“That’s so kind of you.” I shook my head. “You’re just too thoughtful.”
* * *
We spentthe rest of the morning at the sanctuary, doing general health checks, worming some of the animals which meant I looked like I’d gone seven rounds with a thorn bush by the time we got back to the riad. Despite the evening before, it felt like we were back to normal, just the normal before things went wrong those years ago.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back.
I needed to be ready for more.
Wren
“Do you want another coffee?”
“Thank you.” I sat back, looked at the sky through the beauty of very dark sunglasses and wished for the power of time travel. Nine days in Marrakesh had gone too quickly. Tomorrow we’d be on the relatively short flight back home and I’d be back at my small one-bedroom apartment staring at photos of Africa and checking social media.
Callum poured me a mug full and added a sugar and a dash of cream. We were way beyond asking each other how we liked things, all of the team were. We’d become a unit and while they, in the majority, were used to this, I was not. Because tomorrow we left each other for four weeks while Jaime finished something else she was committed to and the production team finalised what we were doing for the second part.
“I might not go home.” It was an option. Mum was okay; my brother was home on leave for six weeks from the Navy, there was no reason to go. I was free at the moment to do as I pleased.
“I wish I had that choice sometimes.” Callum smiled. “This is the first time I’ve wanted to get back from somewhere.”
“See Marie.”
He nodded. “And Claire. She’s had a shit time of it. I think Seph became Eliza’s primary carer for three days so she may need counselling.”
“I’m pretty sure Seph did fine.”
There was a laugh. “Seph’s actually really good with kids. The punchline is because he’s a big one himself, but he’s actually pretty decent at looking after them not just being the entertainment.”
“That was almost a compliment.”
“Yeah. Don’t tell him. Are you seriously going to stay?”
I shook my head. “No. I need to sort something out for after the filming’s finished. This was a way to get my savings up, but I can’t live off it.”
“My place is hiring. They asked about you.”
“Bullshit, Callum Callaghan. You just can’t bear the thought of not working with me.” I hid the flinch that my own words caused.
“I’m not joking. They’ve seen the videos we uploaded. You’d get the chance to do stint abroad still on the conservation projects.”
He didn’t say anything about working with me, which bothered me more than I wanted.
Since our last night together, we hadn’t even kissed. I wasn’t surprised; it would’ve broken Callum’s three-time rule after all but part of me wanted to ask him was that the reason. Was I any different to the other women he’d been with?
He’d spoken to his father twice and actually had a conversation, mainly about the animals and Marrakesh, nothing deep or meaningful, but Callum had come away upbeat, less hurt. Brighter.
“Can you get me an email?”
“I’ll email Tricia later and copy you in.” He didn’t smile but his eyes danced. “When they offer you a position, don’t think it’s because of me.”
“Thank you. I’ll try not to. How’s Marie?” I didn’t want to linger on the subject of where I was working, mainly because it was making me nervous.
I’d spent the last few years running to different places. Wanderlust. Not necessarily to see the world as a good amount of time had been spent in the various corners of Britain doing vet work that wasn’t necessarily glamorous at all. I just didn’t want to grow roots. I hadn’t been ready to.
“Do you think you’ll keep working away like this?” I asked.
He lazed back on the sun lounger. We were done filming and had the rest of today and most of tomorrow before we flew back home.
