Page 63 of Playing to Win
Chapter 20
“How do I look?” Callie looked down at the outfit her friends picked for her, willing her shirt to become a t-shirt and her skinny jeans to turn into sweatpants.
“For the fourth time, you look beautiful. Kyle will drool and his parents will be super impressed. Just be yourself,” Cassie patted Callie on the back. “Now, give me the guacamole before you drop it all over your shirt.”
“Hey, at least she’s wearing olive green. If she spills it, it won’t show up that much.” Aria flipped over, shook out her hair and turned back over. “How’s my hair?”
“If you’re going for the hooker look, you got it going on,” Callie told her. She was rewarded with Aria’s tongue sticking out her way as she flipped Callie the middle finger.
Callie took a deep breath. “All right. Might as well go in before his family looks out the window, thinks we’re stalkers, and calls the cops.”
The trio walked to the door and Callie put her knuckles in the air to knock. Before she could tap on the door, a tall blonde wearing a cone-shaped party hat, star-shaped celebratory glasses and a t-shirt with a huge rendering of Kyle’s face on it swung the door open, a huge smile on her face.
“Welcome, welcome, welcome to the ‘My brother is the greatest and he’s going to win the VBP of the NBA’ award.”
“The what?” Aria asked in confusion.
“You know. The very best player award.”
“I think you mean MVP. Most Valuable Player.”
“Yeah, that’s it. I can never remember. I don’t really watch the sport except when my brother plays. My entire family is kinda sports stupid except for Kyle and my sister, Kacia. We support them both, though. Even though it took us forever to learn the lingo. I’m Kylee, by the way,” she said, extending her hand.
“Aria.”
“Cassie. I would shake, but I don’t want to drop the guac. Callie made it and it’s amazing.”
“You’re Callie? As in, the Callie that Kyle hasn’t been able to stop talking about? Boy, have we been excited to meet you. Come on, I want to introduce you to the whole family.”
Callie looked at her friends helplessly. This was not how she wanted to meet Kyle’s family. Without him. By herself. With all of them looking at her, sizing her up, deciding if she was worthy enough to date their only son and brother. She could feel herself hiving up already.
“You’ll be fine,” Cassie whispered. “Now go and knock their socks off.”
“I have a paper sack in my pocket if you need it,” Aria told her. Callie walked off, watching Cassie hit Aria with her free hand.
“Let me tell you, Kyle doesn’t ever talk about girls. I mean, ever. And he’s talked about you on the phone to everyone. And ever since we walked through his doors, it’s been Callie this and Callie that. We’ve been so ready to size you up!”
Callie blanched at those words. She frantically looked around the room for Kyle to no avail.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! We’re just so surprised. You must be an amazing girl to have Kyle so smitten with you.”
“Oh, I don’t think he’s smitten. We just recently started dating, really. I didn’t really even like him when we first met, actually. Then we were friends and now, well…now he’s just…he’s just…I like him.”
Kylee threw her head back and laughed. “A girl not liking Kyle? Oh, honey, I like you already.”
Kylee led Callie over to another group of gorgeous blondes that could only be part of the Kelly clan. Even though they all sported the t-shirts emblazoned with Kyle’s face and the ridiculous hats perched upon their heads, they were still a breathtaking family. Kyle’s parents had definitely marked their children. Not only did all of them sport Kyle’s blond hair, but they also shared his blue eyes. And Callie didn’t think one of them stood shorter than six-one.
Hitler would have loved him some K-clan, Callie thought.
“Hey, guys. I finally found the Callie Kyle has been incessantly talking about!” Kylee said, leading Callie by the hand over to the rest of the clan.
Kyle’s mom, Kathy, grabbed Callie and embraced her in a hug. Callie stood there in shock before tentatively placing her arms around the woman and embracing her back. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said in the woman’s hair as she awkwardly continued to hold on to Callie.
“Oh, dearie, are we ever excited to meet you!” his mom continued in a North Carolina southern twang. “You’re all Kyle’s been talkin’ about here recently. Not about the playoffs. Not about that cat of his that’s like his kid, which of course I think is a little weird. But this girl Callie. He’s totally smitten.”
“That’s what I told her!”
Kyle’s dad stepped in, pushing Kathy out of the way from her perch four inches from Callie’s face. “Now Kathy, I think you’re scaring the poor girl. Remember, personal bubbles.” Keith held out his hand for Callie to shake. “You’ll have to excuse my wife. She’s one of the top cardiothoracic surgeons in North Carolina. Most surgeons go into practice because they’re not good with people and like the sterile environment of the operating room. Not my girl. She loves the contact with the patients and their families. I have to remind her of personal space. Not everyone wants you right in their face.”
