She nodded as she thought back, the details starting to trickle back into her mind. It felt like days ago that she had driven to Callum’s cottage to drop things off for Daisy.
‘You looked quite pale last night and were shivering when I went off to check on Maisie. You sat down on the sofa and have been out for the count since then.’
She vaguely remembered him going to see if his neighbour was okay. ‘But what time is it now?’
‘It’s after two . . .’
Beth was horrified. ‘I reallydoneed to get up.’ She tried again to prop herself up. ‘Ineversleep in, and I have to get to work. Especially with Jim off too. We can’t both be out of action.The storm is a big news story for the island. It needs to be covered.’
‘It’s okay.’ Callum perched at the foot of the bed.
Beth couldn’t help but feel reassured by his genuine warmth as he smiled kindly at her.
‘The road is still shut, nobody can get in or out. It sounds like it will be like that for at least another day. Daisy is still with Freya and Jim. I managed to get reception earlier and rang them to check in. Jim is feeling much better and said under no circumstances are you to move or even try to get to work. He said people have already shared loads of pictures from last night and he’s on it in terms of coverage so you’ve not to worry. His words.’
Beth managed a weak smile. ‘And Daisy? How is she?’
‘Daisy is feeling a bit better, I spoke to her too, and she said Freya is doing a great job of looking after her. She also said they’ve got Sky Movies which we don’t have, so she’s making the most of that. Let’s just say she’s not in a rush to come home. She seems to be okay being collected tomorrow.’
Beth’s eyes widened. ‘But I can’t stay here. I need to get back to the flat.’
‘Look, why don’t I make you some tea and toast? You must be famished. Then you can see how you feel.’
Beth shrugged, trying to work out how on earth she could have been so out for the count that she had slept that long. ‘But how did I get to bed? I don’t understand. I’veneverslept right through like that before.’
Callum blushed. ‘I carried you through. It’s what I used to do with Daisy when she was young, if she fell asleep in front of the television. I did try to wake you but you were dead to the world.’ He paused and looked at her curiously. ‘Maybe you needed to rest, Beth. Sometimes the body tells us when we need to stop.’
‘Well,’ she mumbled, ‘sometimes you just have to get on with things.’ She was aware of the searching way Callum waslooking at her, almost like he was waiting for her to share more information. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, she blushed.
‘I’ll go and make that tea for you.’ He stood up to leave. Just then Ruby jumped onto the bed, curling up in the crook of Beth’s knees. He laughed. ‘Looks like you’ve got yourself your very own nurse there.’
Beth reached her hand out and patted the dog. ‘I don’t mind. She’s very sweet.’
‘I’ll be back soon.’ He rubbed his hand over his chin. ‘Do you still take it with a splash of milk and half a teaspoon of sugar?’
As he smiled, Beth couldn’t help but notice how much it lit up his face. Even in her fevered state she was still checking him out.This is so surreal, she said to herself. ‘Gosh, I can’t believe you remember that. But just the milk please. I gave the sugar up a while ago.’
A look flitted across his face and he gave her a slight nod. As she waited for him to return, Beth couldn’t help thinking how much things had changed over the years, but also how much had remained the same. Most of all she felt comfortable with Callum. Which was just as well — she was in a completely dishevelled state. She hated to think what she looked like. But then she sighed and closed her eyes again, realising she was too tired to be all that bothered, and relieved that she had grown out of the need to impress a man.
Chapter Forty-Three
It was later on that night Beth started to feel a bit more like herself. After enjoying her cup of tea, which she’d told Callum was the best she’d ever tasted, and some thick toasted pan loaf with butter, she had a nap and woke feeling a bit more rested. She realised that her dad had sent several texts checking that she was okay. She replied quickly to let him know she was safe and that she would call him the following day. She decided to ignore the missed calls from Alessandro. Beth realised she wasn’t quite ready to leave this safe and warm bubble that Callum had created. He had left her some clean pyjamas and a towel on the armchair next to the bed.
‘Just use the bathroom whenever you’re ready and give me a shout if you need anything.’
‘Thanks,’ she’d said. ‘I really do appreciate this. Especially the spare jammies and the toothbrush.’
‘We’ve always got extra toothbrushes in the house in case one of Daisy’s friends stays over. I quickly learned it was good to have a supply. And the pyjamas are my mum’s.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘She has a little drawer of stuff here so she can travel light when she comes to visit.’
After Beth had showered and changed, she felt tired again, but not enough to go back to bed. Instead she padded through to the kitchen, where she could hear Callum moving about.
‘Hey there.’ He gave her a lazy smile. ‘Do you feel better now?’
‘Loads,’ she said. ‘It’s amazing what a warm shower can do.’
He nodded. ‘I know. I’m just glad that the electricity is back on. Otherwise it would have been the full Wim Hof cold shower experience. And although it was atmospheric last night, I didn’t fancy another night in candlelight.’ He gestured to the sofa. ‘Have a seat and I’ll get you some more tea.’
Beth curled up on the sofa and Ruby moved closer to her. Beth looked at the display of Christmas cards on the mantelpiece, then watched Callum as he moved around the kitchen, preparing the tea. It was quite weird observing him now, as a man, compared to the boy she had fallen in love with. He was more confident and assured, yet an air of weariness seemed to follow him around. Tears sprang in her eyes as she thought about how kind he’d been to her the last couple of days. She knew his intentions were genuine and not loaded in any way with expectation. She couldn’t help comparing him to Tim and the years she had wasted with him. As she had finally acknowledged to herself many times this past year, he had effectively destroyed what had been her life.
