He had no idea what had happened in the last few years for Jess—and she might never tell him. But he could focus on what was in front of him.
The one thing he could do something about.
And she knew him. She knew him well.
She would know that he would never cause a scene, but she would also know that when he was determined, there was no way around him.
Her brown eyes were fixed on where his hand was touching hers. Was she annoyed? Did she think it inappropriate? Because he’d only done what had felt natural—and it didn’t feel inappropriate to him.
He could see the long exhalation of breath, the relaxing of her shoulders, then she lifted her long dark eyelashes to meet his gaze.
The long dark eyelashes that used to tickle his cheeks.
The thought came out of nowhere, triggering a whole host of memories in his brain. Now, they could be inappropriate.
Jess’s fingers moved under his. She looked at the waitress. ‘What’s the soup?’
‘Minestrone or tomato and herb, both served with crusty bread.’
Jess pressed her lips together. ‘I’ll have the minestrone. Please.’ She handed the menu over.
‘I’ll have the same—the soup and a latte.’ Something fired in his brain and he remembered what she’d said in the car. ‘And carrot cake—for both of us, please.’ It wasn’t what he would normally eat at this time. The paperwork was still in front of him. But right now it was the least of his concerns.
Would she tell him what had happened to her in the last few years? And, in return, would he be able to tell her about Drew?
He took the bull by the horns. ‘You’re thin, Jess. A lot thinner than you used to be. I’d rather have bought you a three-course meal than a plate of soup.’
‘Who said I was letting you buy it?’
He smiled. There it was. The spark that had seemed missing at times. The spark that took him back thirteen years.
Every now and then it flared, reappearing out of nowhere. Then the thin veil would come back down and the Jessica that he had once known would disappear.
He leaned back in the chair. Sparring with Jess now felt as natural as it had years ago. ‘Oh, you’re letting me. I can assure you of that.’
‘Still a stubborn bossy boots, then, Callum?’
‘I had a very good teacher,’ was his automatic response. But it only took a second to know what he really should do. He stretched across the table and took both her hands in his. ‘Actually, I’m still a concerned friend.’
He could sense her pull back a little. See her wariness at his actions.
‘We haven’t seen each other in years, Callum. We lost touch. You’ve no idea what’s happened in my life and I’ve no idea what’s happened in yours. If that accident hadn’t happened yesterday, our paths might never have crossed again.’
‘And that would have been a real shame.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m not glad the accident happened. I’m not glad those kids were injured. But I am glad our paths have crossed again. It’s nice to see you.’ His voice was low and the words said quietly. He hoped she could see the sincerity in his eyes.
She paused for a moment then said, ‘It’s nice to see you again too.’ She gave him a little smile. ‘You always were a pest when it came to food.’ She had a glint in her eye, and he could see her visibly relaxing, sinking a little further into her chair and leaning her elbows on the desk so they were closer.
His reaction was entirely natural—he leaned forward too. ‘Jessica Rae, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’
She raised her eyebrows, her smile spreading across her face. She placed her head on her hands. ‘What about the cookie incident, then?’
He stifled a laugh.
The memories came flooding back. A visit to the cinema with Jess asking him to hold her coffee and cookie that he’d bought her while she went and washed her hands. They’d been running late and the film had already started by the time they’d fumbled to their seats. It had taken Jess a few minutes to lift the napkin from her purchase and the scream she’d let out had caused the whole cinema to jump in shock.
‘It was only a tiny nibble.’ He shrugged his shoulders.
‘It was a giant-size bite! And then you let me think that it was the boy behind the counter—you were going to let me go and complain.’
He couldn’t stop laughing now, with the still indignant look on her face thirteen years later. ‘Just as well the crumbs gave me away, then.’
Jess started to laugh too. Her shoulders shook as she bent forward and then threw her head back. Jess didn’t have a delicate, polite laugh. It was loud and wholehearted, as if it came all the way from her toes.
There was something so nice about this. The way her skin glowed and her eyes sparkled when she laughed like that. The ease and familiarity of being with someone you felt comfortable around. Someone you shared a history with. Someone who made you feel as if you could look into their eyes and trust what they said.
Someone who wouldn’t run out on you and your child.
Where had that thought come from?
The door to the café opened and a woman and her child bundled in out of the cold. The little boy’s nose was glowing red underneath his woolly hat. He looked around the same age as Drew.
Callum pushed all thoughts of Drew’s mother out of his head and leaned forward to pass a comment to Jess. But the expression on her face stopped him dead.
She’d gone from hearty laughter to deathly pale—almost as if she’d been caught unawares. He bit his tongue, stopping himself from asking what was wrong.
He had to give her time. He had to give her space. If Jess wanted to tell him something she would.
There was silence for a few seconds as he could see her gathering herself.
She nodded at his paperwork. ‘This could take some time. Shouldn’t we get started?’
The barriers were going up again. She was closing herself off from him. Going back to business as usual. ‘What do you need from me?’
The waitress appeared and put down two bowls of steaming-hot minestrone and a basket of crusty bread. ‘I need you to relax for a bit. I want to see you eat. Once you’ve finished we’ll do my paperwork. I need a detailed statement from you.’
He didn’t want the veil to come down. Because when it did Jess had the strangest look in her eyes, almost vacant, as if she was removing herself from the situation. It was obvious that she wasn’t feeling any of the same strange sensations that he was. His brain was currently mush.
Being around Jess was flaring up too many memories in his mind. Sharing memories with Jess was both warming and setting off alarm bells in his head.
