“How about singing with me? Just to record it, not in concert unless you ever fancied that.” Josh looked curiously at me. “I have some ideas for this and talking with your boyfriend has given me more, maybe setting the characters by the sea, keep a theme of water and sailing throughout.”
“Small town country?” I was into this idea.
“Pretty much. Maybe something a little rough around the edges – a hint of Americana. What do you say to recording?” He looked keen. “We can keep the contract fluid and confirm when we’ve finished. I’m thinking twenty-five songs and we whittle it down to the best twelve.”
“I think I’m open to that. I still like singing.” This was going well. “I just don’t want to be on stage anymore.”
“I get that. So how do we work this?”
We spent another hour just talking, the conversation meandering from song writing to industry gossip to his family and London and how careers changed and then back to ideas for songs, which had us both making notes.
Caleb listened in, making the odd useful comment. He’d been around me enough to know how this process worked and had sometimes been the first person to hear a song when it was still in its infancy. His attention broke away from Josh and me when the pretty, rather efficient looking manager came over.
“Caleb? Caleb Tominey? I can’t believe it’s you!”
Caleb stood up and gave the hug she was angling for. “How are you? God, it’s been years.”
“Six of them. How’re you doing?” She noticed me and looked slightly embarrassed. “I’m so sorry for interrupting – I was just so pleased to see you. Hi,” she acknowledged me. “I’m Carrie – I know Caleb from when he was doing his PhD and I was finishing my degree.”
She held out her hand which I took, shaking it briefly. “I’m Zoey – Caleb’s girlfriend.” I gave her my prettiest smile.
“He mentioned you a lot when we were seeing each other. I’m not surprised you eventually fell for his charms.” She gave another, more professional, smile. “I should leave you to it. Caleb, I’d love to grab a coffee and catch up if you’ve time while you’re here and I’m so sorry I interrupted.”
“It’s fine – really good to see you.” Caleb gave her another hug, which I didn’t like and I suspected that was written all over my face.
I got what he was saying. Sleeping together blurred lines that weren’t clear anyway right now, but I didn’t want to see him in Puffin Bay with someone else in his arms that wasn’t me.
I cast that particular thought away, focusing back on Josh and the sketch of a plan to start to work together when he was next free, because for once, it wasn’t my diary that was the issue.
Half an hour later, I almost stumbled over Carrie near the entrance to the bathrooms, my mind elsewhere in the midst of songs and ideas and melodies.
“So sorry,” she said, apologising although it really wasn’t her fault. Her smile made me feel guilty. “You’re really lucky to have Caleb, you know. He’s such a good man.”
“I know. He’s my best friend as well as anything else.” I kept thinking about what the everything else might entail.
Carrie’s eyes brightened. She glanced over to where Caleb and Josh were talking, probably about boats again. “He’s still the best I’ve ever had, so I’m envious of you for that. He’s such a good man as well – he could’ve been an arsehole, but he was just him and lovely.” Her smile softened, maybe some regret in there. “It was always obvious that he was completely in love with you, though. I remember talking to another girl he’d dated – we joked about having a club for Caleb’s ex-girlfriends so we could share our mourning – she said the same thing. None of us had any chance of keeping him because he was always smitten with you.”
I tried not to look surprised.
It didn’t work. “You had no idea?”
I shook my head. “He always had me safely labelled as a friend.”
“Given your job and lifestyle, maybe he didn’t want to put it out there and end up getting his heart broken. There’d have been a queue to fix it if that’d happened.” She gave me another smile. “I’m not after him back. I have a fiancé and while he’s not as good as Caleb in bed, he’s amazing. I’m just loving your love story and that you’ve finally noticed him.”
“Thank you. I’m loving it too.” Although I wasn’t sure exactly what volume I’d been reading.
We headed back to the hotel after the meeting with Josh finished, me trying to focus on the upcoming project and not think about what Carrie had said.
It was always obvious he was completely in love with you.
If it was that obvious, how had I missed it, and if he had been then – it was a while since he and Carrie had been together – was he still now?
Was that why he was reticent to try something more than this pretence.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Caleb interrupted my mist of confusion. “What do you want to do this afternoon?”
You, I want to do you. That was what I wanted to say.
