Page 19 of Sunkissed Colorado

And that just made my bitter side rear up again. Because after Jessa died senior year, Callum had kicked me when I was down. Just because he could.

He might’ve seemed like the cheerful golden boy on the outside, but the real Callum was ice cold.

“But we are not friends, Callum,” I finished. “We never were, and we never will be.”

I turned on my heel and stormed back into the hospital room, determined to focus on why I was really back in this town. My grandfather. My chance to start over.

Not smirky, infuriatingly sexy himbos like Callum O’Neal.

FIVE

Callum

I skulkedaround the hospital hallways for a while to give Rosie and Zandra a chance to visit with Manny. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and the antiseptic smell made my stomach churn.

Or maybe that was just a rare case of anxiety getting to me.

My flirtatious nature had caused me trouble on occasion, but I’d always managed to skate through without too much drama. Hitting on my boss’s beloved granddaughter, though? That had been a mistake of epic proportions. Everybody at Hearthstone knew how much Manny adored Zandra.

The only thing that could’ve been worse? If I’d actually slept with her, and Manny had found out about it.

Why didn’t he have any current photos of Z in his office? As it was, she looked alotmore grown-up than she had back in high school.

Back then, she’d always worn her hair in a thick braid, and despite her constant scowling and growling at me in class, there had been something…innocent about her.

Any time she’d been around, my eyes had drifted her way, my brain puzzling over her like she was a complex football play Icouldn’t figure out. I hadn’t been able to understand why she didn’t like me.

Didn’t make any more sense to me now.

In fact, I was amazed Zandra would care enough about me to hold on to a grudge, considering everything she’d accomplished since graduation. Neither of us was in the same place we’d been back then.

But that same old feeling crept up my spine. Frustration over the fact that Zandra couldn’t stand me.

After visiting the cafeteria for a terrible cup of coffee, I poked my head into Manny’s room. He was propped up in bed, watching something on the TV.

The coast was clear.

“Ah, there you are, Callum,” he grunted. “Was hoping you’d come back. Though you must have better things to do with your day than visit a decrepit old guy like me.”

“Please. You can’t pull off the humble routine any better than I can, Manny.”

He chuckled. “We have that much in common.”

“We do. Besides, I had to come see you because I can’t resist a pity case.” I settled into the chair beside his bed. “Gotta get that good karma.”

He laughed, this time deep from his belly. “Anyone else, and I’d assume they’re just brown-nosing the boss.”

“Good thing you know me better than that.” I pulled out my travel backgammon set and placed it on his bed table. “Ready for me to wipe the floor with you?”

“Big talk considering that’s never happened yet.”

“How do you know I haven’t been hustling you?” I asked. “I’m playing the long game.”

He snorted. “At this rate, I’ll croak before you reveal your skills.”

We’d started our routine of playing backgammon last year. Sometimes Manny got worked up about vendors screwing up our orders or budgets not lining up. The many stresses of owning abusiness, I guessed. When he got like that, I could usually turn around his mood with a game.

Probably didn’t hurt that I sucked at this, and he always won. But I was determined to get better at it.