help you plan the menu, if you want.”
He exhaled with relief. “Yeah, that would be good. What the fuck do I know?”
He could have asked Barb or Eleanor to help, probably. But he liked the idea of Callie doing it.
“I never hear you talk about your dad,” Callie said cautiously.
Cash picked up his taco. “He lives in Dallas. I don’t ever see him.”
“Ever?”
“Not since he left when I was sixteen.”
“Oh.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “That sucks.”
“Eh. It is what it is. He knocked up some other woman and decided he’d rather be with them than with us. Why would we want such a dickhead around?” His casual tone belied the anger and hurt he’d felt at the time.
“Wow. That is pretty dickish. Does he have more than one kid now?”
“I have no idea.”
“Jeez, Cash. That’s awful.”
He hated pity. He shrugged. “Nah. It’s fine.” He’d gone through a bunch of phases after his dad had bailed on them—denial, hurt, hope, and anger. Now, like he’d said, it was what it was.
“My pathetic story about my parents ignoring us doesn’t seem so shitty now. Not to mention my daddy’s cheating.” She grimaced. “At least my parents are still together.”
“Yeah. I guess it works for them. But it’s never easy when our parents aren’t there for us. So yours were around physically and they supported you financially—it doesn’t make it easier that they weren’t there for you emotionally. I didn’t really get it at the time, but if my old man wasn’t prepared to be there emotionally for us, it was probably better that he left.”
She eyed him. “I guess that’s true.” She paused. “Your dad didn’t help support you and your sister financially?”
“Yeah, he did. He wasn’t a total asshole. But those monthly checks didn’t nearly help pay for everything. Mama was a stay-at-home mom who had to go find a job. It wasn’t easy for her. I tried to help out as much as I could.”
“And you still are.” Her smile made his chest go soft and warm. “Helping your mom.”
He shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“You’re a good guy, Cash.”
His chest tightened. The praise made him uncomfortable, and yet, coming from Callie, also made him happy. He met her eyes. “Callie…”
“Why aren’t you out on a hot date tonight?”
The question took him aback. “Uh…”
“You haven’t talked about dating other women since I’ve been back. You used to be such a player, I could never keep track of who you were dating. Or not dating. In fact, before Beau and I split up, we hardly ever saw you because you were always busy with someone.”
That was a question he’d rather not ponder. It was true, he hadn’t had a date for a while. In fact, it did coincide with Callie’s return from Europe. Not that it had been a conscious decision. “I don’t really know,” he said honestly. He shrugged. “Just haven’t met anyone interesting lately, I guess.”
Their eyes met again, and understanding flickered between them. They both knew that whatever was happening with them couldn’t be anything more than sex. Regret swelled hot inside him.
“It’s okay, Cash. I told you before. Beau will never know about this.”
He nodded. That didn’t make him feel any better, but he kept that to himself. “Do you want me to leave?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. I want you to watch the rest of Daredevil with me.”
They ended up watching three episodes in a row. And they ended up back upstairs in Callie’s bedroom.