Page 70 of The Titan and the Trainer

They introduced her to Martha, who prepared them a nice breakfast. Sophia showered whilst Julian and Callum chatted more at the table. Callum showered, and Ben dropped her home first, then Callum to The Iron Works. What a night, he thought to himself as he walked into work.

Chapter 28 - Getting Down to Business

Fri. 28th Feb. - Mon. 3rd Mar. 25

Friday 28th February 25

The call from Kerry came through just after 11 a.m. as Callum was wiping down a bench at The Iron Works.

“Hey, Callum, it’s Kerry.”

“Oh, hi, how are you?” he replied. He’d got to know her over time, and they were now much friendlier than during that first frosty encounter.

“Julian has asked me to set up lunch with you and Jack to talk about The Iron Works.”

“Oh shit.” It left his mouth before he had a chance to think, suddenly feeling heat in the base of his gut. Callum knew this was coming. Julian had told him that his legal team were looking into Noah Cott and his business dealings.

“Look, Callum, I know Julian’s had legal on this for weeks. I think he’s really only trying to help...”

“I know, I know, sorry, just an… awkward topic Kerry.”

“I get it, Callum, I really do. How about Monday, 1 p.m. at the office here? Get it over and done with?”

Callum checked his and Jacks bookings in the shared calendar. Yes, they could both do 1 p.m. Monday, so, nervously, he added it in. “Yes, that’s fine, Kerry, thanks. Can you arrange for a pick-up, please?”

“Will do. Take care, bye.”

Callum immediately started thinking about the conversation they were likely to have. He and Julian hadn’t really talked about this. Julian knew how emotive it was for Callum, so seemed to respect that by avoiding the subject. Jack was tightly wound up about it and more prone to fly off the handle. All this added up to a potentially heated meeting. He decided not to think about it, and certainly not let it ruin their weekend plans.

***

Saturday 1st March / Sunday 2nd March 25

Callum worked on Saturday during the day, and so did Julian. Afterwards, he went to the office to meet him, and they travelled back to the penthouse together, neither mentioning the scheduled meeting. Saturday evening was dinner and a movie, then Sunday Callum took Julian for lunch at Chelsea Market where they met Sophia and Lara, a friend of hers. They enjoyed a nice lunch of Thai food before Lara departed and the three of them went for a nice walk along The High Line, as it was a sunny and warm day.

They ended up at The Vessel, the funky walkway-shaped metal cone, offering great views of the city and the Hudson. After that, they walked to the new shops at Hudson Yards, where Callum spied an amazing T-shirt in the window of the Moschino store, and they ventured inside to look at it.

He immediately fell in love with it. It was black and had a faded teddy bear design on the front, with several variations in the range, all with the same bear but wearing different clothes and different hats. After looking at all the designs, he eventually decided to try the first one he’d seen and pulled it from the rack. He fished inside for the price tag, discovering that it was $300! He immediately went to put it back.

“What are you doing?” Julian asked.

“I’m not paying $300 for a T-shirt, Julian. That’s ridiculous,” Callum replied, keeping his voice low.

“Callum,” he grimaced, “it’s about time you started living the life we are lucky enough to have and stop always fretting about money,” Julian said, clearly exasperated.

“I don’t know,” Callum said, still perturbed about the price. But he grudgingly tried it on and had to admit it did look really good on him. The cut was fitted and flattering to his developed chest and upper arms. Julian and Sophia both agreed that it looked great.

Sophia had also tried on a leather skirt she really liked, which they both said looked great on her. She was now debating how it had been made so she could make her own version of it. Callum was saying to Sophia that $300 was too much for a tee, whilst she was agreeing that $375 was too much for a skirt…

Julian sat on the sofa in the changing rooms and just rolled his eyes. He’d had enough of both of them. He stood. “You two, honestly. I love you, but you’re getting on my nerves.”

He called the assistant over and told him they would have every design of the T-shirt the store had in Callum’s size, and the leather skirt for Sophia.

Both complained, argued and eventually relented, but were ultimately grateful. Julian was just glad to get out of the store after what felt like an eternity, sitting and waiting while they both procrastinated.

Callum worked out he’d just spent about $4,000 but again had to remind himself that his life was changing; and changing for the better. He carried the bag, and both Sophia and he kissed Julian on each cheek, squishing his face together. He laughed, hugging both of them. He loved being able to treat them but did wonder when Callum would ever stop worrying about money.

It was a lovely day, and Callum was excited to have some nice clothes to wear for a change, being the guy who lived most of his life in grey sweats or shorts.