predicament entertaining, or because she just genuinely wanted to do something nice for a stranger?
“Not yet,” I finally replied, turning my attention back to Callum.
“Well, sit up straight and at least try to act a bit more confident. There’s nothing women find more attractive than confidence.”
“I’ll try,” I told him, lifting my head and straightening my shoulders just as a pretty blonde appeared at Callum’s side.
“Hey, my friends and I were just talking about how awesome your tattoos are,” I heard the blonde exclaim.
“Thanks. Very kind of you to say,” Callum replied.
“Oh em gee, are you British? I love your accent.”
“Yep. My friend Neil and I are both from London,” Callum said.
I turned slightly and gave her a small nod. Her attention momentarily flicked to me before returning to him. I didn’t think I’d ever been so instantly dismissed before. It was almost comical.
“That’s so cool. How long are you here for?” she asked Callum.
“Just a few more weeks. Neil is actually—”
“Do you know what,” she cut in before he could finish, “I should give you my number. If you’re going to be here for a few weeks, then maybe we could meet up, grab dinner together or something.”
My mouth settled into a grimace because this was going exactly as I’d predicted. If Callum and I were on a buffet table, he’d be the succulent chicken everybody wanted and I’d be the day-old dry bread roll in the corner.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not actually single,” Cal replied firmly.
“Oh,” the blonde breathed before a seductive grin shaped her lips. “Well, your girlfriend back home doesn’t ever have to find out.”
“His girlfriend isn’t back home,” I cut in, my tone surprisingly confident. I felt bad that Callum was stuck trying to fend off some stranger’s advances just because he was trying to help get me some action. “She’s here in New York, and if she knew you were flirting with her man right now, she wouldn’t be pleased.”
The blonde frowned at me in annoyance while Callum shot her an apologetic smile. “He’s right. My Leanne is incredibly possessive.” He said it like he was proud of the fact, and I briefly wondered how it would feel to have a woman love you that much, so much that she couldn’t even stand the thought of you talking to someone else. Must be nice. I wasn’t sure any of my previous girlfriends had ever felt so passionately about me. Sure, they liked me well enough, but I was fairly sure they wouldn’t be overcome with jealousy if a random woman in a bar tried to chat me up.
The blonde cleared her throat. “Well, it was nice to meet you all the same.” With that, she returned to her friends. I actually felt a little sorry for her. She’d been brave to come over and introduce herself to Callum, much braver than I was since I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk to any of the women in this bar tonight.
“That wasn’t awkward at all,” Callum said as he returned his attention to his pint.
“I hate to break it to you, Cal, but you aren’t wingman material. Not for the likes of me, anyway.”
“What are you talking about? I can be a good wingman,” he protested.
“I think it only works if the person you’re a wingman for is better looking than you,” I said.
Callum scoffed. “Bollocks. Anybody can do it.”
I shook my head. “If you introduce me to any of the women in this bar, they’re not going to want to talk to me, I promise.”
“But you’re a good-looking chap,” he argued.
“Maybe, but I’m not you. There’s a reason why you’re the TV star and I’m the assistant is all I’m saying.”
He leaned his elbow on the bar, studying me now. “Are you depressed, Neil? You sound a little depressed.”
“I’m not depressed. I’m just not deluded, and I …” I trailed off. Had I actually been about to tell him about Annabelle? A part of me just wanted to get the truth out, lay my misdoings on the table, and let Callum decide how to punish me for them. The other part was way too scared to take the chance. If I lost my job, what would I do? No one at Running on Air would give me a reference once they discovered the truth.
For years I’d toyed with the idea of setting up my own event planning business. Helping to organise events was my favourite part of my current job as an assistant, and