Identifying her attitude, honesty, strength was correct, but confidence was definitely not accurate. She was quaking in her stilettoes. Shored up her waning confidence she announced bluntly, "To set up the time and day."
"And you want to renege?" Caleb massaged the back of his neck. He was not expect this. Surely she would not renege. He asked with open speculation in his eyes. "You want to renege?"
"No. Of course not."
"No?" He quirked a brow.
"It is just really busy at the moment and if I told you that, you would say I am trying to renege, just like now. But that is not true. I just do not have the time at the moment." And that I had never felt like this, she kept her thoughts to herself.
"You must have lunch, on a daily basis."
"Yes. But usually on the run. Pick up a sandwich, eat in my car actually most time, close to 3pm! In any case you would want more than a hour, and I can not do that at the moment."
He watched her for a few seconds, "I see."
"You do?"
"Yes. If you are busy, we postpone the lunch date."
She smiled. "Thank you."
"Or upgrade to dinner." He said smoothly.
"Sorry, what?"
"You are not working at night, I know that. So we can do dinner."
She was not expected that. "I guess." But her heart was racing.
"So?" He prompted.
She hesitated then said, "ok, but we share costs."
He chuckled. "No Jena. This is a proper date."
"A proper date?"
"Yes. I would take you out."
"Well, not sure it would be a date, exactly ...."
"We agreed on lunch."
"I know but lunch could be sandwiches, so I should contribute if we go to dinner."
He chuckled. "No Jena. I owe you a meal, for feeding me."
She smiled. "I just shared a meal, nothing flashy, just what was available."
And he reminded, "And for giving Sophie a job."
"We were fortunate that she was available, and cheap!"
He chuckled and then smiled, his eyes adding gravitas when he said, "And because I want to."
Jena gulped. "You want to?"
"Yes. No fuss. So, dinner?"
Jena nodded.
"When?" His hands framed her face. Her eyes looked shell-shocked. His eyes danced in anticipation. She was baffled but her smile danced through her eyes. He banked a smile. He wasn't surprised to see desire in her eyes. He knew how she felt.
Unfortunately for Caleb, his step-cousin, Giselle tapped Caleb's shoulder and slid her hand around his back, while two young girls who had joined the group, loitered beside Giselle.
Caleb and Jena sprung away: Caleb moved away from Jena and Jena moved away from Caleb. Giselle grinned at Caleb "You got Sophie that job!" Then Giselle looked at Jena and smiled, "Hi, Jena, you might not remember, I..."
"No, I remember." She racked her brain and retrieved a name, "Giselle? Right."
"Yes. I phoned you too. You torpedoed my invitation." Giselle smiled in delighted. "Anyway this is Lucy and Valerie." They both said, "hi" and got a response from Jena, just before Giselle released Caleb, when she noted that Caleb was not happy with her presence, "Are we interrupting..."
Jena shook her head.
Giselle's smile returned to her lips, "Delighted to hear that Caleb arranged Sophie's job. Great, because Lucy and Valerie are keen to meet you!"
"Why?"
Giselle, as per normal, had to provide the full explanation, "I told Lucy and Valerie, I met you before Sophie met you. Although at that time, I did not know that you made those fab cakes. I saw the engagement cake, just now, wow. And I remember Alice's wedding cake. Absolutely stunning."
"Thank you." Jena's acknowledgement was swallowed by Giselle who continued with her explanation.
"And that is why Lucy and Valerie wanted an introduction. And Sophie will not stop talking about her job with you! And I was talking to Valerie and Lucy's parents who asked if you were recruiting for the summer. I said I would ask. Then I found Valerie and Lucy and brought them over, to introduce them to you. And you could set up a meeting, or give them details of the recruit..."
"I am afraid, we do not recruit for the summer. We are just a small outfit."
Both Lucy and Valerie sighed.
"Sorry." Jena said with a rueful smile. "Sorry, ladies." And see the disappointment in their eyes, Jena shared what she knew about a well known company. "I know that Granger takes on people for the summer."
"Really?"
"Yes. If you go to their website, if you don't know the url, just type in their name and summer job, you will see they have posted an advert, you might be interested in that. They always take on people for summer. Mainly students like you."
"Thanks." Valerie smiled.
"Thank you." Lucy endorsed her friend's gratitude.
"So Caleb, you pulled strings?" Giselle teased her cousin.
"Pulled which strings?"
"Sophie's job! If they are a small outfit, why did they take Sophie on?"
"Giselle, you do know that Sophie will not be happy with you, questioning her securing this job." Caleb grumbled.
Giselle chuckled. "I already did. And Sophie said she has skills." Caleb was used to Giselle, and obviously another explanation was in full flow, "I reminded her she doesn't have qualifications! Not even exit school certifications. And reminded her that she doesn't have experience, not even manned a stall at Christmas Fayre, like me!" Giselle chuckled, "And she told me, even with my degree, or my experience at the Christmas Fayre, I do not have the skills she has!"
"Jena, excused Giselle. She and Sophie still squabble about everything. Even in public!"
Jena watching the interaction she wondered what was going on.
"I was just asking, how did she score this job?" Giselle wiggled her eyebrows, "You pulled strings, still have clout with your ex?"
"Giselle!" Caleb warned. "Jena, sorry. I apologise for my cousin's behaviour."
"Your cousin?" Jena frowned. Her heart thumped loudly when his words registered. Giselle was not his girlfriend.
"Actually, Giselle is a step-cousin!"
"Step cousin?" She asked, tipped her head and looked at him.
Caleb nodded "Yes. My step mum, Amanda, is Giselle's aunty. Amanda and Giselle's mother are sisters."
Giselle pouted. "Sorry Jena. But Sophie always gets her way! She has practically claimed that she had something to do with the cake! She does not know the difference between flour and sugar! I doubt she would have anything to do with the cake here!"
Caleb rolled his eyes. "Giselle..."
Feeling as if a weight was removed from her shoulder, Jena interrupted, "Sorry to interrupt you." She looked at Giselle, "He did not pull strings, because Sophie has the skills that we needed. She is a valued member of our team. And I am not Caleb's whatever, ex!" But I might be a future girlfriend the statement ran around in her brain. Butterflies' wings started to flutter in Jena's stomach.
Caleb grinned at Jena. Progress. Definitely progress.
Giselle feign a frown, but her eye twinkled. "Sorry Jena, I just assumed you were Caleb's ex-girlfriend." And again, she continued, "And thank goodness Sophie is not here, if she heard you, I would have to put up with her bragging!"
Jena look at door, and smiled at a man! Caleb glared. What progress? No progress at all. Jena just blew a kiss at a man.