Page 29 of A Scottish Highland Hideaway

Laura agreed. “Although, being honest, we’d prefer it if you didn’t contact our mothers. At least not yet.”

“Neither of them knows you’re here?”

Laura pulled a face. “No. They’ve made it clear they’d prefer us not to reach out to Ezra King. They’re both very independent women.”

Caroline sighed in frustration. “We did try to reach out to him via his agent, but no luck. The official line is that he’s been inundated with publicity requests since the book came out and so he’s had to take a hiatus from that side of things for a while.”.

“Ah. I see.” I paused before speaking again. I hated being suspicious like this, but I also wasn’t prepared to betray Ezra’s trust if they weren’t genuine or were out to exploit their connections to him. Thoughts rattled around inside of me. I had to tell them something; but I couldn’t and wouldn’t put Ezra in jeopardy.

“So, he hasn’t been in here, then?” probed Laura.

I found myself crossing my fingers behind my back. “No… But look, why don’t you both give me your contact details and if Ezra King does ever come in here, I’ll be sure to pass them onto him?”

Caroline and Laura forced out disappointed smiles.

“Ok. We’d appreciate that so much. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

I smiled at them in what I hoped was a sympathetic way. There was no harm in me secretly forwarding their details to Ezra, who could take it from there.

Caroline delved with one hand into her Radley bag and handed over a thick, white business card, containing her contact details.

Laura did the same and gave me hers.

“Thank you so much, Bailey. We were fired up about hunting down his address and just turning up on his doorstep, but you’re right. Better to take things one step at a time.” She shrugged. “He hasn’t been our father for almost thirty years, so what’s another few days or so?”

“I understand,” I said. “Sometimes, it’s best to take things slowly.”

Caroline adjusted the collar of her blouse under her thick coat and gave me a long look. “You sound as if you’re talking from experience.”

I half-laughed and walked with them back towards the shop door. “Something like that.” I instantly regretted letting that slip, because Laura pushed her hands into the pockets of her thick beige coat and studied me for a few moments longer than was necessary.

I cleared my throat, almost making her jump.

“Sorry! You must think I’m being rude. It’s just that you seem familiar, somehow. I can’t think where I know you from though.”

My heart juddered. Not again. Was my life going to be like this forever? Living on my wits? Always looking over my shoulder?

Shit! No, stay calm, Bailey.

I flapped my hands about, my growing panic threatening to spill over.

“Oh, I’ve been told that a few times before. As long as it’s someone glamorous, I don’t mind!”

Relief flooded through me when Laura laughed, and let the subject drop.

Determined not to look too suspicious and usher them out quickly, I went for small talk and asked them what they each did for a living.

Caroline worked in public relations for her local council and lived in Cheshire, while Laura was an architect in London. They’d decided to stay in a hotel together about an hour away, they said, until they saw how things progressed with Ezra.

“We’re going to stay around for a few days,” Laura said. “The way we see it, if Ezra isn’t interested, then we haven’t lost anything.”

* * *

Once Caroline and Laura had departed, I debated what I should do.

In the end, I tidied myself up, and then rang Rowan and asked her if she could come in and cover the shop for a couple of hours. She said that was fine with her and that she’d be there in ten minutes.