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“Okay, now that it’s done, it’s not so bad, is it?”
“No. This is bearable.”
“Go and let Callum know. If he knows you’re okay about it, he’ll be okay about it.”
“You’re right.”
Leah stepped outside, searching the beach for Callum. She couldn’t see him anywhere so she walked down to the shoreline.
“He’s gone up the river,” John said.
“Okay, thanks.” She hurried back inside to put better footwear on, choosing her white sandshoes. She threw a summer dress on over her bikini and headed back out. She followed the line of least resistance up the river at first, sticking to the sandy bank as she moved away from the sea. As the bank receded though, the going got harder. There was no track to follow here, which was why no one ever came down as far as her beach. It was the same on the other side of the river. She felt sweat trickle down her spine as she pushed through the scrub, swearing when her shoe got caught in a bramble. She could only hope that Callum was on the side of the river she’d chosen, because she didn’t think she wanted to do the walk again on the other side. Then she saw him, just up ahead. Sitting on a rock, staring into the slow flowing water. She hesitated, suddenly not sure if it was better for her to leave him alone.
He looked up, straight at her, and her heart squeezed tight in her chest. She walked to him, smiling when he moved over to make room for her on the rock. The sun was hot on her back, pushing through the dappled shade. A kookaburra sang, the sound shockingly loud in the quiet.
“Pics are up,” Leah said, when the silence finally got too much for her.
“Right.”
“My hair looks good.” She flicked him a look, feeling relief wash through her when his lips curved in a smile. “It’s not that bad, really,” she continued. “I mean, I don’t love it, but it’s not unbearable.”
“What if there are more? There might be. I don’t know how much interest there is in me right now, after taking a year off from the scene.”
“Then we’ll deal with it. Won’t we?” She couldn’t hide the note of uncertainty in her voice. She had no real understanding of what it would mean to her if she was suddenly the focus of a hoard of media attention. She had a picture in her mind of Princess Diana, being chased by dozens of men on speeding motorcycles. Even just a tiny fraction of that sort of attention would undo her, surely.
He turned to her, reaching up to cup her chin in his hand. His eyes were dark and intense on her face. “Yes. We’ll deal with it.” He slipped his other arm around her waist and shifted closer, leaning in and brushing his lips ever so lightly over hers. Leah sighed against his lips. He slid his hand into her hair, tilting her head and kissing her deeply.
???
Callum felt like he was walking on a knife’s edge over the next few days. He had been unbelievably rattled by the sight of the photographer hiding in the van and hadn’t really known how to process his reaction. Blessed Inlet was home. It was sanctuary. To lose that, and to have the loss of that involve Leah, hit him much harder than he was prepared for. As he moved about the town, he was on high alert, constantly assessing every car, every stranger for signs that they were following him. He was becoming paranoid.
Thankfully, Christmas Day came and went in peace. Leah stayed with him in the unit on Christmas Eve. They woke Christmas morning to make slow, sweet love as the magpies warbled near the window and the light turned peachy pink with the rising sun. After that, they exchanged gifts. Diamond drop earrings for Leah, an original Rolling Stones record for Callum. Then they headed inside to Nora and John’s for breakfast. Rafe and Mikayla arrived in time to finish off the eggs benedict, coffee and orange juice. In typical Sinclair fashion, John went and changed into his Santa suit, while Mikayla made ribald comments about Nora getting excited. Once the Lockes had arrived, they opened their presents in the loungeroom.
The rest of the day was spent at the beach. They played cricket, went for swims, dozed on beach chairs. Lunch was cold ham, salads and crusty bread, with watermelon for dessert.
On Boxing Day, as Callum was driving back into town from Leah’s, he saw a motorbike parked in front of the supermarket. His gut tightening, he slowed the car to a crawl, then he chastised himself. Plenty of motorbikes rode into Blessed Inlet during the summer. It didn’t mean anything. But then a second bike pulled up, parking next to the first. The man just sat there, with the engine running, waiting. Callum pulled into the curb and waited as well. It wasn’t long before the first rider came out of the supermarket and approached the second. They talked briefly, then the first guy undid the zipper on his tank bag and stuffed the grocery bag inside. Callum narrowed his eyes. He was sure he had seen some camera equipment in the bag before the guy zipped it shut. He swore, debating with himself for a moment about what he should do. Making a snap decision, he eased into the road and headed down the main street. As he came level with the two men, he slowed right down and stared at them. They looked back, the second guy grabbing instinctively for his backpack. Callum swore again before slamming on the accelerator and turning left at the end of Main Street before they had time to get on their bikes.
Safely back in his unit, he texted Leah to let her know. She was planning on visiting Juniper that day so she’d have to go from her house up to the Lighthouse and back. Although he felt a screaming need to go back to her house and drive her there himself, he checked the impulse. He thought it would be better if he didn’t draw too much attention to her. If she was on her own, hopefully the photographers wouldn’t recognize her and they’d leave her alone.
That idea worked well for a whole day, but the day after Boxing Day brought three more paparazzi to town. One of them walked up and down Main Street asking locals if they knew anything about the whereabouts of Callum Sinclair. Callum found out because Mrs Dalgleish, who owned the supermarket, heard it from Jodie Mickleham who worked at Coco’s. Jodie had been waiting tables when a short, stocky guy with a buzz cut came up, quizzing some of the patrons sitting at the outside tables. Someone had told him to fuck off. Things got heated quickly, and Terry from the newsagents had had to intervene, threatening to call the cops if the guy didn’t piss off.
Once he’d made sure the guy had left, Terry had rushed back inside and phoned John. The photographer had been particularly interested in any information on a petite, pretty brunette. Callum felt the news like a kick in the guts. Leah. The town closed ranks as much as it could, but Blessed Inlet was a tiny town. Five men zipping around everywhere on motorbikes, on the lookout for Callum. It was only a matter of time before they found him. He needed to take control of the situation. He needed a plan.
Having stayed away from Leah for two days, for her own protection, he felt a quickening of his pulse when he reached for his phone to call her. He was sitting in his truck, out the front of a job site.
“Callum!”
“Hey. How are you?”
“I’m okay. What about you?”
“Not great. These assholes are every fucking where. But I’ve got an idea. Where are you now?”
“I’m at home.”
“I’ll be there in two minutes.”
“Okay.”
