Chapter 8
TASHA
Tasha read Callum’s email with relief.
‘Callum’s located your phone,’ she called out, hearing Riley mutter something as he slammed the fridge door closed in the kitchen along the hall. ‘He’s bringing it here now.’
She was relieved he had been successful but when Riley stepped into the dining room, which she was using as her office, instead of looking pleased he seemed sulky.
Unsure why he should react in that way, she asked, ‘I thought you’d be pleased. It’s not like you to be without your phone. I thought you’d have missed it.’
He didn’t react immediately, then looked at her in silence for a moment.
Tasha tried to work out why he was behaving this way. Then it dawned on her. ‘Are you avoiding Brooke?’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Maybe.’
Riley had been dating model Brooke Farrow on and off for almost a year, as far as she could recall. More off than on, Tasha mused, recalling the seemingly endless rows the pair had had as their inflated egos clashed time and again.
‘You’ve broken up?’
He groaned. ‘To be honest, I’m not sure. I feel like we are but Brooke seemed to have a different opinion. I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with her drama.’
Tasha watched him leave the room, trying to work out how anyone could be as oblivious to their own behaviour as Riley managed to be.
Remembering Callum was on his way, she quickly went to her room and freshened up. It was one thing trying to act cool but she intended doing that with brushed hair and fresh breath.
She heard a car and hurried down the stairs to greet him, wondering whether he had been to the cottage before.
‘Hi there,’ she said, giving him a wave as he parked the car. ‘It’s good of you to come so quickly.’
He got out and walked towards her, holding out Riley’s phone. ‘It’s no problem at all. I was at a loose end and I imagine Riley’s eager to get this back. I know I’d hate to be without my phone for long.’
‘I suppose he is,’ she said, aware that if she had heard Callum’s car from her bedroom then Riley must have done from his down the hall.
She took the phone from him. ‘Thank you. Um, if you’ve got time maybe I could show you around?
Or we could sit outside and have a drink before you go on to whatever you need to do next? ’
He smiled. ‘I’m happy to do both of those things.’ He looked around. ‘It’s beautiful here, although why they call something this grand a cottage beats me.’
Tasha laughed. ‘I agree. When I told Riley we were coming to stay in a cottage he wasn’t impressed.’ She didn’t add that he wasn’t that cheerful after seeing the place either, preferring something far more modern and minimalist.
It made sense for her to at least show Callum the place before she told Riley she had his phone.
She took a discreet look at Callum’s handsome face and thought how his kindness shone through.
Then she considered how deceptive people’s looks could be.
There was Riley’s friendly on-screen character and boy-next-door looks that tugged at his many fans’ hearts, and if there was one thing she had learnt above all others since working for him it was not to take people at face value ever again and to watch what they did more than listen to what they said when referring to themselves and others.
‘I presume this is Victorian,’ he said as he studied the frontage of the building with its pillared front porch and crenellated balcony above, on which stood a large planter containing scarlet hanging geraniums interspersed with purply-blue lavender. He turned to her.
‘This is beautiful.’
She nodded. ‘I thought the same thing when I first came here. Shall we go inside and have a look around? There’s a housekeeper but it’s her day off today so we’re seeing to ourselves.’ More that she was looking after Riley’s needs for food and drink most of the time.
Tasha led the way inside. ‘I love how symmetrical the building is and I adore the pale blue shutters on either side of each window against the stark white of the rest of the house.’
‘I agree. It’s beautiful.’ He turned and indicated the view behind her. ‘And how about this for a view when you wake up in the morning.’
She turned and stared, entranced at the colourful array of flowers filling each of the borders. ‘They must employ several gardeners to keep everything this pristine.’
‘I suppose they must.’ Callum stretched out an arm indicating Tasha lead the way. ‘I’m excited to look around this place.’
Tasha walked through the cool hallway with its perfectly polished parquet flooring that flowed into each of the downstairs rooms. After showing him the black and white kitchen with its white marbled worktops and tiles, she led him up the thickly carpeted stairway to the first floor where three bedrooms including hers were immaculately made up, their windows slightly open to let in any breeze.
When they’d arrived she’d decided she didn’t mind which bedroom she took because each was as perfect as the next.
‘The primary is at the end of the corridor, but that’s Riley’s. I’m not sure whether he’s in there learning more lines.’ She knocked lightly and when there was no answer, she opened the door to the cream and pale blue room, cringing at the strewn clothes and open wardrobes.
‘I think we should miss this one.’
‘I’d feel odd going into his room anyway.’
‘I would have loved to show it to you because it’s probably the most incredibly beautiful bedroom I’ve ever seen.’ She thought of all the apartments, hotels and homes she had accompanied him to and shrugged. ‘Riley’s taste is very different to this place.’
‘How so?’
Tasha smiled up at Callum, wishing she could answer honestly, but as much as he seemed friendly enough she didn’t really know him and didn’t want to say anything disloyal about Riley that could be relayed back negatively to him.
She needed this job too much, at least right now, to dare risk that happening.
She saw Callum’s eyebrows lower in a thoughtful frown and realised he was wondering why she was taking so long replying to a simply question.
‘Just that he favours minimalist modern.’ She shrugged, forgetting herself for a moment. ‘Then again, we’re only staying here for a short time.’
Tasha stood, embarrassed to have almost spoken freely about her boss’s antics to Callum.
Turning, she began leading him back downstairs.
Where was Riley? The least he could have done was come and thank Callum for locating and bringing back his phone.
Instead, he had gone off somewhere and not even bothered to say thank you.
How typical of him to assume that was what someone would do for him in their free time and it not be worthy of a show of gratitude.