He gave her a piercing look. ‘You’re my PA, Tasha, not my nanny. I don’t tell you everything. But there is no us when it comes to Brooke and me, not any more. So there’s nothing for me, or you,’ he added pointedly, ‘to tell Erin. Is there?’
She tried to gauge whether he was being truthful with her, or just wanting her to stop going on about it. He kept eye contact with her and she presumed he was being honest. ‘Fine. I just hope that is what’s happened, for all your sakes.’
He looked in the direction of the party. ‘Should I go back to the manor house now?’
She considered his question briefly, then shook her head. ‘No. It’s a family party. I do think you need to tip Erin off about the photos before she sees them, or someone else shows them to her. It’s only fair that you do it tomorrow morning.’ She thought of Riley’s reluctance to get up in the mornings. ‘Early, though, Riley.’
‘Yes, I heard you,’ he snapped.
She hoped he had.
19
CALLUM
‘Callum!’ Waking from a deep sleep after finally getting to bed at 4.30a.m., only three and a half hours before, Callum opened his eyes and winced as his head immediately began pounding. Why hadn’t he thought to close the curtains? he thought, irritated with himself.
‘Callum, have you seen this?’ his father roared before marching into Callum’s bedroom and waving a tablet in front of his face.
Grabbing the tablet as it grazed his nose, Callum pushed himself up to sit, and rubbed his eyes. ‘What is it?’
James tapped the screen repeatedly with his forefinger. ‘Look. That’s your sister kissing that full-of-himself actor outside last night. Some sleazy photographer must have made quick work to get that in the newspaper.’
Callum blinked a few times and tried to focus. He realised he was staring at the front page of one of the papers. ‘Erin will be ecstatic to see this,’ he said, his voice croaky.
James snatched the tablet from his hands. ‘What the hell do you mean? Why on earth do you think she’ll be happy with this?’
Callum explained what had happened the night before. ‘It’s fine, Dad. We told you about this photographer chap, remember?’
His father calmed slightly. ‘Maybe, but I didn’t expect to see my daughter in a clinch with this Riley chap.’ He pointed to the screen again. ‘Did you read it?’
‘No, you took it from me before I had the chance.’
His father held the tablet in front of him again. ‘Well, there,’ he said, tapping angrily with his finger again. ‘It says that this Riley character has a girlfriend. Brooke someone-or-other who is going to be devastated. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not happy to think of your sister’s name being raked through the mud by getting herself involved in some sort of love triangle.’
His dad had a point. Callum reached out for the glass of water he must have thought to take up to his room earlier and drank from it. ‘I’ll get up and go and speak to her. Give me a few minutes to shower and I’ll meet you downstairs.’
His father sighed, sounding slightly calmer. ‘Fine. I’ll put on the coffee. She’s not up yet, so won’t have seen this.’
Callum threw the covers back and got out of bed. As he dressed after his shower it dawned on him how his sister often said that the first thing she did upon waking was to pick up her phone and look at her social media. He hoped that his dad was right and she wasn’t awake yet.
As he entered the corridor, Callum realised how peaceful it was. He heard snoring as he passed his grandfather’s bedroom and smiled. It had been a great party and Grandad had celebrated his birthday until the very end. He hoped that this drama with Riley wasn’t going to ruin anyone’s day.
As he neared the kitchen he heard muffled voices. He opened the door and walked in to find his father comforting his sister.
He exchanged concerned looks with his father as Erin wiped her eyes with a tissue.
‘So you’ve seen the news then, Erin?’
‘Yes,’ she sniffed. ‘And I’ve just put the phone down on Riley-sodding-Sharp, who had the nerve to call me to explain, apparently. Although I’m not sure what there is to explain apart from the fact that he has a girlfriend and never mentioned that to me.’
Callum went to commiserate with her when someone used the heavy knocker to announce their arrival at the front door.
‘Who the hell is that?’ Callum groaned, hurrying out to the hallway to answer the door before the rest of the household was woken from their much-needed sleep.
He pulled the door back and saw Riley. His tanned face was paler than usual and held a concerned expression.
‘What do you want?’ Callum asked.
