Callie walked until her feet burned in her flip-flops. She should have known walking long distances in new shoes was a stupid idea, especially shoes that had only cost her five pounds off a market stall back at home. Oh how the mighty fall, she thought miserably; if only the thousands of people who read those glossy magazines could see her now.
She'd reached a small complex of shops and businesses. She looked around. There was a doctor's surgery and a lawyer's office. She'd walked past a pretty exclusive looking hotel. A café named The General Store faced her. She read the outside. Bishop and Carpenter… that had to be a coincidence. She decided not to take the risk of upsetting any more of the Bishop family today. So that left the Scarlet Bar, a rather modern looking establishment. She hoped she wouldn't be too underdressed to be served there.
She walked in, and was pleased to see it was busy. She hated walking into deserted pubs and restaurants; it always made her feel like she was on show so much more. She headed up to the bar. A man and woman were standing behind it, arguing playfully.
"No child of mine is being called Carlos," the man said determinedly. He was pretty young looking, but Callie couldn't put an exact age on him. The woman was definitely younger, with blonde hair and a lively face. She was just showing the first signs of a bump.
"Why not?" she asked, grinning. "I think it's sweet."
"Steph, no!" the man said firmly. He turned to Callie. "Sorry, what can I get you?"
"Um…" Callie scanned the cocktail menu out of habit, and then put it down. "Just a glass of water please."
"Still or sparkling?" the man asked.
"Oh, still," Callie replied.
The man handed her the glass and took her money. Callie looked around, wondering if there was a quiet corner she could sit down in on her own and ignore the world. That was the downside of busy bars: there was never anywhere to sit. Still, standing and propping up the bar was what she was known for back home, so why not here? She leaned against the bar to take the weight of her painful feet and sipped her glass of water.
So today had been a disaster then. Never mind, she could enjoy a few more days in the sun, top up her tan and then head home again. She hadn't lost anything; it wasn't like she'd ever known David Bishop. How could you miss someone you'd never known? She still had her mum and step-dad back home, she could go home to them and then sort herself out back there. This was just a minor blip on the radar. There was no reason to feel like the world was coming to an end. Callie thought everything through logically, recovering some of her natural composure. The first thing she had to do was find somewhere to stay tonight; that scummy B&B was not getting any more of her custom. She wondered what the hotel next door was like, but she doubted her dwindling bank account could stretch to it. She turned round to the barman.
"Sorry, I don't suppose you know of any cheap hotels around here, do you?" she asked.
The man frowned and glanced at his wife. "Um, not that I know of. Steph?"
"Well, there's always Lassiters," Steph said thoughtfully. "The hotel next door? But that doesn't really come into the realms of cheap."
"I was thinking a bit more affordable than that to be honest," Callie agreed, smiling ruefully. "I stayed in a pretty rough B&B last night, and I'd really rather not try it again."
"There's a few around here," the man said thoughtfully. "I've got the names of a few in the office, if you want to have a look? I'll just go and get them for you."
"That would be great."
"Do you want another drink while you're waiting?" Steph asked, holding a hand out for her empty glass.
Callie glanced down. "Um, no better not. I'm not that flush at the moment."
"You came on holiday without any money?" Steph looked surprised and curious.
Callie frowned. "How do you know I'm on holiday?"
"I guessed you weren't local from your accent," Steph teased. "Am I right?"
Callie shrugged. "Sort of, I guess." She was on holiday now, she supposed.
The man returned with a list of names and numbers. "Mention you got them off Max Hoyland and you might even get a discount," he said.
"He wishes!" Steph laughed. "You're not that famous yet, Max."
Callie smiled. "Thanks. I better get going, get ringing round these places. Where's the nearest pay phone?"
"You can use the phone here if you like," Steph offered instantly. She looked at Max. "Can't she?"
Max nodded. "Um, yeah I guess. It's just there." He pointed to the phone on the wall.
"Great." Callie smiled again. "I just hope it's not too short notice."
Three phone calls later she'd booked herself a room for the night. She replaced the receiver thankfully. She'd always hated calling strangers up for any reason. At least that had been relatively painless.
"You all sorted then?" Steph asked, as she pulled a pint for a man waiting at the bar.
"Yeah, thanks." Callie nodded, moving round to the other side of the bar again. "Look, I feel like I ought to give you something towards the phone bill…"
"Forget it." Steph shook her head. "Max is always making personal calls on it, he won't even notice the difference. Tell her, Stu."
The man at the bar took his pint and looked at Callie. He was tall, taller than Callie, with blonde hair and a deep and enviable tan. He looked pretty fit too and had mischievous brown eyes. Callie couldn't help liking him.
"Yeah, Max is forever ringing up dodgy chatlines that charge premium rate," he agreed, grinning at Steph.
"Oh, shut up!" Steph smacked his arm. "Honestly, don't worry about it. Now, you're sure you don't want another drink?"
Callie shook her head. "No, it's fine, I should get going."
"Stuart's buying." Steph grinned.
Stuart sighed. "I guess. What are you having?"
"Just water then," Callie agreed reluctantly, putting her holdall back down.
"You rebel you!" Stuart teased. He offered her his hand. "Stuart Parker."
"Callie Taylor," Callie replied. He had a firm grip, a real man's man. She sat down on one of the bar stools, having to stretch even at her height.
"So you're backpacking then?" Stuart eyed up her rather hefty and expensive looking suitcase. "That's a lot of stuff for backpacking."
"No, it's not like that." Callie shook her head, taking the glass of water off of Steph. "I… I'm sort of visiting family, I guess, and anyway, I never travel light." Just the thought of being separated from her beloved collection of vintage and designer clothes and her essential hair straighteners made her shudder. They were pretty much all she had left to hold onto.
"Oh right." Stuart nodded. "They live locally then?"
Callie thought long and hard about her response. Finally, she shook her head. "Not that locally, no, I'm just passing through really." Lying still came so naturally to her that it was a bit worrying; she'd vowed she'd turn over a new leaf as soon as she left England. But something felt wrong about telling these virtual strangers all about the Bishops' business; for all she knew, they might know each other.
"What family is it you're visiting?" Stuart continued asking questions. Callie recognised the signs. The only time men ever paid any attention to what she said was when they were trying to get her attention. The rest of the time it was all about her body and her fame.
"Just family."
"It's a long way for you to have come for 'just family'," Stuart remarked. "You are from England, right?"
"Yeah, London." She really didn't want to get into all this now; the next question was inevitably "so what do you do?" and she didn't want to answer that. She had no idea what she did anymore, and she definitely couldn't mention her last career. Even though her fame had never quite spread to Australia, there was a chance that someone could have found out about her. She just really didn't need the hassle right now. She glanced at her watch. "Anyway, I better get going if I'm to get to this B&B while it's still light. It was nice meeting you, thanks for the drink."
"Well if you're ever in the area again…" Stuart offered, leaving the invitation unsaid.
"Sure." Callie flashed him a smile, hoping he might be satisfied with that. She turned round to leave the bar and almost crashed straight into…
"Mr Bishop," she breathed out.
"Um, Harold, please," he said, looking as flustered as she felt. He struggled to find the right words. "I… um… we… that is… Sky suggested perhaps… would you like to join us for dinner?"
Callie was surprised. She'd expected to be told to get packing. It felt strange to actually be invited somewhere, and be actually wanted. "Um, sure." She nodded, then realised she needed to sound more positive. "I mean, of course, I'd really like to."
Harold seemed genuinely pleased at her response. He smiled. "Oh good. Well, um, shall we say seven o'clock then?"
Callie nodded and he turned to go. It was only then she realised that he had actually come looking for her, had actively gone out of his way to find her. She turned back to the bar. Steph and Stuart were looking at her with a new-found interest.
"You know Harold?" Steph asked.
Callie shrugged. "Sort of." What right did they have to know anything about her private life? "I should get going then, I need a shower and stuff before dinner."
Stuart suddenly stepped forward. "You're not going all the way to a B and B are you?"
"Where else am I going to go?"
"Well, it seems silly for you to head out of town and then back in again," Stuart continued. "I mean, when you could get showered and changed so much closer to the Bishops' house…"
"I think Stuart's trying to say you can get changed at his house," Steph interpreted. "He lives right across the street from them. So do I, but I can't really leave this place…"
Callie eyed Stuart up anxiously. He looked friendly enough, but God knew her judgements of people had been seriously off in the last few years. He could turn out to be a crazed axe-murderer or…
"I'm a cop." Stuart reached into his pocket and drew his ID card out. He smiled. "So I'll try not to kill you and bury you under the patio or something. We don't have a patio, actually…"
Callie forced herself to smile back. It was like he'd known she doubted him, like he could read her thoughts. Was she that transparent?
"Honestly, if you want to use my place, you're more than welcome." Stuart finished his beer and stood up. "If you don't…"
"No, it's fine." Callie forced herself to nod. "That would be really nice of you." She finished her water and then stood up too. "After you then."
