In Good Company: Chapter 19

“This is too much boob, isn’t it?” I ask Charlotte, adjusting my bikini top as we walk up the driveway leading to Cal’s house. After the event wrapped up and we were enjoying lunch with the large group of Cal’s friends, Cal had offered to have everyone over for a swim. It was so hot we thought about just hitting the pool at the club, but Cal was insistent on something more private at his house.

He asked the whole table to come over, but his eyes had been pinned on me when he said the words. Charlotte said yes before I could think better of it.

“Is there such a thing as too much boob?” Charlotte asks, her tone completely serious. She throws a glance in my direction and looks my outfit up and down.

I laugh nervously, looking down at the oversized linen button-up shirt I’m wearing as a dress. “There is when you’re at your boss’s house,” I mutter under my breath, feeling anxious. The offer from Cal came as a shock. I’m used to the members at Pembroke having dinner parties with formal attire and a full menu; a pool party seemed so…casual. But everyone’s excitement at going back to Cal’s to hang out after the tournament took me by surprise. Maybe despite their deep pockets and lavish lifestyle, Cal’s friends are more normal and laid-back than I’d thought they were.

After we were done at Pembroke, everyone had gone their separate ways to go home and get refreshed. I’d thought about canceling. I work for Cal; I shouldn’t be attending private events at his home unless I’m working one. But Charlotte was insistent we go when she showed up at my apartment dressed and ready to attend the last-minute pool party. Jude’s constant flirting must’ve not been a total turnoff to Charlotte because she was excited to keep hanging out with him.

Charlotte lets out a dramatic sigh as she turns and stops in front of me. There are already plenty of cars in the driveway—most of them so expensive I can’t imagine driving something worth so much—but Charlotte doesn’t look at anything but me. “Cal is cool. He’s not really your boss.”

I cock my head to the side. “Then who is?”

Charlotte rolls her eyes at me and lets out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, so yes, technically, he’s your boss…but it doesn’t really count. You’re cooking for him for the summer, and then you’ll go back to Virginia and never see him again. If he invites you to a pool party, you attend the pool party. Don’t make it complicated.”

I narrow my eyes on her. “Says the girl who makes it obvious she’s got a crush on Jude but wouldn’t ever date him.”

She gasps before excitedly leaning forward and grabbing my hands with hers. “Are you saying you have a crush on Cal?”

My heart plummets with nerves. “No,” I rush to get out. I shake my head adamantly. “Not at all,” I lie, realizing a crush is exactly what I have. “Plus, we changed the subject to you and your crush on Jude.”

Charlotte’s nose crinkles as she waves her hand through the air dismissively. “It’s not a crush. He’s hot, and it’s easy to flirt with him, but he’s a member at the club, and I don’t date members. Plus, I think he’s actually fun, and he mentioned he’s here a lot, even in the off-season. It’d be nice to make a friend out of him since I’m here all year.”

I click my tongue and nod. “Mm-hmm, sure. I totally believe you.”

She lets go of my hands and swats at my stomach. “I’m serious, Lucy. I can’t let his charm get to my head. I want him to be my friend. That’s it. Although, a little playful banter never hurt anyone.”

I roll my eyes before hooking my arm through hers and pulling her up the driveway. It isn’t my place to keep pushing her on it. Not when she’s just made me realize that I might have the smallest, tiniest, barely there crush on Callahan Hastings.

The same man opening the gate to his backyard and walking right to us.

“I was worried you were ditching us and found something far better to do,” Cal points out.

I should form words and respond to him, but I can’t. My throat suddenly feels swollen and my mouth incredibly dry as I take in the sight in front of me.

Cal. Shirtless. Each and every one of his abs is on full display. They even glisten as the sun reflects off what must be sunscreen that he’s applied. My gaze travels down, finding him in a simple pair of navy swim trunks. They hit his lower thigh, giving me the slightest peek of his strong, muscular thighs.

A sharp elbow jab to my stomach makes me yelp. I wince, my eyes darting to Charlotte. “Ow!” I grumble, rubbing the spot where her elbow just hit me.

Charlotte ignores my protest and looks from Cal to me with a smile. “We wouldn’t dream of missing this pool party. Lucy had to wait a long time for me. I had to get home and shower and all. I’ve never been fast at getting ready,” she explains.

Cal nods as he comes to a stop in front of us. “Glad you both made it.” He nods his head in the direction of the pool in his backyard. “Everyone else is here.”

Charlotte excitedly claps her hands and walks in the direction he just gestured to. “The pool parties I’ve been to have never been at houses this nice. I’m ready!”

She quickly walks ahead, and I chase after her, not wanting to be left alone with Cal while I’m still getting used to the sight of his perfectly toned body on display.

“Oh my God, your boss is hot,” Charlotte whispers to me, leaning in close as we link arms once again and walk in the direction of his backyard.

“Charlotte,” I scold, looking over my shoulder to find Cal right behind us.

The smirk on Cal’s face tells me everything I need to know. “Thank you, Charlotte,” he drawls, keeping pace with us as we reach the gate.

I groan, my eyes snapping forward as a blush creeps up my cheeks. “I hate you so much,” I whisper, making sure my voice is actually only heard by her. I wish she could’ve afforded me the same luxury when talking about Cal’s looks. Her whisper was a terrible attempt at being quiet.

Luckily, the sight of everyone we had lunch with at the club distracts me from the embarrassment.

“There you are!” Emma excitedly calls from a pink flamingo floaty in the pool. “The girls and I were worried that we’d scared you off somehow.”

“If anyone scared them off, it’d be you, Em,” Margo points out from where she lies on a pool chair.

“Rude!” Emma calls out, keeping a smile on her face. She screams when Preston dives into the pool right next to her, splashing water all over her.

“Happy you guys made it!” Jude pushes himself from the pool in one effortless move and walks up to us.

“Hello again, Charlotte,” Jude pretty much purrs. He wraps his arm around Charlotte and pulls her body close to his.

“Jude!” Charlotte screams, attempting to push him off her. “You’re getting me all wet.”

Jude cackles, wrapping his other arm around Charlotte and pulling her flush against his body. “I’d be honored to get you wet,” he tosses out, a mischievous smile on his face.

I laugh, stepping around them to search for a spot to set my bag down.

“Jude, don’t even think about it,” Charlotte yells. I look over just in time to find Jude picking Charlotte up off the ground and throwing her over his shoulder. Her bag drops to the patio just in time for him to run to the edge and jump into the pool with an unwilling Charlotte in tow.

Cal’s shoulder brushes against mine as he steps next to me. “Should I be worried that Charlotte might retaliate against Jude?”

I laugh, watching as both Jude’s and Charlotte’s heads pop out from the water.

“She’ll pretend to be mad at him, but I know she actually isn’t.”

“Want to set your bag down?” Cal asks as if he can read my mind.

I nod as Charlotte begins to yell at Jude even more.

I take a look around, smiling at the familiar faces all hanging out. Jude, Charlotte, Preston, and Emma all swim in the pool. Winnie and Margo lie out on pool loungers, the two of them looking at magazines while their husbands sit at a small table drinking beers. Ryker sits with Beck and Archer, but he doesn’t pay any attention to the conversation between the two. His eyes are glued across the backyard where Camille paces back and forth next to one of the raised garden beds, her phone pressed to her ear as she appears to be having an intense conversation with someone on the other end of the line.

Cal’s hand finds the small of my back. “You can come sit by me. Jude won’t want his chair back anyway.” The thin layer of fabric between our skin feels like nothing. It’s like his fingertips sear my skin with the slightest pressure as he leads me to a set of pool loungers on the other side of the ones from Margo and Winnie.

“Are you sure?” I ask nervously, missing the warmth of Cal’s touch after he removes his hand and takes a seat on the one next to mine.

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t say it to begin with,” he mutters, his tone playful as he grabs the towel I assume Jude was using and folds it neatly before placing it at the end of his chair.

I nod in response, slowly placing my bag down on the lounger. I grab my own towel out from the bag and work on getting it laid out nicely across the chair before taking a seat.

I can feel Cal’s gaze on me, more hot and intense than the summer sun. I try to ignore it for a moment and pretend to focus on watching Emma attempt to pull Charlotte onto the flamingo floaty with her.

Finally, I can’t take the feeling of Cal watching me any longer, and my eyes meet his. My heart jumps in my chest at the playful smile that graces his mouth.

He’s been so carefree today. Different. Maybe this is how he typically is on the weekends, not bogged down with work calls and meetings in between the social events of summering in the Hamptons. No matter what, this carefree Cal is dangerous. This version of him makes my skin flush and my heart pound.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I whisper, unable to keep my thoughts to myself.

His smile grows wider. He lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug. “I was just wondering if the way you stared at my abs earlier meant you shared the same sentiment as your friend.”

My eyes go wide, and my body jolts with embarrassment. I feel hot all over, and it isn’t because of the summer sun or the way he looks at me. It’s from embarrassment.

He did catch me.

Hurriedly, I grab my oversized sunglasses from my bag and slip them on. Maybe the size of them will hide the blush creeping over my cheeks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I mumble, my heart racing at being caught.

He laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes, then, Lucy Rae.”