It was a warm, balmy evening, and plenty of people had also descended on Oakridge’s Riverside bar and restaurant area to enjoy the sunshine and grab something to eat. As Alicia walked over from the Fosse Arcade, she mulled over her first day at The Unbound Soul. After their heart-to-heart in the morning, Alicia had worked downstairs at the reception podium all afternoon, taking bookings and welcoming clients. While it wasn’t something she was used it, she had enjoyed it, particularly seeing happy customers with a new look, design, or piercing. When there had been quiet moments, she had begun penning a marketing strategy, based on what had been created in the past, as well as putting her own stamp on things. She planned to show something to Callan by the end of the week.

Nell was waiting for her outside La Mesa Tapas, four cocktails on the table.

“Are we expecting company?” asked Alicia. She pulled out a chair and sat down.

“It’s two-for-one, what did you expect?” replied Nell, taking a piece of fruit out of one of the glasses and chewing on it.

“Where are Rory’s then? I thought we were celebrating my first day of paid employment.”

Her friend rolled her eyes. “He’s working late again. Apparently, there’s a potential new client that they’re seeing tomorrow, and he needs to do a presentation for them. Only found out at four this afternoon.”

Rory’s work had been springing more and more last-minute things on him. While Alicia thought that must be a good thing for his career, she knew that Nell was starting to tire of him letting her down at the last minute.

“Anyway, enough of my whinging. How was your first day?”

Alicia reached for the Citrus Samba and took a long pull. The sharpness of the pineapple juice and cachaça tasted amazing, and she drank some more, almost finishing the glass in two goes.

“Careful. You don’t want to be steaming before the food arrives,” Nell warned. “I ordered some olives, taquitos, and empanadas. Oh, and chicken wings. I thought you might be hungry after your first day. Unless your new boss took you out for a slap-up lunch?”

Callan had offered to take her out for lunch, but she’d declined, choosing instead to head to Books ’n’ Beans for a little time out. It had taken pretty much all of her willpower to say no although it had been the right thing to do. After everything he’d told her, she needed a little time to digest and work out what, if anything, she wanted to happen.

“He asked, I said no.”

“What happened? Did you mess up some appointments? Give someone the wrong change? Overcharge someone’s credit card?”

It was going to be difficult to keep anything from Nell. “I found out his brother was killed in an accident.”

Nell’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes like saucers. “Oh my god, when?”

“Not that long ago. And when we slept together last week, it was the night before the funeral.”

“Wait, what?”

“You know I said he’d been pretty evasive when I’d asked him questions about his life? Turns out he was trying to be normal for a night, not have to think about all of that.”

“Understandable.”

The waiter appeared with their food and placed the dishes on the table.

Suddenly, Alicia’s stomach growled. It had been a long time since she’d eaten a slice of cake for lunch. She grabbed one of the empanadas before Nell could get to it. The first bite tasted like heaven. Nell went for a chicken wing.

“If he had told you about his brother when you’d first met, do you think you’d have slept with him?” asked Nell, as she licked the glaze off her finger.

It was similar to the question Callan had asked her earlier. Would she have seen him differently? Would she have felt sorry for him? Would pity have played a part in her going home with him?

“I don’t know,” she replied, honestly.

“As that’s a null and void point, would you see him again? If he asked, that is.”

An image of Callan naked and thrusting, kissing the breath out of her, popped into her head unbidden. It was followed by one of him baring his soul to her that morning, the heartbroken look in his eyes as he told her about Xander.

“In a heartbeat, yes.”

“Should I cancel that double date on Friday then?”

Alicia laughed. “Hey, there’s no indication that Callan is going to ask me out. In fact, now I’m working for him, I’m sure he has no intention of doing so, so bring on the date!”

As she spoke, Alicia wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, Nell or herself.