Page 94 of Sunkissed Colorado

I smiled at the beautiful woman beside me. “I think it’s Z. She’s got experience and business savvy.”

“Callum’s holding his own.”

Our gazes met, probably lingering too long.

A loud huff from the other end of the table made everyone’s head turn. “It’s shocking that Manny is making Zandra compete to run a family business,” her mother said.

“Pop likes to do things his way,” Javi countered.

“Character building,” Richard added, lifting his wine.

Zandra gulped from her own glass. “I’d rather earn it than have something handed to me.”

Her mother’s fork hit the plate with a clang. “But I’m not going to sit here and pretend any job at a brewery isn’t beneath you, Zandra.”

“Mom.”

“You and Ian were building something. Not just a companybut a relationship. You should be picking out wedding dresses, not vying with some local blue-collar boy for the privilege of slinging beers for a living.”

Zandra threw her napkin on top of her plate of chicken. “Don’t talk about Callum that way.”

“It’s alright,” I murmured to her, squeezing her knee under the table. I gave zero fucks what these people thought of me. I’d tried to work my charms on her parents for Zandra’s benefit, but if it didn’t work, it was no skin off my back.

Besides,some local blue-collar boywas a ringing endorsement considering the things they might’ve called me. I had no shame about who I was or where I’d come from.

Mitsy, Richard, and the other couple were watching all this unfold with varying reactions of enjoyment and disdain.

“I apologize for my wife,” Javi said to me. “You’re a guest in our home.” But then he kept going. “It’s just that Zandra had a very promising future, especially after meeting a man like Ian, and it’s a shame to see her throw it all away.”

Z pushed back her chair. “I’m not listening to any more of this.”

“Dinner isn’t over,” her mother snapped.

“I can’t eat this anyway.” She stormed out of the dining room, and then her feet pounded on their way up the stairs.

At that very moment, I felt Mitsy’s pointy toes working their way up my shin again. Geez. My chair scraped as it scooted back.

I needed to go after Z. But first, there were a few things I had to say.

“Zandra is the smartest woman I’ve ever met. Whatever she does with her future, it’ll be something to be proud of. If you’d open your eyes to that, maybe you’ll get to be a part of it.”

Her dad frowned at me, while her mom reached for the wine bottle.

I tossed down my napkin, got up, and headed for the stairs.

TWENTY-FOUR

Callum

It tooka little while to find her. This house was massive. There was an actual oil painting of Z and her parents hanging in the hallway, all of them dressed up in formal wear, with her looking stiff and uncomfortable. It was weird.

Growing up, I never would’ve known we had houses like this in Hart County.

Yeah, I’d gotten to know Dane, and Ayla was super rich too. But neither of them were this stuffy. Javi and Eliza were on another level.

Finally I came to a door at the end of the hallway and heard a faint sound from inside. I pushed the door open and saw Zandra sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest, hair falling around her shoulders.

I went in and closed the door behind me. “Hey.”