Ignoring the gulf of disappointment that opened up inside him, Caleb hit the speakerphone button.
“Hey, Mike.”
“Are you all right? You sound a little—”
“No, I’m fine,” he said curtly. If the guy pushed him now, he’d pick up the phone and hurl the bloody thing out the window. “What’s up?”
“I’ve got the TV contract here all ready to go. You should see the salary. It’s an awesome package. I’m thinking a bottle of Scotland’s finest single malt wouldn’t be amiss as a thank you to your wonderful agent.”
It occurred to him that this was great news and that he should be feeling very pleased with himself. But he just felt empty. “That’s great, Mike,” he forced himself to say. “When do you want me to sign it?”
“How about next week? We’ll do lunch.”
“No,” Caleb said, his hands tightening on the wheel. “Let’s sign it now.”
Yeah, he’d go sign this contract. Get it sorted. Then he’d be all ready to leave the country for Australia as soon as he’d finished with the club. And that would be the best thing for everyone.
Chapter Twelve
“You have to come, Jude.”
Judith concentrated on some of the images on her computer screen, not even looking at her brother as he leaned over her desk. “No, I don’t. And could you move, please? You’re blocking the light.”
“You took the bloody photos for that calendar. So I’m sorry, but you have to come to the auction.”
“What part of the word no don’t you understand? The N part? Or is it the O?”
Joseph made an irritated sound. “Is it because of Caleb?”
Damn. She shouldn’t have told her brother they’d stopped seeing each other. She shouldn’t have bloody said a word. Oh, she’d made it sound as amicable as possible. That they’d decided to call it quits and she was fine about it. Best not to mention the fact that Caleb had broken her heart into little jagged shards that were still rattling around inside her chest, cutting her like sharp pieces of glass. No, best keep that part quiet.
Judith finally deigned to look at him, making sure the only expression on her face was one of contempt. “Caleb? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s got nothing to do with him.” And it hadn’t. She didn’t want to go to the auction because she had lots of work on. Giant great lumps of work. Oceans of work. A veritable tsunami of work…
Her hand rose to touch her throat, reflexively grabbing for a necklace that wasn’t there anymore. Then she realized what she was doing and quickly stopped.
No, it was over. Gone. He was dead to her. D-E-A-D.
Joseph, annoyingly persistent, leaned his hip against her desk. “If it wasn’t to do with him, then why aren’t you coming?”
“I have work, Joe. Believe it or not, I’m quite busy now.”
“Because of that calendar, Jude. Let’s not forget that.”
“Don’t you have something better to do? Like going and playing on the street? Or making another important ‘lunch meeting’ with Chris?”
Her brother stared down at her and made an odd growling noise in his throat. “I’m going to kill him, I swear to God.”
Judith rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop it. This protective older brother thing is getting old. Get over yourself.”
“I will. Once you get over him.”
She lifted her chin, met his blue eyes head on. “I am over him.”
“No, you’re not.” Slowly he leaned forward, putting his hands on her desk. “I don’t think you ever got over him.”
Judith scowled at her screen again. “I don’t see how it’s any of your—”
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Her hand moved, quite unconsciously, and almost deleted the picture she was looking at. “Bloody hell, Joe, look what you made me almost do?”
“Be straight with me, Jude. I was straight with you about Christie.”
Pressure built in the back of her throat. She couldn’t tell him. Couldn’t admit anything. Otherwise the tears she’d been fighting off for the past week would all come flooding out again and she’d fall apart like a stack of wet newspaper.
But then he said, “Jude,” in his big-brother soft voice. The one he used when he knew she was hurting and he wanted to help.
And she felt her heart crack open.
“Yes,” she said hoarsely. “Okay, so I’m in love with him. Happy now?”
Joseph swore. “No. Now I’m really going to kill him.”
“Well, it’s not like you helped the situation with your ‘you’re not good enough for her’ comment.”