Love You More

Chapter 3: Callie

Beckett and I enter the kitchen and the smell of coffee enters my nostrils. Boy, do I need it after the way this morning started. My dad gently tugs me aside and whispers in my ear "The Rivers' are the biggest clients we've had invest in the company in an extremely long time. Mr. Rivers asked if he could drop by to review some paperwork. I'm so sorry for this, honey. Bad timing."

I weakly smile to let him know that this is okay, and I know it isn't his fault. His company, Conti Contracting has been in his family since the Conti's moved to Tennett, Pennsylvania in 1938. It's his pride and joy, and I know he wouldn't be doing this on my last day home unless it was very important. My dad works so hard to give us a great life, complete with a beautiful house, despite the fact that he never went to college. His real passion is building beautiful houses, and ours is the perfect example of that. He's good - no, great, at what he does, and it's about time someone recognized it. I'm just not sure that I want it to be the Rivers' doing the recognizing.

"Damn who's the hottie?" A singsong voice filters through my ear. My eyebrows furrow as I look up at my best friend Kenna. This girl is my best friend in every sense of the word, despite being opposites in everything we do. Much like Colton, we're basically family at this point, hence why she's in my kitchen, uninvited, and no one questions it as out of the ordinary.

Looking at us is like comparing winter and summer. Where I'm blonde, she's brunette. She's curvy and radiates sex appeal, I have more of an athletic build. I have a hoodie on, whereas she looks ready to walk down the runway in her flowing red cardigan, tight skinny black jeans, and six inch black bootie heels.

"Beckett Rivers." I hiss out as quietly as possible, half because Beckett is a few feet away, and half because I'm afraid of the wavering emotion I'll give away in my voice.
Breathlessly, she lets out "Like Rivers, as in the richest family ever? Cal, they have like 45 cars including a Ferrari, a helicopter, bodyguards at their house, a personal chef, and I heard Beckett supposedly almost killed a kid while he was having a party, but his dad paid off the family and paid the cops to not look into it. Now he's supposed to become like a billionaire once he graduates and inherits the business. I heard they're involved in some real illegal shit, too."

I glance over at Beckett before indulging Kenna in her theories. Beckett is, thank God, in deep conversation with my mom over god-knows-what and didn't hear a word of what she just said.

"First of all, how do you know everything about everyone? Second of all, they're investing in my dad's company, so let's hope they're not involved in real illegal shit, and third, he's two feet away so can we drop this?"
She rolls her eyes at me like I'm a petulant child. "It's called social media Callie, do you live under a rock?
"No, I just don't live on it like you." I reply, sticking my tongue out.
"Whatever he is, murderer or not, I am so down to be all on that..." she trails off and I freeze as I feel a presence behind me.
"Forgive me ladies for interrupting; your dad told me to let you know that breakfast is served." Beckett said.

I am hyperaware of Beckett's hand on the back of my chair, and the fact that the shower just turned off, meaning Colton will be out here any second now.
Kenna looks like she's about to melt into her seat, and bats her long eyelashes at Beckett. "Aw thank you, you're so kind" she trills out, pouting her full lips.

"Not really. I'm known to bump into random strangers in hallways. Pretty rude, I'd say." Beckett says with a sideways glance and a smirk directed only at me.

Flustered, I grab a plate from the cabinet, and I load it up with three slices of mouthwatering, crispy pork-roll, two dippy eggs, and an everything bagel. My mouth is watering, and I plop down at the table before realizing everyone is staring at me. Beckett's mouth is turned into a devilish grin, and Mr. Rivers shoots me a look of mild disgust.

"My dad makes the best dippy eggs and pork-roll in the world" I offer, explaining for no good reason why it is that a 5'3, 120 pound girl would possibly need this much food.
I never claimed to be ladylike, and I clearly wasn't raised with the pedigree to eat leaves and "chew like I have a secret" like the rest of the debutantes around here. I'm sure the Rivers' are shocked at my behavior, but to be frank I don't really care what they think. To prove my point further, I pointedly stare in the direction of the 10,000 dollar suits currently occupying my kitchen space and begin shoveling food into my mouth.

"That's my girl! She eats like a champ, but still somehow manages to have the most banging body in all of Pennsylvania" Colton winks in my direction as he loads up his own plate and takes his usual spot in the chair next to me.
"It's, uh, our, um Saturday tradition, forgive us" My dad stammers out, clearly intimidated by the judgmental stares we're receiving from the Rivers. Whoops.

Beckett then takes me totally by surprise. He rolls his suit jacket sleeves up, loosens his tie, and snags a plate of his own. By the time he takes the other seat available next to me, his plate is as full as mine and Colton's combined.

"I appreciate a girl who loves a good breakfast spread." Beckett says with a smirk that sends a rush of electricity throughout my entire body.
Colton, oblivious to the fireworks currently going off inside with my body, begins asking Beckett questions about his dad's business, which is my cue to tune him out. My mind begins racing, and I'm thinking about what time we have to leave, and how my time with Colton and my family is now interrupted by these rich jerks who just barged in on Saturday breakfast.

"Beckett, we're leaving." Mr. Rivers' throaty baritone booms, as he firmly shakes my dad's hand and turns to walk out. My dad's color visibly returned to his face, so unlike the pale white he was for the entirety of the visit.

"It was delicious, Mr. Conti. Callie is right, you do make the best dippy eggs in the world." Beckett grins as he places his plate into the sink and tightens the tie that occupied my thoughts just minutes ago.

Beckett shakes my dad's hand, shakes Colton's hand, kisses my mother on the cheek, and then turns to me. I stick my hand out and I'm shocked when he pulls me close and whispers in my ear "See you soon, riccioli d'oro." His lips press quickly to my cheek and he's out the door just as fast as he came in. Kenna skids into the room, clearly angry that Beckett forgot to say goodbye to her.

My mind is left spinning from the intimate gesture I just received from a stranger. My heart is thumping out of my chest. A nickname? A FOREIGN nickname? He clearly picked up on my dad and I throwing phrases at one another in Italian. Like I said - we're mutts, but we do it for fun. I digress. Who the hell gives someone a nickname when they've just met them?

I pace the room.

Who KISSES someone in front of their significant other? What did he mean by see me soon? He clearly doesn't know I'm leaving for college today. The most important questions of all strums the back of my brain: Why do I care?