Chapter 3
CALLUM
Callum hoped he hid his embarrassment well enough for Tasha and Brodie not to notice. Why had he been so quick to offer to take her out? Fool. He was acting like an awkward schoolboy for some reason and that wasn’t like him at all.
‘Well, I’d better be going. If Riley does want to do the interview, just let me know.’ She nodded. ‘See you soon, Brodie. Please say my goodbyes to Lettie and Lindy.’
‘Will do, mate.’
As he made his way back to his car, Callum couldn’t help thinking how quickly life could change.
Or his emotions at least. He had been happily single for the past couple of years ever since his engagement had ended abruptly when Zena decided spending the rest of her life in Jersey wasn’t something she intended doing.
He had thought it an excuse at the time, but she had gone travelling with a girlfriend and the last he heard of her she was living in Australia somewhere.
Callum saw Zac and Lettie’s father, Gareth, taking Spud – the family’s dog – into the house and waved.
He thought about Zac, Lettie’s brother and his best friend since primary school, and how most of his teens had been spent on this beautiful farm and how close Gareth and Lindy had come to selling up only the year before.
He looked around him at the beautiful granite house, the colourful flowers and the two larger barns and smaller outbuildings, one of which Gareth had let Zac, Callum and two other friends who made up their band use for practice several nights a week after school.
He was relieved they had found a solution as to who would take over the farm after Gareth’s health scare and had been as surprised as the rest of Zac’s family when Lettie gave up her life in London working in fashion to return to the island and run the farm.
He got into his car and drove slowly back down the drive, not wishing to cause any dust or noise as he went in case they had begun filming again.
Apart from travelling with Zac just after they had both gained their degrees at university, going away on annual holidays and the odd photo shoot for his modelling, Callum had only lived away from Jersey for a brief two-year period and had since been content to stay on the island.
Unlike Zac who spent most of his time touring as a sound engineer.
Callum drove back to his two-bedroomed flat.
The mortgage had been painfully high at first, but ever since he had worked on a popular radio show and gained a large number of followers on social media, he had been able to earn more.
He understood why Lettie didn’t mind returning to live on the island after spending several years away working in fashion in the capital, and Callum was grateful that now he earned better money life had become much easier.
Yes, he decided, his life might not be perfect, but it was good, and the last thing he needed was to let his attraction for Tasha Dodds get the better of him, because her life wasn’t over here and he had no wish to move away.
* * *
He had showered, changed into his tracksuit bottoms and an old T-shirt and was sitting on his small balcony drinking a cool lager when his phone rang.
He looked at the screen and, not recognising the number and not wishing to interrupt the peace and quiet, was about to ignore the call when he remembered he had given Tasha his number.
He accepted the call. ‘Hello?’
‘Callum? This is Tasha Dodds, Riley Sharp’s PA.’
Callum smiled at Tasha’s expectation that he wouldn’t know who she was unless she mentioned Riley. ‘Hi, Tasha. Can I assume this call is to give me good news?’ he asked before taking a drink from the bottle.
‘It is. Riley took a little persuading because he’s not one for interviews, but I convinced him that the show needs all the promotion he can give it and, for once, he agreed with me.’
‘That’s great news. Did he have a day and time in mind to visit the studio?’
He listened as she told him when Riley could make it. ‘That’s great. Thanks for making this happen, Tasha, and I’ll see you then.’
He rang off and punched the air. Getting Riley Sharp to agree to come on his show was a massive coup.
Knowing he would be seeing Tasha again soon was an added bonus.