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“And? Has anything happened between the two of you?”
“Why would you think that?” Zoe picked up her cup again.
“Because you’re blushing.” Caitlin giggled.
“I’m not—” Zoe began hotly, but Caitlin giggled more. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Yes, he kissed me. On your wedding day. That’s it. We both had too much to drink and… That’s all.”
“And why haven’t you told me before? Does Hannah know?” Caitlin was obviously tickled pink about the news.
“No, I haven’t told Hannah. You know how she gets when the name Cavallo is mentioned. And I was away in London… Anyway, there was nothing to tell, really. Yes, he kissed me, but he’s a Cavallo, he can kiss any woman any time he wants to.”
Caitlin smiled. “Ahh, now it makes sense. That kiss was the reason you decided to leave for London instead of coming home first?”
Fed up with the whole conversation, Zoe nodded.
“So, has he kissed you again?” Caitlin batted her eyelashes.
“No, he hasn’t kissed me again. There will be no kissing him. Ever again.”
“But you would like him to?”
Zoe gulped down the rest of her tea and got up. “Yes, I’d like Dale Cavallo to kiss me again. But then, I’d probably like a number of attractive men to kiss me. I have to go, I’ll call you.” She tried a smile before she turned around to leave.
But instead of making a grand exit, she saw Don and Dale standing right behind her, blocking her escape route. Between the twinkling in Don’s eyes and the storm in Dale’s, it was clear they had heard every word of her last comments.
She opened her mouth to say something, realized nothing she could say would get her out of this mess, so she just slipped past them and made a beeline for the front door.
*
Zoe stood infront of the big windows in her flat. She was still so glad she had been able to buy this place in Green Point more than a year ago. It was close to Cape Town and close to the busy Waterfront, but it was far enough away that she was unaware of the daily hustle and bustle of city life. And to top it all, she had a lovely view of the Atlantic Ocean.
Her flat was in one of the older buildings that had been renovated, and she was able to get it at a fair price. The rooms were big, airy, and both bedrooms also had a sea view.
From outside she heard the low-pitched sound of Moaning Minnie, the name the locals had given the red and white lighthouse across the road because of the sound it made. It was May, the beginning of winter and misty outside tonight.
She’d had a bath and was dressed in her flannel pyjamas, her favourite. She should have been in bed already. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. But she couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier.
The email she’d received from Dale’s secretary by late afternoon was short and to the point. The first hotel she was supposed to visit was in Clifton, the playground of the rich and famous. Clifton was about a fifteen-minute drive from Green Point, so she didn’t have to get up too early to be there on time.
She was told she’d be “met” there and she was fretting over this word. Dale had stated very clearly that he was going to work with her. Did that mean he was the one she would see tomorrow?
How on earth could she face him again after this morning? “Yes, I’d like Dale Cavallo to kiss me again,” she murmured the words that had been haunting her since she had uttered them. She couldn’t believe she’d told Caitlin that. And then to top it off, Dale had been standing right behind her, hearing every word.
And, of course, by this time Caitlin would have told both her mother and Hannah about the kissing and the incident. And her mother hadn’t phoned her yet! Probably because she was planning an attack when Zoe would least expect it.
Aarghh. She switched off the light in the sitting room. She was going to bed.
There was a sound from her intercom near the front door. She looked at the time. It was nearly ten o’clock. Who would want to see her this time of night? She walked up to the front door and pressed the button.
“Yes?” she said in a clipped voice.
“Zoe?”
Dale? Was it Dale? Surely it couldn’t be Dale? There was another buzz.
She pressed the button again. “Dale?” she asked warily.
“Yes, may I come up?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Because… just open the damn gate, Zoe. Please?”
Zoe pressed a hand to her stomach. Oh, my goodness. Dale was downstairs. He wanted to come up to her flat.
Quickly, she pressed the button to unlock the gate downstairs and stood staring at her front door. She couldn’t move away. Only when he knocked on her door, did she realize she was in her flannel pyjamas and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Oh, what the hell. Let him see her like this. He would probably turn around and run. Which would be a very good thing.
