Simmer Down - Sarah Smith Page 0,70

oversleeping?”

There’s a soft patting noise. Probably Finn smacking Callum on the back. “Of course not. Look, I have a dilemma and I need your help. Do you remember Ted from uni and rugby club back home?”

“How could I forget,” Callum mumbles. I imagine him running a hand over his tired face.

“You know how he manages Travaasa Hana? Well, he needs someone to take over the Easter dinner service at the resort this evening. He rang me in a panic about how the chef he hired fell through at the last minute and he doesn’t have anyone to cover. Can you do it?”

“Can’t you?” Even as I sit hidden away in the closet, the curt way Callum grumbles makes me flinch.

“We’re fussy when we oversleep, aren’t we?”

In my head I can picture Finn holding his arms palms up at a scowling Callum.

“Sorry,” Callum grumbles. “I just . . . you caught me a little off guard, Finn.”

A heavy sigh fills the silence. “I can’t take it, Cal. I already committed to that camping trip with Grace and her friends. I don’t want to back out now, even though I’d kill to cook at Travaasa.”

“Meeting her friends already?”

The lightness of Callum’s tone makes me think he’s half smiling. It makes me smile too. There’s another soft smack sound, probably Callum playfully hitting Finn this time. I wonder if Finn is blushing.

“You know how it goes,” Finn says, the grin obvious in the flustered way he speaks.

“I don’t actually.”

There’s a few seconds of silence.

“Well, that’s no one’s fault but your own,” Finn finally says.

“Don’t start, Finn.” Callum’s tone turns curt once more.

“It’s so bloody obvious how you feel about her,” Finn says. “You’ve got history together. Why don’t you just tell her already. No use in putting it off like you’ve been—”

“I don’t need my little brother to lecture me on my love life.”

My ears perk in the silence that follows Callum’s comment, delivered in his trademark hard tone. Who the hell is Finn talking about? Is Callum seeing someone else besides me? Maybe he’s rekindling something with an ex? Finn did mention the word “history,” and that’s a for-sure code word for exes. Maybe that’s why he rejected sexy Tinkerbell yesterday, because he’s still carrying a torch for someone in his past. But last night Callum made it sound like there wasn’t anyone else, though maybe he was just trying to spare my feelings because he could see how upset I was . . .

I force myself back to the present. No. None of that is my business. Callum and I are just hooking up, that’s all. He’s moving back to Chicago soon anyway. And since we’re not even close to being a couple, he has every right to see exes, other women, whoever he wants—which it sounds like he’s doing from what Finn says.

I silently thank Finn for his abrupt entrance. That wave of emotions I’ve been battling the past twelve hours ends right now. I need to just enjoy our no-strings-attached arrangement for the uncomplicated and enjoyable setup that it is and stop longing for more.

There’s a throat clear, then Finn speaks. “Do you want to do the dinner service tonight? Or am I calling Ted back to break his heart?”

“I’ll do it,” Callum says.

Finn says something about forgetting a bag he packed for the camping trip. Soft footsteps lead out of the room. A minute later there’s an exchange of muffled voices, then the front door closes.

Callum opens the closet door. “You all right?” he asks.

I nod my head. “So you’re cooking at Travaasa Hana tonight? Congrats.”

I gather my rumpled clothing from the floor.

“Look.” He catches my wrist, turning me to face him. “About what Finn said earlier—”

I hold up a hand and plaster what I hope is a convincing smile on my face. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it.”

And for my sanity, I really, really don’t want to. The fact that I almost spilled the beans last night in my jealous state when he very likely has someone else on his mind is proof that I need to keep myself in check. No more emotional slipups. From now on, no matter how mushy-gushy I feel, Callum and I are to remain in the friends-with-benefits zone.

He releases my hand, and I go back to dressing myself. When I turn around, I’m greeted with the sight of Callum sitting on the edge of the bed, legs hooked over the side. His honey-blond hair is ruffled, his five-o’clock