Page 56 of Playing to Win
“It’s nothing big, I promise. More sweet than anything.” He waggled his eyebrows and Callie grinned. He was too cute. He opened the door for her and Callie looked around the pizzeria that was every kid’s dream. In front of the doors was where you could order pizza and the coveted tokens for the games. To the left were games galore. Skeeball, hoop shoot, some sort of drawing game, a game to shoot pirates, one where you could ride a motorcycle, or hit a pop up hamster on the head; they were endless. Each game spit out tickets to spend at the prize counter. Fifty tickets could probably only buy one piece of candy, while five thousand would probably buy a two dollar toy from The Dollar Store. Regardless, kids ate it up.
However, at this particular establishment, there were no kids in sight.
“Kyle, what’s going on?”
Just then, a person dressed up as a giant mouse walked up to Callie and pulled her hand out of Kyle’s. “Welcome to Chuck E. Cheese, Ms. Callie. A little mouse told this big mouse it was your birthday today,” the giant mouse said, putting his arm around Callie.
Callie turned back to Kyle and shot daggers through her eyes. “Kyle, I am going to kill you!”
Kyle held up his hands in a don’t kill me gesture. “Talk to those people over there. I just came up with the idea because they talked me into it.”
Callie turned around to see Aria, Cassie, her dad, the dance squad and…was that Jenkins and Anderson from the Thunder?
“They have their sights set on some of your dancing friends,” Kyle whispered in her ear. Callie shivered as he came up behind her and his whisper-soft voice hit the sensitive spot right behind her ear. This man could make her body flutter in a thousand different places.
“I’m so mad at you guys,” she said, pulling her hand away from the mouse and walking away from Kyle toward her friends and dad. “You promised me no party.”
“Which is why we had Kyle plan it,” Aria said, her hands crossed in front of her body, the perfect picture of defiance. “Face it, kid. We had some failed parties to make up for and we weren’t going to just throw in the towel and let you get your way. So we worked around your dumb rule. We didn’t plan it. Your man did.”
“Daddy, I trusted you.”
Her dad at least had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry, kiddo. Just wanted to do something special for ya. Figured if this guy was planning it, it might turn out all right.”
Callie turned back to where Kyle stood conversing with the life-sized mouse. A small grin played at the corner of her mouth.
“Wait. No. Is that…it couldn’t be. I think that’s a smile I see,” Cassie said with a nudge to Callie’s shoulder. “Could you at least give him some credit? He did good, girl, and you know it. Look, he’s even schmoozing the mouse for you.”
Kyle looked over to where they were standing and gave them a finger wave. Saying something else to the mouse, he clapped it on the back and headed their way.
“All right. Let’s get the festivities going!”
“Hello, Mr. Thompson. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You, too, Kyle,” Callie’s dad said, shaking Kyle’s hand. “I hear you were the one who planned this shin-dig.”
“Well, I had some help with the idea from my friend Trevin, but Cassie and I set it all up.”
Callie glared at her friend. “How did you get his number?”
“Easy. I stole it off your phone when you were in the shower.”
“How do you even know the password?”
“It’s your mom’s birthday, genius. You really need to be more creative.”
Callie rolled her eyes and turned to Aria. “Did you help them in their behind my back planning?”
“Nope. I’m just along for the ride. And the dancing mouse. I’m Aria, by the way, since my rude friend won’t introduce me,” Aria told Kyle, sticking her hand out for him to shake.
“Nice to meet you. You’re a dancer, too, right?”
“Yep. The best one.”
“Hey!” Callie yelled.
“Honey, I love you, but face it. I am. No one can work the camera like me. You know it.”
Callie shrugged her shoulders. The camera did love her. Who wouldn’t? If she had Aria’s auburn hair, chestnut eyes, big, all natural breasts, creamy complexion, and tiny frame, the cameras would probably be all over her, too. It was a good thing she didn’t like the limelight. “Hey, Kyle, where are all the other people who are usually here?”
