Page 31 of Tracing Holland (The Hold Me NSB #2)

Greater Metro New York City

“Luke.”

“Callie.”

Callie grins and drops to the seat across from me at the small table.

“Glad you found it. Thanks for coming,” I begin.

“Breakfast with Luke Craven at a local diner? Um, yeah, you dork.”

I smile and shrug. “I don’t know. It’s been a while since we did this.”

“I know. Too long.”

“I already ordered for you. Hope that’s ok.”

She seems surprised, maybe even pleased. “You did? Really?”

I nod. “Pancakes, small stack. Fruit cup, no bacon. Oh, and tea of course.”

Her grin is priceless. “Perfect. What about you? Rye toast with orange marmalade, coffee?”

“Actually, I went with the French toast. I’m curious about the powdered sugar application at this establishment.”

She smirks as the server appears and delivers our drinks. “Your food will be out shortly,” he informs us.

We thank him, and Callie stares me down from across the table. “So, what’s up with the mysterious breakfast invitation? What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion. Just missed this.” She looks skeptical, and I shake my head with a sheepish smile. “Seriously!”

I sigh. “Ok, fine. I have some things I want to say to you without everyone else around. Not even Casey.”

She puts down her mug and leans back. “Hang on, I’m confused. You actually called me here to talk? Like with real words and stuff?”

I roll my eyes. “Hilarious. I talked at Jemma’s.”

“Yeah, as long as you didn’t actually say anything.”

“You kept coming back.”

“I sensed you needed someone to care about your life. Plus you were really hot.”

I laugh. “Oh, is that it?”

She grins and shrugs. “Kinda. But seriously, Luke, Jemma’s changed my life too.”

“You completely blew mine apart.”

She quiets, and I can tell my confession has touched her. “I’ve always wondered what went through your head those first few weeks at Jemma’s.”

I study her for a moment with a mischievous look. “You really want to know?”

She smiles and crosses her arms. “Dying to know. I can take it. Hit me.”

I draw in a deep breath. “Ok, honestly? At first I thought you were a little annoying…”

“Annoying?!” she cries.

“But adorable!” I add quickly with a grin.

“Still!”

“Cal, you kept interrupting my breakfasts.”

“Uh, you weren’t there for breakfast.”

“Exactly.”

“Ugh,” she groans.

“You didn’t let me finish,” I laugh. “Anyway, you were also sort of fascinating at the same time. That day I walked in and saw you in my chair…”

“It was my chair too!”

“Our chair,” I concede. “The point is, I didn’t freak you out when I asked you to move. You just scooted across the table like my bizarre request made perfect sense to you. What was I supposed to do with that?”

“Oh, believe me, it made zero sense to me, I just had no reason not to move.”

“Well, you did, and it changed everything, Cal. Then when it became obvious that you cared even though you had no clue who I was, you had me. I was hooked.”

“You and Casey make fun of me all the time for not knowing who you were!”

“It doesn’t mean we didn’t love it.”

She gives me a mock glare, and I grin before growing serious again.

“Cal, you know what I loved about you, what I still love about you? You’re just there.

Even when you didn’t know what to say, what was going on with me, when I pushed you away, you were there.

No judgments, no expectations, just present, across from me, reminding me that I was alive and I was important to you.

” I glance away, still not used to this whole sharing thing.

“You probably saved my life, Cal, and I never really thanked you. So thank you.”

Her eyes meet mine and the tears there affect me in ways I never could have expected.

I’m not finished and search for the rest of the words.

“Most didn’t even try, and the few who did…

” I glare at the table. “God, I was so tired of people trying to fix what they didn’t understand, of framing me and my pain with their own experiences.

” I glance at her again. “But you didn’t.

You just saw me . There was a patience in your gaze that I couldn’t ignore no matter how hard I tried.

I couldn’t let you down. I had to keep coming back because I knew you’d be there waiting for me.

You expected something from me after everyone else gave up. ”

“I think in a lot of ways we needed each other.”

I smile and nod. “We did.”

She returns my smile and reaches across the table to take my hand. “I just hope you always understand how much Casey and I love you.”

I almost laugh. “You make it pretty hard not to.”

She grins, and I settle back. “Anyway, that’s why I called you here. I wanted you to know all of that. I know I’m not nearly as good at conveying my love for you, but I just really needed you to understand the impact you had. How beautiful you are, Cal. Inside and out.”

Her smile makes the whole thing worth it, and I didn’t even get to the good part.

“Thanks, Luke. That’s…” She wipes her eyes. “Gosh, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Good, because I’m not done. There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

She looks surprised. “What’s that?”

“I want to send a note to Shauna from us.”

Her confusion makes me smile. “What? Shauna, our server from Jemma’s?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’ve always felt badly about the whole chair thing and how it all went down at the end. She helped us out and I never really thanked her. We just kind of disappeared from her life.”

Her eyes narrow. “So you want to send a thank you note?”

“Sure, I guess,” I chuckle. “Along with a long overdue tip from the two of us.”

“A tip? What kind of tip?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess, the kind of tip that will give her more choices in life for her and her family.”

She stares at me in disbelief. “What?”

“I’ll cover that part of it. I just think the note should come from both of us. She always liked you more anyway.”

“Um…”

“Just think about it. Maybe after the tour we can deliver it in person. Or mail it, whatever.”

She shakes her head, and I’m still not sure what she’s thinking.

“Hey, Luke,” she says after a long pause. “You know what I thought about you those first few weeks?”

“What’s that?”

“I always wondered how amazing it would be to know the rest of you. To see the world react to you when you broke free, when you escaped your prison.”

“Yeah? Do you still wonder that?”

She grins. “I’m starting to believe I’m about to find out.”

“How was your date with Callie this morning?”

“Probably much better than your date with Wes,” I tease, pulling Holland against me on the couch when I’m sure we’re alone in the lounge of my bus.

Eli, Sweeny, Jesse and Parker are in the back playing video games, but their enthusiastic hatred for the zombies they’re hunting behind the closed partition indicates we should have plenty of privacy for now.

She grins up at me.

“I’m not the one he despises, remember? Not a single punch was thrown.”

I smirk. “Has he mentioned anything about our phone call since we’ve been back?”

She shakes her head. “Not a word, which comes as a relief and scares the crap out of me at the same time…”

“Me too. I guess as long as he doesn’t jump me on stage.”

She gives me a look, and I grin.

“Don’t even joke about that.”

“Aw, come on. Chorus two of ‘Crash Down,’ here comes Wes with a devastating sucker punch to the head? Hopefully to my right side this time. Left eye is still a little sore.”

I love the quick transition of her scowl into a smile. “Nah, then he’d have to come out stage right. Too awkward getting past Sweeny.”

I laugh. “Good point.”

“That’s just what your Label wants, more headlines.”

“Eh, they’re used to it. I’m a permanent headline. I’m pretty sure my name is on the meeting agenda template at this point.”

“Wait until news breaks about us.” My gaze shoots to hers, and she shrugs. “What? I mean, eventually we’ll have to go public, right? I’m not letting you take other girls out for your public appearances, so you’re either going to the Grammy’s alone, or taking me.”

I can’t tell if she’s joking or not. “You really want to go public with this?”

“Well, not right now, but yeah, after the tour. Why? You don’t?”

I almost laugh. “I mean, it’s totally your call. You’re a lot better for my reputation than I am for yours.”

She rolls her eyes and smacks my arm. “So, what was your plan then, genius? Keep it a secret forever to protect my sweetheart status?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, at least until I save a busload of puppies or something and fix mine.”

She laughs. “A busload of puppies? That’s your plan?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t have to be puppies…”

We’re interrupted by a knock on the main door and exchange a brief look before pulling away. I make my way to the stairs and relax.

“Delivery guy,” I call back to Holland, opening the door.

“I’m looking for a Jeff Sweeny?”

I nod. “One sec.”

Based on the volume still roaring from the back, I know he won’t hear me if I call. I pull open the partition and four sets of eyes settle on me.

“Sweeny, your food’s here,” I say and start moving back to Holland.

“Huh?”

I glance back at them and catch the looks of confusion.

“Yeah, there’s a delivery guy here looking for you.”

“For me?” Sweeny asks, shaking his head. “No, that can’t be right.”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m just telling you.”

It’s then that I see it. Jesse staring me down, shouting at me with a look, and I just about choke. Oh, shit. Here we go.

“Dude, just see what he wants. Guy’s standing there waiting.”

Sweeny grunts and pushes himself up from the couch, Eli close behind.

“Are you Jeff Sweeny?”

He nods. “Sweeny, yeah, but…”

“Ok, great. That’ll be one thousand six hundred and five dollars.”

My jaw hits the floor as Sweeny literally takes a step back.

“Um…I’m sorry…what?”

“Your total for today is one thousand, six hundred, and five dollars. We have two vehicles here with your pies. Thirty pepperoni, thirty plain, thirty meatball, and ten mushroom. Where do you want them? I’m not sure they’ll all fit in here.”