The Bully (Calamity Montana #4)(44)

I reversed away, fumbling for my phone as I pulled onto the street again, destination home. Pierce’s name was beneath my finger, ready to be dialed, but I stopped myself.

“Cal is not my problem.” I threw the phone into the passenger seat, and it bounced to the floor, safely out of my reach.

Maybe if Stark was gone, I could actually relax. This was a good thing. I’d stop looking for him on First Street. I’d stop wondering if we’d bump into each other at Jane’s. I’d stop worrying about bruising his feelings.

And I wouldn’t have to see his Land Rover parked outside my house.

“Damn it.” I groaned at the sight of his SUV, though my heart did a traitorous skip. “Freaking Cal.”

The sense of relief as I pulled into my driveway and parked in the garage was as frustrating as the man who met me on the sidewalk.

“Hi.” He jerked up his chin.

Without his usual baseball hat and sunglasses, he looked exposed. Vulnerable. Cal was standing in the sunshine, dressed in a simple T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. His hair was finger-combed, still too long and sexy. Put a football in that man’s hands and my ovaries would likely explode.

The bastard.

“Hi.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Where have you been?”

He smirked. “I figured you’d miss me, sugar.”

“What was that?” I cupped a hand to my ear. “I couldn’t hear you over your ego.”

His smug grin flattened. “Thought you wanted me to move.”

“I do.” Didn’t I? Yes. He had to leave. The reason I was relieved to see him wasn’t because I wanted him to stay. It was because now I knew where he was. Now he couldn’t sneak up on me.

But yes, Cal absolutely had to leave Montana. The sooner the better.

“I spent the week in Bozeman,” he said. “Got out of town.”

“But you came back,” I muttered. “Lucky me. What do you want?”

He inhaled a long breath, like what he was about to ask was going to take some effort. His fingers snapped three times at his side. “I need a favor.”

“Let me guess. ‘Tell me what you hate about me.’” I dropped my voice in an attempt to imitate his. “No. How about we just leave the specifics out of it? I find you abhorrent, end of discussion.”

“Abhorrent?”

“Is that too big of a word for you?” Okay, yeah. It was sort of a nasty word too.

“Just . . . extreme.” His jaw clenched. “Can we save the banter for another Saturday? Like I said, I need a favor.”

“What favor? Wait.” I held up a finger. “It better not be sexual.”

He chuckled. “I don’t really need to ask you for sexual favors, do I?”

No, he didn’t. I was a willing participant and an instigator. Because when it came to Cal, I was a weak, weak woman. Those hazel eyes and that stubbled jaw were irresistible.

“What’s the favor?”

“My agent is coming to town,” he said. “He wants to go to dinner.”

“Okay,” I drawled. “Do you need restaurant recommendations? Because I just ate at the Pizza Palace. Highly recommend.”

“God, can you not be snarky?” He shook his head. “I need a date to dinner.”

And he was asking me? “Really?”

“Yeah. Will you go with me?”

“As your date? Have you lost your mind? I’m sure you can find someone else.” Hell, he could just stroll down First looking like he did today and he’d have multiple candidates to choose from within minutes. Like my yoga instructor.

“I need a date who’s not a date. Someone who’s not going to think it’s an actual date.”

“To meet with your agent? Why?” Wasn’t that the sort of meeting you’d take one-on-one?

He rubbed the back of his neck. “He wants me to take this job.”

“With a team? Which one?” A jolt of excitement raced through my mind at the idea of Cal playing football again. If Cal took a position, he’d be gone from Calamity. I’d know exactly where he was during the season.

“Not with a team. With a media network. I’d be an NFL commentator with ESPN.”

“Oh.” Watching him on camera wouldn’t be nearly as exciting if he was providing commentary about a game instead of playing it. Especially considering his onscreen persona was usually so . . . Cal. “You? Really?”

“Trust me, you’re not the only one surprised. I guess they want an unlikable asshole to rile people up. Cause some controversy and boost ratings.”

“Well, they’ve found the right man.”

“I’m not doing it.”

“Probably a smart decision.”

“My agent has been persistent.” Probably because he didn’t get paid unless Cal was working.

“Just say no. To drugs and ESPN,” I teased.

“I have. He still wants to meet.”

“Why would you need me to pretend to be your date just to watch you tell your agent no?” What was I missing?

“I don’t meet with him alone.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“I don’t meet with my agent alone.”

“Seriously?”