Page 57 of A Scottish Highland Surprise

Jake shouted back an enthusiastic “Yes please.”

It was while I was filling the kettle that I thought I heard my mobile let out its recognisable sharp ring through in the sitting room. I set down two mugs and padded through to answer it. Jake was lounging on the sofa, his head propped back. “Everything okay?” he asked.

I glanced at my mobile sitting on the coffee table. “I thought I heard my mobile ring.”

Jake twisted round. “ “Oh, it was mine. We must have a similar ringtone.”

“Oh, okay.”

Jake offered me a winning smile. “It was nothing important.”

“Thank you for a lovely evening.”

I blushed up at Jake as he lingered in the doorway, all sharp cheekbones and confident swagger.

“You’re welcome.”

He bent his lips to mine and grazed them with a kiss. Then he jumped back, checking himself. “Sorry. I hope I wasn’t too forward then.”

“There’s no need to apologise.”

He made a move to leave, signalling below to the waiting taxi driver. A thought seemed to occur to him. “I know you’ve got a lot on at the moment with the shop, but maybe we could go out at the weekend? There’s a gorgeous tapas bar in town.”

My head dragged up a fleeting image of Xander. I forced it away. “That would be good.”

“Great. I’ll give you a call during the week.”

I closed the door behind him, blotting out the shard of buttery moon and the June darkness, laced with the inviting, fresh scent of summer.

Jake was very attractive and that kiss was pleasant.

Oh God! Pleasant?! That was how I would describe the weather.

There just wasn’t that exciting zing there when he kissed me – no buckling of my knees or the thud of my heart in my ears. I rolled my eyes at myself. I sounded like one of Gran’s romantic novels she would devour from the library.

But then that was how I felt about Callum at the beginning and look how that turned out. I was doing it again: overthinking everything and analysing it all with my emotional microscope.

Chapter Twenty-Six

25th September 1970, Briar Glen Park

“Say that again.”

Chris’s amber eyes glinted at her. “I said I want you to manage my new business.”

Helena’s arched black brows flew up to her centre parting. The afternoon sun was shifting through Chris’s hair, lifting the kaleidoscope of blond tones, as they sauntered through the wrought-iron park gates. It gave him an almost angelic appearance, although Helena knew he was anything but.

“But what business?” she managed.

They strolled along together, side by side. The breeze was crisp, ruffling up the grass.

Helena was aware as they walked along that their steps mirrored one another’s. She reached up and fiddled with her jacket. She had taken care to ensure her winged kohl liner and frosted baby pink lipstick were perfect, before she said goodbye to Mrs Auld for the day and hurried across to meet Chris.

Oh God. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from him. This was ridiculous! Her stomach was swooping all over the place. She was a married woman with a little girl and yet,the last few weeks, Helena hadn’t been able to stem the excited tingles of anticipation every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She found herself agonising over her outfit for each workday and experimenting with her hair.

Part of her hated feeling like this, all on alert, as she tried not to stare out of the bull’s eye shop windows of Sparkling Gifts, wondering whether Chris would happen to drop by.

She recalled the stab of fear when Mrs Auld had remarked that Chris might be returning to London at some point. A sudden hollow emptiness had formed within her heart and she’d been forced to avert her eyes to disguise the pain.