Chapter 10
The rest of the afternoon passed slowly.
Leo had read so many contracts that his head was starting to hurt.
It wasn’t so much that things were complicated – he had an idea of what was going on now – it was that the work was so repetitive.
He had to focus because he couldn’t make a mistake.
He could tell from their body language that both Caleb and Vidya were struggling to concentrate too, so he called an end to the working day.
It was already past six p.m. No one could accuse them of slacking off.
Twenty minutes later, they were in a local pub that Stella had recommended. Leo ordered a veggie burger and chips and a pint of the local draft beer because, dear God, he needed a drink now.
The beer helped him relax, so that he wasn’t quite as much of a social disaster as he had been the night before. He was still puzzled about what had happened to him. He had met attractive women before. Why did she have this effect on him?
The work had bonded them, so once they’d eaten, the conversation flowed a bit more easily. He sat back with his second pint and listened as Caleb regaled them with a story about a time he’d got lost in Copenhagen.
The pub was a low-slung building, decorated with fishing-related memorabilia.
Netting hung from the ceiling, with little lights threaded through.
He would have thought it was all fake if it hadn’t been for the photos of boats and fishermen on the walls.
This was once a fishermen’s pub. Vidya fiddled with her glass of wine as she listened, everything about her radiating amusement.
She seemed to show emotion with her whole body.
His parents used to say it was how you were supposed to portray emotion when you were acting, except Vidya wasn’t acting.
She just seemed like a very open person. He envied that.
When Caleb finished, she asked, ‘Do you travel a lot for work?’
For example, Leo thought sourly, she’s transparently interested in Caleb. She’s trying to be subtle, but it’s so clear to anyone who is paying even an ounce of attention.
Caleb looked across to Leo. ‘A bit, would you say?’
Leo nodded. ‘Two or three times a month, give or take.’
Vidya seemed to note this. ‘Do you enjoy the travelling?’
Caleb considered this. ‘It’s okay. Depends on the company, right, Leo?’
‘Yes. Definitely.’ Why was Caleb dragging him into the conversation? Vidya had turned her attention to Leo now, so he felt he had to say more. ‘I used to try and fit in some sightseeing, but I don’t really bother now,’ he said. ‘How about you?’
‘Ah, no. I don’t often travel for work,’ she said. ‘This, coming out here, was a bit of excitement.’
‘Is that why you joined us?’ Leo asked. ‘Sarah said you’d volunteered.’ He was aware that he had a reputation. People didn’t normally volunteer to work with him. He hadn’t had the same admin support person twice for years until Sarah came along.
Vidya didn’t meet his eye. ‘It … seemed like a challenge. A good chance to put the AI query training to use,’ she said.
It wasn’t a very convincing reason. An awkward silence followed.
Hmm. There was only one reason that would make someone volunteer to work with them.
It must be that she had a crush on Caleb.
She must have wanted a chance to get closer to him.
Leo tried to ignore the stab of disappointment.
He wasn’t surprised. After all, people liked Caleb more than they liked him; it was a fact and he was used to it.
It was only that he felt some sort of attraction to her first. But that didn’t mean that she had to like him back.
Vidya took a big sip of her wine and asked, ‘So, what do you do for fun, Caleb? Do you have any hobbies?’
Yes. She definitely liked him. Her attempts to get to know him better were almost comically transparent.
Leo looked away. If Vidya liked Caleb, then there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
He would simply have to get his own feelings in check and remain professional. He usually had no problem with that.
Vidya smiled at Caleb and Leo’s heart burned. He excused himself and went to the toilet.
***
Vidya looked towards Leo as he left the table.
She hoped it wasn’t obvious that she was fishing for information about Caleb.
She should probably try and make it less blatant by asking about Leo too.
Caleb seemed not to have noticed anything amiss.
He was watching Leo make his way across the pub, with a thoughtful expression on his face.
‘How long have you guys been friends?’ she asked. ‘You seem close.’
‘Oh, seven or eight years now,’ said Caleb. ‘I love that guy. He’s the brother I never had.’
‘Oh, yes. You said you were an only child. How did you find that? Was that lonely?’
‘Not at all,’ said Caleb. ‘I had friends. And Mum, obviously. It wasn’t lonely. I just … would have liked a sibling, you know, someone I could trust to be there if I needed them. I never knew what it was like to have that until I met Leo.’
‘Wow. That sounds like a pretty intense friendship.’ He was clearly loyal to his friend. Loyalty was a good thing. She hoped that was one of the traits the baby would get.
Caleb took a sip of his beer and used his lower lip to suck the beer froth off his top lip. ‘Hmm,’ he said. ‘Leo is genuinely one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I know he comes across a little cranky, but he’s a really great guy when you get to know him.’
Vidya thought about what she knew of Leo. He did have a sense of humour. It was quite dry and easy to miss. ‘I’m not sure he is all that cranky,’ she said. ‘He just seems quite stressed a lot of the time.’
‘He is. He has trouble showing emotions.’ Caleb waved a hand to indicate his own face.
‘It’s not like he doesn’t show emotions,’ Vidya said. ‘The expressions are only there briefly.’
Caleb looked delighted. ‘You noticed!’ he said.
‘Yes. It’s like … what do you call them?
Micro-expressions? You can see them, if you’re looking for them, but then he covers them up.
Honestly, I don’t think he even realises he’s doing it.
When he gets drunk, he forgets to do it and he becomes so much more normal.
That’s fun.’ Caleb laughed. ‘If Leo drinks too much, he’s tremendous fun and does all sorts of things …
some of which he regrets in the morning, if you know what I mean. ’
That was an interesting piece of information.
She wondered what a drunk Leo would be like.
Less inhibited might be a good thing. She took another sip of wine.
Speaking of people drinking too much and doing regrettable things, she was supposed to be getting information about Caleb, not Leo. Jeez. Focus, Vidya.
‘What about you?’ she said. ‘Do you do things you regret when you’re drunk?’
Caleb grinned. ‘Life is for living, I reckon. I don’t think I regret anything I’ve done,’ he said. ‘Drunk or sober.’
If only that were true. Vidya gave him a second glance. Maybe it was true. Maybe he would take the news in his stride and accept the baby as part of his future? It wasn’t her choice to make though, was it?
‘Leo, though,’ said Caleb. ‘He does regret things sometimes. He doesn’t often drink much and it’s really hard to persuade him to do social things. Like the office thirtieth anniversary do, for example. I had to get a couple of drinks down him before he would even agree to pop into it.’
Oh, excellent. This was what she needed to talk about. ‘How was the anniversary party? Did you stay long? Who did you talk to?’
‘I don’t think I talked to you, did I?’ he said. ‘Leo did though. He said you were dressed as Zorro. Did he flirt with you? He loosens up quite a bit once he’s had a few drinks.’
This wasn’t going the way she wanted it to. Caleb kept deflecting her questions. It was very annoying. ‘Why,’ she asked, ‘do you keep talking about Leo? I want to know about you.’
There was movement at the other side of the table as Leo quietly sat back down and picked up his drink. Had he heard? Did he think she was rude?
Caleb seemed taken aback by her comment. ‘Oh, I’m not that interesting,’ he said.
‘I think you are,’ Vidya said, with complete honesty.
Oh, wait, that sounded like she was coming on to him.
She shot a glance at Leo. She didn’t want either of them to think she was interested in Caleb.
That would make things very awkward later, if it turned out that he was the father of Udeni’s child.
‘I mean, we’re working together,’ she said, quickly.
‘It makes sense to get to know each other better, right?’
The two men exchanged a glance, then Caleb smiled and said, ‘Yes. I agree. It’s always better to work with friends.’ He raised his glass and she clinked hers against it.
Caleb leaned forward and said in a ridiculous stage-whisper, ‘I’m not sure Leo agrees though.’
Leo, his face impassive, said, ‘I work with you, don’t I?’
***
Later, they walked back to the hotel through the quiet streets. Vidya wished she’d remembered to bring a hat. The air was biting cold.
‘I imagine it’s much busier here in the summer,’ said Caleb.
‘Yes, Stella said the population pretty much doubles,’ Vidya supplied.
They rounded a corner and saw the sea at the bottom of the hill. Vidya huddled further into her coat and tugged her scarf up so that it covered the bottom of her face.
‘Are you cold?’ Leo said. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets.
‘Yeah. But the walking will keep me warm.’
They were approaching the hotel from the opposite direction to the way they normally came, which meant going downhill. In places, the going was steep. Bundled up as she was, Vidya slipped and fell backwards. Leo caught her.
She was suddenly surrounded by warmth. Her back was against his chest and his hands were on her elbows.
‘Steady,’ Leo said, as he supported her back to standing. ‘There’s a handrail. It might help to hold that.’
Vidya glanced up at him, her heart racing, only partly from the shock of slipping. She grasped the handrail. ‘Thanks for catching me.’
He shrugged. ‘We can’t have one of our number out of work because they’ve fallen and hurt themselves.’
‘Always about the job,’ she said, smiling.
‘Is there any other way?’
Caleb, who had stopped a couple of steps away, suddenly yawned. ‘I don’t know about you,’ he said, ‘but I’m going straight to bed.’
She had to call Udeni before she could do the same. The yawn was contagious and she yawned too.
‘Come on,’ said Leo. ‘Let’s get back to the warm.’
They set off again, all single file with Caleb at the front.
‘I might go for a run tomorrow,’ Caleb said.
‘I was thinking the same,’ Leo said, from behind her. ‘We should go together.’
‘Oh,’ said Vidya. ‘What time are you going?’ This might be useful.
‘Are you going to join us?’ Leo asked.
‘Oh, God no. I was just wondering, so I could plan …’ Quick, Vidya, think. ‘… when to come down for breakfast.’
‘If we go at seven, we can run, get changed, have breakfast and be at work by about half eight,’ said Leo, thoughtfully.
‘Sounds like a plan,’ said Caleb.
‘So, I need to be at work by eight-thirty as well,’ said Vidya. ‘That’s great.’
They walked along the side of the hotel and into the main entrance.
The atrium seemed less tired than it did in the daytime.
The enormous chandelier was lit up, drawing the eye upwards.
The brass on the stair rails gleamed. Vidya stopped to soak it in properly.
‘I think this looks so much better than the big corporate hotels,’ she said.
Leo stopped and gave her a strange look. ‘How so?’
‘Everything looks more … real.’
Caleb looked puzzled too.
‘It’s grand, but it’s not impossibly sleek. It looks like something you can imagine being made … not something from the future. It’s a bit less uncanny valley.’ She looked from one man to the other. ‘I’ve lost you, haven’t I?’
‘No,’ said Leo. ‘You mean it’s like the difference between special effects at the cinema and special effects at the theatre.
The second one feels more impressive because you know it’s done with levers and pulleys, and smoke and mirrors.
Given enough time and a good explanation, you could work out how it was done. ’
‘Exactly,’ said Vidya. ‘It’s more real.’
‘Oh, I don’t think much about theatre is real,’ Leo said. ‘But I take your point.’
‘Oh, my,’ said a voice. ‘There’s two of them.’
They all turned to find the two elderly ladies from before standing together.
‘Oh, hello,’ said Leo, his manner softening fractionally.
‘Are you off duty now?’ said one of the ladies.
Vidya laughed. ‘He really doesn’t work here,’ she said.
‘I really don’t,’ said Leo. ‘We – all three of us – are here for our work. We’re staying at the hotel as guests.’
The women both nodded, then one asked, ‘Is this your young lady?’
Leo spluttered. Caleb laughed.
‘No,’ said Vidya. ‘I’m a colleague.’ She smiled. ‘I’m Vidya, by the way. You’ve already met Leo, and this is Caleb.’
‘It’s nice to meet you,’ said one of the ladies. ‘I’m Jill and this is Linda. We’re guests too.’
Leo seemed to have recovered himself. ‘Are you ladies on holiday?’
‘Yes,’ said Jill. ‘We are. We’ve just been to see a play. It was really good.’
‘And now we’re heading to the bar,’ said Linda.
‘We’ve just got back from dinner and I, for one, am going to turn in,’ said Caleb. ‘It was lovely to meet you both. Was it you that gave Leo money for ice cream?’
‘Oh, yes! That was us.’
‘Well, thank you. He did buy us ice cream with it.’ Caleb grinned at them. ‘Right. I’ll see you tomorrow for our run,’ he said to Leo. ‘Good night, all.’
‘I’m going to turn in as well,’ said Leo. ‘It was nice to meet you properly, Jill and Linda. I’ll see you tomorrow, Vidya.’
Caleb and Leo headed up the main stairs.
‘Are you going running too?’ Linda asked Vidya.
‘No.’ Vidya laughed. ‘But I know they’re meeting out there at seven tomorrow morning, if you want to join them.’
Both the ladies laughed.
‘I’d better let you get to the bar before last orders,’ Vidya said. ‘Good night.’
As she walked away, she heard one of them say, ‘Ah, that’s a pity. I could have sworn there was romance in the air.’
Vidya tried not to laugh. No. There was no romance. Not here.