Chapter 16
Sixteen
LEWIS
T he best thing that could’ve happened after Callie’s rejection was starting the new job at my dad’s firm. I was already familiar with most of the staff and other architects because I’d worked part time for two summers at the firm before leaving for uni.
If anyone was bothered that my dad was a partner and I’d been hired out of nepotism, I didn’t get that impression. Hopefully, it was because my reputation preceded me. I’d worked on a couple of projects during my degree that had received national recognition.
Dad, as was his way, threw me right in and set me up with a new private residential client. The couple, Jack and Ross, had bought a plot of land between Inverness and Tain that overlooked the Cromarty Firth. It was a great plot in a superb location, but it was a very small bit of land. The challenge was a welcome one, and even though we were still in the early stages, I’d gone out with Jack and Ross to physically assess the plot. My mind already whirred with possibilities. At this stage, it was research—what the client wanted to see in the design, what the plot offered in size, and how the sun moved throughout the day in that location.
As well as working on this individual design, I was assisting on a larger project Dad was heading up for a small housing developer looking to build luxury homes in Aberdeenshire. Dad’s firm was recognized as a leading sustainable, coastal property designer. We used glazing technology that allowed a building to become a part of its surroundings. In simple terms, we incorporated a lot of glass into our designs while maintaining structural integrity and homes that could withstand high winds, salt water, and sunlight.
All that to say, I was extremely busy my first week back in Ardnoch. I joined my family in the evenings for dinner and was relieved to discover that Morwenna was still the funny, sweet girl she’d always been—but with mood swings. At night, I sometimes rode my bike out on the open road, much to my parents’ dismay, or I retreated to the annex to watch TV or read. As much as I liked being around them, I needed to find a place of my own soon.
A place I could brood about Callie without infecting anyone else with my mood. I did try to be present, but my parents kept asking me if I was all right, so I knew I wasn’t doing a very good job.
It wasn’t that I’d given up on Callie. It might have seemed like it to her last week when I took her home without another word, but I was processing. All week I’d been racking my brain, trying to think of what I could do to prove to her I wasn’t going anywhere.
Then I’d remembered all the emails and texts I’d saved from her.
After we’d broken up, I’d reread our past texts thinking I might die from how much I missed her. Then almost a year later, after having not looked at them in a while, I accidentally called her. Thankfully, I hit end call before it even rung out. But it had shaken me enough to decide to delete her from my phone. Before I did, I exported all our texts to my computer and saved the file.
Remembering that, last night I pulled out my laptop and spent the evening reading through our old conversations. Some of them seemed childish and silly now, but most of it served to remind me how much Callie and I understood each other. How easy it had been between us. And how extraordinary it was that a relationship that was so easy and comfortable had also been full of excitement and youthful passion.
We discovered we still had the latter. In fact, more so than ever.
But I truly believed we could have the former again.
And then, I’d come across a string of texts that Callie had sent about a year after we’d started dating. She’d just read a book where the guy did all sorts of romantic things and I’d joked that we were beyond that now. Comfortable as old shoes. I’d done it to wind her up, and she’d fallen for it. Callie had responded:
Now I wish I’d made you work harder to get me last year. All you had to do was say you loved me and I gave in. *blows raspberry* BOO to that. Last year’s Callie was an idiot.
I think she’s awesome. I’d have had heart failure if you’d dragged it out.
Askin you to take me out on special dates wouldn’t have been draggin it out. It would have been fun for both of us.
What kind of special dates?
Srsly?
Seriously. I want to know the hoops I was supposed to jump through. ??
Really wishin I’d done it now. I think you’re takin me for granted. ??
Never. I know how lucky I am.
??
So. Dates?
OK, you asked for it. Date 1: Picnic on the beach @ twilight, with all my fav snacks. If u don’t know what they are by now, I give up.
LOL. Walkers’ pickled onion crisps, peanut M&Ms, and your mum’s homemade chocolate truffles. Oh and a bottle of Irn-Bru.
I love you.
You really need to eat healthier snacks.
Shut up. Like your fav snack is carrots & hummus. Anyhoo, date 2: Zip-lining. Date 3. Night at theatre. 4. Trip to National Museum in Edinburgh. 5. Weekend in Skye to see Fairy Pools. 6. Night alone with you in the annex ??
Flirt.
Only ever with you, though. Love you.
Love you too, mo chridhe.
Oh you know that does things to me.
Ha. Go to sleep, you flirt.
Night, baby.
Night x
The text string had caused an ache of nostalgia and longing. All the conversations I found between us did. But I also realized in reading them that I never flirted back with her. I told her I loved her, but she was right when she’d said I was reserved. Maybe it was just being a kid and not having the kind of confidence Callie did, or maybe I hadn’t put in the effort. I didn’t flirt with her, and I’d never taken her anywhere special.
Looking back, I had taken Callie for granted.
In more ways than one.
Well, no more.
It clearly was going to take more than I love you this time to get her back. And I was ready. I was buckled in for the long haul.
The following Saturday, I woke up with plans to pop into the bakery and try one of Callie’s pastries that everyone was talking about. Mum had brought a few home and unsurprisingly, Callie’s desserts looked phenomenal and tasted even more so. I thought maybe starting small by supporting her business might be the thing to do by dropping in personally.
And it was also an excuse to see her since I hadn’t seen her all week .
I said as much to Mum when I stopped into the house for a coffee before I left.
“I think that’s a good idea.” She stared at me before she continued, “There was talk that you and Callie were seen on your bike last weekend.”
Of course there was. “Aye, I gave her a lift home from Fyfe’s.” I exhaled slowly and confessed, “After telling her I still loved her and wanted her back and being resoundingly rejected.”
Mum’s expression fell. “Is that what’s been bothering you all week?”
I nodded. “But I’m not giving up.”
“Good.” She considered me again. “I wasn’t going to say anything because I wasn’t sure if Callie was a subject I’m allowed to mention …?”
“She is,” I assured her. “Please don’t walk on eggshells around me. I don’t want that.”
“Well … she’s having a bit of a tough time at the moment. I was talking to Sloane, and Harry’s being bullied at school by the kids of some of the nastier parents who are gossiping about Callie. Apparently, they’ve been harassing Harry with the gossip.”
My skin heated with anger. “What gossip?”
Mum suddenly looked wary. “That … she’s taking advantage of Sloane and trying to take over the business … and that she was … promiscuous in Paris.”
“What the fuck?” I snarled. “What fucking century are these people living in?”
She rounded the island to press a soothing hand to my arm. “They are a small minority in Ardnoch, but they do enough yammering to ruffle a few feathers. Sloane and Walker have spoken to the school, and with the school year ending, everyone is hopeful that it’ll blow over for Harry. But she said Callie is having a hard time dealing with it. ”
“Aye, you know why?” Fury at these fucking people turned my voice hoarse. “Because this place is her safe place. It has been ever since she and her mum arrived here. How dare they?” I pushed away from the island. “I want to know who’s spreading gossip about her.”
“So you can do what, Lewis?”
“Tell them that I’ll make their lives a misery if they don’t quit it.”
Mum shook her head. “You’ll only make it worse for her. Trust me. Your father and I put up with our fair share of gossip. I was the young nanny who seduced an older man who should know better.”
I blanched, because I remembered. And I remembered the kids at school who teased me mercilessly about it because they were picking everything up from their gossiping fucking parents.
“The gossip died down. And it will for Callie too.”
“I just … I just wish that I was there for her. That she’d let me be there for her.”
“That will take time too.” She reached up to cup my face and smiled tenderly. “But she won’t be able to resist you for long. Who could, my sweet boy?”
I chuckled as I took one of her hands to press a kiss to her palm. “Only you could get away with still calling me that.”
Her smile widened and she stepped back to gesture toward the door. “Go stop in and see how Callie is. And maybe grab me a pastry if there’s anything left.”
I never made it to the bakery.
I’d been walking toward it after parking behind Castle Street when I heard someone calling my name and saw Carianne waving across the street from Flora’s Café .
When she waved me over to her, I cast an impatient glance toward the bakery. The manners my parents had instilled in me, however, forced me across the street once there was a break in the busy traffic. The tourists had already started to descend for the summer season.
“Come have a coffee with me in Flora’s,” Carianne said without preamble. “I’ve got a table. C’mon.” She was heading inside before I could say no.
With another wistful look at Callie’s Wee Cakery, I followed Carianne into Flora’s.
“Lewis!” Flora waved past her crowd of customers at the farthest end of the small café. “Look at you! How are you?”
Everyone stared at me, only half of them locals, and I grimaced at being the center of attention. “Good, Flora. You?”
“All the better for seeing you, son. Have a seat. I’ll have Effie bring you a coffee. What do you want?”
The customers waiting to be served glowered. I smiled apologetically. “Cappuccino, Flora, thanks.”
“Coming right up.”
Carianne grinned from ear to ear as I took the seat at the small bistro table. I bumped it with my knees because my legs were too long for the furniture. Carianne reached out to stop her coffee from spilling. “Preferential treatment from Flora, huh?”
I shrugged. Flora had always been nice to me. Trying not to come off as impatient, I shot the bakery another look through the window.
“They’re closed.”
I looked back at Carianne. “What?”
She gestured to the bakery. “They sold out ten minutes ago.”
“Already?”
She nodded. “Tourists are loving Callie’s new pastries.”
“That’s impressive.” Though disappointing for me .
“I’m glad I saw you, Lewis, because I wanted to ask you something.”
“Here you go.” A young girl I didn’t recognize placed a cappuccino in front of me.
“Thanks.”
Her cheeks bloomed bright red when I smiled at her, and she muttered something under her breath before practically skittering away.
Carianne snorted. “My god, how does it feel to make women turn to mush around you?”
I stared at her, bemused. “Excuse me?”
She laughed. “I think your cluelessness makes you even hotter.”
Last Sunday, I hadn’t known what to do with Carianne’s flirting. I thought she was joking around, but maybe I was wrong.
“I’ve always liked you, Lewis,” Carianne confessed abruptly. “Like, really liked you. Would you fancy going out on a date?”
Stunned, it took me a second to muster up a response. And then first I glanced around to make sure no one had heard her. I didn’t want it getting back to Callie. There was no sign anyone was listening in, thank fuck. I’d never really paid much attention to Carianne before. She’d always just been Callie’s friend and then Fyfe’s girlfriend for a while. But she had similar coloring to Callie. Blond, blue-eyed. She was a bonny girl. Or woman, now. Yet, I hadn’t even recognized that about her because … she wasn’t Callie.
And Callie would forever be the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Deciding not to beat around the bush, I answered honestly, “As flattered as I am, Carianne, I’m still in love with Callie, and I came home to win her back.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “After all this time? ”
“After all this time.”
“After she dumped you like a moron?”
Irritated, I gave a slight shake of my head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. No one knows what happened between me and Callie but me and Callie.”
Carianne flushed and looked down at her coffee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t … I love Callie. I just have always thought she was silly to let you go.”
“Like I said, there’s more to the story than that. I fucked up back then too.”
“Did you hurt her?”
It was none of her business, so I didn’t respond.
Carianne sighed. “Well, now I feel like shit for even asking you out. I always assumed Callie broke up with you and was over you.” Guilt crossed her features. “She did tell me it would be weird for her if I asked you out. I thought she was being petty. Ugh. I’m an awful friend.”
Hope lashed through me and in my self-absorption, I blurted, “She said that?”
“She said that.” Carianne shook her head. “All this time … you know, last Sunday I thought she was acting kind of jealous when I was flirting with you, but I assumed I was being paranoid. I mean, she had that gorgeous French boyfriend. I really thought she was over you.”
Aye, she didn’t have to keep reminding me of that. “She was jealous? Do you think?”
“Oh my God.” Carianne rolled her eyes. “I hadn’t a hope in hell, did I? You are so gone for her.”
I gave her a sheepish shrug.
“Fine. Even though I’m slightly heartbroken because I’ve been harboring a crush on you forever,” she admitted without embarrassment, “I am going to help you because you’re both my friends and you deserve happiness.”
“Help how? ”
She leaned forward. “When I was dating Fyfe, I was ready to break up with him because I fancied my best friend’s boyfriend more than I fancied my own boyfriend.”
“Harsh.” I felt the need to say on Fyfe’s behalf.
“Aye, but true. Anyway, I then heard that Olivia Smith fancied Fyfe and was waiting for me to dump him.”
I kept my mouth shut because I knew Fyfe had slept with Olivia after he and Carianne broke up.
“So, that made him more attractive to me and I didn’t dump him. We stayed together another two months.”
“That’s childish, Carianne.”
“Very,” she agreed. “But I’m telling you … if you pretend to date me, Callie will get so jealous, she’ll have to admit how she feels about you.”
It had worked on me when we were kids when Callie dated Michael. It had made me realize I didn’t want to lose her.
But we were kids.
Surely, we’d evolved past those kinds of games.
“I don’t think so.”
“I do.” She threw back the last of her coffee. “Think about it. I’m happy to help give her a nudge. She’s stubborn, you know. It’ll be for her own good.”
I sighed, picking up the cappuccino to sip and consider.
The impatient part of me that wanted Callie now was seriously tempted by the offer.