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“No,” she said, eyeing it warily. “But what about my car?”
“Shit.” Her little gray Ford Focus lay crushed under a big branch. “Okay, first things first. We’ll deal with the power line because it’ll probably take a few days. I’ll ring now and get someone to come out. It’s one of Dad’s mates so we can at least get it looked at today.”
“Okay, thanks, that’s great.”
Well, that was more than he’d been able to get out of her since they woke up that morning, still on the bean bag. He glanced in the rear-view mirror as he waited for the call to connect, hearing another car coming down the long drive. “Mik’s here.”
Leah got out of the car as Mikayla and Rafe pulled up behind them. Callum could see Mikayla looking from Leah to his car and back again, hardly disguising her fascination with the situation. Leah was standing there in her pajama shorts and his sweater. He rolled his eyes affectionately; his sister was a notorious busybody. Then the call connected and he was busy organizing the inspection as Leah, Mikayla and Rafe went to check out her car. By the time the call was finished, the others had moved inside.
The second Callum stepped inside, Mikayla said, “Leah obviously can’t stay here until the power is fixed up. I’m gonna give Mum a quick call. It’s probably best if she bunks there for a few days.”
“Oh, no, really, that’s not necessary,” Leah objected, coming out of her bedroom fully dressed and her hair tied back. “I don’t want to put them out.”
“Well, you have to put someone out, since you can’t stay here,” Mikayla replied, with perfect logic.
Callum had a brief moment to consider that there was no earthly reason that Leah couldn’t stay with Mikayla and Rafe. Or at the little cottage at the lighthouse. But Mikayla was already dialing Nora’s number and in no time at all, it was all arranged. “They’re on their way back from Sydney. Mum said you’ll have to stay in Callum’s old room, since apparently they’re converting mine to a sewing room. Rude.”
“Right, well, let’s do as much as we can here and get back to civilization,” Rafe said.
“Good plan.” Mikayla slapped Rafe on the back and got to work.
They did the best they could, but the little house was completely flooded, since the strength of the wind had pulled a corner of the tarpaulin up, allowing rainwater to bucket in. The kitchen cabinets were completely trashed, the floorboards all warped and the bottom of all the furniture in the living areas soaked through.
“Well, it looks like my renovation plans have just been brought forward,” Leah said, rolling up the rug in the lounge area. Callum came over to lend a hand, knowing that the wet rug would be too heavy for her. She was putting a brave face on it, but he knew this was pretty devastating. She did not have the funds to do this level of repairs. “Here’s hoping the insurance comes through.” They hefted the rug, taking an end each and moving through the house.
“It should do, yeah?”
“I’m not sure if I have flood cover. I can’t remember.”
“This would be storm damage, rather than flood,” Callum said, heaving the rug into the back of his truck.
“Would it?” She asked uncertainly, standing next to his truck with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes downcast.
“Sure. Dad and I do these sorts of jobs all the time.”
“Right, maybe it’s okay then.”
“If it’s not, we’ll work something out.”
“Oh, that’s okay, I don’t —”
“We’ll work something out,” he said again, with a bit more force. She flashed a look up at him, a little stricken, maybe, but that dissolved when she saw the smile on his face. “You’re not alone, Leah.”
She smiled at him then and he felt his heart contract in his chest. Christ, she was just so lovely. “I know. It’s just that sometimes I forget. So thanks for reminding me.”
“Any time.” Then they just stood there, next to his truck, gazing at each other. He didn’t think he’d ever get sick of looking at her, with her creamy skin, soulful eyes and rosebud lips. She pulled at him in ways he couldn’t explain. He leaned forward, not really aware of what he was doing, just feeling the almost overwhelming urge to kiss her again. She raised her face to his, a shadow of a smile in her eyes. She knew what he was about, and she liked it. It stirred his blood.
“Hey, so good news—” Mikayla stopped short. “Oh, sorry.” She turned to go back inside.
But Leah said, “No, that’s okay. What’s the good news?” She took a step back and Callum couldn’t deny the flash of disappointment he felt.
“Your extremely awesome shoe collection is completely undamaged.”
Leah laughed. “Oh, thanks for checking.”
“All good. As you were.”
But the moment was lost. Callum sighed as Leah flicked him another glance before following Mikayla back inside. He wasn’t quite sure how to play it from here. She wasn’t completely stand offish, obviously, but she wasn’t totally throwing herself at him, either. That morning, when they had both woken up on the beanbag, his arms still around her, she’d been a little awkward. The fire burning low and Harry snoring loudly and the power still out, she’d moved off his lap, seeming to draw herself inward, away from him. As much as he’d wanted to, he didn’t try to pull her back. He didn’t know that much about her past, but the little he did know gave him the understanding that her marriage had been pretty awful. She needed time. He was happy to give her that. Even though he really, really wanted to kiss her again.
