— Our marriage wasn’t impulsive, Callum says firmly. Jane and I knew exactly what we were doing.
At least that part is true.
What we didn’t plan for… were the feelings creeping in.
— Of course, Heather says smoothly. I didn’t mean otherwise.
She turns back to me, all false sympathy.
— How are you finding life in the Highlands, Jane? It must be so different from Los Angeles. All the sheep… the rain… the rustic charm.
— I love it, I answer honestly.
She blinks.
— It’s real here. People are real.
— Real? she repeats lightly. What a charming way to put it. Though I must say, life here can become rather… monotonous after a while. Especially for someone used to the spotlight.
— Some lights blind more than they reveal, I counter. There’s a kind of beauty in simplicity that Hollywood often misses.
Callum watches me with something close to admiration.
— Jane adapts remarkably well, he says. She’s settled into Scottish life as if she were born to it.
— Really? Heather says, smiling thinly. I seem to recall a small incident at the ball last night.
Heat floods my cheeks.
— A simple accident, Maggie cuts in firmly. One that could happen to anyone.
— Of course, Heather says sweetly.
Then—
— Speaking of the ball, I ran into the Maitlands. They so enjoyed speaking with you, Cal. Especially Aurora.
Aurora.
Alarm bells.
— Aurora Maitland is a colleague’s daughter, Callum explains. A brilliant young woman studying economics at Oxford.
— And absolutely charming, Heather adds. You remember how she admired you at that conference last year? She hung on your every word during your talk on ethical investments.
— I don’t recall, Callum says stiffly.
— Really? Heather says, all innocence. She certainly remembers you. She asked if you were truly married now. She seemed… disappointed.
Message received.
There are other women.
Better suited ones.
— I hope you reassured her, Keira cuts in sweetly. Our Jane is absolutely perfect for Callum. Isn’t she, Grandmother?
— Undeniably, Maggie agrees, winking at me. A breath of fresh air this family sorely needed.
