Page 25 of Make Me Yours (Chicago Railers Hockey #1)

LILAH

T he second Rina hooks her arm through mine and steers me toward the buffet, I know I’m about to get interrogated.

“Okay, spill,” she hisses. “Has anything happened between you and Steele?”

I choke on a laugh, trying to play it off even as my heart does this weird little stutter.

“Of course not,” I say, giving a breezy wave of my hand. “It’s not like that between us.”

Only, the words ring a little hollow even to my own ears.

Because lately, everything feels like it’s shifting under my feet.

The way he looks at me.

And the way I catch myself looking back.

Or how being close to him no longer feels safe the way it used to.

Instead, it feels electric.

Dangerous.

Rina arches a brow, clearly not buying a single word.

Before she can press me further, we spot Callie setting out fresh platters of desserts on one of the banquet tables. She’s in motion, rearranging trays with the kind of graceful focus I envy, her hair pulled back in a loose braid that keeps slipping over her shoulder.

“Hey, girl!” Rina chirps, dragging me along.

Callie looks up, her face brightening when she sees us. “Hey! You both look absolutely gorgeous!”

We lean over to check out the spread. There are mini cheesecakes, chocolate tarts, and delicate sugar cookies iced to perfection.

“Everything looks incredible ,” I tell her, meaning it.

Rina nods. “Seriously. You killed it.”

Callie smiles, but there’s a flicker of nerves in her expression as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and offers a small shrug.

“Honestly, I almost didn’t take the job,” she admits.

“I wasn’t sure about working an event where Zane would be.

But the money was too good to pass up, and I need it now more than ever. ”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Rina says. “It’s an amazing opportunity for people to sample the kind of desserts you make. Who knows where it might lead?”

“I’m so proud of you,” I add. “I know it’s not easy to be around him and…” I trail off as the person we’ve been discussing walks toward us. “Incoming.”

“Hey, Callie,” Zane says as he strolls up, his arm slung around a petite blonde woman whose dress is almost nonexistent. It takes effort not to stare at her nipples, which are clearly visible through the sheer material. She’s all perfect makeup, designer shoes, and an air of practiced disinterest.

“Hello, ladies.” He nods at us, like we’re fans he’s generously acknowledging.

We murmur stiff hellos, neither of us making an effort to hide our frostiness.

Zane either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. Probably a mixture of both. He’s always been all about himself .

He turns to the blonde at his side and says, “This is Callie, my kid’s mother.”

Callie’s eyes widen, her body going rigid for a split second before she pastes on a polite, detached smile.

I honestly don’t know how she does it.

The blonde gives Callie a once-over, the kind of up-and-down scan that makes my hackles rise.

“I’m Gigi. It’s so great we could meet,” she says with a fake little smile, like she’s already mentally scrubbing Callie from her mind.

Zane chuckles and adds, like he’s tossing her a bone, “Callie runs a little bakery around the corner from the arena.”

“That is so adorable.” Gigi glances at the table. “I’d try one, but I don’t eat refined sugar or gluten.”

Callie’s brows draw together. “Oh.”

Gigi pulls out her phone and starts snapping selfies with Zane. She’s all staged smiles and sultry angles, as if she’s starring in her own personal photo shoot instead of attending a charity gala.

Zane turns to Callie and shoves his phone at her. “Hey, can you take a picture of us real quick?”

Callie hesitates before forcing a smile and taking the phone from him. Zane yanks Gigi against him and plants a kiss on her that’s so over-the-top it’s almost embarrassing.

“Ewww,” Rina mutters from beside me, scrunching her face in disgust.

Callie bites her lip, clearly mortified, but she snaps the photos anyway before handing the phone back.

Zane doesn’t bother thanking her.

“C’mon, babe,” he says to Gigi, sliding his arm around her waist. “Let’s mingle.”

And just like that, they disappear into the crowd, leaving the scent of expensive cologne and perfume behind in their wake .

Callie stands there for a second, staring after them with a strange look on her face.

“I really don’t know what I ever saw in him,” she says, her tone disbelieving.

Rina slips an arm around her shoulders. “Girl, as far as I’m concerned, you dodged a major bullet.”

I nod, offering her a small, supportive smile. “Seriously. He doesn’t deserve to be in the same zip code as you or Nora.”

Callie releases a shaky laugh, her shoulders relaxing just a bit.

As she turns back toward the table to adjust a tray, I catch a glimpse of someone watching her from across the room.

River.

He’s standing near the edge of the crowd with a frown etched on his face as his gaze tracks Callie with an intensity that makes my pulse skitter.

I nudge Rina lightly, and nod in his direction.

She follows my gaze and grins. “Now that would be an interesting turn of events,” she murmurs.

And for some reason, that makes me smile more than anything else.