Zac thought about his decisions since then and realised Callum was right. He had distanced himself from his family and friends, choosing to spend ninety per cent of his life working and most of that on tour with various artists. He had told himself it was the buzz he got from the work, but really he had been doing just as Callum had said. He had been running away from the loss of his and Jazz’s baby.
He stared at Callum. ‘Do you know something?’
‘What?’
‘You’re far more clever than you look.’
Callum pretended to be offended for a moment, frowning before throwing his head back and laughing. ‘Some things never change,’ he said eventually.
‘Like what?’ Zac laughed.
‘Like you being a plonker.’
They roared with laughter.
Eventually Zac shook his head. ‘I suppose I am.’
‘Not about the Jazz thing,’ Callum said quickly. ‘Just with your terrible insults.’
Zac folded his arms and leant on the table. ‘You’re right though. I have been running away from relationships and it is a good thing that Lettie needs me to help her here.’ He thought of the farm and how much he had enjoyed helping out. ‘It’s not been nearly as bad as I expected either.’
‘Good. That’s what I like to hear.’ Callum finished his coffee. ‘Now, are you going to give me Melody’s number, or not?’ he asked, smiling.
Zac had to force himself to keep looking cheerful. He might be almost ready for a relationship again, but had sworn off long-distance relationships after being on tour when Jazz had neededhim most. He couldn’t help feeling anxious in case he became close to Melody and then found he couldn’t commit to her. Anyway, she would be returning to Edinburgh with Patsy at the end of the summer, so it wouldn’t be wise to risk falling for her only for her to leave.
He took his phone from his jeans pocket and was about to read out her number to Callum when it dawned on him that he should check first that she was happy for him to do so.
‘Is something wrong?’
Zac shook his head. He reassured himself he knew Callum well and that his friend was trustworthy. ‘She’s a lovely girl, so no messing her about or you’ll have me to answer to.’ Satisfied, Zac gave Callum her number.
Zac watched Callum tap Melody’s contact details into his phone and save them. He hoped he hadn’t just made a very silly mistake.
‘Don’t worry,’ Callum said, wiping his mouth and standing. ‘I wouldn’t dream of being anything less than a gentleman to her.’
12
MELODY
Melody’s phone pinged. She picked it up from the window ledge in her bedroom and saw an unknown number. Tensing in case it was from Rhys, she hesitated. How could he have discovered her new number? She had been careful to dump her mobile back in Scotland, determined he wouldn’t have a way to contact her. Surely her mother hadn’t given it to him? She might not have told her all the details that led to her leaving Edinburgh, but she had asked her mother to keep the number to herself, insisting she needed distance from Rhys while she got her head straight and decided what to do next.
Leaving her phone for a few minutes, she kept glancing at it. Forcing herself to think rationally, Melody considered who she had given her number to. Her mum, Gran, Lettie and Zac had it and possibly Lindy. If they had passed it on then it wouldn’t have been to Rhys because none of them knew him.
Feeling silly for her knee-jerk reaction, she picked up her phone again and unlocked it, opening the text to read it.
Hi Melody, this is Callum, Zac’s friend. He kindly gave me your number so I could ask you out for a drink one evening if you were interested in joining me at the village pub. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Surprised that Zac hadn’t asked first whether she minded him passing on her number, Melody then realised him doing so showed his lack of interest in her. She stared out of the window miserably. A cow mooed in the distance somewhere, distracting her from her disappointment.
What was she thinking? It shouldn’t matter whether or not Zac fancied her. Hadn’t she sworn off men forever? Her horrible experiences with Rhys should be enough to remind her that single life was far better than spending time in a bad relationship. She had never felt so alone as during those last months with Rhys. She now knew that being lonely and being alone were two completely different things.
Her thoughts returned to Zac and she pictured his adorable face, always ready with a quirky smile. He wasn’t often serious, but he was kind and made her and her gran feel welcome. Being upset that he didn’t feel the same attraction for her made her realise she must like him more than she had expected.
She looked at her text from Callum again and pictured the tall, handsome model and smiled to herself. Who did she think she was – feeling underwhelmed that a perfectly charming man, a model no less, had asked her out for a drink? She needed to get a grip. She hadn’t even met a model before coming to this place. She supposed she should reply but wasn’t sure what to say.
Should she mention Rhys to the Torels and Callum? Was it necessary? She tried to think what her grandmother would sayand knew without a doubt that she would insist it was no one else’s business but her own.
She should be making the most of being on the island and getting to know new people though, and Callum had only asked her out for a drink. She didn’t need to make a big deal about someone being friendly. Anyway, she reasoned, if she didn’t enjoy his company for any reason the village was close enough to the farm for her to walk home.
