Page 69 of Play for Power (Central Sparks #3)

yeah…i think i might be

Caleb

“ T his is not how I pictured my twenty-ninth birthday, I’ll be honest,” Rosie teases as she climbs into the pillow fort.

Yes, a pillow fort. Because I might be in my thirties, but I’m a kid at heart.

And watching Rosie smile as she climbs in among the pillows and blankets on the floor of my apartment in front of the TV, it was doing a bunch of weird things to me.

“I still don’t understand why we couldn’t do this at my apartment.” She huffs, settling in, and I head to the kitchen counter to grab the snacks and sodas.

“Because I don’t know where your extra pillows and shit are, and I’m the only one with a key, so no one can interrupt us.

I know Addy and Casey can just let themselves in and sue me for being greedy for your attention.

” She narrows her eyes at me, making some humming noise, but her smile remains in place as I settle against her.

I cranked the AC, making sure we could get cozy with the blankets, and I hand the remote to Rosie.

“You pick.” She bites her lip playfully then falls back against the pillows, taking the remote.

“If someone had asked me what I imagined you did in your spare time, eating snacks and watching movies in a pillow fort would not have made the list,” she teases, scrolling through the streaming app.

“Oh yeah? And what would?” She looks over at me, taking a handful of popcorn and shoving it in her mouth. It was nice to see her finally smiling with ease after the events of the day.

“You admiring yourself in the mirror, you checking yourself out,” she continues to tick the items off her fingers and I can’t help the smile that remains in full bloom across my face. “Probably masturbating, a lot. Singing in the shower for some reason comes to mind, definitely to Beyoncé.”

“I am offended you have such a shallow opinion of me, Rosebud.” I snatch the bowl of treats from her and she snickers at my sarcastic tone, the remote landing in her lap as she turns slightly to look at me.

“Okay then, if you’re not a self-obsessed sex pest, then what do you do in your spare time?

” She purses her lips, and though the immediate reaction is to give her some sarcastic or teasing answer, I can’t help but take the opportunity to get closer to her.

Maybe if I drop my walls, she’ll drop hers, so I try to tell her something honest.

My head falls back against the couch, looking up at the blanket roof of our fort, thinking.

“Umm, well, mostly I go through my personal portfolio. I have meetings and phone calls, sometimes I go for a run with Lucas, or just by myself.” My eyes find hers.

“I spend a lot of time thinking about you.” The words were quieter, but they are honest.

Her lips part slightly, but she tucks a hair behind her ear, breaking the eye contact and looking at the TV. “‘Personal portfolio’? What’s that?”

I bit back the chuckle at her obvious subject change, letting her get away with it.

“My investments. I like to always be looking at possible investments, so when I’m not consumed by my job at Karvelas Media, I’m usually evaluating and expanding my personal assets.

” I open a bag of the sour straps and hand them to Rosie, who takes a few.

“So, that’s how you can afford all the designer clothing and this apartment.

” She looks around, almost something like admiration in her eyes as they settle back on me.

“Oh my goodness, Caleb Smith, you’re a rich boy.

Exactly how much money do you have.” She giggles as she bites and pulls on a sour strap.

My eyes can’t help but latch onto her lips for a moment before looking back at her.

“Show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.” I wink at her and she grunts, shaking her head with a soft smile.

“Fine, what was your proudest investment? Like, what was the thing that you barely had to convince yourself to dive into, that you were excited to put your name on?” She adjusts more so she’s looking at me fully, and I turn to do the same, my chest aching with so many different emotions at her open expression, how comfortable she looks here, in my apartment, talking about nothing special.

But her question doesn’t need much thought, I already know.

“I have two actually. Obviously, the first is Noah’s company.”

“You’re an investor?” She sits up, a little shocked, and I bask in that feeling of warmth at the proud look in her eyes.

“Yeah, I worked through college and saved a lot and started little investments here and there. I flipped a few properties, too, so I had a fair cushion to support me, and then when Noah started, I practically emptied my account for him. It’s actually one of my best returns at the moment. He’s killing it.”

With a dazed look across her face, she presses. “And the second?”

I let my smile split my face because I know she won’t be expecting it.

“The Jenkinses’ lodge.” She chokes and coughs on the handful of popcorn she shovels into her mouth.

“Shit.” I sit forward and hand her a soda as I pat her on the back.

After a beat, she catches her breath, her eyes watery from inhaling the popcorn, and a sputtering laugh works its way up my throat.

“Shut up.” She huffs with a breathless laugh. “You purchased the house at Maplewood?” When I simply look at her with a full smile, she shakes her head, her eyes blinking a few times. “Explain?”

“Not much to explain, Rosebud. They had to sell most of their assets because of the court case and the divorce. The lodge went to market and I snatched it up.” I steal a bag of sour worms with emphasis and toss a few in my mouth.

“But why is that one of your proudest?”

I let my mind really think about it before answering.

“Because it was the first one where I didn’t think about what it could give me in return.

I didn’t have to analyze the pros and cons and how it would line my pockets.

Of course, there is a part of my brain that I can no longer turn off, and without even trying I knew there would be ways to turn a profit, though it wouldn’t be anything to support me on its own.

It would pay for itself with Airbnb and other things, so I jumped.

I also…well, I didn’t like the thought of this place that had meant so much to people I care about just going to a nobody.

At least this way, if they ever wanted to go back, to spend time there, they could.

I told Noah so he can take Addy any time he wants.

I also let Ava know, in case she and her family want some time there.

Low key a little scared to tell Jessie. I think I might let Addy do that.

” Her smile drops and her eyes turn suspiciously watery.

“You okay, pretty girl?” I sit forward, letting my thumb grab her chin so she is forced to look at me.

She forces a swallow and her lips part on a breath. “That’s…well, that’s awfully thoughtful of you.”

“Are you about to cry because you’re so moved by my thoughtfulness?” I tease and then she jerks her head back, snickering and swatting my hand away. At her soft smile and the shake of her head, I chuckle.

“Apparently I opened the floodgates and now everything is going to make me cry.” She drinks her soda, leaning back against the couch, looking absently at the TV.

“I’m impressed, actually. Maybe I didn’t give you enough credit.

You’re not nearly as shallow as you let people believe you are.

” Her tone doesn’t seem to invite any kind of rebuttal, but the kindness and rawness of her words have my skin feeling a little too tight.

“Don’t tell anyone,” I tease, a low snicker coming from her as we settle back against the couch.

“I always loved it at the lodge. I used to go with Addy and her family when we were younger. It’s a lot of fun and so pretty out there,” she says wistfully.

“I’ll take you. After Christmas, when there aren’t any prebooked stays.

” She snorts but doesn’t say anything. Neither of us points out that Christmas is five months away and it implies that the two of us will still be seeing each other, which is something I know she doesn’t believe will happen.

Refusing to open up that discussion, I look away from her, clearing my throat and tossing the remote back in her hands. “You going to pick something or what?”

Her expression is unreadable as she bites and pulls at a sour strap.

“How about a Denzel marathon. I want to watch shit blow up.”

“It’s like you’re the perfect woman.” She chuckles, slapping at my chest before selecting the first movie.

We get through a few movies with light conversation and a few laughs here and there, especially when that typical scene of walking away with the explosion behind the actor hits, and though Rosie teases about how cliché it is, her eyes are alight with her usual joy and playfulness, and before long the conversation turns into a debate over Hollywood’s hottest dudes.

“There is no way you can rate Denzel among Hollywood’s sexiest men,” I state, pausing Safe House so I can make sure Rosie understands how ludicrous that is.

“Hey, you can’t tell me what I find attractive. And it isn’t just his face. Ask any girl. You can be ugly hot, it’s a thing.”

“It is not.” I scoff, but she spins, looking me dead in the eyes.

“Who’s yours then, huh? Ryan Reynolds?” She gives me a pout full of attitude, and it’s all I can do to refrain from pulling her into me and wiping that smug look from her pretty face.

“Obviously.” I roll my eyes at her first guess being on the money. “Or Gosling.”

“Okay, so you’re right, both great, fantastic options. But we don’t just want a pretty face and a good sense of humor.”

“Well, then my entire life and persona have been built on a lie!” I joke and she scrunches her nose in a playful giggle. “If the Ryans aren’t a woman’s ideal, then who is?”

“Okay, hear me out?—”