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Jamie stared blankly at the table in front of him. She wouldn’t. Anna couldn’t.
The silence that had seemed to damn him in Anna’s eyes had been shock. Sudden understanding of all the little things he’d wondered about. But she’d seen it as rejection. She’d think about that for a moment and realise she was wrong and turn around so that he could tell her the one obvious truth. He could give up anything else in his life as long as Anna stayed...
Then he heard the front door bang. When he walked to the window, he saw the headlights of her car flip on and then slowly arc across the driveway.
He could have borne whatever Anna cared to throw at him. He could have borne her silence. But he couldn’t bear it that she’d just left before he’d even had a chance to take in everything she’d said properly.
Gill had done that too. He knew now that there had been a lot wrong with their relationship, and it was unlikely that anything either of them could have said would have mended it. But she’d never allowed him the opportunity of any understanding or closure. Had just walked away. And now Anna, the person he believed in more than anyone else he’d ever known, had done the same thing. They could have made it work, but she wouldn’t even try.
Perhaps she’d feel differently about it in the morning. It was a great thought, but Jamie knew that it was never going to happen. He could call and she wouldn’t answer. He might even sit down and laboriously write an email, setting out everything he wanted to say to her, but he’d never know if she’d even read it because she wouldn’t reply. Once Anna had made up her mind about something she stuck to it.
Anger coursed through his veins. So much for candlelight and a nice dinner. He pinched the wicks of the candles to extinguish them, cursing when he burned his fingers. Then in a sudden blind rage, directed at himself, Anna, and the rest of the world, he swept his arm across the table. Plates and candlesticks went flying, hitting the floor with a crash, which somehow didn’t satisfy him as much as it should have. Walking out of the house, he stood on the veranda, shivering and watching the rain fall.
* * *
When Anna popped her head around the door of the waiting room, Callum and his aunt were sitting alone. She’d expected that—she hadn’t seen or heard from Jamie in the last three weeks. That was partly due to the fact that she’d been judiciously avoiding him.
This would be the last time she’d go through this kind of heartbreak. She’d been with Jamie for four short weeks, but in that time she’d known he was the love of her life. ‘The One.’ If it was impossible for her to stay with him, then there would never be anyone else. She’d never be hurt again.
Callum looked up and saw her, giving her a smile. Anna switched on the smile she’d been hiding behind ever since she’d walked out on Jamie.
‘Hi, Callum. How are you doing?’
‘Great. Thanks.’
He didn’t look great. That was generally the case with patients who came for a second laser treatment for tattoo removal, they knew what to expect this time. She beckoned for him to follow her and his aunt gathered up her coat and came too.
‘So. Let’s take a look at your hand, then.’
Callum brightened a bit. ‘It’s looking really good, don’t you think?’
Anna examined his hand carefully. All of the inflammation had gone down now, and the tattoos were now a faded collection of disjointed lines with no discernible meaning.
‘Yes, I’m really pleased with the results, these should only need one more treatment and then we can get started on the other hand. Generally tattoos need a great deal more work before they fade, but these small amateur tattoos are sometimes easier to remove than professional ones, because of the depth of penetration and type of ink.’
Callum grinned. ‘I’ll remember that for the future.’
Anna glanced at Callum’s aunt, who had frowned suddenly in response to her nephew’s joke. She felt a tingle at the back of her neck. A remembered reaction to the expected interjection from Jamie. But he wasn’t here.
‘You have to think very carefully before getting any tattoo, Callum. I’d say that if removal even crosses your mind, that’s a pretty solid reason not to get one done in the first place.’
Callum nodded. ‘I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t be getting any more. Jamie said I should focus on how my hands are going to look when this is finished, and how I’m going to keep them that way.’
Anna resisted the temptation to ask Callum exactly where and when he’d last seen Jamie, and how he was. ‘Yes, that’s a good suggestion.’
‘He said to say hello.’
‘Did he?’ Anna obviously hadn’t managed to conceal her surprise and consternation because Callum shrugged.
‘Well, he didn’t actually say it. I expect he forgot. I’ll tell him hello back, shall I?’
Anna thought quickly. Maybe the Hastings Hustlers had noticed something and this was a heavy-handed attempt to open the lines of communication between her and Jamie again. On the other hand, Callum might just be trying to be polite, it was difficult to tell.
‘How is he?’
‘Okay. Pretty much the same as always.’
‘Right. Well, I’m glad to hear it. Don’t bother to tell him hello, I should probably give him a call. I’ll say hello myself.’
