Page 59 of An Island Promise

Confiding in Caleb felt risky particularly when there was every chance Gem would chicken out of telling Diego altogether, but it was a risk she felt was worth it. So while Gem and Laurie ate pistachio cheesecake with tangerine sorbet and took in the view of the peaceful bay in the ethereal evening light, Belle headed inside to where Caleb was sitting at the end of the bar scrolling on his phone.

His smile when she slid onto the stool next to him sent her insides spinning, and despite their physical distance she felt closer to him than before, yet there was an awareness that every look, every touch, could mean so much.

‘Hey, I’m glad you brought your friends here for a meal.’

‘It’s my favourite place.’

‘Mine too.’ He gestured towards the outside terrace. ‘They’re still here?’

‘Yes,’ Belle said, taking a deep breath. ‘But I wanted to talk to you before we went back, something about Gem andDiego…’ And so she told him everything she’d learned, her chest tightening as the lines on Caleb’s forehead deepened.

‘Sheesh,’ Caleb breathed out through his teeth. ‘And you’re okay with this?’

‘I’m fine with it,’ Belle said firmly, wanting to press upon him that she had absolutely no feelings for Diego any longer. ‘I’m just glad that Gem’s finally shared what’s going on because she’s been dealing with it on her own for a long time. She needs to have a chance to talk to Diego, and whether he wants to hear it or not, he deserves to. Gem sure as hell needs to get this weight off her chest. I don’t know how to make that happen and I was wondering if you could? I’m really sorry for asking.’

‘Why are you sorry? I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me.’ She was acutely aware that his hand was resting on the bar just inches from her elbow.

‘I have an idea.’ Caleb smiled. ‘It’s Gem and Laurie’s last night tomorrow, right?’ At Belle’s nod he continued. ‘Then we’ll have dinner at mine; Lluís will be working, but I’ll invite Diego, Àngel, Tomàs and their wives. Gem and Diego will have the chance to talk. No pressure, I promise.’

38

Caleb was an Englishman in Spain making Italian pizza, but it was something he was good at and enjoyed doing, plus it was an easy way to feed a few people. The nerves were still pinging about in the pit of his stomach at the idea of entertaining at Solace, of having more than just a couple of people over at a time. Entertaining friends and family with dinner parties, barbecues and pool parties had been Caleb and Paloma’s dream and he’d shied away from it since her death, afraid of the feelings it would conjure while resolutely refusing to embrace that side of life without her. Belle had instigated this. The idea had popped into his head and he had no good reason to not suggest it.

He cracked open a bottle of beer and took a long swig. Leaning his phone against a utensil pot, he Skyped Cara while stretching out the pizza dough on the kitchen island.

Cara’s beaming face appeared on the screen.

‘You look happy,’ he said, ‘for first thing in the morning.’

‘Yesterday was a good one. Dad was feeling a bit like his old self, so I’m hoping today will be more of the same.’

‘Sorry I didn’t call the other day, it was just…’ He shrugged.

‘Hey.’ Cara leaned right into the screen. ‘Don’t apologise. You had every right to deal with the anniversary how best you could. I’m just glad you let me know you were okay. So Belle came over?’

‘Uh huh.’

‘Anything you want to share?’ Cara’s blue eyes bore into him through the screen. ‘You know you can tell me anything, right?’

‘Yeah, I know.’

‘How about I go first.’

Caleb stopped stretching out the dough and frowned at her.

Cara’s grin was the biggest he’d ever seen. ‘I kinda hooked up with my friend Naomi, you know the one I’ve fancied since I was like nineteen. We went out with mutual friends the other night and just clicked.’

‘And when you say hooked up, you mean…’

‘We kissed. A lot.’ Cara grinned again. ‘And talked so much about everything. Sharing our shitty experiences with our exes, the stress of illness in our families. Just talked and offloaded and it was so good.’

‘So you’re not missing me too much then?’

‘Oh, I still miss you like crazy, knucklehead, but you’re not exactly a friend with benefits, are you?’ She winked.

That put a smile on his face.

‘Now, your turn.’

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