Claiming Callie: Part two (9 page)

Turning to her comput
er, she shuts it down, although she has no idea what she
’
ll do once she leaves the office.

“Callie,” Mr. Bucek calls from behind her. “You
’
re still here?
”

“I was just wrapping up.” She turns to him. “Unless you had something else you wanted me to do.” A
huge part of her hopes he does. Maybe it will help ease the despondency she feels so deeply today.

It won’t. Still, she can hope.

“No. You
’
re free to go. It
’
s a Friday, so I imagine you have stuff to do.” He moves across from her to the edge of her desk an
d sits. “I just wanted to see if you had a plan in place, how the saving was going.”

Oh, God. I
’
ll die if he knows about the escort debacle.

Callie hadn
’
t heard any stirrings of rumors around the office, but that didn
’
t mean that Mr. Bucek didn
’
t know anyt
hing. He
’
s one of those employers that feels it
’
s his job to know
everything
. And if that little worm Steve had heard anything about it, he
’
d be the first to squeal. It would only make him look better and her worse.

“Um. Yeah, you could say that. I haven
’
t
used my cards since we spoke, and I may have some money to put on them.” She shrugs her shoulders as if it
’
s no big deal, ignoring the way her chest constricts at the thought of losing this job. Until recently, GGF was one of the only things in her future
she felt sure of.

Mr. Bucek nods, but Callie can tell the smile he gives her is halfhearted. He sits there a moment before saying anything else. His eyes crinkle at the corners, as he glances down at his dress shoes, then back up to her again. “I
’
ve been
doing some thinking…”

Callie
’
s ears perk.
Is he going to let me off the hook? Please change your mind.

“It’s nice to know you haven’t used your cards. I
’
m afraid that maybe we put too much emphasis on cutting your debt down and not enough on learning good
habits.”

Callie frowns. This is not what she is expecting.

“
All I
’
m saying is that I want to put less stress on the
amount
of debt you pay off and more focus on the steps you take to fix your financial situation. I
’
m not going to give numbers, nor am I goi
ng to hold your hand and tell you what you need to do. After all, if anyone knows how to turn around someone
’
s finances, it
’
s you,” he says, nodding at the files stacked on her desk.

Callie leans back in her chair, still looking at Mr. Bucek. She thinks h
e might elaborate, but then she realizes that he
’s done.
“So, I need to…?”

“You
’
re good at what you do. I think it
’
s time you applied some of that to your own life. That
’
s all I
’
m gonna say. But at the end of this, I’ll want proof, visible progress.”

What?
That
’
s it? How is she supposed to know what she needs to do if he doesn
’
t tell her exactly what he wants? Is she supposed to guess?

Callie feels the tension building in her back, clawing up her spine. She clamps her mouth shut and says nothing because she
’
s more than just a little annoyed.

Mr. Bucek stands and shoves his hands in his pockets. He hovers by her desk, and she knows he
’
s waiting for her to say something, to acknowledge what he just said, but she
’
s too stubborn and she
’
d rather pretend he said
nothing at all. Who changes the rules after the first quarter?

“
Well
…” his voice trails off, and Callie feels sorry for him. He
’
s been good to her these last two years. He knows her history, what happened to her parents, and has been an ear for her when sh
e
’
s needed it.

“It
’
s almost March, and I just wanted you to know that if you need to talk or anything at all, my office is always open.” He continues, “And if you want a night away from all that crazy college life. You know, the drinking, dating, partying…
If all that independence becomes a little too much, you can opt for a boring family dinner and an exciting night of Pictionary. Margaret hasn
’
t seen you in a while, and Livia would sure love a night with a college girl,” he says, referring to his wife and
ten-year-old.

Callie swallows over the emotion that has lodged in her throat, her annoyance at him forgotten. She can
’
t say anything. Her mouth is suddenly too dry.

Over the last two years, she has come to know Margaret and Livia through several work func
tions, as well as a couple dinners she shared at their home. Although those invites were thoughtful, she always found them hard. When she is with Mr. Bucek, his wife, and daughter all together, she can
’
t help but look at them and only see what once was. Bu
t she doesn
’
t say this. She knows he means well, and so she smiles through the pain and forces a laugh. “Thank you. I
’
ll certainly keep that in mind.”

He backs out of her cubicle. “Okay. Well, think about what I said…about the debt and focusing on the
how
of it.”

“I will.”

Please leave. Please.

“Okay, then. See you on Monday,” he says and turns toward his office.

Callie releases a pent-up breath and turns back to her desk.
I need to get out of here.
She quickly shuts down her computer, grabs her purse, and
leaves.

Before she can decide what she wants to do with the gap of time from now until Dean
’
s game that evening, Callie finds herself driving on autopilot and winds up at the mall. A distraction is in order. Window shopping downtown just won
’
t do the trick
. She needs somewhere out of the cold, where she can stretch her legs.

She pulls into the lot and enters through the large glass doors of Macy
’
s. She moves through the purses, inhaling the scent of leather, while her mind wanders. Most of her free time ove
r the last few days has been spent with Dean. Since their interview with Pitt News, they
’
ve made it a point to walk with each other to classes whenever possible and be seen hanging out together on campus. The time spent with him has been natural. This does
n
’t surprise her
, though. On-campus dates are so similar to everyday routine that it isn
’
t all that far off from normal. Just a little flirting is involved and more touching than usual. Nothing too drastic thus far, and if she
’
s being truthful, she
’
s
grateful for the distraction of Operation Get the Girl. Because when she agreed to help Dean, it was spur of the moment, an emotional decision. It wasn
’
t until later, after he hurried from her apartment and she was alone with her thoughts, that she realize
d the timing of his request was beneficial on a whole other level. It would keep her mind off of her shaky claim on the job at GGF, as well as her parents.

Callie pauses and places her face in her hands. Dean, GGF, her debt, her parents—her whole life feel
s off-kilter.

She sniffs and runs a hand over the top of her head, smoothing her hair. Desperately needing something to lift her spirits, she moves through the jewelry section, into the women’s department. A leather Calvin Klein sheath catches her eye and
she
’
s drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She scans the rack, easily finds her size, and holds the garment against her body, inspecting the length and cut.

Gorgeous.

Before she knows what she
’
s doing, she
’
s moving among the racks, choosing a cute top, pant
s, and a couple of the early spring items to try on. In the accessories department, she finds a pink and gold scarf that would look hot with the top she
’
s holding and a cute set of bangles. With a flare of excitement and a bounce to her step, she finds the
fitting rooms and tries everything on. The items fit her like a glove, the luxurious fabric clinging to her curves. She feels taller, stronger. Like a new woman.