CHAPTER SIX
Next morning, after a restless night – but thankfully no nightmares – I woke up determined to put my silly suspicions behind me.
Yes, maybe it had been Caleb talking to Amanda in his car.
But so what? His meeting must have been cancelled and he was no doubt talking to Amanda about something to do with work.
I was reading something into that hug they gave each other that wasn’t actually there.
Seriously, sometimes I really thought I was losing my marbles.
Maddy phoned as I was having breakfast. ‘We’re in the car, heading off to the airport. Just wanted to wish you happy birthday for Friday.’
‘Aw, thanks.’
‘You don’t sound overjoyed about being a year older. Is something wrong?’
I was about to say no. But instead, I heaved a sigh and told her about thinking I saw Caleb and Amanda together the previous night. And hating myself because I was secretly suspecting the worst.
‘Oh, well, you know why they were meeting, don’t you?’ said Maddy chirpily.
I swallowed. ‘No. What do you mean?’
She laughed. ‘Amanda’s his assistant, and a very good one by the sounds of things.’
‘Yes? So?’
‘Well, what do assistants do when the boss’s partner has a birthday? Especially if they’ve got a male boss?’
‘I give in.’
‘They help them decide what gift to buy.’
‘Do they?’
‘Yes! I’ve just read a romance where exactly that happens. The heroine thought he’d forgotten her birthday and basically decided he must be going off her, but then the gorgeous bouquet of flowers she saw his assistant carrying to her car actually turned out to be for her.’
I laughed. ‘Maddy, that is such a cliché.’
‘Maybe. But it could explain the subterfuge. If they actually were meeting in secret?’
I gave my mobile a very doubtful look.
‘Look, men especially are absolutely hopeless at choosing gifts for women.’ She chuckled. ‘Sorry, Jack, but it’s true.’
In the background, I heard Jack laugh and say, ‘Hey, you said you loved the hoover I bought you for your last birthday.’
‘Well, yes, I did. And you got exactly the right one,’ said Maddy hurriedly. ‘I’m just saying if you had a clever female assistant like Caleb does, maybe I’d have received a gorgeous piece of jewellery instead of something to help me do the housework.’
‘Fair play,’ I heard Jack say, clearly taking it on the chin with his usual good humour.
I smiled to myself, enjoying their banter. Theirs was a great relationship. It wasn’t always smooth sailing but they were always quick to make up.
‘Anyway, Katja . . . I’m sure it was all totally innocent. And you’re in for a lovely birthday surprise from your gorgeous man.’
‘I hope you’re right. Have you packed one of those clichéd romances of yours in your suitcase to read on your trip?’ I asked her, tongue in cheek.
‘What? No! I’ll be far too busy stocking up on Christmas tree baubles and drinking mulled wine to have any time left over for reading.’
‘Well, have a fabulous time. And bring me back a bauble, please.’
*****
It was Wednesday and my day for driving Ellie’s mobile cake van around the surrounding villages.
She’d come up with the fabulous idea of selling – at a much-reduced price – the leftover cakes and pastries that had been baked the day before but were still perfectly delicious. My route included the village of Lockley Meadow where we had a regular pitch at the weekly farmers’ market.
The market was held on the village green, right next to Caleb’s latest eco housing development, and usually – if he wasn’t too busy – he’d come over to the cake van and we’d stand chatting, in between me serving customers.
If he didn’t appear, I’d pop into the site office on my way to my next stop on the route, knowing Caleb would likely be in there eating lunch around that time.
I’d already decided that when I saw Caleb later, I was going to tell him I was taking him out for dinner that night and I wasn’t taking no for an answer!
Tonight, I was going to make my feelings for him crystal clear.
I’d leave Caleb in no doubt that our relationship meant the world to me, and that as far as I was concerned, a future without him in it wasn’t an option . . .
*****
As it happened, Caleb hadn’t appeared by the time I was ready to pack up at the market and move on to Primrose Wood, the next stop on my regular route.
It was probably just as well. I’d have been too busy serving the constant stream of customers to have had any spare time to chat to him.
He phoned me just as I was getting ready to drive away and I pounced on my mobile. ‘Hi! Where are you? You usually come over and annoy me for a while,’ I joked.
‘Hey, you. Sorry, I’ve got a mouthful of curry.’
I chuckled. ‘You’ve been at Rosie’s stall again.’
‘Banged to rights, officer.’
I chuckled. ‘I don’t blame you. Her food is utterly delicious.’
Rosie worked part-time at the Little Duck Pond Café, but she also ran a stall at the weekly farmers’ market selling her delicious Asian-inspired food.
‘I wish I was there right now and I could steal a taste,’ I confessed, feeling a bit hurt that he hadn’t come by the van when he was at the market. ‘I presume you’re in the site office?’
‘Um . . . yes. Yes, I am. But I’ve got a boring meeting in about five minutes so it’s probably just as well you’re where you are. So where are you? Getting ready to head off to Primrose Wood?’
‘That’s right. Mind you, people have been so keen here today that I’ve almost sold out of cupcakes and pastries already. So what happened with the meeting yesterday? I gather it was cancelled?’
‘Meeting?’
‘Yes, you had an urgent meeting in Guildford?’
‘Oh, yes.’ There was a minuscule pause. Then he laughed but it sounded a little forced. ‘Sorry, I’d forget my head . . . just as well I have Amanda to keep me right. Yes, that meeting had been in the diary for weeks.’
‘Right. I must have got the wrong end of the stick somehow.’ Strange, I’d been almost sure it was Caleb parked on Sunnybrook High Street the previous night. But I was obviously wrong.
‘Sorry, I’m going to have to dash just now,’ Caleb was saying. ‘My one-thirty meeting just pulled up in his car and I’m keen to make a good impression. He’s thinking of investing in my next big project, and I need to get him on side.’
‘In that case, you should take him to the café over the road and buy him the poshest coffee they serve, with all the bells and whistles. Sorry, but that instant coffee in the site office tastes like . . . well, nothing I’ve ever tasted!’
‘Noted.’
I thought he sounded a bit down – not like his normal cheery, laid-back self at all.
‘Listen, before you go, I’d like to treat you to dinner. How about tonight?’
‘Tonight? Um . . .’
‘Or Saturday night? You sound stressed, Caleb . . . like you’re working too hard. A night out might do you good.’
I heard him sigh. ‘Yes. Yes, you’re probably right.’
‘Well, I generally am. I thought you’d know that by now,’ I joked, waiting for him to banter back.
‘Okay. Let’s do it,’ he said. ‘Saturday night.’
‘Great. Can’t wait.’ I’d thought he might suggest we go out on Friday night instead to celebrate my birthday, but maybe he had other plans for me?
He couldn’t have forgotten the date, could he?
My special day was the same as his nephew Will’s birthday and we’d laughed about that, and he’d confessed he always went way overboard with gifts for Will . . .
‘Saturday night. See you then,’ he said.
‘’Bye. Hope your meeting goes well.’
But I was talking to myself because he’d already ended the call, I guessed because he was in a hurry, his mind on this potential investor.
So he had been at that meeting in Guildford . . .
I drove away from the market. But as I passed the building site, on impulse I braked and pulled into the side. Caleb would be in the café having his meeting by now. But Amanda would no doubt be there. I’d drop in a couple of doughnuts for them.
I hated myself for being suspicious, but I needed to know for sure. I was ninety-nine per cent certain Caleb wouldn’t lie to me, as Richard had done with such callous ease, but there was always that little niggle – because nothing in life was certain.
Amanda would be able to clear things up in my mind. And then Caleb and I could go out for dinner on Saturday night and have a wonderful time . . .