Free The Collared Collection by Kay Jaybee, K. D. Grace

mother’s job description, Alex – being sad is number five, being a crotchety old killjoy is number six.’
    ‘Yeah, right.’ The boys sniggered in harmony, with a lot of elbow nudging going on.
    ‘Ginny is going to be here soon and while we have a chat, David is taking you into town to buy a couple of pieces of school uniform.’
    Alex was horrified, ‘School? You don’t mean we have to go back there?’
    ‘Can’t we have a few more days off?’ Sam pleaded.
    ‘Nope. Back to school bright and early tomorrow morning – you’re going to be staying with your dad and Polly, remember? They’re both out at work all day, so you have to go to school – sorry, that’s non-negotiable.’
    ‘Ah, pants,’ Alex sulked some more. ‘I bet Polly would let us stay at home, if we asked her – she’s well cool about stuff like that.’
    That’s because she’s only just out of school uniform herself, Callie thought.
    She heard Ginny’s car screech to a halt down below and looked out the window to watch her manoeuvre into a very tight parking place. She may have been mistaken, but she thought she crunched the car behind. When she rang the bell, Callie pressed the entry buzzer and waited in the corridor for the lift to arrive, butterflies rampaging around her gut.
    ‘Callie!’ Ginny leapt forward with arms open wide, jacket flapping and boobs ahoy. They hugged each other tightly.
    ‘Damn, I’ve missed you,’ she whispered, only just then realising how much.
    ‘Me too,’ Ginny wailed. ‘Bloody bastard men!’
    Uh-oh. Callie realised she was going to have to make a very swift confession about hot-off-the-press developments between her and David.
    Alex voiced his disapproval of their emotional reunion from the doorway, ‘Oh yuck! Girly stuff – puke!’ He stuck two fingers in his mouth and pretended to vomit.
    ‘Enough, Alex, you horrible boy,’ Callie warned him. ‘You and Sam get yourselves ready to go shopping with David, will you? Try and pull those shorts up, Sam – you look like an advert for Oxfam.’ He slouched off. ‘Come on through, Ginny.’
    David appeared from the kitchen, looking sheepish. ‘Hi, Ginny, nice to see you again.’
    Somehow keeping her mouth rigid she replied, sarcasm dripping from her lips, ‘Oh, you too. Off out now?’ She looked hopeful. Callie couldn’t help feeling sorry for the guy, practically being thrown out of his own place – and after he’d been so good to her and the boys.
    ‘Err … yes. I’m just waiting for the coffee to perc then we’ll be out of your hair.’
    Ginny scoffed, ‘We’re quite capable of doing that.’
    Callie spoke out of the corner of her mouth, embarrassment singeing her ears, ‘No hurry, David.’
    He smirked. ‘Oh, I think there is,’ and shot a meaningful look at Ginny, who glared back, not intending to budge an inch.
    ‘Bloody bastard men,’ she seethed.

Chapter Fourteen
    Callie waved goodbye to David and his ragamuffin entourage and handed Ginny a mug of the coffee he’d brewed for them. He’d even set a plate of chocolate biscuits on the tray; far more consideration than Ginny deserved, she felt.
    ‘What happened to your poor face?’ she asked. ‘Did you smash into something escaping from the fire?’ She grabbed three biscuits and ate the first in two enormous bites. Looking apologetic and spitting crumbs, she explained, ‘Missed breakfast.’ She brushed morsels from the lapels of her charcoal grey trouser suit onto the floor.
    ‘Oh, wow,’ she realised, ‘there’s so much I have to tell you – I’m not sure where to begin.’
    Ginny balanced on the edge of her chair, ‘OK, go over everything that’s happened since you threw me out.’ Her stiff pose and stare screamed that she expected an immediate and heartfelt grovelling apology.
    ‘Look, I’m really sorry about that and I didn’t want us to fall out, but you left me no choice. You knew I’d had to cancel my date with David because Prick let me down and