Page 43 of Chasing a Highland Dream

They began walking again and Aiden said, ‘I think perhaps I need to pay her a visit, show her I’m actually quite normal. People seem to have this misconception that crime novel authors write about their own sordid life experiences.’

Bella froze for a moment. ‘Yes, that’s exactly what she was insinuating earlier.’

‘Ah, well, she definitely needs to meet me properly and I’ll prove to her I’m worthy of her granddaughter.’ He paused and bit his lip briefly. ‘Although I bet she has her sights set on Harris for you, doesn’t she?’

Yup. One hundred per cent. ‘What makes you think that?’ Bella hoped the street lighting would hide the flush to her cheeks – a dead giveaway.

‘Oh, I don’t know, he’s a police sergeant, trustworthy, nice guy, am I close?’

Bella closed her eyes and nodded. ‘Spot on. Although even he was on shaky ground for a while when she found out he rides a motorbike.’

He wagged his finger. ‘You see, that’s where I gain points. I drive a very normal car. It has four wheels and everything.’ He chuckled.

‘With that argument, I think you might win hands down. Once she’s sure you’re not figuring out ways to chop her up.’

‘Nah, she’s going to love me, I know it. Now, let me give that taxi firm a call. I think I’m best to get you home at a reasonable hour, set the points counter on its ascent, eh?’

After kissing Aiden goodnight, Bella unlocked the apartment door as quietly as she possibly could and closed it gently behind her. She was still trying to get her head around the evening.

‘Did you have a nice night, dearie?’ Isla’s voice spooked Bella, who dropped her keys on the floor and almost jumped out of her skin.

She wobbled and almost fell over. ‘Granny!’

‘What? We waited up for you, that’s all, didn’t we, Beau?’ The little dog gave a reluctant yip. He clearly wished he was in bed.

Bella composed herself and walked through to the lounge. ‘You didn’t need to wait up. I told you I’d be fine,’ she said with a slight slur.

‘You’re drunk!’ Isla exclaimed. ‘I don’t think that was a very good idea.’ A crease of worry was evident on her face.

Bella waved a dismissive hand. ‘I’m not exactly drunk… just a bit tipsy.’

‘He could’ve taken advantage of you, Arabella!’

‘Well, he didn’t.’ Except he kind of did.

Isla huffed. ‘You young ’uns today are too quick to trust folks. You hardly know the man and you’re letting yoursel’ be vulnerable in front of him. He’ll get the wrong idea about you, Arabella, mark my words.’

‘Ugh! No, he won’t at all!’ Except he could. ‘He’s not like that. He’s very nice.’ From what I can remember, which admittedly is getting hazier by the second.

‘You really like him then?’ Bella didn’t miss the disappointment in her granny’s tone even in her slightly drunken state.

Bella nodded. ‘Mmhm.’

‘So, you’d go out with him again?’

‘What? A man I chose for myself? You betcha.’

Isla sighed and stood from her chair. ‘I do hope you know what you’re doing, Arabella Douglas,’ she said as she left the room followed by Beau.

21

It was all hands on deck from Tuesday morning in preparation for the big opening on Saturday, 23 July. There was a real buzz of excitement to the place. Soon the castle would be shared with everyone, its colourful history and spectacular interior there for the world to see and enjoy its beauty. Events for Halloween and Christmas were already at the planning stages and Uncle Innes was continuing on with the sourcing of local produce and funding applications. Olivia had met with local businesses and more and more bookings were flooding in, meaning Bella was constantly busy.

The old kitchen in the castle was now a swanky new café kitted out with the latest high-tech barista equipment and Bella had become somewhat fond of the lattes, so much that she’d had to switch to decaf. All the insurances were in place and the private areas of the castle were clearly indicated, meaning Olivia at least had somewhere she could escape to when she needed to.

The snagging was all complete, but Olivia was worrying about other matters. She had mentioned her elusive brother Kerr on more than one occasion and was clearly worried about what he may be planning. After what he had done to the corporate event, she feared he would have something more destructive in mind and the worry was evident in the dark circles around her eyes.

During the afternoon, Bella was touring the castle with Olivia, looking for any last-minute issues. Bella was feeling less than fresh and had excused herself a couple of times when she felt sure she was going to throw up the copious glasses of water she had downed in a bid to avoid the onslaught of the impending hangover. Of course, the water had only taken the edge off and she really wanted to lie down. They diverted into the gift shop to see how the new staff were getting on with their training. Olivia informed them about the new Drumblair Tartan uniforms, and they seemed enthusiastic.