Page 49 of A Scottish Highland Hideaway

Right. Come on. Tell him about your trip to Glasgow and the reason for it.

Marcus began to talk about when he should head back, but I cut him off. “I didn’t go to Glasgow yesterday to a flower market. I went to try and find Declan.”

Marcus’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. They stilled. “You did what?!”

“I went to the pub that he played some of his gigs in with his band when I first met him. You heard him talk about Bernie McKew, right?”

Marcus shook his head in consternation. “Yes. Vaguely.” His eyes widened. “I thought your story about suddenly taking off to some flower market sounded suspicious.”

I gave him a sheepish look.

“I knew you were hiding something. Jesus, A!” He rolled his eyes.

I let my hands flail. “You’ve no idea what it’s like, jumping every time that shop door opens. I keep wondering if he’s going to show up.”

“And what were you planning to do if you did come across him?”

I felt my cheeks redden. “Try to reason with him; alert the police.” I let out a sudden, deep sigh. “Which I did as soon as I got back in the van. Ring the police, I mean.” I rubbed at my forehead with feeling of desperation. “I need closure on this, Marcus. I’m trying to move on. How can I, when I think he’s still capable of ruining my new life?”

My brother considered what I’d just revealed to him. “What did the police say?”

“Not a great deal. They took a note of it, but as I haven’t actually seen him and nobody else has reported sighting him, they don’t have much else to go on at the moment.”

I was about to speak again, but was interrupted by a knock on the front door. I stepped out into the hall. I could see Amber’s distorted features through the frosted glass.

She was apologetic as I opened the door. “Sorry to interrupt but you have a visitor in the shop.” She offered me a knowing look. “It’s that Zach Stern.”

My stomach fluttered like a cage of wild birds. Why was I reacting like that? The man was a total knob and he was threatening my future. “Did he say what it’s about?”

“Just that he needed to speak to you.”

“Ok, thanks, I’ll be down in a minute.” Shutting the door, I strode back into the kitchen. Marcus must have overheard our conversation, because his mouth had formed into a flat line. “Do you want me to come with you? What if Declan has been shouting his mouth off again?”

I folded my arms. “Do you think you could say that a bit louder, please? They won’t have heard you in Shetland.”

Marcus pulled a sarcastic face.

“No, I’ll be fine, thanks. I promise I’ll shout for reinforcements if I need to.” I raised one hand and made a flicking motion, as though to dismiss everything. Inside though, my stomach was performing cartwheels of an Olympic standard. Had Declan really rung Zach or his editor? What if he’d given them a lot more – false – information about me?

Fighting to control my worry, I gave Marcus a quick hug and went downstairs to Flower Power, where aside from Amber in her red tartan skirt and Doc Marten boots, I saw Zach standing with his broad back to me.

When he turned around, my heart raced up to my throat.

He was wearing a three-piece suit in navy pinstripe which made him look like he’d just stepped from the pages of a glossy advert in one of those high-end men’s fashion magazines.

The man was an arrogant sod who could upend my life. So why was I admiring him? God, he was gorgeous, though. I managed a cool smile. “You’re looking very dapper for a Thursday morning.”

His eyes crinkled up at the corners. “I’ve just finished interviewing the new director of that renovated theatre in town.”

“The Albany?”

“That’s the one.”

“I hear it’s beautiful inside now and they’ve managed to restore a lot of the Victorian architecture.”

Zach studied me for a few moments. “Yes, they have. It’s spectacular.”

Amber sidled back up to the counter, awarding me loaded looks which I ignored.