She sighs dramatically and pulls away from my collarbone. Her eyes are filled with tears, making her irises look the most gorgeous unnatural shade of bright green. The gold round glasses she wears are charming as she presses them straight on her face and sniffs.
“I got fired because I was an Omega today. I’ve worked so hard for that job, and it’s not even that,” she says, a tear falling free. “Work was my highest priority. I put it above everything, even my family. Now my mom’s gone and I’ll never get that time back,” she says and I hold her closer to my chest.
Surprisingly, she nestles in even more, and I wonder if she’s touch starved.
Callum’s words ring around my head about not getting attached. That she’s just a tourist, but I promptly ignore them, like I do with most of the things that come out of his mouth.
“They’re wrong for firing you and I’m sorry about your ma. But your sister is still here, you still have time,” I tell her, not knowing what else to say.
“I don’t know who I am without a job,” she whispers.
“The best thing about the Highlands?” I say, garnering her full attention. “They’re full of magic. Some would say it’s the fairies that roam the mountains, but I think it’s the land itself. Sometimes the beauty of it all is enough to make you realize just how precious life is. If there’s anywhere to figure out who you are or what you want, I reckon Scotland might just be the perfect place to do it.”
She stares at me for a long minute, and then her face goes pale.
“Oh, God. Put me down,” she says, scrambling out of my arms, running to the nearest bush, where the burger I forced her to eat is promptly relieved out of her stomach.
I approach her, and she holds out an arm to keep me away as she finishes. When she’s done, she takes a steadying breath, and when she turns to face me, I can tell she’s completely mortified.
“I think I’ve got it from here,” she says.
“If you think I’m going to let you walk home in the dark alone while you’ve had too much to drink, you’ve underestimated what kind of man I am.”
She sighs, pushing back a curly lock of hair. “Sorry. I’m just embarrassed. This isn’t who I am, and I’ve made a horrible impression.”
“You haven’t. Let’s get you into bed,” I say, holding out her jacket, as she slips her arms in, before wrapping her arms around herself.
A few times I have to grab hold of her jacket and steady her when she hits an uneven piece of road.
We go through the backgreen, and I put in the code for the door. Maisie glances at me.
“Effie and Angus are like family to me,” I tell her, and she accepts that answer as we walk through the lounge.
Speak of the devil, Effie is sitting by the fire.
“Maisie, dear, there you are. Thank you for bringing her home, Greer. Such a braw young lad, don’t you think, Maisie?” Effie says, and I give her a look. “Let me go make you some ginger tea to take upstairs.”
“Thank you, Effie. I’m so sorry that I came in so late.”
“Dinnae fash, who hasn’t had a late night out? Greer, can you make sure Maisie makes it up the stairs?” Effie says.
Maisie’s face is bright red as we head up the stairs, I trail behind her to make sure she doesn’t fall. She fumbles with her key, and before she can unlock it, the door swings open.
A woman who looks similar to Maisie, with darker hair and no glasses, blinks at us.
“Mais, are you okay?” she says.
Maisie nods her head, and her sister’s gaze moves up to my face, and then back to her sisters.
“Oh, um…do you need me to hang out in the lounge for a little while?” her sister says and Maisie clears her throat.
“No. This is Greer. He was kind enough to walk me home,” Maisie says softly.
“Well, thanks for bringing her home. Maisie, are you okay?” her sister whispers the last part, which adds to Maisie’s statements that this isn’t something she usually does.
Her sister gives me a smile, and Maisie doesn’t turn back as she shuts the door behind her.
I head down the stairs and go into the kitchen where Effie has the kettle on.
