So that’s fun. The Scot thinks I’m easy. Loose. Handing out affection like candy on Halloween.
You get a Snickers, andyouget a Snickers, andyouget a handful of Snickers!
It was all for abucket list, okay? But telling him that now wouldn’t make me feel any better. It’s not the defense I want.
“Shall we discuss something else?” he asks.
“Or nothing is fine, too.”
“You’re cross.”
Am I being childish? The man rejects me, tells me it’s because he’s selective, then has theaudacityto tell me I kiss too freely. Stick me in a green suit, because I’m probably Grinching up a storm.
“You are,” he states, almost to himself. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“How about we look through the windows for the rest of the drive? You can have the big one with the road, and I’ll take this one on the side here.”
Gavin snaps his mouth closed. He dislikes my idea on numerous levels, I can feel it. I shift away, focusing outside at the scenery as we pass tree after tree.
I rest my forehead against the window as he hits a pothole and my head smacks against the glass.Ouch.
“You alright?” he asks.
“Just dandy.”
Silence stretches in the car for another forty-five seconds, give or take, before Gavin speaks again. “I want to be on friendly terms. Shall we try again?”
“I told you things, Gavin. Things I never would have admitted if I knew you were about to spend the next few weeks with myfamily. How can I trust you won’t repeat any of it?” I groan,dropping my face in my hands. “My parents can’t learn how much I hate school. You can’t tell any of them about the teacher who doesn’t like me, or the guy who made me hate that Wham! song.”
His eyes widen, his knuckles growing white on the wheel. “I don’t want that pressure.”
“Then you shouldn’t have lured me into thinking you were a safe stranger.”
“I thought you knew who I was!” he says.
“And now you have to keep my secrets.”Karma.
He grumbles, giving me the first real frown of the day. “Fine. I’ll do my best.”
Gavin turns on the radio, and we listen to Christmas music for the rest of the drive. When we pull off the road onto a bumpy gravel driveway, I struggle to formulate a thought. The house we’re heading toward is a two-story stone cottage with a slate roof and a deep navy door. The gabled windows are framed in dark wood, and the entire thing is set against a backdrop of majestic mountains and layers of various pine trees.
Okay, we get it, Scotland. You’re stunning.
The whole, wide open view is incredible. I’m glad Gavin’s car is so clean, because I need to pick my jaw up off the floor mat.
When I glance at him, his smile is wide. “Gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
Gavin rolls his eyes as he puts the car in park and opens the door. He pulls my suitcase from the trunk and carries it effortlessly to the house.
“I’ll meet you inside,” I say, pulling out my phone and finding Luna’s number. “Just going to check in with my sister.”
Gavin’s blue eyes rake over my face. He gives a soft nod and closes the door with a click.
My exhale is loud enough to shake the earth. This man tests my patience. Or my pride? Probably both.
I watch the blue sky while I circle the house, waiting for Luna to answer the phone.
