“I can do the dishes alone.” I wriggle my fingers at him. “Bye.”

“I should let Spencer have his way with you.” Levi sneers at me. “Dempsey’s too dumb to fuck with you, but Spencer…” He whistles and shakes his head. “He would ruin you.”

I’m having difficulty combining the charming Spencer I met with this one Levi is warning me about.

“I can handle Spencer.” I lift my chin in defiance. “Are you going to tell your daddy?”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Or what? You’ll slap me too?”

His eyes narrow. “You know what? Have at it. Learn for yourself what kind of guy Spencer Park really is.”

“Don’t let Darren hear you encouraging me to go against his word.”

We both glance toward where Darren is shuffling through the mail in the dining room. Despite our heated argument, neither of us seems keen on bringing Darren into it. I certainly don’t want to get slapped again. And Darren hits Levi a lot harder than he hit me, so I know he doesn’t want his attention either.

“I’ve seen what Spencer does to girls he likes. He makes them fall in love and then he breaks them.”

Good thing I don’t have to worry about that.

“Maybe,” I allow, shrugging, “but that still makes him ten times nicer than you.”

“He’s only nice because he wants to fuck you. I don’t, so you get this.” He motions to himself and smirks. “Don’t come crying to me when he pops your cherry and then leaves you heartbroken.”

As if I would ever come to Levi for anything.

Ignoring him, I go back to doing the dishes. My mind returns to Callum. With him infiltrating my every thought, I don’t feel like such a prisoner in my own home.

Callum Park is my escape.

Me: Is your event over with yet?

I delete the text before I send it. It’ll make me sound stupid and needy. And while I’m definitely needy, I’m not stupid. I won’t push Callum away by being a whiny girl, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

He’s a grown man.

Thirty-five.

Only two years younger than Mom.

The last thing he needs is someone half his age pouting when she doesn’t get his undivided attention. Even if I am pouting, I certainly don’t want him to know about it.

I’ve done everything since dinner to distract myself. I’m ahead on my homework, deep cleaned my room, and even took a long bath to relax. I’m still on edge, though.

I miss Callum.

The stolen moment in his classroom today was nothing but a tease. A tiny bite of what could be.

Time crawls by and when midnight finally hits, I give up.

Did he forget?

Text him, idiot.