Page 13 of Rivers of Ink
The waiter appeared with their food and placed the dishes on the table.
Suddenly, Alicia’s stomach growled. It had been a long time since she’d eaten a slice of cake for lunch. She grabbed one of the empanadas before Nell could get to it. The first bite tasted like heaven. Nell went for a chicken wing.
“If he had told you about his brother when you’d first met, do you think you’d have slept with him?” asked Nell, as she licked the glaze off her finger.
It was similar to the question Callan had asked her earlier. Would she have seen him differently? Would she have felt sorry for him? Would pity have played a part in her going home with him?
“I don’t know,” she replied, honestly.
“As that’s a null and void point, would you see him again? If he asked, that is.”
An image of Callan naked and thrusting, kissing the breath out of her, popped into her head unbidden. It was followed by one of him baring his soul to her that morning, the heartbroken look in his eyes as he told her about Xander.
“In a heartbeat, yes.”
“Should I cancel that double date on Friday then?”
Alicia laughed. “Hey, there’s no indication that Callan is going to ask me out. In fact, now I’m working for him, I’m sure he has no intention of doing so, so bring on the date!”
As she spoke, Alicia wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, Nell or herself.
8
For the first time in a long while, Callan was actually looking forward to going to work. A lot of that had to do with Alicia. He’d spent much of the previous evening thinking about her as he was sketching, and he had come up with a number of killer designs that he was ready to show clients. It had been a while since he’d felt able to do that. He’d even spent some time working on the rose and tears. He pondered whether he should ask her for a drink or dinner or to see a band. A proper date before he took her to bed. Again. The thought of that fired him up with inspiration that he didn’t know he possessed as the pencil took on a life of its own, whizzing across the pages as he drew.
He was surprised to see her already at work, perched on the stool next to the reception podium, eyes fixed on the laptop in front of her, brows knotted together.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Morning, boss,” she replied. “I’m sure it’s nothing. There’s an odd email that came in overnight from Jason Mackey. He replied to something someone called Isobel sent him a couple of months back?”
A shiver shot down Callan’s spine at the mention of Isobel’s name. He’d done pretty well since the funeral to forget all about her. He didn’t recognise the name Jason Mackey though.
“I’ve got five minutes before my first appointment. Do you want me to take a look?”
“That would be great. I’m sure it’s some kind of misunderstanding, but another pair of eyes on it would be useful.” She pushed the laptop in his direction.
He looked at the screen and read.
Hi Isobel,
Thanks for the contact and so sorry for the extended delay, I’ve been taking some time out after my last gig and spent the past few months travelling across Thailand and Indonesia (I know, poor me, right?!)
Anyway, the opportunity you outlined for the position at The Unbound Soul sounds fantastic and would really suit me right now. I’m in Oakridge tomorrow (Tuesday) and can pop in sometime in the afternoon if that’s convenient?
Best wishes,
Jason Mackey
There was a mobile number and email at the bottom of the message. Callan stared at the words that were swimming around in front of him. Why would Isobel have been asking someone about a job? He checked the dates on the email. At the time Isobel sent the original communication there were no openings. A sense of foreboding settled over him as he scrolled down to read more. Isobel’s message said she’d got Jason’s details from a mutual friend and that they were looking to recruit a barber at The Unbound Soul because one of the existing members of the team was thinking of leaving. He frowned. Miles and Aaron were still relatively new at that time, which left Aidy and Xander. It wouldn’t have been Aidy. His best friend would have discussed it with him first.
He reread the date. It was time stamped the day he found Xander and Isobel together. Did that mean his brother was going to walk out on him, and Isobel had planned a replacement?
He didn’t have time to think any further as his customer arrived. They went upstairs, and Callan was grateful that Pearl had already set up his station, which meant he could get started straight away. He pulled on his gloves and fired up the tattoo gun. Luckily, it was one of his regulars who wanted a filler colour on one of his existing tattoos. It was something that didn’t require him to think much, which was just as well as the contents of the email reeled around in his brain.
There was a small part of him that wanted to contact Isobel and ask her what the hell was going on. That would be more hassle than it was worth. He finished up the filling work in less than half an hour, then methodically tidied up his station, the routine elements of wiping down the area, throwing away the used paper towels and tiny pots of ink somewhat therapeutic. Once he was done, he went into the office. He sat on the desk, his back to the door, and stared out of the window.
“All right, Callan?” Aidy said from behind him.
