Page 72 of Play for Power (Central Sparks #3)

“Ha-ha. You’re both hilarious.” Caleb grumbles and then turns to hand us both a coffee, glaring playfully at me. I can’t help but wink in his direction as I bring the coffee to my lips. I don’t realize that we’re staring at each other until a grunt comes from Lucas’s direction.

“Ugh, are you both going to turn into Noah and Jessie and the girls? Because it’d be really great if you didn’t. I don’t think I can handle another annoyingly loved-up couple.”

“We are not a couple.” I laugh at the absurd insinuation, but for some reason I feel an astounding amount of guilt when I watch Caleb flinch, turning away and heading to the living room without saying anything.

“ Right .” Lucas drags out the word, clearly not believing me, but when I look over at him, he looks almost…mad at me? I shoot him a quick, wide-eyed glance, letting him know I’m just as confused as him by all of this. He pouts a moment before turning and following Caleb into the living room.

I really need to clear my head. I need to work out what the fuck is going on, and I can’t do that here. Surrounded by his scent, his eyes, his… ugh, his everything.

“You know, I have heaps to do…so I’m just going to go.” I thumb over my shoulder toward the front door.

“Wait, Rosie?—”

“No, it’s so fine.” I wave a hand, forcing myself to appear super chill and not at all like I’m losing my mind a little. “You guys catch up…I’ll call or text you or whatever.” I dart into Caleb’s room, grab my bag, and do one last look around the room, and when I spin, Caleb is there.

“Why won’t you stay. I can get rid of Lucas.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s fine. I’m fine. I have a lot I need to work out right now and I just…I just need my space.”

He frowns a little, his eyes searching mine before he takes a tentative step forward and I smile at him, even though I know he can see beyond it—that my mind is racing a mile a minute.

“And us?”

Oh boy. I hate that my stomach flips with a myriad of emotions at just that one word. Us.

I want to hate it. I want to run and escape and never look back. But his eyes, goddamn, those eyes. I really secretly love those two letters together. Us. I clear my throat.

“I’ve really got to go,” I whisper, knowing full well I’m avoiding the question. But to reassure him, just a little, and also because I hate the kicked puppy look he gives me, I reach up and kiss him. A quick but soft kiss that hopefully pauses all the questions for now, and he relaxes a bit.

“Bye,” I whisper and then duck around him, give a quick wave to Lucas, and then I’m out the door. I get to the elevator and then the mirrors of the elevator walls show just how messed up Caleb makes my brain.

“Fuck my life.” I sigh, leaning against the elevator door as it closes.

I have no pants on.

I make it back to my apartment, thankfully without any strange looks, and take a long hot shower to wash away the scent of Caleb so I can at least attempt to focus on the shambles of my life.

I also flick my phone over to Do Not Disturb.

I really don’t have it in me to tell Addy and Casey anything right now, or Halle and Jasper for that matter…

who have also been blowing up my phone. I know they are all going to have a million and one questions and that’s going to take a few hours and involve a lot of wine…

so another day. Right now, I need a plan.

I am surprised my father hasn’t tried to call, even to gloat, but I’m taking it as a blessing. I need to focus. And the first thing I need to do is go see Jessie.

I pack up a tote of everything I need, taking my laptop and heading out to Book and Brew.

It’s a short walk, thankfully, and when I push through the open door, I’m glad to find that it’s a day Casey hasn’t decided to hang around.

Jessie is behind the counter serving a customer, his greeny-blue eyes alighting with surprise when he sees me.

I give him a little wave and eventually he makes his way over.

“Garcia, black coffee?” He tosses a tea towel over his shoulders and gestures to the coffee machine.

“Oh, I’m fine, thanks.” How the hell was I going to break the news to him? It took him so much to even let me pitch his books, let alone go through the publishing process. Fuck.

“I didn’t realize we had a meeting today. Are there more edits?” He frowns and my stomach flips with nausea. I decide that the best way to do it is to rip the Band-Aid off.

“I quit my job. I’m no longer your editor.”

Jessie blinks at me for a bit and then he takes the seat opposite me at the table, and I steady myself as a low, quiet word leaves his lips.

“Explain.” So I do. I tell him everything that happened—almost everything—about Dick-bag Daniel, about having my imprint taken away from me, to quitting and having an Oscar-worthy meltdown.

“I just won’t go with them. You could still edit, maybe I’ll self-publish. I stock indies here, it can’t be that hard.” I give him a soft smile, my heart a little warm at the gesture. “I gave them the title because of you, Rosie. I trust you. Not them.”

“I know, Jessie.” I reach over and pat his hand, which is fisted in anger on the table, and he shakes it loose.

“But it’s not about that. You signed a contract with them.

Even if I was going to let you throw away a deal that size, you couldn’t take the book from them.

” He grunts. “I know. It’s not ideal. But look, we made sure your contract didn’t have any first right of refusal so when you write another masterpiece, I call dibs.

” With a gentle smile, he huffs a little laugh—which is a miracle in itself for the grumpy caveman.

“Can you do me a favor though?” He tilts his head as I steady myself for the next request. “Can you keep this from Casey, please? I haven’t told them yet. ”

“Rosie—”

“I know.” I raise a hand to stop him, his face looking a touch angrier.

“I know asking you to do that is hard, but it’ll just be for twenty-four hours, okay?

I just need the day to myself to figure out my plan and then I’ll tell them.

I promise. She’s just going to want to fix it for me and I need to do this on my own.

” He narrows his eyes but quickly relaxes, heaving a breath.

Then he’s standing. A man of few words. I knew there was a reason I liked him so much.

“Coffee?” Jessie asks.

“Thank you,” I whisper back, the meaning clear that it is less about the coffee.

He gets busy making it, bringing it over, mumbling something about it being on the house, and I shake my head at him but decide against arguing. I’m not broke yet. But I chug the coffee and get down to business anyway.

The idea blooming in my head takes off, and I begin diving into my research. After a good hour has passed and Jessie has topped up my coffee, I text Jasper.

Me:

Call me when you’re alone.

Of course, he calls me immediately. I giggle a little and then swipe to answer, bringing my phone to my ear.

“Okay, tell me, I’m ready.” He sounds downright giddy, though I’m glad he doesn’t immediately press for details on what went down at the office. I bury the guilt of not updating him or Halle and instead push forward.

“I have this crazy idea and I need you to tell me what you think.”

“Yes, bitch. I love your crazy.”

I take the elevator up to my apartment, feeling a little more settled in what I am now doing with my life and hoping that this works out as I had planned.

My phone pings with a text from Caleb…but I don’t open it.

I can’t. Panic and anticipation tumble around my stomach and have me feeling nauseous, my skin feeling tight.

I might have worked out what to do with my career, but I really hadn’t worked out what to do about Caleb.

So I’m making the mature adult decision…

to ignore it. Right now, my career is the most important thing and I can’t afford to be distracted.

I round the corner to my apartment and stop dead when I see the door open a jar. There are some noises, like pots and furniture moving around, and my heart leaps into my throat.

“ Oh my god! ” I whisper-shout to myself, taking a few steps and backing up.

You hear all the time about break-ins, but you never imagine it will happen to you.

With my heart pounding and my breath coming in fast, I act on autopilot, my fingers darting across my phone screen, and just as I’m about to push Call, the trill sound of Casey’s laugh has me falling against the wall in relief.

Those bitches, scared the fuck out of me. I let go of a self-deprecating laugh and wait for my heart rate to get back down to a healthy level, looking down at my phone and seeing my finger hovering over Caleb’s contact.

Was I really about to call Caleb instead of the fucking cops?

Of course I was. Because I knew he’d show up.

That he’d drop everything and without question he’d be here.

And I was suddenly feeling antsy for a whole new reason, because I was starting to realize how much I enjoyed needing him.

Isn’t that why I called him yesterday? When my life fell apart, he was the first and only person I wanted to be there to pick up my pieces.

And I wish…I wish I didn’t need him. I wish I could go back to only needing myself, like I always had.

But Caleb shows up and suddenly it feels like I no longer have to carry the burden of my worries on my own.

There’s actually someone who wants to share the load.

Someone who makes me feel like I’m not alone, and never will be again.

And that feeling? That feels strangely a lot like peace.

I start to smile to myself before snapping the hell out of another Caleb-filled daydream. Instead, I push all that shit down, burying it deep inside, and head into the apartment.

“What is all this?” I say by way of introduction, and Casey and Addy spin with matching megawatt smiles.