Page 63 of A Scottish Island Summer

Chapter Fifteen

We got back into the truck.

Logan gazed ahead, out of the windscreen.

‘So, what are you thinking about doing? About Campbell Adams, I mean.’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I know this is going to sound crazy, but I kind of feel like I owe him.’ He gave a small, embarrassed smile. ‘Like I said to you just now, he motivated me to become a geologist. He made me realise that what I wanted to do—what I wanted to be—wasn’t worthless.’ Logan’s eyes locked with mine. ‘Does that sound stupid?’

‘No, not at all.’ My heart took off at a gallop as he continued to look at me. ‘It’s admirable,’ I reassured him. ‘You think he might need help and you want to do something.’

Logan pulled his attention away from me. It was like the air in the truck was holding its breath.

I tried to lighten the mood by arranging my face into a cheeky smile. ‘So, you were a skinny Minnie at school?’

‘Like a pencil.’ Logan laughed.

‘Hard to believe now.’ I allowed my gaze to linger on Logan’s solid thighs.

‘I’ve got the hills and the local gym to thank for that.’ He waggled one brow, reverting back to flirty mode.

My cheeks scalded. I let out a weird cough. ‘Back to Campbell Adams. What’s the plan?’

Logan’s mouth twitched with amusement.

I prickled. ‘What?’

‘Anytime our conversation hints at something more personal, you either make a joke out of it or change the subject.’

‘No, I don’t,’ I blustered, fixing my attention on the hazy afternoon light.

‘Yes, you do. You’re doing it now.’

I was relieved when the buzz of Logan’s phone interrupted our conversation.

Logan took the call and immediately pulled an irritated face. ‘Iona, I’ve only just answered my phone and you’ve mutilated my right ear.’

I could make out the incessant buzz of his infuriated sister talking to him.

Logan looked exasperated as he clutched the phone. ‘Can’t we talk about this another time?’

‘No, we bloody can’t,’ I heard her erupt down the line. ‘I know the shop is ticking along but you need to be more ambitious. You aren’t giving it enough of a push. You need to run with the times, Logan. Your problem is, you spend so much of your day focusing on bones and rocks and things in the past, you don’t give any thought to the here and now.’ I heard her sigh with frustration. ‘Look, I know I’m still trying to get my PR business off the ground, but let me give you a hand.’

Logan let out a snort. ‘PR business? Oh, come on! It’s your latest fad, little sis. You’ll soon get tired of it like you do everything else.’

Iona gasped. ‘How dare you!’

‘Logan,’ I ordered, shuffling round in my seat. ‘Logan.’

He cupped one hand over his phone. ‘What is it?’

‘Let’s go and see Iona.’

‘What?!’

‘One of you is going to end up saying something you’ll regret in a minute.’

His mouth flatlined.