For the first time since arriving in Scotland, I feel truly relaxed. Ewan has that rare quality of putting you instantly at ease, like you’ve been friends forever.
— How did you two meet? I ask, curious about this side of Callum.
— Primary school, Ewan replies. Callum was that serious little boy correcting the teacher’s spelling.
— That happened once, Callum protests.
— Three times in one week, Ewan counters. And I was the kid putting frogs in the girls’ backpacks. Naturally, we became inseparable.
— Opposites attract, I comment.
— Exactly, Ewan confirms. I helped him loosen up, and he kept me out of prison.
We spend the next hour trading stories. Ewan happily shares embarrassing anecdotes from Callum’s teenage years, includingone involving his first whisky binge and a nighttime swim in the loch.
— He came out of the water screaming he’d seen the Loch Ness monster, Ewan says, laughing. It was just an old tire floating there.
— You weren’t any better, Callum shoots back. You were convinced the hill fairies were talking to you.
— They were! Ewan insists with mock seriousness. How else do you explain that I found my way home that night?
— Pure luck. Or your Scottish survival instinct.
I watch them, fascinated by this dynamic I never would’ve associated with Callum. With Ewan, he’s different—more relaxed, more natural—as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
— You know what Jane really needs? Ewan suddenly says. A proper tour of the Highlands, away from all this wedding madness and your grandmother’s watchful eyes.
— I can’t. There’s too much to prepare?—
— Nonsense! Ewan cuts him off. The preparations are handled by an army of competent people. What your fiancée needs is to see why you love this place so much. Otherwise, she’s going to think Scotland is just a collection of strange traditions and hostile animals.
I sit up, suddenly interested.
— Actually, I’d love that. So far, all I’ve seen is the inside of this castle and the ballroom where I survived my accidental striptease.
Callum hesitates, but I see something shift in his expression.
— All right. Tomorrow morning, before the rehearsal. A short trip.
Ewan claps his hands, delighted.
— Perfect! Trust me, Jane—after that, you’ll understand why Scots are so attached to their land.
A knock interrupts us. Keira pokes her head in.
— Jane? The seamstress arrived early. Grandmother insists we start the fitting now.
I sigh, draining my whisky in one gulp.
— Gentlemen, duty calls. Thanks for the post-trauma therapy.
— The pleasure was all mine, Ewan replies with a small bow. See you tomorrow for a new Scottish adventure!
As I follow Keira into the hallway, I can’t help glancing back. Callum and Ewan are still sitting side by side, and I see Callum shaking his head, laughing at something his friend just said.
For the first time, I wonder if this arranged marriage might bring me more than I ever expected. Not just a temporary escape from Hollywood and its scandals, but maybe a new perspective. New friendships. A different way of seeing the world.
A home. A family.
