Chapter 22
On Tuesday, Debbie spent the morning at home. She’d had a busy time at work the previous day. Most of it involved putting out fires that were lit when she was gone the previous week. She wasn’t sure this part-time thing was going to work out as well as she’d hoped it would.
She sat on the couch with her reading glasses on, working her way through a spreadsheet of expenses for the month. Then, with a tick of approval, she sent it to her assistant and slouched back on the couch with a sigh. So much for a day off. But at least she’d had a chance to put together some dinner. She’d made a soup in the crockpot that morning and was hoping this time she and Caleb would have a chance to eat together.
She’d texted him; he’d confirmed he would be home. Tonight was the night. Nerves fluttered in the pit of her stomach. They’d had a nice time at church together on Sunday. They’d even shared a coffee that afternoon. She wanted to keep the momentum going. On the days she worked, she often got home so late that he’d already eaten and was downstairs working out in the gym. But now that she had a few days off per week, it was their chance to finally connect.
Once she’d finished with her admin work, she finalised the layout for the photographs to be included in TheSunshine Potluck Society Cookbook. She especially loved the photographs from their India-themed segment and had included a personal anecdote. The story was from the time she’d visited Chennai with a friend years earlier and had eaten at a restaurant on the coast where she’d discovered fish curry for the very first time. It’d fast become a favourite of hers. She’d also added several photos she’d taken while touring southern India. The colours and fabrics depicted in the photographs were truly breathtaking and complemented the vibrant colours of the spices and curries.
She reviewed the content in their shared account and then sent Joanna an email with her final contributions and blessings for what they’d already done. She was excited about how the book was coming together. It looked fantastic and truly inspired her to do more cooking. The beautiful recipes crafted and tweaked to perfection by her friends made her want to try.
The phone rang, and she answered it without looking at the screen.
“Hi, Debbie, it’s Phil. I hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”
“Hi, Phil. It’s perfectly fine. How can I help you?”
He cleared his throat. “The Blue Rock account is in trouble. They’re talking about cancelling our contract.”
She straightened. “What? Why? What happened?”
“Sally was taking care of their latest case, a mediation due to a sexual harassment claim in the workplace. And apparently she’s been late to several meetings, she gave some bad advice that cost them a lot of money, and now she’s telling them to accept a deal that they’re not happy with. They want you to take the lead, or they’re walking.”
“Why didn’t I know about any of this?” Debbie asked, rubbing a hand over her face.
“We talked about it in the meeting last week, but you weren’t there.”
She grimaced. He liked to make little passive-aggressive digs at her over the new schedule, but she was committed to making it work. “Okay, fine. I’ll talk to Sally, and I’m happy to take lead on the case. I’ll set up a meeting with the client for later in the week.”
“Thanks, Deb. I could’ve taken care of it myself, but they asked for you specifically. So I thought…”
“You did the right thing. You can call me anytime. I’m always available.”
When she hung up the phone, she heard the front door slam shut. She finished touching up her makeup and hurried out to greet Caleb. He stood by the front door, briefcase slung onto the hall table as he looked over a pile of mail.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” she said, going to him and wrapping her arms around his torso.
He kissed the top of her head. “I’m still not used to you being here when I get home. It’s nice.”
“I made dinner,” she said. “Soup and fresh-baked bread rolls.”
“That sounds perfect. I’ll just wash up and join you.”
Debbie set up their meal on the small verandah at the back of their condo that looked out over a park. The sun hovered behind a copse of trees so that the light was dim. The air was cool. Birds chorused throughout the park. Children played and rode their bikes down the street below.
By the time she’d set the table and spooned soup into bowls to take outside, Caleb had changed. He wore a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. Even after all these years, he’d stayed in good shape. His hair was a steel grey now, rather than the dark brown it used to be. But his green eyes were just as piercing as they’d always been. He sat across from her as she poured him a glass of red wine.
“Thank you,” he said. “This is a treat.”
“I wanted us to spend some time together. We’ve both been busy for such a long time, we don’t often get a chance to reconnect.” There was so much more she wanted to say, but she was doing her best to avoid blame. She didn’t want him to think she blamed him for their situation. She carried the burden of their disconnect around with her daily. It was her fault as much as his. But she wanted to fix what was wrong between them. She wasn’t sure yet if he was on the same page.
He didn’t respond to her words. Instead, he took a bite of the soup. Then he buttered his bread roll. “It’s delicious. I was hoping for something light for dinner, since we had a business lunch at that restaurant downtown with the yum cha. I ate too much.” He laughed. “I’ve had a stomachache all afternoon.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I can get you something for it, if you like.”
He shook his head. “No, stay here. I’m sure I’ll be fine after eating your soup. How was your day?”
“Busier than I thought it would be. There’s a lot going on at the office, so even though I was at home, I was still dealing with issues. I’ve got to take over a case that Sally was working on because the client isn’t happy with how she’s done. I’d hoped she would step up and take on more responsibility with me pulling back, but it doesn’t seem as though she will.”
“Maybe you should talk to her.”
“I will tomorrow. Oh, and I finalised my portion of the recipe book. We’ve got until Friday to get the draft to our editor.”
“That’s great,” he said with a smile. “I never would’ve thought the words ‘I wrote a cookbook’ would come out of your mouth. But here we are.”
They laughed together.
“Wonders never cease,” she agreed. “Although in fairness, I didn’t write it. Most of it is Joanna’s work. But my photos look good, I think. And I contributed a couple of stories to go alongside the recipes.”
“I’m sure you’ve added a lot of value. I’m looking forward to reading it.”
They chatted about his day and what was going on with his work. Then about his family. One of his cousins had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Finally, there was a lull in the conversation, and she felt the thump of her heart as she opened her mouth to speak.
“I thought we might talk about our relationship.”