Page 61 of Keepsakes and Kismet

My phone starts ringing in my bag, breaking our focus. “It might be Tessa calling.” I drop his hand to get it from my purse, but when I look at the screen, I realize it’s not her.

“Oh, false alarm.” I breathe out a laugh. “Actually, true alarm. Gotta take my meds.” I retrieve my travel pill case from my purse and shake them out into my hand. “I’m gonna go get the water bottle on my desk. One sec.”

“I’m gonna—” he glances down at his jeans, “calm down.”

Grinning at his predicament, I walk over to my desk and wash down my pills.

Callum closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths before looking at me again. “Are you warm enough for⁠—”

My phone interrupts him, ringing in my hand.

“Okay, now it is Tessa,” I tell him, before tapping the green button.

Her smiling face fills the screen. “Hey, girl! We’re close! Are you ready for us?”

“Yep! I can’t wait to see you!”

“Same. I should be hugging you in approximately five minutes, according to the GPS.”

Predictably, I hear her husband mutter something about the unreliability of navigation systems in the background.

Tessa rolls her eyes, presumably directing her attention to Giovanni. “Listen. I know back in your day, you used a compass and the stars, but modern technology can be⁠—”

“Once again, I’m only five years older than you,” he replies dryly.

She refocuses on me. “Guess we should get going. Apparently, we must stay vigilant in case the directions fail us.”

I laugh. “See you soon.”

When I slide my phone back into my purse, Callum reaches for my hand, and I lace my fingers with his again.

He dips his chin, locking his eyes on mine. “How are we feeling, Pey?”

I sigh happily and go on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Amazing. We’re feeling amazing. Ready?”

He scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. “Um. Sure.”

There’s no hiding it: Callum looks nervous. But he has nothing to be nervous about. My friends will like him because I like him. Considering my history, Tessa knows how much he means to me.

I don’t want to make him more uncomfortable by calling him out, so I reply simply. “Hey. It’s going to go great.”

Callum nods slowly. “Yeah.”

I squeeze his hand, and we leave for the festival.

* * *

“Oh my God! I missed you so much!” Tessa basically tackles me near the donut and cider stand. “What the fuck? Your skin is glowing!” She hoists me back up in her arms and swings me side to side. “What Waterton elixirs do I need to buy before I leave?”

My feet dangle in the air, laughter bursting out of me. “Did you get taller? I feel like my head’s in outer space right now.”

She smirks. “Every time Gio grumbles about my ‘unstable heels,’ I buy another pair—but higher.”

I glance at her stiletto boots. “You’re not going to be able to do the three-legged sack race in those things.”

Tessa’s long, dark ponytail swishes in the breeze, and she sets me back on my feet, reaching down to straighten the hem of my dress.

“Babe, I wasn’t going to be doing a three-legged sack race.” Her brown eyes look mischievous. “I think we both know that.”