“Calliope,” Jason, Luke and Fletcher all said at the same time.
“I was wrong. We are officially a knitting group.” Ozzy banged his head on the table. Kyle and Simon laughed.
“How did you all...?” Xander frowned. “Oh, right. Never mind.”
“Doesn’t have anything to do with our women.” Fletcher slapped a hand on his back when he returned to the table. “Jason outed you.”
“Seriously?” Xander looked at his friend. “Are you punishing me for siccing my sister on your kitchen?”
“Hardly. Alethea’s got talent, man. Serious talent. She’s a natural. But next time you want to make out with our local butterfly woman, might I suggest you do it somewhere less public than a hotel lobby?”
“We weren’t making out.” Xander felt his face go hot.
“Are you kids calling it something else these days?” Jason grinned.
“Please. I’m older than you are. We’re friendly, that’s all. And Ozzy’s right. When did poker turn into a gossip session?”
“Ain’t gossip if you have an eyewitness,” Matt laughed. “Dude, relax. As long as you don’t plan on breaking her heart, we’re all for Calliope finally finding someone.” He arched an eyebrow and locked his jaw. “You aren’t planning on breaking her heart, are you?”
“No, I am not.” Near as Xander could tell, he couldn’t get anywhere near her heart. Every time he tried she shut him down like a storm cellar door during a tornado. “Rest easy, fellas. I’m leaving next week. That’s not enough time to break anything, especially someone’s heart.”
“Huh.” Jason inclined his head. “Clueless, party of one.”
“Listen up, boys,” Jake said in his oldest-man-in-the-room voice, addressing Kyle and Simon. “You can’t get this education in school.”
“I already know about girls.” Simon shrugged.
“Girls are what make the world go ’round,” Fletcher told him. “Around and around and around...”
Around and around. Xander nodded in agreement as he stared at the growing pile of circular chips on the table. An octagonal table. With a center of chips. A center... “That’s it.”
The table went silent as hands froze in midbet.
“I thought you were out?” Fletcher frowned.
“No, no, sorry. Wait. Can I...give me a second.” Mind racing, heart pounding, Xander popped back on his feet and started arranging the chips into stacks. If the table acted as the outline of the building, then the building itself, with a center...
“Is this a New York thing?” Matt asked Jason, who hushed him.
“This...this could actually work.” Xander stood up straight and looked down at the arrangement. “She was right. Calliope. She was absolutely right. We don’t have to cut down the trees. Well, some at least, but then we could use them... I can’t believe this.” He slapped a hand on his head. “This could actually work!”
“What’s he been drinking?” Fletcher asked.
“I have to go.” Xander needed his notepad, and his computer. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. “This has been great. Really great.” He grabbed his suit jacket off the back of his chair. “You’ll never know how great. Just...thanks.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CALLIOPE JONES WASN’T a coward.
At least that’s what she kept telling herself following that kiss she and Xander had shared in the lobby of the Flutterby. Just because she hadn’t left her farm and cottage for the past two days. Or that she’d finally found time to do all those tasks she’d been putting off for months. Record-keeping, cleaning, organizing. She’d set aside a part of the garden by the greenhouse as a sandbox for Marlie, Charlie and Stella to practice their sandcastle skills. And they were becoming quite adept with various pans and molds from the kitchen, not to mention the shells, flowers and plants from the farm. The girls were a nice distraction and reminder of what was important in life.
When she found herself using manicure scissors to trim tiny weeds off her bonsai, however, she realized she was wrong.