KIRSTEN pulled the curtains back from her bedroom window just as dawn broke.
She stood for a long time and watched as the sky changed from misty darkness to a flamingo-pink and then eggshell-blue, each of the colours seeping across the sea like a batik work of art. Her eyes moved from the distant red of the Golden Gate Bridge to the fishing boats that bobbed serenely out at anchor from the wharf.
This place would be paradise if it weren’t for the fact that she had to share it, she thought, turning away from the view. Despite all her best efforts to get the studio to relocate her, she had been in the house with Cal for nearly two weeks.
She couldn’t honestly say that it had been too perturbing an experience; they had been working such long hours that there had been no time to get in each other’s way, or think too deeply about anything else. But it was an awkward situation, especially as Kirsten felt her blood pressure racing every time they touched, every time they so much as looked at each other. It was bad enough having to work with him all day, but that she should have to return to the same house at night with him as well was as much as flesh and blood could stand.
Today was the start of their first weekend off and Kirsten was planning on spending it finding somewhere else to stay. If the studio wouldn’t move her then there was nothing else for it; she would have to dip into her meagre savings and move herself.
She put her dressing gown on over her pyjamas and cautiously opened her bedroom door.
Cal’s bedroom door was wide open and she had a clear view of his bed. It was perfectly made, as if it had never been slept in. Of course, if there was any decency about the man he wouldn’t have slept in it, he’d have gone and got a hotel immediately after they’d found themselves stuck here together, she thought.
She hesitated as the idea struck her that maybe he hadn’t come home last night. They had been taking separate vehicles to the studio each morning. Kirsten had insisted that she wanted to be able to arrive and leave under her own steam. Usually Cal was home before her, but not last night.
She’d gone straight to bed and hadn’t thought about it, but now that she did she realised that she had fallen asleep before she heard him come in.
Curiously she went across the landing and peeped around the doorframe into his room.
‘Looking for something?’ Cal’s voice, coming from the bathroom behind her, startled her.
‘I thought maybe you’d moved out,’ she murmured, trying not to notice the fact that he was just freshly out of the shower and that all he was wearing was a towel around his middle.
‘No, as you can see, I’m still here.’ He smiled. ‘It’s nice to have some time off, isn’t it? What are you planning on doing today?’
‘I’m flat-hunting,’ she told him.
‘Isn’t that a waste of time when you’ve got perfectly reasonable accommodation here?’
‘But it’s not reasonable, is it, Cal, to expect an ex-husband and-wife to share a house?’
‘So we were married once? So what?’ Cal shrugged. ‘We’re civilised about it; we’re friends.’
She hesitated. It was hard to think that she could ever just be a friend with Cal. Her emotions were too deeply involved. Her eyes flicked down over his body, allowing herself just one second to assimilate how virile, how overwhelmingly attractive he was.
‘I just don’t feel comfortable with the situation, Cal. So I’m moving out.’
‘Well, if that’s how you feel…’ Cal shrugged. ‘Tell you what, as I’m at a loose end this morning, I’ll come and help you find a flat.’
Kirsten frowned. ‘If you told me that you were going to look for a flat then maybe you’d be making some kind of acceptable proposition.’
‘We’re only here for another few months…I don’t see the point. Besides, I like it here. It’s real handy for work.’
In other words, she was the unreasonable one, it was her problem and she’d have to deal with it, she thought angrily. ‘Are you finished with the bathroom? Because I want to have a shower. I’ve got a lot to do today.’
‘Sure.’ He stepped to one side to let her pass. ‘Would you like some breakfast? I’m going to go down to that French bakery at the end of the street and get some fresh bread and croissants—’
‘No, thanks, Cal.’
As she moved past him her eyes drifted again to his chest, to the tight muscles of his stomach, and it took all her will power not to reach out and touch him. Closing the door hurriedly behind her, she leaned back against it. The sooner she was out of here the better, she told herself for the millionth time.
Kirsten dressed in a pair of dark jeans with a sparkle of embroidery along the sides, pulled on a fitted turquoise top, and left her hair loose around her shoulders.
Cal was just back from the shop when she went downstairs.
‘Sure you don’t want something to eat?’ he asked as he put his purchases down on the counter top.
She shook her head. ‘No, I’m just going to have fruit juice and coffee, thanks.’
‘Are you feeling OK?’
The casually asked question made her nervous. Was he wondering if she was pregnant? ‘I’m fine,’ she said airily. ‘I’ve never been one for breakfast, remember?’
‘Yes…I remember.’ He smiled at her. It was a smile that played havoc with all her strength and her resolve to distance herself from him as soon as possible.
‘Is this fresh coffee in the pot?’ She turned away from him to get herself a cup.
‘Yes. Will you pour me a cup as well?’
Silently she did as he asked. This was a dangerous situation, she told herself sharply. It was too cosy, too reminiscent of past times before all the pain and realisations of mistakes. And that was why she had to leave, because this was an illusion.
‘Did you go somewhere nice last night?’ she asked, bringing the drinks over to the table.
‘I just had a few drinks in town.’
Did that mean Maeve had arrived in San Francisco? If Brian wasn’t with her it would explain Cal’s absence last night.
That was the reality of this situation, she reminded herself as she sat down.
‘I bought a local paper while I was out and had a glance through the accommodation section,’ Cal said as he carried a plate of buttered croissants to the table and sat down opposite her.
‘On your own behalf or mine?’
He flashed her that blue-eyed ‘What do you think?’ look and she shrugged. ‘Can’t blame a girl for hoping.’
He lifted the paper from the seat beside him and she noticed it was folded over at the columns of houses to rent. ‘There’s one here that sounds good.’ He read it out.
It sounded wonderful, but when he read the price she nearly fell over in shock.
‘What do you think?’ He glanced over at her.
‘Too expensive, Cal,’ she murmured.
‘But the area is good.’
She shook her head and he read on.
She really couldn’t afford any of those, she thought as she listened. The studio had as yet only paid her a small retainer and most of it had gone to pay her overdraft at the bank.
‘I need something much smaller,’ she said, cutting across him in mid-flow. ‘A small apartment is about all I can afford at the moment.’
‘What do you mean?’ Cal asked casually as he got up from the table to take his plate over for another croissant.
‘Just what I said.’
‘Come on, Kirsten, you must be able to afford something better. You haven’t been out of work for long, have you? And you had a successful run on Broadway. Plus that TV show.’
Kirsten looked over at him. He was standing with his back to her, pouring himself another cup of coffee. She didn’t know whether to admit the truth and tell him her agent had ripped her off and she had only just finished getting out of the legal mire of debt. Or just ignore the question.
If she told him the truth he’d probably say, I told you so, and he’d be right. She hated that.
‘Would you like another coffee?’ Cal asked turning and holding up the pot to her.
She nodded and he brought it over to the table with him.
‘So what’s the problem, Kirsten?’ he asked gently as he retook his seat and reached to pour her drink.
‘The problem is that the studio won’t move me,’ she prevaricated. ‘I’ve tried to go through all the regular channels and people keep shifting me over, telling me to speak to someone else in another department, and when I try that the person is either unavailable or unable to help and transfers me through to another department.’
‘I see.’ Cal sipped his coffee and leaned back in his chair.
‘I’ve even attempted to speak to whoever is at the top of the production company, but everything just meets with a blank wall and I’m pushed sideways again.’
‘I see.’
Kirsten leaned forward suddenly. ‘Have you ever heard of Sugar Productions?
‘Of course I’ve heard of them; they’re making our film.’
‘Yes, but they’re a new company, aren’t they?’
‘So I believe.’
‘Do you know who’s in charge? Because nobody seems to know for sure…all I need is the name of the guy who is pulling the strings.’
‘I know quite a lot of people up there,’ Cal told her steadily.
‘Maybe you could have a word, then?’ She looked over at him hopefully. ‘Maybe someone in the know up there could move me?’
‘Maybe,’ Cal said easily.
She stared at him and then smiled. She should have asked him two weeks ago. It was obvious he would know people at the top; Cal knew everyone. ‘It would be great if you could.’
Cal looked away from her towards the paper. ‘In the meantime, are you going to tell me why you can’t afford decent accommodation?’
‘Well, I’m still paying my share of the rent in LA, of course…’ She hesitated and then let her breath out in a sigh. ‘I might as well tell you, Cal…that agent that you were asking me about ages ago, Chandler…well, he ripped me off and left me with a lot of debt.’ She looked across at him, waiting for him to say the words ‘I told you so’.
He didn’t say anything for a moment. ‘When you say he ripped you off, how much are we talking?’ he asked cautiously. ‘A little or a lot?’
‘I think the word I’d use is, completely.’ She took a deep breath and looked across at him. ‘I know what you’re going to say, and before you do I’ll say it for you; yes, it’s my own fault, and, yes, I was a damn fool.’
‘I wasn’t going to say that,’ Cal said quietly.
‘Well, you’d be right to say it.’ She pushed her chair back from the table and raked her hands through her hair. ‘I just wasn’t thinking straight at the time; our divorce was going through and I was…’ She glanced over at him. ‘I was in a mess and I signed contracts I should never have signed.’
She watched his eyes darken. ‘You should have told me.’
‘And what would you have done?’ She shrugged. ‘Apart from anything else, by the time I’d found out about Chandler it was too late, the money was gone. And you were about to become my ex-husband. I could hardly expect you to bail me out. You’d already agreed a generous settlement—which, incidentally, went to Chandler as well.’
‘You still should have told me. I’d have helped you, Kirsten.’
‘I know, but maybe that’s why I didn’t tell you.’ She stood up from the table and turned away from him to stand at the kitchen sink, pretending to get herself a glass of water. ‘We were separated and I had to stand on my own two feet. If you want the truth, that was why I didn’t take your calls just before our divorce went through; I didn’t want you to know I’d made such a mess—’
‘I thought it was because you were with Jason Giles. You did a lot of running around with him after I left.’
She turned to look at him then. ‘And you were living like a monk in London, I suppose?’ she muttered sarcastically, remembering that awful time.
He shook his head and got up from the table. ‘No. I won’t lie to you, Kirsten. There were other women.’
‘I know. I read all about them in the papers. They even managed to link you with Maeve.’
He came across towards her. ‘I thought you didn’t read that kind of stuff.’
Kirsten shrugged helplessly.
‘I’m sorry if I hurt you, Kirsten.’
She shrugged again and hoped he wasn’t going to come any closer to her, because a kind of weakness had started to invade her body. A need to be held by him became so urgently demanding that it set all alarms bells ringing. ‘Well, I guess we both did our fair share of inflicting hurt.’ She tried to sound offhand. As if she was past any recriminations. But it was a lie; the memory of him and Maeve locked in each other’s arms still haunted her, still inflicted as much pain as it had ever done.
‘Listen, I can’t stand here talking all day.’ She moved away from him and started to clear away the dishes from the table. ‘I’ve got things to do. And…and Jason’s flying in today.’
‘Is he?’ Cal leaned back against the sink, watching her.
‘Yes, he’s taking me for dinner.’
‘Very nice.’
‘Yes.’ She smiled at him over-brightly.
‘So if you are doing dinner with Jason, how about lunch with me?’ he asked suddenly.
She hesitated and then shook her head. ‘That would be no good for my figure at all, Cal.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with your figure,’ Cal drawled huskily.
There was something very sexy about the way he said that, something that made her turn warm inside. But then, she thought everything about Cal was sexy…he just oozed that particular quality. That was why she had to keep her distance.
‘Thanks, Cal, but I’ve got too much on.’
‘Apartment-hunting?’
‘Yes.’ She was going to put her cup in the sink and then, finding that he was blocking the way, she diverted to the other side of the counter.
‘Well… Tell you what,’ he drawled lazily, ‘I’ll have a word with the powers that be about a new place if you have lunch with me.’
She glanced over at him sharply. ‘Have the studio suggested we have lunch together? Because this is getting out of hand, Cal; all this PR business is—’
‘The studio haven’t suggested it,’ Cal cut across her swiftly. ‘No catches, no hidden agenda, it’s just lunch.’ He spread his hands in appeal. ‘Humour me.’
When he looked at her like that she would have done anything for him. And the thought of going out for lunch with him was a pleasant one… ‘And you’ll have a word with the studio?’ she asked cautiously.
He nodded.
‘OK, lunch sounds like a good idea.’ She paused and then grinned. ‘Of course, a better idea would be for you to look at one of those houses that you were reading about in the paper. I’ll help you if you want?’
‘Don’t push your luck, Kirsten,’ Cal muttered drolly.
She turned away with a smile. ‘Lunch it is, then.’
It was a glorious day, warm and sunny with not a hint of a cloud in the sky. Cal put the top down on his Mercedes and they drove down to the wharf and then strolled along by the sea.
There was a companionable silence between them for a while. As if they were both content just to relax after the pressures of the last few weeks.
‘How’s your dad?’ Cal asked as they stopped to watch some fishermen repairing their nets.
‘He’s fine. I rang when I got home last night. He and Mum were on great form. They’re planning a cruise.’
‘They’ll enjoy that.’ Cal smiled. ‘I’ve got those football tickets, by the way…so tell your dad next time you’re talking to him.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Cal.’ She paused.
‘I can sense the word “but” coming into this conversation.’ Cal grinned and turned to look at her. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not being kind. I want to go to that football game anyway. I’ve already settled it with Theo.’
‘Have you? You don’t seem to have the same problem I have when it comes to sorting things out with the studio,’ she reflected.
‘Let’s not talk about work,’ Cal said, his eyes flicking over her thoughtfully. ‘I’ve had enough of the studio and filming for a while.’
‘So have I,’ she agreed.
‘Good. So where do you fancy eating? I don’t mind telling you that my stomach is complaining of a lack of food.’
‘After all those croissants?’ she teased.
‘I’m a big guy.’ Cal grinned at her. ‘Got to keep my strength up. So, where do you fancy going?’
‘I don’t mind. I don’t know San Francisco all that well, so you choose.’
‘Well. Obviously it’s a good place for seafood. And I know a restaurant that does the best clam chowder you’ve ever tasted. How does that sound?’
‘It sounds great.’ She smiled.
The restaurant Cal brought her to had fabulous views out over the bay. Because it wasn’t very busy they were seated at one of the best tables in the window and the waiter handed them some menus and retreated.
There was silence between them as Kirsten studied the menu. When she put it down she was a bit disconcerted to find Cal leaning back in his chair, watching her.
‘Sorry, are you ready to order?’ She hurriedly picked up the menu again. ‘There’s such a large selection I’m spoilt for choice.’
‘Take your time. We’re not in any hurry.’ Cal summoned the waiter and ordered some wine. ‘Chardonnay all right?’ He checked with Kirsten.
‘Yes.’ She smiled. ‘But just one glass, otherwise I won’t be able to drink tonight.’
‘You could always ring Jason, tell him you’ll see him tomorrow,’ Cal suggested lightly.
Kirsten shook her head. ‘No, I’ve told him tonight is fine. Besides, he’s going back to LA tomorrow morning.’
‘I see…it’s a real flying visit, then.’
As the waiter approached with their wine she put down the menu. ‘I think I’ll go with your suggestion of the clam chowder.’
Cal placed their orders and then lifted up his glass. ‘So, what shall we drink to?’ he asked.
She met his eyes across the table and felt an immediate rush of adrenalin inside. How was he able to do that to her? she wondered. He only had to look at her a certain way and she felt like melting.
‘How about, being out and not surrounded by a camera crew for the first time in weeks?’ she said lightly.
He smiled. ‘I’ll definitely drink to that.’
‘There’s a great view from here, isn’t there?’ she said, turning her attention away from him to the window, trying hard to fight the feeling of intimacy that had suddenly sprung up between them from nowhere.
‘Yes, a great view.’
She was aware that his gaze hadn’t followed hers towards the bay, and that he was still looking at her. What was he thinking? she wondered.
She watched a passenger boat heading out for Alcatraz, cutting across the blue of the water, leaving a white froth in its wake.
‘What did you do with your wedding and engagement ring?’ Cal asked her suddenly.
She turned to look at him, the question taking her completely by surprise. ‘They are in a jewellery box at my parents’ house.’
‘So you didn’t think of throwing them out?’
‘No.’ There was silence as she met the blue of his eyes. Then she looked away, feeling uncomfortable. She didn’t want him to think she was a sentimental fool. ‘They were too good to just throw away…too pretty…I did think of selling them once…but I just didn’t get around to it.’
‘Was that when you were having problems with Chandler?’
‘Probably…’ She shrugged. ‘I can’t remember. To be honest, Cal, some of that time just after you left is a bit of a blur now.’
The waiter brought their food and they fell silent for a while.
‘I meant it when I said I’d help you out with this Chandler business,’ Cal said when they were left alone again.
‘I know you did.’ She glanced back at him and smiled. ‘And thanks for not saying “I told you so”.’
‘You’re not the first artist to have been taken to the cleaners, Kirsten. And, if it makes you feel better, I wasn’t thinking clearly after Bethany died either. Something like that alters all your perceptions. It’s a wonder you were able to think about work at all.’
‘If I hadn’t I would have gone completely off the rails. I needed something to focus on.’ It was strange how she could bear for him to talk about Bethany now. Only a few short weeks ago she would have panicked if he had as much as mentioned her name.
‘It’s not too late to get my lawyers on to Chandler. We might not recover much of the money but you’d get some satisfaction.’
Kirsten shook her head. ‘I’ve wasted enough money on lawyers. I think it’s better just to learn my lesson and forget about it.’
‘I hate the thought of that weasel getting off, though,’ Cal muttered angrily.
‘So do I.’ She smiled at him. ‘But there’s nothing we can do now. Thanks for the offer of support, though, Cal. It does mean a lot.’
‘Better late than never?’ Cal said drily. ‘Maybe if I’d hung around for a while longer after Bethany you wouldn’t have got in with Chandler in the first place.’
‘And maybe I would.’ She looked across at him sharply. ‘You can’t say that, Cal. I’ve always been a woman who makes up her own mind…remember?’
‘Yeah…I remember.’ He grinned.
‘Anyway, it’s turned out OK in the end. Because of Chandler I had to give up my music. And, although I was extremely upset at the time, acting has turned out to be a positive experience for me.’
‘I wondered why you’d given up on your singing career.’
‘Chandler had me signed so tightly into an impossible contract that in the end it was easier to just walk away and wait for the time limit on it to expire.’
‘That must have hurt? You loved your music so much.’
She nodded. ‘It wasn’t easy.’
‘But you rose to the challenge of acting very well. I was very proud of you when I read all those wonderful reviews about your performance on Broadway.’
‘Were you?’ She smiled.
‘I think it was that performance that got you the part in this film,’ Cal reflected.
‘How do you know that?’
Cal shrugged. ‘I heard a whisper.’
‘Well, I’m glad to have this part; for one thing, it will be the best money I’ve earned in a long time. Broadway earned me a great reputation but little else.’
‘What will you do when the film is finished?’ Cal asked.
‘I’d like to go back to my music. It’s still my first love,’ she admitted cautiously. ‘And I’ll be free of Chandler’s contract at the end of the year.’
‘I heard you playing the piano at your parents; it was as magical as ever.’ He glanced over at her. ‘And maybe getting out of acting is not a bad decision. I know how it can suck you up and tear you apart if you’re not careful.’
‘Is that really how you feel about the profession?’ She frowned. ‘I thought you loved it.’
‘I’ve made a good living out of it.’ Cal shrugged. ‘But it’s a fickle paymaster, and a false way of life.’
The waiter brought their main course and the conversation drifted to Kirsten’s music.
Cal suggested that she make a re-recording of one of her old songs for a new album.
Kirsten reached for her wine and listened as he talked. For a while it was as if the years had rolled back, and she remembered how exciting and stimulating she had always found Cal’s company.
She remembered how ideas had always sparkled when she was in his company; how they had laughed and argued, but always gelled together somehow, heightening creativity along the way.
They ordered a cappuccino after their meal and then, as if they were both loath to break the sudden repartee between them, ordered a refill.
We were so good together, Kirsten thought suddenly. Where did all that go…how did we end up so far apart? She looked across at him and felt an overwhelming sadness for what had been lost. I want him back, she thought fiercely. I want to go back to what we once shared.
‘Cal…Cal McCormick?’ A deep, booming male voice interrupted them and they broke apart from the depths of their conversation and looked up as a portly middle-aged man walked across towards them. ‘Thought it was you.’
‘Hello, Berni.’ Cal stood up and shook hands with the man as he stopped by their table. ‘This is a pleasant surprise.’
‘Well, I’ve got the advantage over you there. I knew you were in town. Maeve told me she saw you last night.’
‘That’s right.’
Kirsten felt her heart plunge somewhere down towards her toes. Hearing Berni confirm her suspicions about where Cal had been last night was not surprising, yet it hurt. She felt as if reality had just marched in and slapped her forcibly across the face.
‘Maeve’s here with me now,’ Berni continued jovially. ‘Outside parking the car, in fact; she’ll be up in a minute.’
Kirsten’s temperature seemed to shoot up. A reunion with Maeve was definitely not welcome.
‘I believe you’re filming in town?’ Berni slanted a curious look at Kirsten and she forced herself to smile.
‘Yes, this is my co-star, Kirsten Brindle. Kirsten, this is Berni Goldstein—we worked together on that film in London.’ Cal made the introductions smoothly. ‘Berni was the assistant director.’
‘Pleased to meet you.’ Kirsten smiled.
‘Likewise,’ Berni said, shaking her hand.
‘So, what’s this whisper Maeve’s been telling me about your new business venture?’ Berni asked, turning his attention back to Cal.
‘That’s not up for discussion yet, Berni.’ There was a steely note in Cal’s voice that Kirsten recognised straight away as one not to argue with.
Obviously Berni did too, because he immediately backtracked and tapped the side of his nose. ‘Know what you mean, Cal,’ he said, his voice lowering into agreement and collusion.
What was that about? Kirsten wondered. She didn’t have time to think about it, however, because Maeve came into the restaurant at that moment.
‘Darling!’ Her eyes lit up as she saw Cal across the room. ‘What a lovely surprise!’
She hadn’t changed a bit, Kirsten thought as she watched her walk towards them. She had a fabulous figure, slender, yet very voluptuous, and the bright red dress she was wearing emphasised every curve. Her hair was dark and straight and it swung with a gleam of health as she reached to embrace Cal as if she hadn’t seen him in years.
‘You didn’t tell me last night that you were coming out for lunch,’ she said, a note of rebuke in her husky tone. ‘We could have arranged a foursome.’ Her gaze travelled to Kirsten and her eyes widened. ‘Kirsten…honey! My goodness, this is a blast from the past. It’s ages since I saw you.’
Kirsten forced herself to smile. ‘Hello, Maeve. Brian not with you?’
‘No. He’s flying in tomorrow for a business meeting with Berni. I’ve come on ahead of him to get some uninterrupted shopping done, and attend to a few personal matters.’
‘Well, it’s good to shop without the men being around,’ Kirsten agreed, trying hard to get rid of the cynicism in her voice. Shopping indeed, she thought derisively. Spending a couple of nights with Cal was more like it.
‘So, how are you, Kirsten?’ Maeve continued in a softer tone, a look of sympathy in her dark eyes.
‘I’m fine, thank you, Maeve,’ Kirsten said firmly.
‘Good. Cal’s been telling me all about this film that you’re making together. It sounds wonderful, you must be so thrilled to get such a good part.’
‘Well, I’m enjoying working with Cal.’ Kirsten smiled, hoping that would irritate her.
‘Cal’s wonderful, isn’t he?’ Maeve gushed. ‘One of the kindest people I know.’
‘OK, Maeve, don’t overdo it,’ Cal said drily.
‘Sorry, darling, I’m embarrassing you now.’ Maeve smiled at him warmly. ‘We’ll go and leave you to enjoy the rest of your lunch.’
‘OK, see you later,’ Cal said easily.
‘Yes, see you later, darling.’ Maeve reached over and kissed him on the cheek again.
‘Give me a ring, will you, Cal?’ Berni said before he started to follow Maeve away to their table. ‘I’d like to discuss that other business with you.’ He tapped his nose again.
‘OK; are you at the Excellency Hotel, same as Maeve?’
‘Yeah…I’ll be there for three more days.’ Berni smiled at Kirsten. ‘Nice meeting you, Kirsten,’ he said. ‘Enjoy the rest of your lunch.’
‘Sorry about that,’ Cal muttered as he sat back down at the table.
‘What was all that “other business” about?’ Kirsten asked, tapping her nose in a mocking parody of the other man.
Cal stared at her distractedly for a moment then shook his head. ‘Oh, it was nothing.’
‘It didn’t sound like nothing.’
‘I’ll tell you later.’
In other words, he didn’t want to talk to her about it either, Kirsten thought. But, whatever it was, he’d obviously discussed it with Maeve.
Kirsten felt the surreal bubble that had surrounded them during their meal burst into reality, dragging her forcibly from the past and what they had once shared back to the present. There was no point wishing for Cal back. You couldn’t go back in time, no matter how much you wanted to.
She heard the other woman’s laughter floating across the restaurant and glanced over, noting the fact that three waiters were hovering in attendance around her.
‘Would you like another coffee?’ Cal asked as the waiter cleared their dishes away.
She shook her head and looked at her watch, startled to find it was nearly four. Where had those hours gone? she wondered dazedly.
‘I enjoyed what I had, Cal.’ She smiled. ‘But I’d really like to go now.’