But whatever was going on between Cal and that woman was intense, and Bea couldn’t help but be curious. Kitty had mentioned the woman’s name was Elisabetta Angelsey, and that she was a socialite. A quick Google search and Bea could probably piece some things together. She reached for her phone from the pocket of her jeans and tapped into the search bar. But then guilt swept in. It was wrong to google her boss’s personal life, especially as she was at work. Even doing it in her own time seemed a betrayal to Cal, who was a fair employer. Plus, why would she need to do that? Unless she liked him. And she didn’t like him, did she? She wasn’t here to ‘like like’ a man. She was here to research for her novel. Googling wasn’t necessary because she wasn’t doing background checks for arelationship. Bea slid her phone back into her pocket and headed out to the bar. Despite the momentary setback, she was still early for her shift.
Cal was out front when Bea arrived. He acted as if nothing had happened.
‘Hi, Bea, thanks for helping Kitty out. It’s much appreciated.’
‘Not a problem at all.’ She flashed a smile and bounced on her heels. ‘Happy to help.’
Cal shot her a half-hearted smile that was possibly meant to be friendlier, then headed back through to his office.
‘I feel for him,’ Kitty said.
‘What? Why?’ Bea suspected this had something to do with Elisabetta’s visit and that Kitty was about to be rather indiscreet. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear, although at the same time she did.
‘Just getting potentially tied to that woman for the rest of his life, you know. Sorry, I shouldn’t say anything. It grinds my gears, that’s all. Cal’s such a great guy, but Elisabetta is giving him the run-around. She should tell him if the baby is his so he can get on with his life.’
‘Baby?’ Cal was having a baby with this woman? Bea grasped onto the beer tap. No wonder he wasn’t interested in her flirting. He had bigger things on his mind. A blend of hopelessness and redundancy washed over her, similar to when she discovered Avery was pregnant. ‘Cal and the blonde lady are having a baby?’ she asked Kitty, aware that her voice sounded robotic and meek.
‘Not sure, but probably.’ Kitty’s face took on a sheepishness. ‘But I’ve said too much already. Just know he’s not normally as distant as he has been, but he’s got a lot on hismind. He’ll appreciate you starting your shift early. Anyway, best get on.’ Kitty turned to a customer.
Bea thought again about the baby bombshell and how it made her weak limbed. Why? She’d known Cal for about five minutes. They had a boss–employee relationship, and she was on a temporary trip to gather writing material. This should be ample riches for her novel, plus she’d been thrown another plot line: the hero has a secret love child with his ex-lover potentially stymieing his relations with the heroine. Bea should focus on that aspect rather than the part that gave her the sensation of a rug under her feet being gently tugged at. So, that in mind, she put on her best bartender’s face, attended to the customers and tried not to give her worries breathing space.
The following Saturday, Bea noticed a dark-haired man with warm hazel eyes trying to catch her attention from the other side of the bar. Five minutes later, she took an order from him for two beers, and when the man passed her the money for the drinks, he slipped a folded piece of paper into her hand.
She waited until he’d walked away before unfolding it.
Would love to take you out for a drink sometime. Call me! Craig.Then he’d written his number.
That’s cute. Bea got hit on a lot in the bars she’d worked in, and this one was no exception, but they weren’t often as sweet as to give her a polite note.
Bea located Craig over the other side of the room. He was distributing drinks at a table where his male friends were sitting. As if he knew she was watching, he turned back, caught her eye and shot a smile across the space. Beagave him a little nod. He was cute. Nowhere near as electrifyingly hot as Cal Butler but definitely cute. And he was more relaxed than Cal. She slipped the note into her back pocket, tried not to break into a grin, and carried on with her shift.
Chapter 19
Cal
One Friday afternoon a few weeks later, Cal’s sisters, Eilidh and Cara turned up at the bar.
‘Two fish and chips and the biggest bottle of champagne, please.’ Cara was reverberating with excitement. ‘We’re celebrating!’
Cara got excited about a lot of things and would drink champagne because she’d had a good day or a because she’d had a bad day, but to Cal this seemed different.’
‘What are we celebrating?’ he asked. ‘You’re ultra-pepped about something.’
‘Only Cara getting a role in a movie starring the one and only Jackson bloody McGregor.’ Eilidh put her arm around her sister and beamed with pride, before apologising. ‘Sorry, Car, that wasn’t my news to tell.’
‘Hey, my news is your news.’ Cara leaned into her sister with affection. ‘And that is the news!’
‘Are you serious?’ Cal knew she was. Cara was dedicated beyond measure to her acting career, and it was only a matter of time before it paid off. ‘That’s a cracking result.’ He placed a bottle of the best champagne he stocked ontothe bar. ‘Tell me more. What’s the movie? What’s your role? When do you start filming?’
Cara glanced around. ‘Well, I’m sworn to secrecy on all those things, so I can’t talk about them in a public place like this, but I can tell you that filming begins next year and that it might involve a bit of kissing.’
‘Bloody awesome, Car.’ Cal popped the cork and poured the bubbling liquid into two glasses. ‘We are so proud of you. You deserve this.’
‘Thank you! I can’t believe it. I know I work hard, but two years on a Scottish soap then a lead role in a Hollywood movie, albeit one filming in Scotland. That doesn’t happen.’
‘It happened because you’re amazing,’ said Eilidh. ‘But be prepared for an insane amount of scrutiny if you’re in a Jackson McGregor film.’
‘Meh. Scrutiny, schmutiny.’ Cara giggled into her drink. ‘Nothing I can’t cope with.’
