Caleb watched as the man and Jena left.
The rest of the group immediately returned to the elephant in the room.
"Was that the woman who had an affair with Hardy's wife?" Iris asked.
"Yes. I think so." Chloe nodded. "I read about it, must be about a month ago. I thought it was odd as the story kind off fizzled away."
"She is kind of beautiful, don't you think?"
"I guess if you like that type."
"She was very calm and beautiful." Harry repeated. "I thought she was very calm."
"Guess it does not matter to her. And probably this gossip is just old news." Chloe chuckled.
"I guess she must have had to deal with it for the last month."
"Probably developed a good shell."
"You should have asked her. See if she is still living with Hardy's wife."
"Caleb might know. Given his sister is working there."
They waited, but Caleb was still watching Jena and was not listening to the conversation.
"Caleb?" Chloe gave his midriff a squeeze.
"Caleb?" Mark asked at the same time.
"Sorry?" Caleb blinked, his focus returned to the group. He was furious with himself. muttered beneath his breath, why did he let her leave without an explanation?
"Do you know her?" Mark asked.
Having missed the conversation, he asked, "Who?"
"Jena." Chloe muttered and threaded her arm through his.
"Yes."
"And Hardy's wife left him for Jena?"
Caleb frowned. "Hardy? Jena and Hardy? No."
"We read about it..."
It was then that he registered this group had the wrong Jena! "The newspaper had a typo!"
"A typo. Really? In the newspaper?"
"Yes, the woman you just met is called Jenaqueta Silva, and people call her Jena. She has a company called By Design. I told you that."
"She was reported in the newspaper, having an affair with that cricketer's wife!" Chloe reminded Caleb.
"She didn't! Another woman. Called Jean Silva. And she is living with Hardy's ex wife." With acrimony, he said, "And if you look at the door, you will see, Jenaqueta Silva leaving with a man. Not a woman!"
On the way back to home, him being the designated driver, Caleb was driving Sophie, Isaac back home, given Amanda and Drew had left two hours ago, at ten. Sophie and Isaac were working on re-establishing their relationship, but were taking things slow.
"That was a good party." Sophie slightly tipsy. "Did you enjoy the party, Isaac?"
"Yes." Isaac with a smile in his voice.
"What about you, Caleb."
"Yes." No sign of a smile.
"That did sound right." Sophie pouted, "You sound grumpy."
And Isaac looked across at Caleb, and Sophie was right, Caleb did not look happy.
"Probably because you and your cousin were behaving like toddlers."
"What?"
"Giselle and you."
"She was winding me up. "
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."