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Tom chose that moment to giggle at something funny on television and they both glanced at him and smiled. ‘Yeah, I bet he is,’ she said softly.
Callum heard the wistful note in her voice and glanced back at her sharply. Her voice was pregnant with longing yet her eyes seemed muddied with confusion. ‘Family’s good for that,’ he murmured gently.
Hailey flicked her gaze back to Callum, aware again of his hand on her leg. This had to stop. ‘Speaking of which, my sisters have obviously heard about our 2B emergency and are going to be here in about…’ she checked her watch ‘…ten minutes to coddle me for the night.’
‘That’s nice of them,’ Callum murmured.
Hailey nodded. Yes, it was. But she’d been coddled to death when she’d first arrived back from the UK and she was over it a little. It’s why she’d struck out on her own. To show them she was fine. ‘This place is a mess, though,’ she groaned, looking around quickly and shifting her leg to get up.
Callum kept his hand firmly on her shin. He gave her apartment a quick visual once-over. It wasn’t too bad. ‘Looks OK to me.’
‘The kitchen has two days’ worth of dirty dishes piled on the sink and I haven’t vacuumed in for ever,’ she protested.
‘Would your sisters care about that?’
‘Well, no. But it is Rilla’s place and she’s a bit of a neat freak, and I’d hate her to think I wasn’t looking after it.’
Callum shook his head. He remembered the complete and utter wasteland he’d lived in for those first six months after Annie had died when he’d barely been able to put one foot in front of the other and had been desperately tired from a baby who had just never seemed to sleep. He was relatively immune to mess.
‘Well, I don’t think either of them would want you hobbling around on a freshly sprained ankle, making the place pretty for them.’ The doorbell rang and he saw Hailey start. ‘And it appears they’re early. Too late now.’
‘Great,’ Hailey grumbled, moving to push herself up again.
Callum restrained her gently, his hand pushing firmly against her leg. He stood. ‘I’ll get the door.’
Hailey opened her mouth to protest. Her sisters would get totally the wrong idea. But Callum was almost at the door so she shut her eyes and wished herself anywhere but there.
Callum opened the door to two women and a baby. The shorter one, who looked quite similar to Hailey, was laden with three mouth-wateringly aromatic pizza boxes. ‘Hi,’ he said to their startled faces.
‘Er, hi.’ Rilla frowned, looking around the man in her sister’s doorway trying to locate Hailey. Her gaze came back to rest on the stranger. She clicked her fingers. ‘Tuxedo man.’
It was Callum’s turn to frown. ‘Callum,’ he said, holding out his hand. ‘Callum Craig.’
‘You’re Callum Craig?’ Rilla asked, shaking the proffered hand.
Beth turned to her sister for clarification. ‘The one who helped her today? The paediatrician?’
Rilla nodded. ‘Apparently.’
They turned to look at him and he felt like he was a specimen placed under a microscope. He shook the other sister’s hand, mindful not to wake the sleeping baby as they introduced themselves. ‘Hailey had a little accident on the stairs. I was just getting her settled.’
Rilla and Beth didn’t wait for him to step aside, brushing past him in a hurry at his news.
‘Hailey!’ Beth called.
‘It’s OK,’ Hailey said from the lounge, having been privy to the excruciatingly embarrassing doorway introductions. ‘I’m fine. It’s just a mild sprain.’
There was much bluster and fussing for five minutes as Callum and Hailey filled them in on what had happened. Bridie woke up with all the noise and Beth sat on the lounge opposite her sister to feed the baby. Tom was utterly fascinated and sat next to Beth with rapt attention, gently stroking Bridie’s forehead as she nursed.
‘Anyway, we should be going,’ Callum said when he could get a word in edgeways. ‘Come on, Tom.’
‘Oh, no, Daddy, please, not yet,’ he begged.
Beth smiled at the earnest expression on Tom’s face. ‘Stay,’ she urged. ‘Let us feed you. It’s the least we can do for the assistance you rendered our sister. We have plenty. We always buy more—Hailey’s favourite food is cold pizza,’ she teased.
‘It is not,’ Hailey protested, blushing. Although it was up there.
‘Please, Daddy.’
Callum could feel himself weakening. It had been a long time since he’d been enveloped in such family hospitality. And he still found it hard to say no to Tom. He glanced at Hailey.
