Page 61 of An Island Promise

It certainly looked that way to Caleb too, even though Diego had his back to them. Gem was doing all the talking, her elbows resting on her knees as she leaned forward. Diego’s shoulders were hunched. Gem’s face was flushed and impassioned as she talked. Diego suddenly stood up, shook his head then paced across the terrace.

Belle flinched and Caleb’s stomach muscles tightened. He didn’t know Gem at all but she looked like she was trying her hardest to hold it together. Then Diego turned on his heel and marched back to Gem. He took her hand and led her across the terrace and into the house.

Caleb, Belle and Laurie looked at each other.

‘Do you think one of us should follow, make sure they’re okay?’ Laurie looked between Belle and Caleb.

Belle shook her head. ‘They need to figure things out. Let them.’

Whatever lingering feelings Belle may have had for Diego, she’d certainly put them behind her. Caleb admired her openness and how important friendship was to her – a good person to have on your side or in your life. He surreptitiously watched her as she and Laurie carried on talking, the concern for their friend obvious. Caleb loved her for it.

He froze. The thought had slipped into his head effortlessly. He loved lots of things about her, the things that made her a good friend, a brilliant employee, a generally wonderful person; that must be it.

Oh God.

He downed his beer and glanced to where everyone else was still chatting, empty beer and wine bottles cluttering the table. Replenishing the drinks seemed the perfect excuse to put some distance between himself and Belle. He left them talking and escaped to the kitchen, raiding the fridge for drinks and putting together a plate ofensaïmades, spiral-shaped sweet pastries. The only sound was the chatter and music drifting in from outside, so wherever Gem and Diego had disappeared to, at least they weren’t having an argument.

When Caleb returned outside, Belle and Laurie were still deep in conversation, so he placed the drinks and pastries on the table and joined his friends. It was good to talk and laugh together. Belle and Laurie eventually joined them, he assumed once they realised that Gem and Diego had lots to talk about and would probably be gone a while.

It was a couple of hours later when Gem emerged from the villa and made a beeline for the seating area away from everyone. Belle caught his eye, worry for her friend written all over her face. She and Laurie took their drinks and went and joined Gem.

A few minutes later Diego appeared, his face set in a frown as he headed the opposite way. He took off his shoes, sat by the pool and submerged his feet in the water.

Caleb grabbed two beers and joined him. Kicking off his sneakers, he sat on the stone and dunked his feet in the cool water too. To their left, the vast sea glittered ebony in the moonlight. Across the pool, his friends’ faces were lit by the flickering light from the lanterns.

Caleb handed Diego one of the beers. ‘You doing okay?’

Keeping his eyes fixed ahead, Diego swigged from the bottle. ‘Did you know what Gem was going to tell me?’

‘Yeah, Belle told me.’

‘And that’s why you invited us all here?’

‘Mostly, yes. So are you okay?’

Diego nodded. ‘Sí.’

Caleb was finding it hard to work out how Diego was feeling; he looked thoughtful – which wasn’t really surprising – but also strangely calm.

‘What happened when you went inside?’

‘I thanked her for being honest with me, took her in my arms and kissed her.’ He turned to Caleb and shrugged his shoulders. ‘I didn’t want to risk my brothers wolf whistling or saying something crude. It was not the right moment to make fun. Then we talked. A lot. I got angry that she hadn’t told me sooner, but she had her reasons. I also realised I wouldn’t have changed my life even if she had said something. I was too selfish. I wouldn’t have been ready or responsible back then. I’m glad she’s told me now.’ He took another sip of beer. ‘His name’s Jack.’

Caleb leaned back on his hands and studied Diego, an immense sense of pride sweeping through him. He’d witnessed his mistakes, had listened to his frustrations and heard all about his conquests over the years. He worked as hard as he played, yet Caleb still thought of him as a lad, single and up for a good time, the younger, carefree, cheeky brother he’d never had but one who’d come into his life when he’d met Paloma. He couldn’t be prouder of the way he’d handled the bombshell Gem had dropped. He was a father of a nine-year-old boy he’d never met and at the age of thirty-four he was acting his age rather than in the way Caleb had feared.

Caleb gripped his shoulder. ‘You have a kid, Diego.’

‘It’s a lot to process. But yes, I have a son.’ Diego’s grin said it all. ‘With Gem.’

The way Diego said her name, Caleb just knew there was something still there. Although the news had come out of the blue, it had brought Gem back into his life. Who knew how theywere going to navigate everything, but the spark obviously still flamed.

‘Have you ever wondered if you’ve got a child anywhere?’ Diego asked.

Caleb shot him a look that he hoped conveyed something along the lines of ‘what the hell are you talking about’.

‘Oh come on,’ Diego stressed. ‘You must have considered it. I’m talking years ago when you had a different woman every night.’

‘Not every night and no, because I was always careful.’

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