Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Ellery

“Well, if it isn’t Ellery Marian.”

Those words gave me the strength to turn away from Ryker. I looked like a fool standing there staring at him, and if his father saw me, he’d be sure to make me pay.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied the tremor in my body as I turned to discover Callan leaning against one of the pillars. He’d crossed his long legs as he rested a shoulder against the stone structure.

He sipped from his champagne glass as he grinned at me, and his green eyes twinkled. Despite remaining shaken by what had transpired with Ryker, I smiled back at him.

Yes, our kiss had been an awkward encounter between two inexperienced kids who were more curious than anything, but we’d also been classmates and friends. We’d grown up together, sat beside each other in the classroom, done our homework on Scarlet’s porch, played in the fields, and whispered secrets no one else knew.

He’d always dreamed of being a musician. He’d played any instrument he could get his hands on, but the lute was always his favorite.

Much to my mother’s dismay, he often drummed his pencil against his desk while doing schoolwork. Callan was oblivious to the incessant tapping; the rest of us weren’t.

My gaze fell to the hand holding his glass. He still had the long, delicate fingers I recalled from our far more carefree days.

“Well, if it isn’t Callan Dell,” I greeted. “Living out your dream as a musician, I see. I’m happy for you.”

He straightened away from the pillar. “I’m trying my best. Times aren’t as lucrative as they once were.”

“No, they aren’t. Is that your band you’re playing with?”

He chuckled as he stepped closer. Callan wasn’t as tall as Ryker, but I had to tip my head back to look up at him. There was a time, when we were kids that I was taller than him, but one summer he’d shot up to six feet and stayed there.

“We both know I’m more of a solitary man,” he said. “But when I must play with others, this is the group I usually join. The earl hired us for his ball.”

“You sound fantastic together.”

“Of course we do; I’m a member.”

I’d forgotten how arrogant he could be and how much it amused me. Everything was so difficult and dreary lately; his self-confidence was refreshing.

“Oh, of course,” I said. “My mother’s here too.”

Joy lit his eyes, but as he glanced around, his smile faltered.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Yes, of course. I’m looking forward to seeing her again now that I’m too big for her to smack my hand for drumming on my desk.”

I chuckled. “Are you sure about that?”

“No.”

I laughed, but he was right. My mother may be much shorter than him now, but she’d still smack him if she believed he deserved it.

“Are you staying all night?” Callan asked.

“I hope not, but I’m not sure.”

He looked around again before nodding at something. What that something was, I didn’t know, but his eyes didn’t twinkle as much when they met mine.

“These amsirah….” He cast his voice so as not to be heard by anyone nearby.

Suck the life out of you. Destroy you. Eat your soul for breakfast. I kept all that to myself and said, “I know.”

He brushed a piece of hair behind my ear and tucked it away. “You always did, and you’re as beautiful as I remember.”

I waved his hand aside but couldn’t stop the blush creeping into my cheeks. “And you’re still an incorrigible flatterer.”

“It’s not flattery when it’s true.”

“I bet you say that to any woman who will stick around to listen.”

“It was never a secret that I had a crush on you in school.”

“Me and half the other girls in class.”

Callan lowered his hand. “It’s not my fault you were all cute.”

“And you’re not picky.”

Callan threw his head back and laughed. I’d forgotten how carefree it was, and its sound transported me back to younger, far more innocent, and happier days.

“No, I’m not,” he agreed. “So, Lery, do you have anyone significant in your life? Someone to call yours?”

I recalled Ryker’s penetrating gaze and the butterflies it created in my stomach before shaking my head. He was more than significant, but he wasn’t mine.

“No. I’m single and about as carefree as anyone can be these days,” I told him. “And you?”

“I haven’t found the right woman yet.”

“Something tells me you haven’t been looking very hard.”

His eyes twinkled again as he leaned a little closer. “Are you going to save me a dance?”

“Won’t we need music for that?”

“Depends on the dance.”

While I wasn’t about to return to Ryker’s bed, I wouldn’t crawl into anyone else’s either, but Callan was a flirt, and a dance with an old friend sounded fun.

“I’ll save you a dance, but only one where the music’s playing,” I told him.

“Great. The other band will come on to play soon after they start serving dinner. I’ll get another break then.”

“Looking forward to it.”