I woke on a gasp, blinking at the clock on the bedside dresser. It read 6:07 a.m. My alarm normally went off at 6:30 a.m., but I’d woken early, probably due to the intensity of the dream I’d just had. One part of me wished to go back to it, but another part wished to avoid it altogether. The woman in my dream had held a striking resemblance to …
No, I refused to delve too deeply into whatever that meant. It was just a silly dream. Nothing to be concerned about.
Climbing out of bed, I headed straight for the shower, setting the water temperature to slightly cooler than normal. It did the trick to temper the heat that had been burning under the surface of my skin. Once out of the shower, I dressed, checked my agenda for the day, then set off to start work. I had a busy schedule to contend with, but I welcomed it since it allowed me to avoid analysing my unexpectedly erotic dream.
Later on, I’d just finished grabbing lunches for the cast when my phone rang with a call from my sister. “Hello, Rosie,” I answered.
“Hey, thought I’d give you a bell, check how things are going over there,” she replied.
“Things are good. The filming is on schedule, and no one’s managed to injure themselves too badly so far,” I said before taking a sip from my coffee as I leaned back against a wall. I’d been on my feet all day, and this was the first chance I’d had to grab some caffeine.
“That’s great to hear. I’m at work, too. We’re just about to close up for the day,” Rosie said. “I’m nervous because I had the wild idea to set up a book club and the first meeting is later this week. I’m worried nobody will turn up.”
“I’m sure people will show. Book clubs are hugely popular these days,” I said to reassure her. “What book are you going to be discussing?”
I heard Rosie blow out a breath on the other end of the line. “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Do you think it’s too quirky for a first pick?”
“No way. That’s a great book and it has a fantastic twist. People love twists. You chose well.”
“I hope so. The head librarian, Noleen, will be only too thrilled to shove the failure in my face if it isn’t a success.”
“I didn’t realise working in a library could be so cutthroat,” I said just as I spotted Callum headed my way.
Rosie sighed. “You have no idea. Listen, I better go, but I’ll call again later in the week. Grandma’s been wanting me to set up a video call. She misses you. She always does whenever you have to travel for work.”
“Well, tell her I miss her, too. And let me know when you want to do the video call. I’ll make sure I’m available.”
“Will do! Talk soon,” Rosie said.
I hung up just as Callum reached me. He had sunglasses on, so I couldn’t tell what kind of mood he was in. We were currently camped out in one of the many city parks we’d been filming in. Right now, everybody was having lunch, though Callum was always the fastest eater of the bunch.
“Neil, I was hoping to have a word with you,” he said, and my stomach lurched. A sense of dread set in as I imagined he’d discovered my online relationship with Annabelle and was about to tell me I was fired.
“Oh?” I replied, reaching up to nervously tug at my shirt collar. “What about?”
“Mine and Leanne’s anniversary is coming up, and I was hoping you could help me plan something special,” he said, and just like that, relief flooded me.
I set my coffee down and pulled out my tablet, all business as I started searching for the best-rated restaurants in the city. “Right, yes, I’d be happy to. What did you have in mind?”
Callum eyed me a moment, pushing his sunglasses down to pierce me with his bright green stare. “You okay, mate? You seem a little tetchy.”
I tried to affect a casual demeanour as I cast him a quick glance before returning my attention to the tablet. “I’m perfectly fine. Now, there are some Michelin star restaurants that come highly recommended—”
“Don’t change the subject. You’re not fine, I can tell. Come on now. You can talk to me. We’re friends, right?”