For the first time in a long while, Callan was actually looking forward to going to work. A lot of that had to do with Alicia. He’d spent much of the previous evening thinking about her as he was sketching, and he had come up with a number of killer designs that he was ready to show clients. It had been a while since he’d felt able to do that. He’d even spent some time working on the rose and tears. He pondered whether he should ask her for a drink or dinner or to see a band. A proper date before he took her to bed. Again. The thought of that fired him up with inspiration that he didn’t know he possessed as the pencil took on a life of its own, whizzing across the pages as he drew.

He was surprised to see her already at work, perched on the stool next to the reception podium, eyes fixed on the laptop in front of her, brows knotted together.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Morning, boss,” she replied. “I’m sure it’s nothing. There’s an odd email that came in overnight from Jason Mackey. He replied to something someone called Isobel sent him a couple of months back?”

A shiver shot down Callan’s spine at the mention of Isobel’s name. He’d done pretty well since the funeral to forget all about her. He didn’t recognise the name Jason Mackey though.

“I’ve got five minutes before my first appointment. Do you want me to take a look?”

“That would be great. I’m sure it’s some kind of misunderstanding, but another pair of eyes on it would be useful.” She pushed the laptop in his direction.

He looked at the screen and read.

Hi Isobel,

Thanks for the contact and so sorry for the extended delay, I’ve been taking some time out after my last gig and spent the past few months travelling across Thailand and Indonesia (I know, poor me, right?!)

Anyway, the opportunity you outlined for the position at The Unbound Soul sounds fantastic and would really suit me right now. I’m in Oakridge tomorrow (Tuesday) and can pop in sometime in the afternoon if that’s convenient?

Best wishes,

Jason Mackey

There was a mobile number and email at the bottom of the message. Callan stared at the words that were swimming around in front of him. Why would Isobel have been asking someone about a job? He checked the dates on the email. At the time Isobel sent the original communication there were no openings. A sense of foreboding settled over him as he scrolled down to read more. Isobel’s message said she’d got Jason’s details from a mutual friend and that they were looking to recruit a barber at The Unbound Soul because one of the existing members of the team was thinking of leaving. He frowned. Miles and Aaron were still relatively new at that time, which left Aidy and Xander. It wouldn’t have been Aidy. His best friend would have discussed it with him first.

He reread the date. It was time stamped the day he found Xander and Isobel together. Did that mean his brother was going to walk out on him, and Isobel had planned a replacement?

He didn’t have time to think any further as his customer arrived. They went upstairs, and Callan was grateful that Pearl had already set up his station, which meant he could get started straight away. He pulled on his gloves and fired up the tattoo gun. Luckily, it was one of his regulars who wanted a filler colour on one of his existing tattoos. It was something that didn’t require him to think much, which was just as well as the contents of the email reeled around in his brain.

There was a small part of him that wanted to contact Isobel and ask her what the hell was going on. That would be more hassle than it was worth. He finished up the filling work in less than half an hour, then methodically tidied up his station, the routine elements of wiping down the area, throwing away the used paper towels and tiny pots of ink somewhat therapeutic. Once he was done, he went into the office. He sat on the desk, his back to the door, and stared out of the window.

“All right, Callan?” Aidy said from behind him.

Callan turned and exhaled loudly. “Not really, mate, no.”

Aidy shut the door behind him. “What’s up?”

He explained the contact from Jason and how he planned to come in that afternoon. “Do you think he knew about Xander and Isobel?”

“No-one knew about that and we worked with them every day.” Aidy paused. “Look, I know it’s been difficult for you to think about replacing Xander, this Jason guy could be the answer. Think about it, there’s nothing on the grapevine to say you’re over what happened and you’re moving on. You haven’t advertised to say there’s a job here. Why not let him come in and see what happens?”

As always, Aidy spoke a lot of sense. There was no point in cutting Jason off simply because he responded to something Isobel sent him. Like Alicia, he was probably looking for a break. It didn’t necessarily make it hurt any less though.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me. I’ll talk to him.”

Aidy slapped him on the back. “Good decision, Cal. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Alicia knocked on the office door. Aidy opened it and beckoned her inside. Callan’s gaze swept over her. She was dressed in tight dark blue jeans, spike heeled boots, and a loose, scoop neck t-shirt that was short enough to occasionally reveal a hint of her abs as she moved. Her dark chocolate hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and Callan had a sudden urge to reach out and pull it free from its band, releasing it over her shoulders.

“I’m going to get a coffee,” she said. “Can I get you two anything?”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to do that,” said Callan.

She smiled. “I know. I guessed you might need it after that email this morning?”

Callan almost knocked Aidy out of the way to go to hug her. It was almost as if she was in his head. “That would be great, thank you.”

“Americano with an extra shot, right?”

“Perfect.” Pretty much like you, he added silently. “Don’t let Wren coerce you into buying me cake.”

Alicia laughed. “I know. I’ve been in there twice and she’s definitely a feeder.”

Aidy groaned. “Who do you think has to taste the new recipes she wants to try out?”

Callan put his hand in his pocket and fished out a note, but Alicia waved it away and headed off. He watched her walk away, transfixed by the way her arse looked in her jeans.

“Uh oh, I recognise that look,” said Aidy.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you really think it’s a good idea getting involved with the receptionist again? I mean, look how that turned out last time.”

“Low blow, Aidy.” Callan shook his head.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you two have been looking at each other. Sneaking glances when you think that no-one else can see. What’s going on?”

While Callan definitely wanted there to be something, he hadn’t yet been able to broach the subject directly with Alicia. Within days of her starting, she had already made a great difference to the place, lightening the mood and doing things that weren’t strictly in the job description—like getting his coffee. There was always someone around when he wanted to talk to her, and he hadn’t yet managed to persuade her to let him take her to lunch or for a drink after work. There always seemed to be something—or someone—in the way.

“Nothing. I don’t know what you’re on about,” he lied.

“Really? I’ve seen you look that way before, like you can’t wait to get her into bed.”

Once again, Aidy was right. Almost fifteen years of friendship could do that. He just needed to work out a way to convince Alicia.

* * *

It was shortly after four o’clock that Jason Mackey arrived. Callan had been free since mid-afternoon and had been sitting downstairs with Alicia on one of the sofas going through some marketing ideas. He had to admit that compared to anything Isobel had suggested, Ali’s were way ahead. He knew he’d been right to go with the more corporate-minded applicant.

“I’m looking for Callan Rivers?” A male voice carried across the floor.

Both Callan and Alicia turned to look. A tall, dark-haired guy, wearing biker boots, jeans, and a checked shirt, walked towards them. His hair was slightly floppy on top, styled back to reveal the shaved sides of his head.

“Jason?” The man nodded, and Callan stood up. “I’m Callan.” They shook hands, and Callan noted Jason’s firm grip. “Why don’t we go upstairs for a chat?” He led the way and shut the door behind them.

“I didn’t know whether you’d want to see me,” said Jason, once they were both seated. “I heard about your brother.”

Callan nodded solemnly. “I have to admit your email came as a bit of a shock. I had no idea Isobel had contacted you.”

“Well, I haven’t spoken to her in a while, but when we were first in touch, she mentioned there were staffing issues and Xander was thinking of leaving and it might also mean she would go too.”

That confirmed Callan’s initial suspicions. If he hadn’t have found Xander and Isobel that night, they would have left anyway. He couldn’t help wondering whether Xander would still be alive if they had done. And how well did Jason know Isobel anyway? Now wasn’t the time to think about that. Callan had to look forward.

“Why don’t you tell me about some of the stuff you’ve done?” he asked instead.

As Jason spoke, Callan half-listened. He was in turmoil about whether he’d be able to work with someone else. It made good business sense, whether he was able to make sense of it on a personal level was another matter. If he decided that Jason would be a good fit, he'd need to talk it through with Aidy.

“I’ll go and get Aidy; you’d be working mostly with him and it would be useful for you to have a chat.” Callan escaped from the stuffiness of the room and headed downstairs. He had a quick word with Aidy who went up to the office.

Alicia was pulling on her jacket.

“You off?” he asked.

She stopped, a look of concern on her face. “If that’s okay?”

He wanted to ask her for a drink, to go back to his and stay with him. “Of course. Unless you want to grab a drink or a bite to eat? I never did take you out for lunch.”

“Thanks, Callan, I’d love to, but I’m going to yoga with Nell tonight and she’d kill me if she thought I was ducking out again. Maybe another time?”

Callan didn’t do a very good job of hiding his regret as he replied. “No worries. You will come back tomorrow though?”

“I’ll think about it.” Alicia’s smile was mischievous. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint my new boss two days running.”

He watched her walk out, his heart heavy. She was anything but a disappointment.

As he waited for Aidy to finish talking to Jason, he took a quick look at the appointments book for the rest of the week. There was a healthy number of clients booked in, he knew they could do better. He thought back to what Aidy had said about them not overtly advertising Xander’s role. Could Jason be the answer? His mind drifted as he waited, thinking back to the times when he, Xander, and Isobel would be bantering in between clients. Happier times, when he had no idea what was going on between the two of them. Then that image of the two of them together crept back into his head and he shuddered, trying to get rid of it again.

“Cal?” Aidy’s voice brought him back to the present. “I’ve had a good chat with Jason. Was there anything else you wanted to say?”

Jason was smiling at him. Callan guessed that the conversation with Aidy had gone well. “Not really. Let us know if there’s anything else you want to know, yeah?” He extended a hand and Jason shook it.

“Thanks for taking the time, guys,” he said. “And hopefully I’ll see you again soon.”

Aidy locked the door after Jason left, and Callan turned some of the lights off.

“You want to go get a beer?” asked Callan.

“Yeah, good idea. Let me tell Wren I’ll be a bit late.” Aidy pulled his phone out from his pocket and fired off a quick message as Callan sorted out the till.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at a quiet table in the Trackside Social. Callan scanned the room for any sign of Alicia, but he guessed she must have been telling the truth about going to yoga. He took a slug of his pint. “Do you think you could work with Jason?”

Aidy mirrored his move. “I don’t see why not. He seems to have decent contacts and could pull some clients away from Cutting Ink. If he didn’t work for us, he’d end up working for them.”

“You’re right.” Callan paused. “Want to call him and offer him a job?”

“When did I become the HR department?” laughed Aidy. “Sure, I’ll speak to him later.”

They clinked their glasses.

A thought occurred to Callan. “Do you think he’s still in touch with Isobel?”

“Mate, if he is, he should know all about what’s gone on. He still chose to come and have a chat with you though.”

“True. I just don’t want to have to see her again.”

“It’s not like you bump into her anywhere, is it? She knows to stay away.”

“I hope you’re right, Aidy. I don’t want to have to deal with her.”