“I cannot believe she thought I would go along with this insanity. I mean, come on! I introduced them to my boyfriend last night!” Callie cried.
“Yeah, but when in your life have you ever said ‘no’ to her?” Reagan asked, looking far too calm for Callie’s liking.
Callie cast a glare in her friend’s direction, before collapsing down on the couch beside her. “Whatever. I’m saying no now, and forever. How the hell do I get out of this? I don’t even have Joseph’s phone number.”
“I thought you were the smart one Callie. Ever heard of Google?”
“Oh my god, of course,” Callie squealed, before pressing a loud kiss to Reagan’s cheek. She jumped up to grab her cell phone from her purse. “Quick, get me his number so I can put an end to this madness.”
A few minutes later, Callie was anxiously chewing on her fingernail, as her phone sat on the table, with the speakerphone on so that Reagan could hear. When Joseph’s nasally voice answered, Reagan gave Callie a thumbs up for support.
“Joseph, hello it’s Callie Scott. I’m calling to let you know that I will not be going to dinner with you tomorrow night.”
Surprise colored Joseph’s tone, as if he was shocked to be turned down.
“Callista? What is the meaning of this? Your mother assured me you were willing to meet again. I’ve made a reservation for tomorrow; I suppose I could try and change it but this really is not -”
Callie had to interrupt his arrogant assumptions before he went any further.
“Joseph, let me be very clear. Not only am I unavailable tomorrow, but I’m also not interested in seeing you again. My mother had no right to set up a date for me, especially since I am already involved in a loving and committed relationship. I regret you were misinformed, but I have no desire whatsoever to go out with anyone else. Goodbye.”
With that, Callie pressed the end button on her phone and fell back onto the couch, letting out a long sigh. “Well that was awkward. Good grief, what is wrong with me. Why did I push away a perfect, sexy man who gets me and loves me? My parents are insane. I am so done with their games.”
Reagan wrapped her arm around Callie’s shoulders bringing her in for a hug. “It’s not your fault. Your parents should have been your number one supporters from the day you were born. But somehow you were cursed with robots for parents.”
A small laugh escaped from Callie, even as tears formed at the somber thought of what she had to do next.
“I need to move on. I can survive without their love. After all, I’ve lived without it so far. I don’t think I can possibly survive without Jake.” A strangled sob followed Callie’s words, as she and Reagan sat together on the couch, trying to pick up the pieces of emotional wreckage the events of the last two days had caused.
“You haven’t lost him, there’s no way. You two are cosmic, you have that once in a lifetime kind of love. That won’t disappear just because you were confused, and he was man enough to give you some space. Give him some time, then you need to go and find that hot bartender of yours, and never let him get away again.”
Reagan’s words hit Callie straight in the heart. She did love Jake; in fact now that the shackles of her misguided sense of family duty had finally fallen off Callie could see with absolute clarity how deeply she loved him. She knew she still had to find her closure with her parents, but once that was done Callie vowed that she would do what Reagan suggested. She would find Jake, and finally tell him exactly what he meant to her. She would tell him that he was everything she never knew she needed.
Later that night, as Callie climbed into her bed, she was keenly aware of how big and lonely it felt without Jake lying there beside her. He had become such a powerful part of her life so quickly, filling her with love, companionship, and affection. She was tempted to reach out to him, but knew Reagan was right. As much as it saddened her to be apart from him, she had to give him some space while she went to find closure with her family. So, then and there Callie decided that after her next set of shifts was over, she would go to Jake and apologize for her indecisiveness and the pain she had caused him. She was filled with hope that together, their love could help her move forward with her life, independent of her parents.
Chapter 17
Nearly a week had gone by and Jake could feel himself slowly slipping deeper and deeper into madness. His soul hurt from not seeing Callie. His heart was in a million pieces, and she held them all in her hands. Hell, even his dick ached from not making love to her in six days fourteen hours and thirty minutes – give or take a few seconds.
He had tried to push his pain away every way he could think of, from drinking an entire bottle of whiskey one night after the bar closed; to running mile after mile in the bitter cold that winter brought to Portland; to punching the life out of the bags at his gym. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t calm the feeling of unrest inside, and he knew that nothing and no one except Callie could make him feel better.
Even Ryan had started to give Jake a wide berth, after he had tried to get him to talk about the situation. That conversation had ended with Jake telling Ryan he wouldn’t know true love if it kicked him in the ass.
Jake knew he was being an asshole. Ryan had done nothing wrong, except try to understand why Jake wasn’t fighting harder for the woman of his dreams. But Jake believed that Ryan, with his bachelor playboy attitude, could not possibly comprehend the strength it had taken for him to walk away from Callie, knowing she had to sort out her issues with her family before she could ever be free to truly be in love with Jake. Deep in his wounded heart, he knew that Callie loved him, and wanted a future with him, but he was also keenly aware that if she didn’t resolve the conflict she felt, it would eventually tear them apart. Unfortunately, logic and reasoning flew out the window when he was overwhelmed with the pure emotion of missing Callie.
Now, almost one week later, Jake was attempting to occupy his mind on a rare quiet Friday night at the Lucky Strike. The multiple televisions in the pub were on, with various sports showing on different channels. He had just finished pouring another beer for a customer seated at the bar when the front door burst open, and Ryan came running in and shouted, “Dude. Turn on the news channel, NOW.”
The panic on Ryan’s face was enough to make Jake respond without questioning the demand. He switched the main TV from the sports network to the local news, just in time to hear the broadcaster say something so horrifying, it made his stomach drop into his shoes.
“We are now receiving a live update on the hostage situation in the Emergency Department of Oakville Memorial Hospital. Our reporter in the field has been informed that a local gang member has taken several emergency room staff as hostages. We are learning that the situation escalated when staff tried to treat the individual’s companion for a gunshot wound. Details are not available, but it seems that the emergency room has now been evacuated to ensure the safety of the other patients. No word yet on the identity of the hospital personnel being held hostage, but a source from inside the ER claims at least two doctors and nurses are trapped inside. Stay tuned for more updates on this breaking story.”
Jake turned to Ryan, a wild, panicked look in his eyes. “Holy shit, Ryan, what if it’s Callie.”
Ryan headed around behind the bar and pushed Jake towards his office. “Call her and then get your ass back out here and tell me what’s happening. I’ll take over out here”.
Jake shot a grateful glance at his best friend as he rushed into his office. He had his cell phone to his ear as he listened with growing dread to the incessant ringing. Why wasn’t she answering? Jake felt his fear mounting with every second that passed. Was Callie trapped in a room with a gunman? No. No way could anything happen to her. His heart stuttered at the thought of losing her forever.
After trying her phone several times with no answer, Jake grabbed his jacket and headed out of his office.
