4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Callum

The past few days had been busy. Re-laying the flagstone paving was backbreaking work, but was also satisfying. He placed the last piece of sandstone onto the now-flat base, jiggling it until it fit perfectly in the space. The entire project was like completing a giant jigsaw puzzle—removing the stones that had risen over time, repairing the foundation by clearing the roots from underneath, then replacing the pavers on the newly flattened surface. The path looked great and would no longer be a tripping hazard.

He looked up at the sound of tyres crunching over the crushed granite driveway. His chest gave a lurch at the sight of Trent's SUV pulling into the car park. He gave himself a mental shake at the burst of excitement at the prospect of seeing Trent. Silly, how just the sight of Trent put a smile on his face. He put his butterflies down to the prospect of human interaction after hours of working alone, and the chance to show off the results of all the hard labour. Yeah, that makes sense.

He climbed to his feet, swiping the dirt from his knees as he stood before grabbing his water bottle. He chugged the water back as he watched Trent exit the car and make his way through the gate. His heart gave another one of those weird thumps the moment Trent saw him and raised a hand in greeting. He couldn't contain his smile when Trent veered off the path that led directly to the house, instead taking the fork that meandered towards the back of the garden.

"Hey!" Trent said as he approached. "I can't believe how much you've got done. I hope you haven't been working without a break since I left this morning."

Callum shrugged. "It's easy to get lost in a task on such a beautiful day."

It was glorious outside, surrounded by the cottage garden, then trees as far as the eye could see. The guesthouse backed onto the bush of the Blue Mountains—acres of dense trees that covered the mountains and valleys. Plus, spring had brought the milder weather. It was a beautiful time of the year to be outside.

Trent chuckled. "I'm totally jealous. Sorry I'm late back. You must be hungry."

Callum didn't know the time, but based on the position of the sun in the sky, realised it was well past noon. "I was on a roll so didn't want to stop," he said. "But I don't expect you to make me lunch every day."

"I know, but I make something for myself anyway, and it's nice to have the company."

He warmed at Trent's words. He enjoyed the time they spent together too. Trent was easy to talk to, and they chatted about anything and everything. "Well, if you're sure."

Trent grinned. "Of course I'm sure. It's only cheese toasties though, so don't expect anything fancy."

Callum chuckled. "Toasted sounds fancy to me. I don't even have a sandwich press. I just slap a piece of cheese between two slices of bread and I'm done."

Trent's grin turned to a chuckle too. "I can definitely do better than that. If you're a good boy, I can probably even stretch to chutney."

Good boy? Callum's face heated. Is he flirting? Surprisingly, Callum didn't mind the idea. In fact, he liked it. Wow!

He'd never had a guy overtly flirt with him before. Or maybe he had, but he hadn't picked up on it. He most definitely hadn't flirted back. Doing anything with guys hadn't been on his radar before, not really, anyway. He'd toyed with the idea that maybe he had an interest, but he'd never made a move. No one had intrigued him enough to consider exploring the notion. Sex just wasn't something high on his list of priorities. Plus, the girls usually chased him, so he didn't need to initiate anything, and it was easier to just go with the flow.

Trent's phone buzzed, saving him from having to say anything. Thankfully, because he'd lost the train of the conversation while considering the flood of new feelings.

Trent pulled the iPhone from his pocket and glanced at the screen before looking at him and holding up a finger. "Sorry, I've got to take this. I won't be a sec."

Trent turned his back and wandered a few feet away. Callum tried to ignore the call, but it was difficult with him standing so near. The conversation was clearly about money, and he could see the tension in Trent's shoulders as he outlined the situation to whomever was on the other end of the call. Although he could only hear one side of the conversation, it was clear the person was playing hardball, but he couldn't deny the sense of pride as Trent stood his ground—when it came to his business, he was passionate and clearly had a plan. Eventually, he ended the call and turned around.

"Sorry. It was the bank. I'm trying to secure a loan for some of the refurbishment, but they want more information. Jesus, I can't believe how much paperwork is involved for a relatively small amount."

"Nothing's ever easy, is it?" Callum wished he knew what to say to remove the worry lines from Trent's brow.

"And nothing worth having comes easy." Trent smiled, however, the tension remained around his eyes. "But we'll get there no matter what the bank says. It just might take longer, that's all. Anyway, enough of my problems. Let's go inside and eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Sure. Sounds good. I'll just pack up this stuff and meet you in the kitchen."

"Cool. See you in a few minutes."

Callum turned to his job site, picking up the shovel and putting it in the wheelbarrow along with the other tools he'd been using. He wished he could do something more to help Trent, but for now, getting the place looking spic and span would have to do.

After finishing the last of his water, he used the hem of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. He looked across and saw Trent on the back verandah staring at him before quickly bending to pick up Mushroom and disappearing into the house. Callum tugged his shirt back down, covering his abs. Was he checking me out?

He considered the thought while he washed up back at the cottage. He was fit from all the labour and tanned from the sun. So what if he took more time than usual to change his T-shirt? And if that shirt was on the smaller side, that was just a coincidence. Huh! Who am I kidding? He was honest enough with himself to admit he liked the idea of Trent approving of his body.

He forced himself not to check his reflection in the mirror, instead grabbing a cap and shoving it over his unruly curls and jogging up to the main house.

As promised, lunch was toasted cheese sandwiches with chutney. Callum was tempted to joke about being a good boy, but bit his tongue, instead stuffing it full of bread and cheese.

"Hello?"

They both looked up as a guy poked his head around the door.

"Michael. Come on in," Trent said as he stood. "What can I do for you?"

The guy stepped into the kitchen. "Sorry to bother you. I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch."

Trent waved him off. "It's no problem. Is everything okay with your room? Can I get you anything?"

"Everything's perfect. We were just hoping for some advice about local bushwalking tracks, as we wanted to spend the day hiking tomorrow." He held up a piece of paper. "I picked up a brochure which lists them all, but we're not sure which one to tackle. "

"Ahh…" Trent paused. He looked a little lost, prompting Callum to speak up.

"Maybe I can help?" Callum said, rising to his feet. "I'm pretty familiar with most of the local walks."

"That'd be great," Trent said, shooting a grin his way, before looking back at Michael. "Callum's been living in the mountains a lot longer than I have and is a seasoned bushwalker. You'd be much better off taking his advice than mine. However, if you want to know about the best restaurants, then I'm your man."

"I'm sure Amy would appreciate your recommendations." Michael chuckled, then turned to Callum. "But yeah, if you could give us some guidance on the best walks, that'd be awesome."

"It'd be my pleasure. Do you mind if I take a look at your brochure?"

Michael handed over the National Parks brochure and Callum unfolded the page. "Are you and Amy experienced bushwalkers? My suggestions would be based on your fitness levels, how long you want to spend on the walk, and if you have any specific sights in mind."

"We're both fit, but we're more about gyms and running in the city, not so much out in nature. I think Amy was hoping to see some waterfalls, maybe some cliffs. Perhaps something that only takes a couple of hours."

Callum nodded. "Got ya. We can find the perfect way for you to spend a morning or an afternoon. Perhaps the Katoomba Falls."

"That sounds good."

"Unfortunately, with the drought, the falls aren't at their most spectacular, but they're still well worth seeing." He and Michael bent over the brochure, Callum making some suggestions and pointing out the pros and cons of various locations. He loved sharing his love of the mountains with others and was happy to see Michael was enthusiastic at the prospect of exploring.

He glanced up from the paper to catch Trent's smile as he cleared the table. The relaxed happiness suited him. Callum returned his grin before focusing back on one of his favourite topics.