Page 5 of Breaking
Callum nodded; his expression unreadable. "Sometimes that's the best way to move on. But sometimes, the things we leave behind have a way of finding us again."
The words lingered in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Jenna wasn't sure if he was talking about her or himself, but she didn't ask.
They parted ways after finishing their drinks, Callum with a polite nod and Jenna with a faint smile. As she stepped back onto the street, the wind biting at her cheeks, she couldn't shake the feeling that their conversation had stirred something inside her-a flicker of curiosity, of possibility.
The walk home was brisk, the sea air clearing her head. When she reached the house, she paused on the doorstep, her fingers brushing against the key in her pocket.
For the first time in years, she wondered what it might be like to go back. Not just to Abergele, but to the person she'd been before.
Chapter 4
Afew days later
"Do you need help with that, love?"
The deep, lilting tones of a Welsh accent broke through the bustle of the Saturday market. Jenna turned, her hands full of fresh produce and a bag slipping precariously from her shoulder.
Callum stood there, hands in his jacket pockets, a bemused smile on his face. His voice carried the warm cadence of home, a sound Jenna hadn't realized she'd missed until she heard it again. It had been a couple of weeks since they met in the coffee shop but Jenna was a regular at the market. Though it felt disloyal to Troy, she hoped to run into Callum again. There was a spark of connection which had been missing in her life for too long and one taste of it had her craving for more.
"I-uh-" she stammered, caught off guard. "Actually, yes. That would be great."
Callum stepped forward, deftly taking the heavier bags from her arms as though they weighed nothing. He nodded toward a nearby bench. "Why don't we set these down before you end up buried under apples and carrots?"
Jenna followed him, her lips twitching into a reluctant smile. "Thanks. I didn't realize I'd bought so much until I tried carrying it all at once."
"Market stalls will do that to you," he said, his grin widening. "You see one thing, then another, and before you know it, you've got enough veggies to feed an army."
His words, rich with the rhythm of the Welsh valleys, sent an unexpected wave of nostalgia through her. She sat on the bench and tucked her hair behind her ears, watching as Callum arranged her bags beside him with an almost comical level of precision.
"Do you visit often?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"Not really," he admitted, leaning back with an easy posture that somehow made him seem even taller. "I'm just here visiting a mate for the weekend. Thought I'd take a look around while he's off playing rugby with his kids. And you?"
"I live here," Jenna said. "Have for a while now."
"I figured that the last time," Callum said, his eyes glinting with quiet amusement. "You've got that Brighton look about you-practical shoes and a bag full of organic kale."
Jenna laughed, the sound surprising her. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"As you should," he said, his voice softening slightly. "But I bet you haven't lost all your Abergele ways. You don't sound quite like a local yet."
Jenna tilted her head, studying him. "You're good at this, aren't you? Figuring people out."
He shrugged, his broad shoulders shifting beneath his jacket. "It's a skill. Comes in handy when you're in my line of work."
"And what's that?"
"Counsellor," he said simply, his expression shifting to something more serious. "I work with kids, mostly. Foster care, troubled teens. The ones who fall through the cracks, you know?"
Jenna felt a stirring of interest , a familiar pang stirring just beneath the surface. "That's... important work."
"It is," Callum said, his tone quiet. "Not always easy, but it's worth it. Someone's got to look out for them."
She nodded, her mind flashing back to her own days in foster care. The years she'd spent bouncing from one house to another, never quite belonging, never quite wanted. She wondered if she would've turned out differently if someone like Callum had been there back then.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the sounds of the market swirling around them. Jenna found herself glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, taking in the strong lines of his jaw and the faint crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. He was handsome, she realized, in a way that felt effortless-grounded.
"You've got that look about you now," Callum said suddenly, breaking the silence.
