Chapter 3
3
Caleb had known from just her resumé that Belle Madden was hands down the person for the job, the same way his events manager Cara had too, telling him in no uncertain terms that offering it to her was a no-brainer, but he wanted to do things properly, so had Zoom interviewed three other possibilities just to be sure.
By the time the connection had started playing up and Belle’s screen had frozen, he knew she would be the best replacement, but that knowledge still didn’t ease his disappointment and worry about Cara leaving, even if it was only temporary.
Caleb leaned forward and focused on Belle frozen on the screen. Wavy, honey-blonde hair cascaded over her shoulder, while her semi-closed eyes were framed by long dark lashes. ‘As you seem to be having connection problems, we’ll leave it there for the time being. I have more than enough information to go on, thank you. I’ll be in touch in the next couple of days.’ He nodded, took one more look at her face still frozen on the screen and ended the call.
He rested his hands on the edge of the padded bench, leaned back and sighed.
Clutching her tablet, Cara scooted round from the other side of the table to join him. ‘So, what do you think?’
‘I think you should have interviewed her with me.’
‘I’ve been listening carefully.’ She ran her hand through her cropped blonde hair. ‘You’re the one who has to work with her; it needs to be your choice, not mine.’
‘Mmm. No one’s going to be able to replace you.’
‘Of course not, but someone has to.’ Cara flashed him a ‘you know I’m right’ kind of look. ‘And she sounded?—’
‘Nice.’
‘Perfect. I was going to say perfect.’ She placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘But you already know that. And you like her.’
Caleb shut his MacBook. ‘I like her because she’s immensely qualified and I’m sure she could do the job with her eyes closed, but that still doesn’t change a thing. She’s not you.’
‘Nope, she’s not, but I think she’ll make an excellent replacement and she can start soon.’
‘The others were enthusiastic…’ He wasn’t sure why he was feigning the possibility that he was even considering anyone other than Belle.
‘Yes, young, enthusiastic and keen on a summer in Ibiza. They’ll probably put having a good time over a decent work ethic whereas I get the feeling Belle Madden will work hard. And to find someone with her experience who’s available at short notice.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘You’ll only have to manage one week without an events manager.’
‘You understand you’re way more than just my events manager, right?’ He gazed past her to the fronds of greenery and banana plants that divided the bar into private spaces. The sound of breakfast being served in the restaurant floated across the pool. The day at Spirit was getting off to a leisurely start, the sun already blazing across his pocket of Ibiza. ‘I’m going to miss you.’
Cara took his hand. ‘I’m going to miss you too. And you know there’s no way I’d be going back unless I had to. Mum and Dad need me.’
‘I know.’ Caleb squeezed her hand tight. He brushed away the tear rolling down Cara’s cheek. ‘It’ll be okay, I promise. Once you’re there, things will feel less stressful. It’s hard being so far away?—’
‘I feel utterly useless and helpless.’
‘Which is why it’ll be different when you’re back. You’ll be able to see them, be there for them. Say goodbye when the time comes.’
The sob that erupted from Cara jabbed at Caleb like a knife twisting into his heart. Of course he understood the loss she’d be facing, because his own grief consumed him as he pulled her into a tight hug. His grief was always rumbling beneath the surface, forever toying with him. He never knew quite when it would hit but he should have expected that talking about Cara’s dad’s terminal illness would make him relive his own loss.
Cara pulled away. ‘Fuck it. This was going to happen at some point.’ She gestured to her damp face and puffy eyes.
‘Don’t bottle it all up, Cara.’ Caleb drained his coffee and put the cup back on the bleached wood table. ‘Yes, you need to be strong to support your folks, but trust me, not letting your emotions out isn’t helpful in the long run.’
Cara nodded and bit her lip. ‘I’m more emotional about going back to Australia and having to confront the reason I left in the first place.’
‘All that other stuff, try not to worry about it. Focus on your parents and what’s important. Your psychotic arsehole of an ex is not in your life any longer so you won’t have to deal with any more shit. You’ve got friends back home who will protect and support you, plus you can call me anytime.’
‘Hmm, not quite so easy with the time difference.’
‘Anytime, Cara, I mean it.’ Caleb looked at her firmly. ‘I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night if you need to talk.’
‘The same goes for you – talk to me whenever you want to.’
‘See, I told you no one can ever replace you.’
‘No, no one can replace me, the same way no one will ever replace Paloma, but you’ll learn to move on and embrace someone new. I’m not opposed to you having another friend, Caleb, and at the very least Belle will make an excellent addition to the Spirit and Serenity team and will ease my stress that you’ll have help and someone who knows what the hell they’re doing while I’m gone.’