Win Me Over Page 9

  Callie and Eric turned to face each other at the same time, both of their eyes wide.

  “Oh thank goodness,” Eric said as he glanced over Callie’s shoulder.

  She turned and there was Emma, right on time for her shift.

  “Go. Go, go. We got this.” Eric shoved Callie out front.

  She smiled at the people waiting in line as she squeezed through. “I’m so sorry; if you’ll just be patient Emma will have you helped in just a moment.”

  Callie walked around the line and toward the front window table. The minute she saw Bennett’s face, she assumed the worst. He was laughing. Not just a chuckle, like he’d given her. No, this was an all-out that-was-funny-as-hell laugh. Whatever story of her past Barbara was retelling, Callie would probably never live it down. He grinned and then stood when he saw her walking over.

  “Bennett.” She sounded breathless. “What a surprise.”

  She glanced down at her mother. Massive purple and teal peacock earrings dangled from her ears. “Mom. Another surprise … yay!” There was no masking the sarcasm screaming in Callie’s tone.

  “I agree,” Barbara said with an unmistakable twinkle in her eye. “What a great day this is. I’m so happy I chose to stop by when I did.”

  Callie didn’t even know where to begin. What was her mother doing here? What was Bennett doing here? Why in the name of all that was holy did they have to show up at the same time? Callie glanced down at her timer. Two minutes. “How do you two know each other?”

  “I was in line and she struck up a conversation. Told me she was your mother,” Bennett said.

  Yep. Just as Callie had assumed. It would be best to see what Bennett needed and get him out of there before Barbara could embarrass her any further. Callie had no idea why her mother was there.

  “Mom, will you excuse us for a moment?”

  “Actually, sweetie.” Barbara stood “If you’re busy I’ll be on my way. I just came by to bring you these for the girls.”

  Barbara never made it quick, so her offering to shoo caught Callie by surprise. Something was up. Barbara handed Callie a reusable grocery bag, and when she peeked inside Callie nearly gasped. “Oh, Mom, these are wonderful.”

  Callie pulled an item from the bag. Her mother had crafted all the girls matching blue and white hair bows. One ribbon end said “Panthers”. The other had each girl’s name. It was so thoughtful and so … perfect.

  “The secretary at the school was very sweet when I went in there and told her who I was. She wrote down everyone on the team’s first name for me.”

  “They’re great, Mom. The girls will love them for game days,” Callie said. And she meant it: the bows were perfect and she was already imagining how the team would look in them.

  “What do you think, Coach Clark?” Barbara held one in front of him for inspection.

  “Well, I’m not really the one to ask about bows, but I sure do appreciate the Preston pride it represents.”

  That was good enough for Barbara; she absolutely beamed. “Can’t get a better endorsement than from the football coach himself, can you? So, are you two friends? Is that why you were here, Coach Clark?”

  Guilt bubbled in Callie’s stomach. Her mother would just die if she found out about the dance competition from someone else. Callie recalled the mani incident from a few weeks ago. As if on cue, Callie’s timer went off. “Oh shoot, sorry, Mom—”

  “I’m going, I’m going,” Barbara said as she headed for the door.

  “No, wait. You can’t go. We need to tell you something.”

  Barbara’s eyes went wide, darting between Callie and Bennett. “Well, of course.”

  Callie led Bennett and her mother toward the kitchen. She caught Eric’s questioning gaze and shook her head. They had one of their silent conversations.

  Everything cool?

  Yes, fine. Don’t worry.

  If you say so, but you’re heading into a confined space with a hot guy and your mother. I’m scared for you.

  Makes two of us.

  She pushed open the swinging door and quickly removed the cookies from the oven before she proceeded. There was nothing more disheartening than burnt cookies. As she worked, Callie realized that for once in her life Barbara had gone quiet. When all the cookie pans were resting on cooling racks, Callie found Barbara waiting patiently for whatever it was that was to be said, her hands neatly folded in front of her.

  As soon as Callie opened her mouth Barbara put up a hand. “Wait. Just tell me. Am I going to be a grandmother?”

  Bennett’s eyes bugged and Callie’s jaw dropped open. “Oh my god, Mother. No. And I’m a little insulted that you assumed I might be pregnant before you assumed I might be engaged.”

  Barbara shrugged. “Sorry. I couldn’t blame you if it was true. Look at that man!”

  Callie rolled her eyes and then made the mistake of looking at Bennett. He was grinning down at the floor, a pink tinge traveling up his cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Bennett. My mother lacks subtlety.”

  “I’m just honest, that’s all.” Barbara said. “And for the record, Coach Clark, I would have been just fine with that.”

  “Mom, please!” Callie cried, trying to get things back on track. “What I wanted to tell you is that Bennett and I are partners in an upcoming dance competition.”

  Her mother gasped, her hand going to her chest. “What?”

  “Breathe, Mom,” Callie said.

  “Dance competition?”

  “It’s sort of a local knockoff of Celebrity Dance Off. A fund-raiser for the local country club.”

  “Oh, honey,” Barbara crooned … to Bennett. “My baby is going to look so good dancing with you. You’ll win, did she tell you?”

  “She did seem certain on that front.” Bennett smiled down at Barbara. He handled her very well. “It won’t be easy, though. I’m not naturally inclined to dancing.”

  “Well, what’s the plan?” Barbara instantly sprang into action.

  “No, no, no. Mom. There isn’t a plan. We got this. I just wanted you to know so you didn’t find out in the mani chair. Remember?”

  “Well, of course, but who’s making your costume?” Barbara said, confusion and concern etched into her face.

  “I figured Bennett could wear a tux or something and I’d just purchase a dress.”

  Barbara practically swooned. “Oh no, Callie Jo. You will not wear an off-the-rack for a performance. That’s for amateurs.”

  Callie sucked in a breath. “Mom. Please.”

  “Yes. ‘Please’ is what I’m saying. Please let me make you a dress.”

  Callie glanced at Bennett. He raised an eyebrow. “Might as well,” he said. “She wants to help.”

  Barbara walked over and squeezed Bennett’s arm. “Listen to you, handsome and smart.” She glanced at Callie. “Callie Jo, he is so wonderful.”

  Callie gave Bennett an apologetic smile. “Yes, he is, Mother.”

  Bennett gave Callie a little wink, and she was relieved that he was taking this so well. Then again, if her past was any indication, guys always loved Barbara Daniels. She treated them all like they were the most important things in the world.

  Allowing Barbara to get involved in this competition was risky. Even a little bit of leeway was incredibly dangerous. Before they knew it she’d be insisting that Bennett get a spray tan and Callie go on a diet. But she would need a dress. “Fine, Mom. Make me a dress. Nothing flashy. Simple. Long and flowy maybe. But that’s all; we have the rest covered. Promise me you understand that.”

  Barbara clapped her hands together. “I got it, promise.” She ran over to Bennett, rose up at the same time she yanked on his collar to pull him down. She planted a big red kiss on his cheek.

  “I’ll see you two soon. Don’t skimp on practice time.”

  And she was gone, finally letting some of the oxygen back into the room. Callie immediately went back to her trays of cookies. “I’m sorry about that.”

  Bennett laughed. “Don
’t apologize; she’s great.”

  Callie leveled a stare at him. “She’s crazy.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with crazy. I’m from Texas, so I’m familiar.”

  Callie smiled. She already knew that thanks to her internet search, but wasn’t about to admit it. “Well, that explains that cute little accent of yours.”

  Bennett cleared his throat. “Are you sure those are done?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “Are you doubting the professional? This is my secret for the perfect cookie. If you wait until they look done to take them out, then they’re already overcooked.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Huh, interesting.”

  “The batter will continue to bake under the crust even after they come out of the oven. So you take them out when they’re just golden and slightly crisp on the edges, let them sit a minute on the warm pan. And voilà. Perfection.”

  “So they finish cooking with the residual heat.”

  “If you want to get technical, then yes.”

  “You know, baking is pretty much science at work,” he said with a small lift of his lips. He stood across the stainless-steel island, watching her work.

  “Yes, and the only kind of science I find interesting,” she said with a wink. “The delicious kind.”

  “Ah, come on, science is fascinating. You just haven’t been in my class. I’d make you love it. Classifying organisms, gene regulation, cells and neurons. Do you know that when you touch something, the signal travels from your fingertips to your brain at a hundred and seventy miles per hour?”

  She laughed. “Really. Actually, I’m not at all surprised that your knowledge of the human body is impressive.”

  A shocked laugh erupted from his lips. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You should. My high school science teachers only inspired me to take a nap. I would guess the young ladies in your class give you their full attention.”

  “Okay, not something I even want to consider,” Bennett said with a cringe. But she was pretty sure he might be blushing. A little. She loved how complex he was. One look at him and all you thought was big-confident-tough guy, but the truth was more interesting. He was somewhat quiet and shy, but there was a strong presence about him. She knew he was capable of commanding others, but he just saved it until it suited his purposes.

  In some ways they were alike, but in many they were opposites. The truth was she found him very appealing. She liked making him laugh, and when he did flirt or joke it was so adorable and she found herself trying to pull his personality out.

  Callie began to remove the cookies from the first pan and move them to a cooling rack. “Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”

  “Besides getting the pleasure of meeting your mother?”

  Callie groaned and switched to the second row, methodically moving each cookie one at a time. “I had no idea she was coming. I mean, I had no idea you were coming either, but I was happy to see you…” Callie faltered, realizing what she’d just said.

  She lifted her eyes across the metal worktable to meet his gaze. Neither of them spoke for a second, so she quickly moved on, pretending she hadn’t just made herself vulnerable and so obvious.

  “I assume you want to set up our next practice?” she said.

  “That, yes, and I was curious about your bakery.”

  That definitely warmed her insides, which admittedly didn’t need much warming in Bennett’s presence. “You were? That’s awfully nice of you.”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting to get a private viewing of where the magic happens.”

  “You are very lucky, that’s for sure. This is where I guard all of my secrets. Here, try this.”

  She handed him one of the warm peanut butter cookies and then waited for his response.

  “That’s … really good.”

  She smiled, loving the way his throat moved as he chewed and swallowed. It was the weekend and it appeared he didn’t shave then, which was pretty damn hot.

  He put the rest of the cookie in his mouth and Callie handed him another one and then proceeded to tell him what everything was for, what she made every day, what her favorites were, how she got started. Just talking about it made her happy; she was proud of herself. She even pulled the My Perfect Little Life blog up on her laptop and explained what it was about.

  “I’m not sure how you manage to do all of this. The bakery, the blog … me.”

  “Well, teaching you to dance has proven to be a quite an undertaking, but I have to admit that I’ve been enjoying myself.”

  Bennett’s eyes crinkled with the sexy little smile he gave her. “Yeah? Me too.”

  Oh my, this man. He was all kinds of trouble. She enjoyed being in his company, even during practice. She imagined what it would be like if he could really learn to dance well. How fun would that be? It gave her an idea.

  “Hey, I just had a brilliant thought. Tomorrow night a few of my friends and I are getting together to watch the premiere of the real Celebrity Dance Off. Seeing as you’ve never seen it, maybe it would be good for you to come watch it with us.”

  He looked surprised. “I don’t know…”

  “Oh, come on, girls in tiny outfits, lots of good food. Plus my best friend’s boyfriend will be there; he’s supermanly and he’s not ashamed to watch dancing. Oh, and Eric, who is … eh, sorta manly.”

  Bennett laughed. “Okay. If you think it will help.”

  It would certainly help him get a feel for ballroom dancing, but she feared it wouldn’t do much good for her growing desire for him. That was definitely becoming a problem. Now Callie just needed to inform Anne that she had to force Mike to be there tomorrow.

  * * *

  “No, this is not a date. It’s a research get-together,” Callie said for the third time.

  “We completely understand, Callie. I think it’s a smart idea,” Lindsey said as she cut tomato slices at the island in Anne’s little kitchen.

  “Thank you, Linds.”

  “Lindsey’s just being nice,” Eric said. “I don’t beat around the bush and I’m starting to think you keep saying that more for your own benefit.”

  “I’m not responding to that.” Callie shook her head as she cut the buns in half.

  The back door banged open and Mike called out, “Perfect, hand me a plate to put these burgers on, will you?”

  Callie had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at Anne’s pet name. Out of all the “sweeties,” “babes,” “darlings,” and “sugars,” Mike had somehow settled on “perfect” for Anne. Callie had given up perfection when she’d given up pageants, and she certainly didn’t want all those unrealistic expectations brought into a relationship. To be fair, maybe that wasn’t how Mike and Anne saw each other. They were smart people; maybe the pet name was more symbolic. What they had seemed to be working, so it was possible Callie just had a small case of bitterness and jealousy.

  Glancing at her phone, she considered the time. Bennett should be there any minute. She felt her heart thumping as she took in the chaos around her that she usually adored. These were her people, her chosen family. She loved them, but Bennett was going to feel claustrophobic in this madness; she was sure of it.

  After adding some more cheese to the salad, Callie whispered to Lindsey, “What have I done? This is way too much for Bennett to take in. This is a zoo.”

  “Cal, he teaches high school. I think he can handle this group of heathens,” Lindsey whispered back.

  “You’re right. You are totally right; I’m being ridiculous.” And why did she care so damn much? She was turning this into something it wasn’t.

  “Someone’s here in a big truck!” Claire yelled from the living room.

  Callie’s stomach did a somersault as she put down her salad tongs and headed for the tiny hallway that led to the living room. At the last minute she turned to face her friends. “Give me five, everybody, and then you can descend. No, forget that. I’ll bring him in here. Ever
yone be natural.”

  She made off for the door again, just as Claire was turning the knob. “Hang on, sweets; you know how Mommy doesn’t like you to answer the door. What if it’s a stranger?”

  “But we’re having a party,” Claire argued. “These are our friends.”

  Callie opened the door and smiled. Bennett looked amazing in jeans and a button-up flannel. “Hey. You found it.”

  “Well, you weren’t kidding when you said ‘cute little house on the corner.’”

  “Right? Anne is kind of amazing at everything, including home beautification. Come on in.”

  Callie turned to the living room to find Claire staring up at Bennett.

  “Bennett, this is Claire. Anne’s daughter.”

  “Hi, Claire. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Claire responded, her eyes never leaving Bennett’s face. “Callie’s right: you are really big.”

  And now Callie wanted to melt into the carpet. She didn’t dare meet Bennett’s eyes. “Um, Claire. Why don’t you go find Mommy.”

  “Okay.” Claire bounded through the living room and into the kitchen and Callie turned to Bennett.

  “Sorry, that was awkward.”

  He didn’t laugh, but his eyes were bright with humor. “Don’t apologize. It’s fine.”

  She nodded, deciding it best not to say anything more. More talking would probably lead to more embarrassment, and she was not used to feeling that quite so often in regards to one person.

  She led him into the kitchen, where everyone greeted him with warmth and kindness, like she knew they would. And it wasn’t awkward at all; she’d been worrying over nothing. The little kitchen was full to bursting with people and preparation, so she pulled him outside to meet Mike. It was another beautiful evening, and with the scent of grilling meat in the air it was perfect.

  “Mike, I want you to meet Bennett Clark. He’s the head football coach at Preston High and, strangely enough, my new dance partner.”

  Mike turned from loading the burgers onto the platter. “Hey, man, nice to meet you.” His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Bennett. “Wait. You can’t be the Texas Longhorns’ Bennett Clark.”

  Bennett grinned. “That’s me. Long time ago, but yeah. Surely you’re not a Longhorns fan up here in Jayhawk territory.”