Once, when she had still belonged to Ronin and him to her, men would flirt, sometimes boldly, sometimes tentatively. And she had always smiled politely, untouched, because there'd been a sense of belonging—a feeling of being chosen, of being lucky.
But no, that had never been luck at all, only her being delusional.
"That hedge didn't trim itself," Euan said dryly, bringing her back from her musings.
"No, but it was growing into a beanstalk while you were coming up with the right technique."
Euan let out a surprised bark of laughter, and Sage could not help but smile.
Euan set down his fork, letting out a long breath. "I should apologise for Blair that first day. She's...abrupt."
Sage looked up from her plate. "That's one word for it."
He huffed a laugh, then grew serious. "She's my sister's girl. Both her parents, and her older brother, too... They were killed in an accident on their way to fetch her from her nana's in Inverness."
The sharpness in Sage softened. "I'm sorry. That must've been—"
"Hard on everyone," he finished, rubbing the back of his neck. "My parents weren't well enough to take her on. I was working in finance in London at that time. I was doing well, but it wasn't a life for raising a bairn."
Her brow arched. "So, you traded the city for the Highlands?"
"Aye," he said with a faint smile. "These days, I work with startups. Mentor them, troubleshoot, sometimes invest. I get them on their feet, then I step back, but the deal is I get a share."
"Of course you do," she teased, lifting her glass. "Can't imagine you letting go entirely."
He gave her a look, wry and unreadable. "No. Lettin’ go’s no’ exactly my strong suit."
Their eyes met, and for a heartbeat, the clink of cutlery around them seemed far away.
Euan toyed with the stem of his glass, eyes fixed somewhere beyond the candlelight. "Blair can be possessive."
Sage tilted her head. "Possessive? As in, she has ways of driving off any woman who comes near you?" Her tone was light and teasing, though her pulse jumped. "Not that I'm interested, of course."
His gaze stayed distant, voice quieter. "She feels I'm all she has since my parents passed away as well."
Sage nodded slowly. "So, you humour it."
That made his eyes snap back to hers.
"Hey," she said quickly, holding up her hands in mock surrender, "I'm just an innocent onlooker."
"Are you now?" His voice dropped, the faintest curl of challenge in it.
She held his gaze for a beat too long, then picked up her wine and sipped, turning her face away from the intensity in his eyes. The red stained her lips, but she didn't speak again, leaving the silence between them to hum with unspoken things.
Chapter 16
On the fourth day, the door banged open and Blair burst in, black eyeliner sharper than ever, purple streaks in her hair vivid against the grey light outside. She was a beautiful girl, but she definitely needed an attitude adjustment. She tossed her bag onto the floor and announced her arrival like the queen had driven into town.
That was when the real fun began.
Blair stayed for two nights. Sage quickly learned that the girl's hostility wasn't going to soften. Her eyes, so much like Euan's, seemed to follow her around like she expected her to do away with the family silver. Unsure of where she fit in the dynamic between them and with enough problems of her own, Sage tried to make herself scarce—retreating to her room with a book, only emerging for lunch and dinner. But Euan had a habit of knocking at her door for the strangest things.
"Ye've no' seen the kettle cord, have ye?"
"Ye know how to get a wine stain out? It's my favourite ACDC T-shirt!"
"Does this soup need more salt?"
