Hollywood House Call

Thirteen



Callie felt like a little girl again. As she pulled her rental car into the drive of her Kansas home, all her childhood memories flooded her.

Sure enough, a giant blue tarp covered the roof at the end of the house, right over where her bedroom used to be. Of course that was where the roof would choose to blow off. Fate wasn’t being kind lately and this was just par for the course.

Mentally, Callie gave fate the one-fingered salute and laughed—it was either that or cry at the image of rainwater filling her bedroom, making even her past life a mess.

As she exited the car, her mother and father came out onto the porch and all that worry with the roof, with the accident and the lost movie part were pushed to the back of her mind. She’d missed them. Even though she hadn’t grown up with the best of everything, her parents had always been there. Even when she’d felt fat and like an outcast, her parents had urged her to better herself, always seeing the brighter side of her.

Callie dropped her bag on the ground beside the steps and reached for her mother with her left arm. When her father moved in for a hug on her right side, Callie stepped back.

“Sorry, I’m still a little sore from the broken collarbone.” She tried to smile, but both her parents zeroed in on her cheek. “It’s not as bad as it looks. Just healing kind of ugly.”

Her mother teared up. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry you were hurt.”

Callie waved it off because she did not come home for pity; she came to help and that was precisely what she’d concentrate on.

“I’m fine. Really. Noah has plans to fix this once it’s ready for surgery.” Not that he could make her perfect again, but she doubted her parents knew that. “So, what’s the cost of the roof going to be?”

Her father sighed. “A buddy I used to work with said he could help replace it, but the materials are still costly. We’re hoping to just get that side done for now, but another bad storm and the rest could go.”

Bad storm? In Kansas? Yeah, the chances of that were well over 100 percent.

Callie nodded. “Then we’ll find a way to get this done,” she told them. “I have a little money left. Not much after my plane ticket, but I’ll make some calls and see what I can do.”

Her father wrapped his arm around her. “Honey, we didn’t expect you to rush home. There’s nothing you can do that I couldn’t do.”

“True, but I feel better knowing I’m here helping you guys.”

Her father stared down at her and then smiled. “You always were such a fighter and so determined. I’m glad you’re home, Callie.”

Yeah, that was her. Determined and a fighter. Too bad she’d been sitting around wallowing in self-pity over this accident. But now she’d at least feel as if she was helping.

And she wasn’t even going to ask if her sister had helped. More than likely she didn’t even know how bad off Mom and Dad were.

“Let’s get inside and catch up,” her mother said, reaching for the bag. “I want to hear all about Hollywood and the glamorous things you’ve seen.”

Okay, that was a topic she could definitely discuss because the things she’d seen in that office were fodder for girlie gossip and she could use the laughs with her mother.

The trip alone would be good for her. She needed time away from L.A., from Noah. And spending the evening with her mother was the perfect way to help her clear her mind.

* * *

Callie had forgotten how much she missed home-cooked food. Her mother had made biscuits from scratch and gravy with eggs and sausage. There was nothing like a meal full of carbs and calories to have her slipping into a state of euphoria while snuggled on the old, comfy couch watching television—an old war movie, of course.

Her mother sat beside her, and her father had planted himself in his recliner. Yeah, this was the simple life she both did and did not miss. It was nice to come home and get back to the simplicity, but at the same time, Callie knew she did not want to grow up and live in a small town where the most exciting thing in the evening was watching the news or doing crossword puzzles.

The doorbell cut through the room, causing the three of them to turn their attention toward the front door.

“Wonder who that is,” her father mumbled as he went to the door.

Callie remained in her seat as her father flicked the dead bolt and opened the door.

“Excuse me, sir.”

Oh, God. She knew that voice.

“I’m looking for Callie Matthews.”

She jumped to her feet, pulled her T-shirt down and stepped up beside her father. “Noah! What are you doing here?”

Dear Lord, she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her, but at the same time she was so shocked at his presence she didn’t know how to act. Inside she was jumping up and down with joy that he’d taken the initiative to come all the way here, but she didn’t want him to feel obligated to help her.

“Noah?” her father asked, opening the door wider. “This is the doctor you work for?”

Callie nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on Noah, who looked so…down-to-earth in his worn jeans, tennis shoes, plain gray T-shirt and a bag slung over his shoulder. If she didn’t know he was a top Hollywood surgeon, she’d guess he lived right here in Kansas.

“Come in, come in,” her mother chimed from behind her. “Don’t leave the poor man on the porch.”

Callie glanced around to the tidy, yet very well-worn living room. Nothing matched and all the furniture was from her childhood. But she refused to be embarrassed about her humble beginnings. This was the life she knew before meeting him, and while she might not want to be at this point anymore in her life, she wasn’t ashamed, either.

“I thought I could help.” Noah set his bag on the floor by the door. “Since you wouldn’t let me come with you, I thought I’d surprise you.”

Callie laughed. “I’m surprised, all right. I assume you looked up my emergency contact on my file at work to get the address?”

Noah smiled and that high-voltage smile was all Hollywood and should’ve been in front of cameras instead of hiding behind a surgical mask.

“I tend to get what I want,” he told her, holding her gaze for a brief moment. Then he turned his attention to her father and held out his hand. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Noah Foster.”

“Jim Matthews,” her father said, pumping Noah’s hand. “And this is my wife, Erma.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Noah told her parents. “I don’t want to intrude, so after I talk with Callie for a bit, I’ll just find the closest hotel. But I meant it when I said I could help.”

“You’ll not stay at a hotel,” her mother scolded. “We may be down a bedroom because of the roof, but we still have the bedroom in the basement. You’re more than welcome to stay here. Are you hungry? We just had dinner and there’s some left over.”

Noah shook his head, smile still in place. “No, ma’am. I grabbed something when my plane landed.”

As Noah charmed her parents, Callie stood frozen. Noah Foster was in her living room talking to her parents as if he belonged here.

Her father’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Callie, honey, why don’t you show Noah the bedroom he can use downstairs?”

“Of course.” She moved around the group and headed down the narrow hallway. “Come on, Noah. We can talk down here.”

She opened the basement door and flicked on the light to descend the steps. Once she hit the bottom, she turned on another light that illuminated the bedroom.

“It’s pretty bare,” she told him when he joined her. “We don’t usually have company. My bedroom is out of commission, so I’ll be taking the couch.”

He jerked his head toward her. “Couch? I’ll just go to a hotel, or I can take the couch.”

Callie shook her head. “Don’t be silly. You’re here and this room is all yours…unless you want something fancier.”

Noah dropped his bag on the worn carpet and stepped closer. “Callie, I think you know me well enough by now to realize that I’m not a snob. I didn’t fly all this way to be pampered or treated like a socialite. I came to help you in any way I can. I know you are here to help your parents. I care for you and I’m here for you. Don’t shut me out because you’re ashamed of where you came from.”

Callie looked away, unable to hold his gaze.. He tapped beneath her chin with his finger until she looked up at him.

“Now, instead of the couch or the hotel, why don’t we just share this room?”

“Because I’m not shacking up with you while my parents are in the same house.”

Noah laughed. “You think they are unaware that you’re not a virgin?”

“I’m sure they know I’m not, but still.”

He quirked a brow. “Still what? I want you in bed with me, Callie. We can…talk. That way tomorrow we will be ready to tackle whatever needs to be done.”

On a groan, Callie reached up with one hand and toyed with his dark hair. “I can’t believe you flew all this way to help me when you don’t even know what you’re helping with.”

He shrugged. “I assume it has something to do with that big blue tarp on the house?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “The storm the other night took off a portion of the roof that was over my bedroom.”

“So they need a new roof? What’s the cost?”

“Dad has a friend who will help him replace the roof, but the materials are still so costly.” Callie dropped her hand and picked up Noah’s bag, placing it on the small dresser. “I plan to go to the bank tomorrow to see about a small loan to help them. I’m not sure if I can get one, but I know that my credit is better than theirs, and with my dad still unemployed—”

“You need to relax,” he told her. “This will all work out. Why don’t you go take a bath and read a book? I know you love to read.”

Callie smiled. “I would love to go be lazy for a few minutes, but I’m not leaving you alone with my parents.”

He moved toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Why? Afraid they’ll pull out the baby pictures or embarrassing school photos?”

“To be honest, yes.” She slid her hands up his arms. “You wouldn’t recognize the girl I used to be.”

Noah’s lips softly touched hers before he pulled her into a warm embrace. “I’m sure the same loving, caring, bright spirit would be looking back at me in those pictures.”

Callie inhaled the sexy, masculine aroma that she’d become familiar with since being with Noah. “You may be surprised.”

“I promise not to look at any pictures,” he told her, easing back. “Now, go relax in the tub and grab a book. Your parents and I will be just fine.”

Callie hesitated, but she was tired, and if she was going to actually sleep down here with Noah, she’d at least like to freshen up first.

Lord help her. Noah must really care for her to show up like this, but she feared reading too much into this surprise. No matter her feelings, she couldn’t assume he felt the same.

* * *

Noah had set his plan in motion and now all he had to do was wait for Callie to come back downstairs. After a brief yet detailed talk with her father, Noah was ready to enjoy his time with Callie. Alone. Naked.

While he’d been upstairs he’d seen a few random snapshots of the family over the years. He had to assume the overweight girl in the photos was Callie because the tall blonde certainly wasn’t and the only other kid in the pictures was a boy. No wonder she said he wouldn’t recognize her. She was quite heavy, but she’d still been beautiful and that smile had been just as radiant.

He heard Callie upstairs in the kitchen speaking with her mother, but couldn’t make out the words. After about an hour, she came down wearing an old, baggy T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. She was the sexiest sight he’d ever seen.

“I wasn’t expecting a sleepover,” she explained. “I knew I had old clothes here, so I didn’t pack pajamas.”

Noah remained seated on the edge of the bed. “Don’t apologize for being you, Callie.”

“These were some of my fat clothes,” she told him, holding on to the newel post. “Since you’re here, you might as well know more about me and why I fought so hard to get out of this town.”

Noah waited because he could see her searching within herself to find the courage to speak up. He was surprised at how deeply he wanted to get to know her.

“I was quite overweight growing up,” she began. “I wasn’t popular, I didn’t feel like I belonged, especially being a middle child, and I knew I would leave this town as soon as possible.

“I used to watch old movies while all the other teenagers were at parties or ball games. I would fantasize about being a star, wonder how awesome it would be to make a name for myself.”

Callie sat on the bottom step. “My parents were adamant I get a college education. Through financial aid I got my bachelor’s in Early Childhood Development, but I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher. I wanted to be an actress. I also knew that with my appearance, Hollywood wouldn’t look twice in my direction.”

The picture she was painting made Noah’s heart ache for her. He was getting a glimpse inside this little girl’s dream and the woman who had to face reality.

“The entire time I was in college I worked out and ate right,” she went on. “By the end of my four years, I was a totally different person. And after I graduated, I continued to work for the college in the office until I could save enough money to move to L.A.”

Her eyes drifted across the room to his. The entire time she’d been talking she’d focused her attention away from him, as if she was afraid to see his reaction.

“Why are you acting worried and ashamed of what I may think?” he finally asked. “Does it truly matter what I think, Callie? Or anyone else for that matter? All this story does is prove to me that you’re a fighter.”

She shrugged. “That may be, but fighting won’t change anything now.”

Noah came to his feet, crossed the room and took hold of her hands until she stood in front of him. “You may be right, but if you want a job in the movie industry, then you’ll get one. You just have that personality. It’s like mine. No matter the odds, we don’t back down from what we want.”

Callie studied his face. “What odds were ever stacked against you?”

He wasn’t ready to open up about Malinda so he decided to share a different problem. “I can’t live up to this hero-worship status that Blake has me at,” he explained, baring a piece of his own fears. “No matter how I go about performing surgery on this little guy, he’s still going to have scars, and the harsh truth is, kids will be kids and he will probably be stared at when he goes back to school. I can only minimize the damage.”

But Noah would give anything to be able to make the child perfect again. And Callie.

Callie stroked his cheek. “You’re doing all you can and he sees that. His mother sees that. Any improvement will make him happy. You need to believe that.”

Noah grabbed her hand, kissed her palm and tugged her against his chest. “What I believe is that I need you. Here. Now.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and her floral aroma from her soap or shampoo enveloped him. He’d warned himself not to get too involved with this woman, yet when he knew she was worried for her family and needed to take off halfway across the country, he hadn’t thought twice about joining her.

The fact that he was in deeper than he’d ever imagined scared him, but he wouldn’t let fear override the need, the passion and the special bond he shared with Callie.

Callie’s mouth hovered over his. “Make love to me, Noah.”

He didn’t need any more of an invitation.

* * *

Callie woke to the sound of pounding and banging and glanced to the bedside clock.

Nearly ten? She rubbed her eyes and looked again. She’d never, ever slept this late. The opposite side of the bed was empty, and when she ran her hand over the sheet, she found it to be cold, which told her Noah had been up for some time.

After she changed into jeans and a more fitted T-shirt, she flipped her head upside down so she could pull her hair up without reaching so far.

No one was in the house so she assumed they were all outside with the commotion. But the sight she saw when she stepped off the porch was one she’d never forget for as long as she lived.

Not only was her father up on the roof with his friend who’d offered to help, her brother was there and…Noah? For real? The man had a steady hand with a scalpel and a syringe full of Botox. He didn’t go around wielding hammers.

But he did look mighty fine with his sweat-stained gray T-shirt and muscles flexing as he pulled off the old shingles and tossed them into the yard.

He caught sight of her and smiled. It was the same smile he’d given her as they’d made love, the same smile she noticed he seemed to keep in reserve for just her…because there was heat and, dare she hope, promise behind that grin.

“Morning, sis,” her brother greeted. “What happened to your face?”

Callie sighed. Apparently, her parents hadn’t said anything to him. “Car accident.”

Her brother nodded and went back to ripping off shingles and tossing them. Apparently, a twenty-two-year-old didn’t think twice about her accident or the impact it had on her life.

“Did we wake you?” Noah called down from the roof.

Callie shielded her eyes from the bright morning sun. “I should’ve been up before now. Can I talk to you just a moment when you can take a break?”

Noah laid his hammer on the roof and climbed down the ladder.

“Don’t keep him too long,” her father shouted down. “We don’t have all day. Your doc has to leave for the big city tomorrow.”

Callie smiled at her father, grabbed Noah’s hand and took him around to the side of the house.

“What in the world is going on?” she asked.

“If you’ll let me get back up there, a new roof is going on.”

Callie propped her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “Obviously, but where did the miracle funds and materials come from, and more important, why didn’t I know you could play carpenter, too?”

Noah slid an arm around her waist. “Ready to see me in my tool belt?”

Trying to hold back a smile, and failing, she placed a hand on his chest. “Simmer down, lover boy. I didn’t know you knew how to replace a roof.”

He shrugged. “I don’t, but I can follow directions and they need the help.”

Callie’s heart clenched. As if she hadn’t already been head over heels, the man’s simple declaration reached in, grabbed her heart and took it all for himself.

“Where did that truck full of new shingles come from?” she asked, trying not to put her heart on her sleeve.

“I called the local home-renovation store last night, put everything on my credit card and asked for immediate delivery.”

Flabbergasted, she gripped the arm that he still had locked around her waist. “How did you know what to order and when did you do all of this?”

“I talked with your father while you were in the shower and he told me what was needed.”

Callie quirked a brow. “My father just let you, a stranger to him, come in and pay for all of this?”

Noah’s eyes softened. “I may have mentioned we were closer than employee/employer and I had no real family of my own and I wanted to help.”

Tears lodged in her throat as wave after wave of emotions slammed into her. Gratitude and love played the biggest role.

“I can’t even…” Callie turned her head, swallowed back tears and met his gaze again. “I can’t begin to tell you what this means to me, to my family.”

Noah swiped her damp cheek and kissed her gently. “I didn’t want this to happen. This relationship we have. I fought against it, but you do something to me, Callie, and when you need anything, I want to be the one who provides it for you.”

Oh, God. Did he mean…

“I’m glad I could help,” he went on. “But I do have to get back to L.A tomorrow. I plan to meet with Blake very early Monday morning so we can go over his pre-op plan.”

Callie nodded, cupped Noah’s face and slid her lips over his. “Get back to work.”

As he walked away, Callie couldn’t help but wonder where his feelings had landed him. Did he love her and was just afraid to say it?

She knew one thing for sure, though. When they got back to L.A. they had a major talk in their future.

When she’d first had her accident she thought for sure all was lost, but in some weird, twisted way, had this damage to her life opened her eyes wider to what was really important? Had this tragedy brought her and Noah together more strongly than would have been possible before?

For the first time in weeks, Callie had a new hope for her future, and that fighter in her was back full force.

“Callie.”

She glanced up to see her mother coming around the side of the house.

“Hey, Mama.”

Erma smiled. “Why don’t you come inside with me and we can start preparing a nice, big lunch because our men will be ready to eat in a couple hours?”

Callie shook her head. “Oh, Noah’s not my man, Mom.”

Reaching out, her mother smoothed her hair off her forehead and nodded. “Oh, he is. You wouldn’t have slept downstairs with him and he wouldn’t be here helping if he weren’t yours. Besides, I saw the way he looked at you. That man has much more than lust in his eyes, Callie Ray. He has love.”

Callie stared at her mother, unable to speak. Love? Dare she hope?

“Now, come on in,” Erma said, looping her arm through Callie’s. “And tell me all about your hunky doctor.”