Callie jumped from her racing chair and grinned like a kid as the machine spit out another row of bright yellow tickets. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and he found himself standing in the middle of the room with a silly grin on his face. When was the last time he truly grinned because he wanted to and not because he felt forced to please his current company?
“Actually, tomorrow is the photo shoot for the ads for my new office,” Noah told him. “But I should be free in the evening if all goes as planned.”
“I thought you were still looking for a model.”
When Callie turned and caught his eye, he motioned that he was stepping outside. She nodded and moved on to another game.
“Callie is doing it for me,” Noah said, walking toward the door to move farther away from the noise.
“Callie Matthews? Damn, she’s hot. How did you manage that? Has she done modeling before?”
Once outside, Noah took a seat on the bench next to the door. “No, but I’m trying to watch out for her. She’s got stars in her eyes, man. And she just got a pretty good-size role in a new Anthony Price film.”
“Noah, you can’t save everybody,” Max told him with a sigh. “You’ve got to let go of the past.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Had any more offers on the house?” Max asked.
“Just the two.”
“Which you turned down?”
Noah rubbed a hand over his head and glanced through the door to see Callie smiling while tackling another game. “Yes. I turned them down.”
“And you’re still going to see Thelma every day?”
Noah’s chest tightened. “I’m all she has.”
“She’s not even your family, Noah. You have to let go. I understand she’s Malinda’s grandmother, but you’ve been paying her assisted-living bills for a year now. She has Alzheimer’s. She won’t know if you don’t show up. You’ve got to bury the past.”
He sighed. “I’ll bury it when it’s time.”
“Good,” his friend said. “You can start by asking Callie out on a date. She’d be perfect.”
“I’m not asking her out,” Noah replied. At least, he wouldn’t ask her on a real date.
“Great. Then you won’t mind if—”
“Yes, I would mind.” Noah cut him off. “You’ve got enough on your plate without adding Callie to the mix.”
Max’s laughter nearly vibrated Noah’s phone. “You can’t keep dibs on her and not do anything about it. You’re both adults. If you want to go beyond business and get personal, what’s stopping you?”
“She’s the best receptionist I’ve ever had. I’d like to keep her for a while.”
“She’ll probably be leaving when she starts acting, anyway, so why not just go for it now instead of torturing yourself?” Max asked. “You know you’ve thought about it.”
Thought about it, fantasized about it. Had taken the proverbial cold showers to prove it.
Noah came to his feet, glancing inside at Callie, who was looking toward the doors, probably looking for him.
“Listen, I need to go,” Noah said. “I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what time I’ll be free.”
After sliding the phone into his pocket, he went back inside. Callie’s smile across the crowded room did something funny to his chest…something he’d rather not explore.
“I’m ready to cash in my winnings,” she told him, holding up her tickets. “I’ve got a hundred here and I think I gave you a hundred. Let’s go see what I can get.”
Noah followed her as he pulled her tickets from his pocket. He still couldn’t believe this was her idea of celebrating. She certainly wasn’t like all the other women he knew. Their idea of celebrating would be to head to the most expensive restaurant and try to get into his bed afterward…not that he ever complained about those nights.