“Probably. But I don’t want to stay away for months on end like I did before.”
“Roots.”
He looked over at me. “What trees use to stabilise themselves, but go on.”
“Dick.” I swatted the air near to him, unable to move. I’d had another hammam and massage that morning and my muscles had officially given up.
“You think I’m putting down roots?”
“I think you’re not running anymore.”
He sat up, chest now golden, his abs just as cut as they were at the start of the six weeks. I wished I had the right to go over to his sun lounger and run my hands over him, wish I had reacted differently.
He was a good man. Broken, and even though he had glued himself back together in the years since we’d last seen each other, the fractures were still there and they were fragile.
“I think I got tired of running. The gym is much better.”
I launched my sunscreen at him, deliberately missing.
He laughed. “Ava’s got engaged. My family seems to be going for the world record number of weddings in a two-year period.”
“That’s nice. They’re happy.”
“It also means the world record number of stag parties. Max has his coming up.”
I couldn’t begin to imagine what the Callaghan brothers would be like on a stag do.
“What’s he doing for it?”
Callum shrugged, sipped his coffee. “It’s a secret destination. My money’s on the same place as Victoria, in which case it’ll be Iceland.”
“He’s gate crashing her hen do?”
“There’s no way they can go four or five days without seeing each other. And it’s better for everyone’s health if they do.”
“Does Victoria know this?”
“She’ll have worked it out by now. She’ll just pretend she doesn’t know. You’d like Victoria. Come and meet her when we get back.”
I wasn’t sure how to take the invite other than just as friends as that was all we now were. I didn’t want it to be just that. The last few days had amplified the flutter I felt when Callum was around. We worked well together, with the animals and on camera. The banter was easy and the old ability to mind read what each was going to do was back with reinforcements.
“I’d like to. I never saw your house. I heard from Jonah that it was massive.”
Callum chuckled and I knew where his mind had gone. “You know the size of it already, honey.”
“Down boy.”
“Want to go for one last haggle in the souks? I don’t think I can lie here much longer.”
“Or we could head over to Laurent’s?” The man hadn’t spoken more than about four words to me in the length of time we’d been there filming, and I had no idea what to read into that, but I loved being at the sanctuary with the volunteers and animals. There was an easy peace to be found there.
“I don’t know today. He’s bringing four mules in that he’s rescued and they have a new vet starting on a six-month secondment. I don’t want to tread on her toes and if I start something today, I won’t go home tomorrow.”
“I get that.” I’d be the same. Laurent’s sanctuary was busy; he didn’t turn an animal away, taking them in, getting them healthy and finding them new homes. Some of the animals that had come in were almost at the point of being euthanized, but he was determined that if quality of life could be guaranteed then we did what we could, hence we’d been there until two one morning.
“Let’s go to the souks. I’m sure we need one more teapot for someone.” I sat up, my boobs almost freeing themselves from my bikini. Callum’s eyes dropped straight to them and I groaned.
“Can you be any more obvious?”
