‘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.’
