Page 22 of Wild About You

‘Thanks.’

‘Bye,’ said Jamie, and before I could reply, he had turned and stalked off in the other direction. I don’t know why I was taken aback by his rudeness – I should have been used to it by now – but when I looked back at Callum, he was smiling at me. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Work’s over for the day.’

We walked in parallel down Stonemore’s main street, past the closed grocery shop and bakery, and along a row of quaint grey stone cottages. Occasionally I’d feel the bumpof his arm against mine. With the combination of adrenaline from the presentation, plus cake and caffeine, I was feeling pretty good.

‘Stonemore sure is dead on a Monday evening,’ said Callum, guiding me onto the pavement as a car passed. ‘How’re you finding it? Getting any yearning for the big smoke? Newcastle, at least?’

I laughed. ‘Not at all! How about you? Do you like the quietness?’

‘It’s all I’ve ever known. Came here from the Highlands.’ There was that slow smile again. ‘And quiet doesn’t mean boring. It depends on the company.’

‘It certainly does. I’ll need a night or two at home under blankets to get over the drubbing Clarissa gave me.’

He laughed. ‘Happens to the best of us. She had one thing right though – you’re very pretty.’

I blinked. Really? Had he really just said that?

‘Callum McGregor, are you flirting with me?’ I said, as teasingly as I could.

‘No, no,’ he was half laughing, and gently he pulled my elbow to turn me towards him. ‘Just stating the plain truth.’

‘I see.’ We were staring at each other now, his hand poised on my arm. I suddenly regretted there not being a shot of vodka in my tea. My first kiss, after Sean?Courage, mon brave! Callum was drifting slowly, too slowly, towards me. I couldn’t take the tension. I pressed myself against him and ducked my face towards him, ignoring the fact that landing a first kiss takes about as much delicacy as docking a spacestation. Instead we came at each other at the wrong angle and our teeth clashed. We bounced away, smiled, then as I moved towards him and he suddenly came towards me, I landed him with a near perfect headbutt.

I jerked myself away, feeling the heat rising in my face. ‘I’m so sorry!’ I said, stifling the urge to flap my hands around.

He was laughing, and I caught that faint bubblegum scent. ‘It’s okay, Anna. It’s okay.’ I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me, but he didn’t seem uncomfortable at all.

I was rubbing my forehead and just about gathering my wits when I glanced to my left and my hands closed over Callum’s arms in a grip of terror. A woman’s face hovered at the window of the cottage, barely a foot from where we were standing. As I stared at her face in horror, her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’. She reached up, undid the catch and cracked open the window slightly.

‘Oh, hey Heather,’ said Callum cheerfully.

I opened my mouth to follow his lead but a small croak came out instead.

‘My apologies,’ Heather whispered, inspecting me. ‘Nothing happens here normally, and that was so dreadfully entertaining.’

As I stared at her, she re-closed the window and mimed zipping up her lips. Callum gave her a thumbs-up, and gently guided me on down the street as I tried to work out what happened. ‘Village life,’ he murmured.

I shook my head in disbelief.

‘This is me.’ He tapped the battered Land Rover. We looked at each other. The moment had definitely passed. But he was smiling, and when he reached out and brushed a curl of hair off my forehead, I was relieved to see that relaxed twinkle in his eyes. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Anna,’ he said softly.

‘See you,’ I said, simultaneously smiling like an idiot and feeling as awkward as.

As the Land Rover roared off, I pounded over the grey stone bridge and towards the lit, half-timbered frontage of the Rising Sun. I really needed a drink now.

You would have thought the extra-large Jack Daniel’s and coke I ordered would have been enough to loosen my tongue about what had just happened between me and Callum. But I didn’t tell Fi. It would have been selfish to catastrophise about a failed kiss after what she had just endured. Instead I settled down with her in a nook which was lavishly decorated with horse brasses, ordered drinks and double crisps, and at her request told a comical version of the evening’s events, leaving aside the five minutes when I’d lunged at Callum.

‘That was nice of Jamie and Callum to come and watch,’ said Fi.

‘Yes,’ I said, and decided to venture it. ‘Is – er – Callum single, by any chance?’

She put her wineglass down and wrinkled her nose. ‘I don’t think he’s seeing anyone at the moment.’

I tipped my head at her. ‘Your face looks weird,’ I said. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’

She gave an embarrassed huff of a sigh. ‘It’s just – if you’re looking for another relationship, Anna, I wouldn’t go for Callum. He’s a nice enough guy, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not one for commitment.’

‘Absolutely not looking for a relationship, mate, so I’m fine then,’ I said, although I felt surprised that she thought of Callum in such terms.

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