Chapter 26
CALLUM
Having dropped Tasha back at the cottage, Callum drove back along the driveway and parked outside the main house, unable to stop thinking about what might have happened if the child hadn’t kicked their ball into the rock pool.
He was almost certain Tasha had been about to kiss him and wished he had taken the opportunity to kiss her when he had the chance.
It was too late now, though, he thought, realising that whatever might have greeted Tasha at the cottage at least everything seemed peaceful here.
As he walked to the front door he heard cheerful voices and smiled.
For everything that had happened since the party, it was a relief that it hadn’t affected his grandfather’s enjoyment of this precious time spent with so many of his family and close friends and that they were all still having a lovely time.
‘There you are, my boy,’ Keith called out as Callum walked into the orangery. ‘Where the devil have you been?’
‘I took Tasha to Beauport beach.’
He ignored his father’s barely suppressed delight and Betsy’s nudge into his father’s side. Callum knew his father worried that he wasn’t in a relationship despite Callum reassuring him that he didn’t need to have a partner to be happy. He had his work and enough going on in his life already.
‘Come and join us.’ His grandfather peered past him. ‘Isn’t she with you now?’
Callum shook his head. ‘Unfortunately not. She had to go and work.’ He thought how much he enjoyed spending time with her and how much having her in his life would enhance each day. But of course that wasn’t possible.
‘Before I sit, do any of you want another drink or something to eat?’
‘We’re all fine, I think,’ his grandfather said. ‘We only sat down ourselves about half an hour ago. You get yourself something though.’
Callum went to the kitchen, took a bottle of beer from the fridge and opened it.
As he swallowed a mouthful of the cool liquid he thought of his sister and hoped Tasha had been right when she assured him that Erin would be fine.
Erin might be strong, independent and savvy, but she was his little sister and he hated the idea of keyboard warriors making her life difficult for something that was no fault of her own.
‘What you thinking?’ Erin asked, making him jump. She laughed. ‘What’s got into you? You’re never usually jumpy.’
Not wanting to worry her, he shook his head. ‘I was deep in thought. You never come into the house that quietly,’ he teased. ‘I can usually hear your noisy footsteps coming from miles away.’
She stuck out her tongue. ‘Rude. And not true.’ Erin walked over to the fridge and pulled it open. ‘I do love a full fridge, don’t you?’
‘I don’t know.’ He laughed. ‘I don’t often see mine with much in it apart from leftover food from the night before.’
‘Sounds similar to mine.’
‘Talking of which, I thought you were staying at your flat tonight because you were upset about what happened with Riley and needed a bit of time to yourself? What’s changed your mind?’ As he asked the question he wondered if she was hoping to bump into Riley if she returned to the house.
‘No reason other than I thought as I had most of my family in the one place I should probably make the most of seeing them all and spending time with them.’
She took a few grapes from a tub and closed the fridge door, then taking the cover from the cheese platter on the side cut a small piece of Roquefort and popped it into her mouth, following it with the grape. ‘Hmm, delicious. I might make up a plate of that and take it to the orangery.’
‘Good idea. They’re all out there now.’
Callum walked out of the kitchen and, noticing the front door was open, waited to see who it might be.
‘Of course they won’t mind,’ he heard his mother say. ‘Just go in. I’m sure she’ll want to speak to you anyway.’
Wondering who might be about to enter the house, he was surprised to see it was Riley. Seeing Callum standing there, he stopped dead in his tracks.
‘Ah, Callum. I was, er, wondering whether—’
‘What are you doing here?’ Erin asked from the kitchen doorway. She looked at Callum. ‘Did you invite him?’
Callum raised both hands. ‘Don’t blame me. I had nothing to do with this.’
Their mother marched past Riley and shook her head as she looked first at Callum, then at Erin. ‘Honestly, I didn’t think I had brought you two up to be rude to visitors.’
Erin flushed. ‘I hardly think—’
Their mother raised a finger and wagged it back and forth in front of Erin. ‘Now is not the time to be silly, darling. You need to take this young man somewhere quiet where you can both talk and clear the air.’ She indicated the front door. ‘Why not go out into the garden. It’s lovely out there.’
Callum thought of the hidden photographer who took the photos of them. ‘I hardly think that’s a good idea.’ He sighed. ‘But I agree with Mum that the pair of you should talk privately.’
‘Fine.’ Erin glared at Riley, but Callum couldn’t miss how her reddening cheeks gave away how she still had feelings for the actor. ‘We’ll go to the smaller living room at the back of the house.’
Callum wasn’t sure where that was, but nodded his agreement with the idea. ‘Let me know if you need anything.’
She handed him her plate of food. ‘You may as well have this. I don’t fancy it any more.’
He took it from her and watched Riley follow his sister down the corridor.
‘I do hope those two patch things up,’ his mother said.
Callum couldn’t understand her attitude. ‘You can have this food, if you want. I’m not hungry.’
His stepfather Barry entered the house and seeing Callum holding the food out to his mother who didn’t seem interested in it either, took it from Callum’s hand. ‘Well, if no one wants this delicious-looking food, I’ll take it.’
‘Go ahead.’ Callum turned to leave space for them to make their way to the orangery. ‘You’ll find the others out there.’
Barry immediately walked through to join the others but his mother didn’t move.
‘What is it, Mum?’
‘You’re not joining us?’ she asked.
Callum wondered what Tasha might be doing if Riley was here chatting to his sister.
Aware his grandfather wanted to make the most of seeing family members he rarely spent time with and considering that he saw his grandfather several times a week, he decided to make the most of the chance to spend time with Tasha before it ran out.
He was tempted to call and see whether she would be happy for him to pop down to see her.
He decided there was no harm in asking her while his grandfather was engrossed in chatting to his guests.
If she wanted to make the most of her peace, she could say no.
‘I’m not sure. I’ll just make a quick call but will let you know if I’m going out for a while.’
‘Fine, but don’t be long.’
He wondered why his mother wanted him to hurry when they both knew she would spend her time catching up with the rest of the family.
Callum took out his phone and decided to message Tasha instead.
Have just seen Riley at the house and wondered if you were free for an hour or so? C
He was about to put his phone back into his pocket when it pinged. Either she was happy to hear from him and wanted to see him or knew without thinking about it that she wasn’t in the mood to spend time with him. He hoped it was the former.
Was hoping you’d contact me. Come down as soon as you like. T
Callum reread the message as he walked to the front door, his mood lifting at the thought that Tasha probably wanted to make the most of seeing him, just as he did, before she left the island.
He set off at a jog, then slowed to a walk.
Maybe running there was a bit too eager, he thought, amused at his overthinking the situation.
As he tried not to hurry past the colourful and scent-filled borders to the cottage, he couldn’t help thinking how meeting and getting to know Tasha had made him feel far less jaded about life and more like he used to feel before breaking up with his fiancée Zena two years before.
He recalled his grandfather’s advice at the time when coming across Callum sitting miserably in his grandfather’s garden.
‘I know this feels like the end of the world for you right now, Callum, but I promise there will be a time when you don’t hurt this badly.
’ He had hesitated and Callum had asked him to say what else was on his mind.
‘There will even be a time, although you won’t believe me just yet, when you’ll meet someone new who will make you glad that Zena did call things off. ’
Callum had gone to argue, but his grandfather would have none of it. ‘No, Callum. You mark my words. One of these days you’ll look back and recall what I’m telling you now and know I was right.’
‘And what makes you so sure that’ll happen?’ Callum had responded in disbelief.
‘Because, my lad, you’re a good, kind chap who cares about others, and one day someone will recognise there’s more to you than what people see on the surface.’
Could this be the someone his grandfather had been alluding to? He pictured Tasha and thought about how kind, hard-working and fun she was, and hoped so.