lowered the phone to the cradle, but Mack’s voice rang out again.
“Kali!”
Restraining a sigh, she brought the phone back to her ear. “Yes, Mr. Richards?”
“Don’t be late.” A final click signaled the line was disconnected.
It was the signature Mack maneuver: get in, get what you want, and get out. But he was the guy that signed her paycheck. And the job was helping her save for college. Above all else, it gave Kali awesome exposure to the field of archaeology.
A few seconds later, the phone rang again. She hit pause on the remote and snatched up the telephone. “ Hello .”
“Hey, Kal. Let’s go out tonight.” It was Callan.
“I went out last night.”
“But not with me.”
“That’s because we broke up,” she replied flatly.
“Come on, Kal, this is stupid. Yesterday is water under the bridge.” He paused. “I shouldn’t have gotten so upset with you.”
She pushed a stray curl out of her eye and sighed. Every movement stirred his scent from the sweatshirt. It had become so familiar in their three years of dating. “Callan, I can’t.”
“Would you just talk to me? Please?”
Smelling him while hearing his voice caused her resolve to deteriorate. “I got in pretty late last night. I don’t think Greg and Lisa will let me go out again.” That didn’t sound convincing even to her.
“That’s a lame excuse. Tell Lisa it’s me and she’ll bring Greg around. They might even pay for our dinner.”
Kali laughed. What he said was true. Lisa absolutely adored Cal. “That boy is going somewhere. He’s perfect for you,” she always said. “How long before you get here?”
“I can be there in ten.”
Kali narrowed her eyes. “Unbelievable. You were already on your way.”
He at least had the sense to sound abashed. “I sort of figured you’d say yes.”
“Well I need half an hour. Don’t get here before then. I don’t care if you have to park at the end of the street.” She hung up, wondering what she had agreed to and why. In her mind, yesterday had truly been it for them. Kali had known all along that she and Callan couldn’t last forever. It would be better for both of them if she just let him go. If only the guy would let her.
Chapter 9
There wasn’t much time to decide what to wear. Cal hadn’t exactly said where they were headed. And Kali had been too distracted to ask. She tried to think like him. It wasn’t difficult. He’d said he wanted to talk. That would mean dinner somewhere, maybe at one of those artsy downtown restaurants he liked. Then again, Cal had the tendency to ignore any problems between them. A busy Saturday night was a great time to sneak into a nightclub and go dancing. Both she and Cal looked years older than seventeen, so it would be easy. They had done it plenty of times before.
Kali settled for the universal little black dress, halter style with a sinful neckline. Wearing it made her feel ten times sexier. The fabric glided against her skin, complementing the sultry curves she both loved and hated at varying moments. That dress never failed to make Cal drool. They were breaking up, but she didn’t want him to move on too quickly.
A pair of red and black striped heels completed the outfit. She did a few turns in front of the mirror. “Nice,” she said aloud. Then her shoulders dropped. “Why am I doing this again?”
No time to straighten her hair, Kali twisted her curls into a simple up-do. A ton of bobby pins made it possible. Starting with shadow, she lined her eyes, and applied mascara for a nice smoke effect. Throwing a few items into a clutch, she headed down the hall to her parents’ room and knocked on the door twice. Waiting for permission to enter was the best policy. With the sex drive of a couple of twenty year olds, barging in on Greg and Lisa could’ve meant emotional scarring for life.
“Come in,” they called in unison.
Kali stuck only her head through the door. It was better if they
“Kali!”
Restraining a sigh, she brought the phone back to her ear. “Yes, Mr. Richards?”
“Don’t be late.” A final click signaled the line was disconnected.
It was the signature Mack maneuver: get in, get what you want, and get out. But he was the guy that signed her paycheck. And the job was helping her save for college. Above all else, it gave Kali awesome exposure to the field of archaeology.
A few seconds later, the phone rang again. She hit pause on the remote and snatched up the telephone. “ Hello .”
“Hey, Kal. Let’s go out tonight.” It was Callan.
“I went out last night.”
“But not with me.”
“That’s because we broke up,” she replied flatly.
“Come on, Kal, this is stupid. Yesterday is water under the bridge.” He paused. “I shouldn’t have gotten so upset with you.”
She pushed a stray curl out of her eye and sighed. Every movement stirred his scent from the sweatshirt. It had become so familiar in their three years of dating. “Callan, I can’t.”
“Would you just talk to me? Please?”
Smelling him while hearing his voice caused her resolve to deteriorate. “I got in pretty late last night. I don’t think Greg and Lisa will let me go out again.” That didn’t sound convincing even to her.
“That’s a lame excuse. Tell Lisa it’s me and she’ll bring Greg around. They might even pay for our dinner.”
Kali laughed. What he said was true. Lisa absolutely adored Cal. “That boy is going somewhere. He’s perfect for you,” she always said. “How long before you get here?”
“I can be there in ten.”
Kali narrowed her eyes. “Unbelievable. You were already on your way.”
He at least had the sense to sound abashed. “I sort of figured you’d say yes.”
“Well I need half an hour. Don’t get here before then. I don’t care if you have to park at the end of the street.” She hung up, wondering what she had agreed to and why. In her mind, yesterday had truly been it for them. Kali had known all along that she and Callan couldn’t last forever. It would be better for both of them if she just let him go. If only the guy would let her.
Chapter 9
There wasn’t much time to decide what to wear. Cal hadn’t exactly said where they were headed. And Kali had been too distracted to ask. She tried to think like him. It wasn’t difficult. He’d said he wanted to talk. That would mean dinner somewhere, maybe at one of those artsy downtown restaurants he liked. Then again, Cal had the tendency to ignore any problems between them. A busy Saturday night was a great time to sneak into a nightclub and go dancing. Both she and Cal looked years older than seventeen, so it would be easy. They had done it plenty of times before.
Kali settled for the universal little black dress, halter style with a sinful neckline. Wearing it made her feel ten times sexier. The fabric glided against her skin, complementing the sultry curves she both loved and hated at varying moments. That dress never failed to make Cal drool. They were breaking up, but she didn’t want him to move on too quickly.
A pair of red and black striped heels completed the outfit. She did a few turns in front of the mirror. “Nice,” she said aloud. Then her shoulders dropped. “Why am I doing this again?”
No time to straighten her hair, Kali twisted her curls into a simple up-do. A ton of bobby pins made it possible. Starting with shadow, she lined her eyes, and applied mascara for a nice smoke effect. Throwing a few items into a clutch, she headed down the hall to her parents’ room and knocked on the door twice. Waiting for permission to enter was the best policy. With the sex drive of a couple of twenty year olds, barging in on Greg and Lisa could’ve meant emotional scarring for life.
“Come in,” they called in unison.
Kali stuck only her head through the door. It was better if they
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