CHAPTER FIVE
Maddy was really excited about her trip to Salzburg the following day and had gone last-minute shopping for a fabulous outfit at lunchtime.
‘What do you think?’ She whipped out a red dress made of some body-hugging fabric that made me pull in my stomach immediately just looking at it.
‘You’ll look amazing in that,’ I told her honestly. ‘It’ll be great with those gorgeous new fleecy-lined snow boots and your faux-fur coat when you’re swanning off for your gluhwein in the evenings.’
She beamed at me. ‘That’s what I thought.’
Then, clearly realising she was being far too happy when I’d been a little down in the dumps lately, she sat up straight, folded her arms and frowned at me. ‘So how are you? Are things okay with Caleb?’
‘Oh, yes. We’re fine.’
‘Good. Because he seems like such a genuinely lovely guy and I’d hate what happened with Richard to spoil things for you.’
‘It won’t.’ I shrugged and changed the subject. ‘By the way, Ellie’s thinking of organising a Christmas market right here in Sunnybrook.’
‘Is she?’ Maddy looked amazed. ‘Does that woman ever stop?’
‘I know. She just loves to have a project on the go. I said we’d help. I knew you’d want to be involved.’
‘Definitely.’ She looked at me quizzically, as if I was some great mystery to be solved. ‘So what’s really going on? I’ve a feeling you’re not telling me the whole story.’
I sighed. ‘Look, I’ve been having these weird nightmares ever since the thing with Richard, and I don’t know . . . I keep thinking they might be a warning or something?’
‘A warning?’
I shrugged. ‘In the dreams, I’m falling from the top of a skyscraper building, although I never actually land because I wake myself up screaming.’
Maddy shivered. ‘Ooh, nasty.’
‘Exactly. I keep thinking why would I be having these dreams if it wasn’t my subconscious trying to warn me about something? That if I throw myself into a new relationship with Caleb, it’s only going to end in disaster like the last time?’
Maddy was shaking her head. ‘You’re overthinking it.’
‘You think so?’
‘Yes, I do. You’re probably worried that it might happen again. But you have to realise that’s nothing to do with Caleb. It’s just your fears coming out.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s definitely not a warning.’
I nodded through a huge yawn. ‘Gosh, sorry, I’m so tired these days. Yes, you’re probably right. That’s what the book I was reading about dreams said.’ I gave a rueful grin. ‘I looked up what that psychologist fella Sigmund Freud said about dreams where you’re falling from a height.’
‘And?’
‘Well, according to him, I’m a fallen woman.’
We looked at each other and started snorting with laughter.
*****
Maddy’s words were still echoing in my head later as I walked home. She was right. I was overthinking the whole situation with Caleb. I had to stop torturing myself with ‘what ifs’?
The festive season was all about love.
It was the perfect time to embrace the whole amazing idea of finding my soulmate at last.
I was smiling to myself as I walked along the high street, thinking of Caleb and our kiss under the Christmas tree.
No more holding back!
Just before I turned into the side street leading to my flat, I glanced across at the tree on the green, sparkling in all its festive glory. And that’s when I spotted a car that looked familiar, parked on the other side of the road.
Was that Caleb’s car?
It was too dark to see the number-plate, and all cars looked black at this time on a winter’s evening. It was the right make, though; I was fairly sure about that. I thought of Will. He would know!
But then I remembered Caleb had an urgent meeting in Guildford, so it couldn’t be him.
I lingered there, though, staring across the road.
There was a man behind the wheel and he was turning to talk to someone sitting in the passenger seat, and as I watched, I saw a woman lean over and they hugged.
It wasn’t just a quick goodbye hug. It was more lingering than that, somehow.
They broke apart and the woman was getting out.
My heart gave a jolt.
It was Amanda, Caleb’s new assistant. And as I watched, frozen to the spot, she waved cheerily at the driver and walked away. Next second, the car was pulling away in the opposite direction.
Suddenly realising I must look quite suspicious, standing there like a statue by the side of the road, I turned and walked quickly away, down the side street.
It couldn’t have been Caleb. And yet I’d had an instinct the car was his, even before Amanda got out.
Perhaps his meeting had been cancelled. It was little over an hour since we’d parted on the green. There was no way he could have driven over to Guildford, had his meeting – which he’d said would be lengthy – and then driven back.
He wouldn’t have lied to me about the meeting. Would he?
At once, I was drowning again in a sickening feeling of uncertainty.
What if the reason Caleb couldn’t have dinner with me tonight was because he’d already arranged to meet up with Amanda and was planning to spend the evening with her?