Page 76 of A Scottish Highland Surprise

“They even bought two of the Royal Albert Polka Rose cups and saucers,” explained Cass with satisfaction. I noticed her cast her eyes to the floor for a second. “I hope it’s okay, but I noticed a tiny chip on one of the cup handles, so I gave them a discount of fifteen per cent.”

“Of course, that’s okay,” I insisted. “That’s what I want The Cup That Cheers to be all about: excellent customer service. You did great!”

Cass’s elfin face glowed with satisfaction, but our conversation was interrupted by the insistent ring of my mobile.

I frowned down at my phone. “Oh. It’s Xander.”

Cass took herself off back towards the counter.

I straightened my back, willing my voice to sound detached, but noticing straightaway that he appeared odd and distracted. “Hi, Sophie. I was just ringing to see how things were going.”

“With me or with the tea set?” I closed my eyes for a moment, realising I sounded rather mardy. But I couldn’t help it. I had no idea what was going on here. This was the first time we had spoken since the fiasco with Jake in the restaurant two nights ago.

I smiled out at a couple of backpackers who were pointing to our summery window display of yellow and blue crockery.

There followed an annoying silence until he spoke again. “Any developments about the tea set or the letter?”

So, this call wasn’t about me – he wasn’t going to ask me whether I had felt awkward at all, caught up in his and Jake’s feud, or tell me that he might have experienced a pang of jealousy, seeing me sitting there with Jake Caldwell in the first place.

Frozen North indeed.

I pressed my lips together, concealing a bolt of hurt. I was admitting to myself that I had felt irked at seeing him with Saffy, all curves and curls in her red dress. I’d fought to ignore it, but there it was.

I forced myself to speak again. I sounded crisp and matter-of-fact. “Things are moving in the right direction. It’s a bit of a long story, but I’ve discovered the identity of the lady who left the tea set here at the shop. It turns out her late sister was really into local history and she was compiling notes about Briar Glen before she passed away.”

I watched the two blonde backpackers make their way into the shop.

“That sounds promising,” said Xander. “Will you keep me posted on how things go? I have a friend of a friend in France who is an avid collector of vintage crockery. He is very interested…”

Frustration overtook me. The sight of him with Saffy, and the way he was acting all bristly, stoked my annoyance, prodding at it like a sharp stick. “Of course. It’s all about the money, isn’t it?”

“Sorry?”

Cass moved to welcome the backpackers as I marched towards the rear of the shop. Spools of honey sun were splashing across the wooden floor. “There are lives tangled up in that tea set and with that letter: histories, relationships and families. It’s not just about profit, Xander.”

He surprised me by cutting through what I was saying. His tone was strained. “Hey! Hang on a second. What do you take me for? Some sort of heartless idiot?”

I clamped my mouth shut and looked around the shop.

“Did you have a good time on Saturday night?”

I clutched my mobile, surprised by his sudden question. A flame of jealousy lit up inside me, as I pictured Xander and Saffy strolling into the restaurant together, like one of those glamorous couples in a Christmas perfume ad. “I could ask the same about you.”

“Pardon?”

“Well, you were out to dinner with Saffy.”

“Just as friends.”

I pictured her in her slinky dress. I was certain Saffy was harbouring hopes of much more than that.

“You’re a grown woman, of course, and it’s up to you what you do and who with, but I should warn you that he’s bad news, Sophie.”

I blinked at Xander’s growling tone down the line. “Oh, I know all about the history between you and Jake Caldwell.”

A crackling silence ensued for a moment. “You do?”

“Yes. He told me everything.”