Read Online Win Me Over by Nicole Michaels - Free Book Online Page A

a week.”
    â€œSo, speaking of man situations.” Callie sat back and eyed Anne. “How long till the guy just moves in with you?”
    â€œOh no, he wouldn’t do that because of Claire.” Anne shook her head. “He’s made a few little hints at marriage, but we haven’t had an official conversation. It’s only been about four months. We’re happy right now, so I’m certainly not going to push.”
    Callie had a feeling Anne was probably right. Mike Everett had a way of doing the right thing, especially when it came to Anne’s daughter. How could you not like a guy like that? A man who put your needs above everything else? Callie had never had that; she’d always specialized in attracting selfish dickheads.
    Callie listened in silence for a while as Anne and Lindsey talked about children. Lindsey’s sister was pregnant with her first child and Anne was helping to plan a big baby shower for her. The whole process and planning had been showcased on the blog and the shower was in a few weeks. Discussing babies always left Callie a little melancholy. It wasn’t that she wanted children; her biological clock hadn’t even been wound yet, so it was nowhere near a countdown. She wasn’t dying for a man either. She considered herself independent, and she had strong opinions on who the ideal mate would be—she’d decided he didn’t exist. But sometimes the gushy stories of love and babies just made her feel a little lonely.
    Yeah, she had her mom and dad, but that didn’t really count. Neither did her best friends. There was just something about having someone to call your own that sometimes appealed to her. Someone to come home to. It was almost hard to picture.
    She didn’t want a relationship like her parents’. They seemed happy, but Callie didn’t want a man who saw her as an assistant. She wanted to be her own person. She wanted her and the man to be partners. She couldn’t function without someone who respected her as his equal.
    With a sigh Callie motioned for another beer from the server and took her third slice of pizza. She was only twenty-eight; it wasn’t like it was too late for her. Plenty of friends from college still weren’t married. But then again … the ones who were seemed a lot happier. She saw them on Facebook, beautiful weddings, new houses and new babies. Eric was always telling her she was afraid, and while she would never admit it, he might be a little right. Afraid of feeling helpless and vulnerable. She worked hard and she took care of herself.
    â€œOoh, guess what?” Anne’s eyes went big and round. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. The new Junior League president is Jill Monser. They are mixing their fund-raiser this year with the Millard and she called Friday morning to see if I’d be interested in emceeing, and get this…”
    Callie tensed. She knew exactly what was coming.
    Anne continued. “They’re doing their own version of Celebrity Dance Off . It will be their first event after the remodel from the flood. How fun does that sound?”
    â€œOh, Callie.” Lindsey’s eyes shone with excitement. “You should do that. You would be so good. It would be like your ultimate fantasy.”
    The three of them enjoyed watching the real Celebrity Dance Off together on television; in fact, they were looking forward to the premiere next Monday evening. Big plans had been made to meet at Anne’s house and eat lots of unhealthy food while they feasted their eyes on their favorite dancers. As much as Callie loved the show, the thought of the Preston version only added to her slightly bitter mood.
    â€œAs a matter of fact, I was already asked to participate, but it didn’t quite work out.”
    â€œOh no, how come?” Anne sounded genuinely worried. “Jill had hinted none too subtly that she really hoped you would dance.