“Sorry, it took him a while to get through customs.” Ollie threw an arm around me, and I couldn’t do anything but stare at my brother’s best friend, way too aware that I was distinctly dishevelled after over a day of travelling. That one patch of hair that never behaved stuck up, and I wore a hodgepodge assortment of the few clothes I had for this weather. None of what I owned after living by the beach for over a decade was suited for autumn in Scotland.Let alone winter…
Also, I was fucking dead on my feet.
“Hi Noah, good to see you,” said the massive chunky monkey I barely recognised except for that same black-and-white fur and those beautiful aquamarine eyes.
Wow, could you try and sound a bit less excited to meet me again? Cheers!
Lew extended a paw to shake mine in the briefest handshake I had ever received.
I couldn’t say anything, couldn’t do much more than stare.
Cuffing season is on, and I am so screwed.
“Mum and Dad rented out their farm house while they’re away. I don’t know if they told you?” Ollie said once we’d all climbed into the car.
My eyes clung to Lew for a moment as I turned in my seat to look at my brother.
“No, they didn’t say.” The eye roll was audible in my voice.
Breathe, Noah.“Where am I supposed to stay?” I asked.
“You can stay in the cottage. I turned on the heating and the fridge yesterday. It should be okay. Might need dusting,” he said, barely looking up from his phone.
“The old cottage? Didn’t they use it as a storage space for ages? I swear if there are rodents I’ll go straight back to the airport.” Rats were my hard boundary. I just couldn’t deal.
“It looked okay. It’s just for a few months, anyway,” Ollie brushed off my concerns. “Mum and Dad cleared it out before they left for America. They donated most of it. And there’s a stray living in the barn. It needs to eat something.”
I huffed and turned back around. “I bet they got rid of the things I had in there.”
“Probably.” Ollie clearly hadn’t caught the note of disappointment lacing my words. “Lew offered to take you to the shops, by the way. I need to get back to work. We have some guests coming today and I don’t want Ariah to have to deal with them.”
Oh wow. I didn’t know if Ollie’s lack of care or Lew being okay with chauffeuring me around surprised me more. I didn’t own a car, and our parents sure as shit didn’t care enough to make sure their younger son wouldn’t starve.
I needed food and warmer clothes. I froze in my thin clothes even though the seat heater Lew had turned on for me helped and the insides of his truck were toasty. For a moment, Iconsidered snuggling up to the big, fluffy Tiger hybrid next to me. I bet he wasso warm.
Bad Noah! He’s Ollie’s best mate. Keep your hands to yourself.I whistled through my teeth when Lew drove up to Lone Fox Distillery.
“Wow, I forgot how huge the Hall’s estate is.”
“Yeah,” Ollie agreed half-heartedly. I glanced at him over my shoulder and saw his eyes still fixed on his phone.
Can’t he stop working for an hour when he’s not seen me in years?
Ollie wrenched the car door open the minute the car stopped in front of the restaurant and accepted a call as he did. “Bye. I’ll see you later, okay? Yeah, hi, Grace.” He gestured at Lewis to wait and fumbled a bunch of keys from the inner pocket of his smart jacket. Ollie handed them to me, then slammed the door shut before he hurried away without a second glance.
I sat motionless in the passenger seat and looked after my brother for a long moment.
“Uh, Noah? I’ll take you to the cottage now, okay?” Lew said in a gentle tone.
“Okay,” I breathed through numb lips, but kept my eyes fixed on the door Ollie had vanished through. “Thanks.”
Chapter 3
Noah
Our family farm was only a few minutes away from LFD. I was still numb with shock by the time Lewis steered his car down the narrow lane to the cottage on the edge of my parents’ property.
I averted my eyes when he drove past the main house.
