“I’ll get us a drink,” Luke said, leaving her to have a seat on her own. She went over next to Olivia.
“Aiden has always had great business sense,” Lillian was telling Olivia when Callie joined them mid-conversation. “Edward, his uncle, dotes on him any chance he gets.” Lillian smiled, clearly glad to be able to speak highly of her nephew.
“Oh, my gosh, I know,” Juliette said, her eyes heavy. “Dad just loves Aiden.”
Luke appeared, handing Callie some sort of pink drink with a wedge of pineapple and a maraschino cherry, his gaze lingering on Aiden.
Callie took a sip of her drink. The band started playing again, and Juliette popped up. “Oh! They’re playing ‘Brown Eyed Girl’!” Her feet were bare, her heels on their sides under the large window. Her glass of wine sloshed as she started to dance. “Luke, get out here and dance!” Juliette swayed before resuming her dancing.
“I think you need to dance, Mom,” Luke said, standing up. He turned to Callie. “The next song is yours, I promise.” He flashed that smile that sent her stomach whirring, so she took another sip of her drink to try to squash it.
Luke gently took his mother’s wine and set it on the table beside her. Then he took her by the hands and led her out to the dance floor. The minute they got out there, he dipped her dramatically, making her giggle. When he set her back up, she gave him a displeased look but she had a hard time keeping it on her face, her smile emerging again.
“Luke’s always been a mama’s boy,” Aiden said, his tone light-hearted. “He’s a one of a kind—so laid back, full of life.”
“I like that,” Callie heard herself saying and then realized the thought had actually come out. She looked down at her drink, blaming the alcohol but really, it was true. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.
She resumed drinking her fruity concoction, not wanting to speak again for fear she might spout off about all of Luke’s wonderful qualities. When she raised her head from her drink, Luke was standing in front of her. “Want to dance?” The music was slow, the kind that made her feel like putting her head on his shoulder.
“Get out here right now!” Juliette called from her group of friends.
“What’s in this drink?” Callie asked, feeling the weight in her legs as she stood up. She used all her focus to get the glass onto the table. When she righted herself, she took hold of his arm to keep herself steady.
“A couple of different kinds of rum,” he said. “We don’t have to dance. I’ll get you a water. Sit back down.”
“No.” She smiled up at him. “I’m okay. It just hit me hard, that’s all.” She could feel the firmness in his grip on her as if he were making sure she wouldn’t fall. “Let’s dance.”
She put her arms around his neck and made eye contact. “I’m having so much fun,” she admitted.
The corners of his eyes wrinkled just slightly with his grin. “I’m glad,” he said. “I can tell that drink has hit you. Sure you don’t want some water?”
“I don’t need any water,” she said, feeling his hands on her hips.
“Okay.” He smiled again.
“What?”
“Tell me, what have you liked most about tonight?”
She reached up a little more and clasped her hands behind his neck, pulling their bodies closer. “I liked seeing your surfboards, hearing you talk about them.” She blinked, willing her eyes to open again. “I liked talking on the beach when we got here and I liked watching you put Mitchell to bed. I like this.”
He chuckled. “Let’s definitely get you some water.”
She stared at him alarmed. “Why do you keep telling me I need water?”
“Because you haven’t opened up so easily since I’ve met you. I can see how hard it is when you tell me about yourself. I like this version of you. Keep it. But without the alcohol.” He leaned down, his lips so close to her ear that she got a shiver. “I think you might actually like me.” He pulled back, grinning that crooked grin, those eyes like sapphires.
“You just like the chase,” she said, her thoughts still pouring out, and the sting on his face surprised her, making her doubt her ability to think rationally. Guilt swelled in her stomach for a moment, but then she faltered. What if he was playing her right now? “I’m probably the first girl who wouldn’t kiss you on command. Well, I don’t do that,” she said, the words coming out softly, giving away her uncertainty.
His gaze was intense, and their feet had almost stopped moving entirely. She could read him perfectly in that moment and he was telling her that she was wrong about him. Neither of them made a move. Finally, he said, “And what if I kissed you now?”
Everything in her body wanted to kiss him, but she didn’t trust her judgment. Things would be different once the alcohol wore off, she was sure of it. She mustered all the courage she had. “I said I won’t kiss you on command.”
The intensity faded and he looked away, contemplative. He nodded, pulling her closer, and they danced.
Fourteen
Callie rolled over on her air mattress, her head feeling like it was being hit with a million bowling balls and her mouth bone dry. She grimaced. The shuttle had taken them home well after midnight and both Olivia and Callie had fallen into bed in their respective rooms without even a word to each other. They were both completely exhausted. Wyatt had stayed at Gladys’s, and she wondered if he was still there. She tried to open her eyes, the sunlight making the pounding worse. Beside her was a glass of water and a note that read,
Luke’s staff brought the car home this morning. I didn’t wake you. I’m going to Gram’s to be nursed back to life. Thought you’d like a quiet house. O.
Callie took a big drink from the water glass, her stomach rumbling but the pain in her head preventing her from moving to get herself something to eat. The night was coming back to her in bits and pieces—she could recall leaving the car keys, dancing… She chewed on her lip, remembering her conversation with Luke. The thing was, even without the alcohol, she might have told him those things.
With a yawn, she slowly stood, the room moving with her. She took another drink of water and got her bearings. Her eye caught Alice’s journal on her dresser and she remembered Gladys telling her about Adelaide. It was a shame that Adelaide didn’t have Frederick’s contact details. Callie felt a renewed prickle of interest in the idea of finding him to return the journal and the lockbox. Perhaps the journal would contain Frederick’s business name, and she could find him that way. It would be a good distraction from the thoughts she had about last night, about Luke. She took it with her and went to make some coffee.