Grayson

Chapter Eleven

"Sorry about that." Peter said. "Callie is my best friend and I'm protective of her." Grayson nodded.

"Thank you for looking out for her the last few years." he said. Peter looked at Grayson with surprise. He had expected Grayson to break his jaw for saying what he had said or at least yell at him… What he hadn't expected was for the man to say thank you.

"Sure Grayson." he replied. "Now go eat some dinner with the woman. She's been waiting a long time for you to come back." Grayson nodded and walked away. Peter watched him go into the diner and he prayed that this didn't end with Callie having her heart broken yet again.

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Thomas Whitaker was fuming as he sat alone inside his home with only his whiskey bottle for company. He had spoken to Raymond Collier again today and Raymond had let him know it would be two weeks before his cousin would be in town.

Two weeks was a long time and plenty of time for Callie to marry Grayson because Callie was not the type of woman to want a fancy wedding. Thomas had let Raymond know that even if Callie married Grayson before Thomas could kill him, the will was to remain a secret. The lives of Raymond's wife and son depended on it. Even if Grayson and Callie married before Raymond's cousin arrived Thomas would still kill Grayson and make Callie a widow and then he would marry her and take Frank Logan's fortune.

Thomas would leave Callie and Grayson alone for a while. He would wait until their guard was down and then he would figure out a way to kill Grayson once and for all. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. He took a long drink of whiskey and smiled to himself. It wouldn't be long now and he would be a rich man.

888

"So do we need to get working on your wedding dress?" Annie asked Callie three days later as the two women put the finishing touches on some skirts and blouses for the display window.

"No, he won't marry me." Callie replied. Annie looked over her small glasses as she ran the needle and thread through a skirt with practiced ease.

"Why not?" she asked.

"He says he wants to wait until he deserves me again." Callie said with a sigh.

"Well that's kinda sweet and really stupid all at the same time." Callie laughed.

"Well that's Gray I guess. Kinda sweet and really stupid." she replied.

"So you've been staying with him at the hotel?" Annie asked after she stopped laughing and Callie nodded.

"Yes." she replied. Anyone else asking that would have made Callie angry but this was Annie who had been like a mother to Callie and so she got a free pass to invade her privacy.

"Have the two of you….." Annie raised her eyebrows suggestively. Callie blushed and shook her head.

"No, we have not." she said quickly. "For goodness sakes, Annie, the man is recovering from a bullet in the back." Annie snorted.

"He's a big man and that was a little bullet!" she replied. "Maybe you need to make the first move on him. Do a little seducing."

"I wouldn't even know how to start doing something like that." Callie replied matter of factly.

"Throwing him down on the bed and kissing him absolutely senseless would be a good start." Annie replied. Callie blushed again and in her embarrassment she poked her thumb with the needle.

"Ouch!" she shouted sticking her thumb in her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Annie asked with an amused laugh.