Page 110 of The Wedding Pact
August knocked on Callie’s door, lightly, in case she or her mum were still sleeping. But Callie opened it a moment later, her hair in an eighties-style side-pony, a mug of tea in hand.
‘Hi, Callie.’
‘Hi, August.’
August took a deep breath. ‘I have some explaining to do. Will you come out into the back gardens and do some morning yoga with me?’
Callie regarded August for a moment, before turning to look out the window behind her. ‘It’s freezing out there.’
‘Good point … ’ she hadn’t quite factored in that yoga in five-degree weather might not be the most relaxing.
But then Callie held the door open for her. ‘Bugger it, let me whack on a few jumpers and we’ll go.’
Down in the gardens, the two of them found a sheltered spot in the morning sunshine, where it wasn’t too chilly. They sat opposite each other with their legs crossed in front of them, and Callie watched August, expectantly.
Callie stuck a leg out to the side to stretch it, and August mirrored her, and said, ‘Callie, you were right.’
Over the next ten minutes, August explained everything, while Callie stayed silent beside her. As August talked, Callie dictated the yoga moves, which got more challenging the more August spoke, so by the time she’d covered everything she was teetering on one leg in a shaky tree pose that she was pretty sure the rock-solid Callie was forcing her to hold on purpose.
‘What I don’t understand, Aug,’ said Callie, moving into warrior two, ‘is how you could lie to me so easily, after I’d been nothing but honest with you.’
August nearly toppled over with the weight of her shame. ‘I was so wrong. I was lost in a complete fog thinking about how nobody wanted to live here more than me, and that my only chance to fulfil my dreams was to start them from inside this house. To begin with it felt like an acting job, like it wouldn’t hurt anyone, but I know now that it was selfish.’
‘Yes, it was.’
‘I know this is no excuse, but Ididwant to tell you so many times.’
‘To be honest, love, that doesn’t help much. That’s a little bit like what my ex-husband said to me when I caught him inhislies.’
August nodded and sat down, giving up on the yoga, and instead burying her face in her hands. ‘You’re right. I’m awful. I’m so sorry, Callie. I’m going to talk to Abe today, and we’re going to tell Mrs Haverley as soon as he says she’s well enough. Whatever happens after that, I hope you can forgive me one day, because you’re an amazing friend and I’m lucky to have you in my life. And that’s thetruth.’
Callie took a few moments, sitting down herself and slowing her breath, and rolling her neck, before saying with softness. ‘We’ll get there. You’re stillyou, right.’
‘I am, I’ve always been me, authentically me, aside from the whopping great secret life. I really need to leave the acting to the day job; I know that now.’
Finally, Callie smiled at August, and August thought that maybe, give it a little time, things might be okay between them.
‘Your mum’s a force to be reckoned with, isn’t she?’ Callie commented, her eyebrows raised.
‘Isn’t she just? Want to trade?’
‘No, thanks.’
‘I think you would have liked my gran, though,’ said August.
Callie nodded and then said, ‘Abe might be quite happy about all this.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You two have a spark, you know it.’
‘Maybe,’ August shrugged, blushing a little.
‘But then, that’s what I always thought about you and Flynn.’ Callie stood and picked up her mat. ‘I’m going to head in now, my fanny’s getting frostbite. Are you coming?’
‘I’ll be in in a moment,’ August replied.
‘All right, see you soon, love,’ and with that, Callie left the garden, but August thought, hoped, she wouldn’t be leaving her life for ever.
