Connexion

Part 96

Caleb snorted. "No change there." Caleb added, "And she said you were winding her up too. Why?"

"I didn't do anything." Sophie pouted.

"Apparently you had something to do with the cake. Bragged about it!"

Sophie giggled. "Yes. I did. She was going on about the fact she knew Jena before me! And she reminded people about the wedding gravity cake! You know that cake is now famous!"

"As I said, toddlers."

"She said she was going to arrange jobs for Mrs Gill's two daughters they are looking for summer jobs, and Giselle said she could arrange that with Jena!"

"I am sure she did not say that."

"Well, ok, but practically the same!"

"She introduced Valerie and Lucy to Jena."

She replied as she pushed her hair off her face, "Typical! I was going to introduce them to Jena. Was going to arrange something. After all, I am working there, not her!" Sophie pouted.

"Sophie, you do know you are just a worker, an employee not the employer?"

Sophie snorted. "So, they are going to work at By Design?"

"No." Caleb steered the conversation to the topic that he wanted information. "Jena said her outfit is small, but that Granger Pastry, I think, were looking for summer temps." Sophie sounded happy when she chuckled. "By the way, you need to stop throwing your boss at me!"

"What?"

"You keep throwing Jena at me." His eyes glinted.

"No I don't" She was still mulling over Caleb's points. Sophie scowled. She was sure, her brother was being economic with the information. Cagey. Really cagey. That had her smiling, internally, but she was happy. Because she figured her brother was being cagey, because it matter to him and was not sure what to do. Which was unusual for him.

"Yes, you did. Even today, at the party." He told Sophie flippantly.

She pretended she did not know. "Seriously? When?" She just needed time to review what she learnt from this recent conversation, because the more she thought about this, her brother was in love!

"When you left me with her!" He feigned reproach and wondered why his sister was smiling in her eyes, but her lower lip was caught between her teeth.

Sophie grinned, "We just left you with her because we just needed a drink. So we went to get it. Anyway, what is the matter with you Caleb? I saw you talking to her for ages. You could have left at anytime. And you both looked happy. You were enjoying her company. "

"Yes. We did." His lips curved into a smile as he reviewed it. He swallowed and his body hardened. But the smile vanished when his mind refreshed the replay. He'd never felt so helpless in his entire life. A hell of a time to realise that you are half way in love with someone who left with another man.

Sophie stated indignantly."Exactly." Sophie huffed. "Mum said you told her, you asked Jena out to lunch." She watched her brother's eyes and was not sure what to make of the emotion she saw in his eyes. A combination of elation and anxiety.

He said sardonically, "To thank her for offering you a job!" Time to collect your thoughts, he warned himself. Caleb said dryly. "Period."  He knew he was going to have trouble convincing his sister that he was revealing the actual situation.  Providing full, honest information, was possible, but to tell his sister about his feelings for Jena, would start off a commotion. No doubt he would be swamped by more questions. 

"Right!" Sophie snorted. 

"You think you can manage my social diary. And Jena's company's employees." Caleb was not happy at all.

She narrowed her eyes. "I just think you would like her. She is really nice. And you are being really evasive!"

"I know. She is nice. I know lots of nice women!" He ran agitated fingers through his hair. "Did you see me with Chloe?"

Sophie sighed. "Yes. I saw that. She practically draped herself on you!"

"Did you see me complaining?" He said with sarcasm. "And for your information, if you need a topic for your colleagues' gossip..."

"We don't gossip!" She threw him a synthetic smile.

He shook his head before he spoke, "If you say so. But just in case. Chloe and I have a date tomorrow. You can tell your boss that!" He prevaricated and threw in a ruse to cover his tracks.

Sophie's eyebrows rose in subtle judgment, "I thought you were going out with Jena."

"I told you. Just a duty date. To thank her." He tried to make it sound realistic. To his own ears it seemed like a woefully reason to ask someone on a date. Duty date? Caleb added, "And you know I do not poach." He enlightened her affably.

"Poach what?"

"I don't date those already in a relationship."