Page 13 of A Highland Family Affair

Olivia nodded and shrugged. ‘He seems to have changed.’

Noah scoffed. ‘What is it they say about leopards?’

Olivia sighed and gestured for him to sit. ‘I know, I know. But I’m trying not to judge.’

Noah rubbed his hand back over his cropped dark hair. ‘You know my thoughts on the matter. I’ve known him since we were kids and I’ve seen first-hand what he’s capable of.’ He clenched his jaw. ‘I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. Just watch yourself.’

‘Believe me, you’re not alone in your thinking, but he’s my brother.’

Noah’s features softened. ‘My apologies. I’ve spoken out of turn.’

Olivia smiled. ‘No, it’s fine, honestly. He knows everyone’s feelings. And I appreciate your concern.’

He gave a swift nod. ‘Anyway, I wanted to come and chat to you about the possibility of opening the café up for evening meals throughout the summer months. We could get one of those pop-up gazebo things too maybe, for the chillier evenings, or an awning of some kind. I think it would be a nice addition to our services, especially for the guests staying in the stable-block apartments. I’m thinking we could make really great use of the patios, get some heaters, put candles on the tables, hang fairy lights from the trees.’

Olivia grinned. ‘You old romantic.’

Noah’s face flushed. ‘Me? Nah. Just thinking of the revenue,’ he replied sternly. ‘And if the weather isn’t great, because you know, Scotland, we can do all of the above but inside the café. Just a classier presentation for the evenings, perhaps.’

‘Well, I think it’s a brilliant idea. Can you put together some sample menus?’

He handed her a folder. ‘Already done.’

Olivia widened her eyes. ‘Efficient as always, eh, Noah?’

‘I try my best, Lady Olivia. Shall I leave you to have a look through them and you can let me know what changes you’d like? And if you think it’s viable.’

‘That’d be great. Although knowing your usual menus, I can’t imagine wanting to make any changes. And I already think it’s viable.’

Noah almost smiled. ‘Great. Perfect. I’ll leave you to it. Thanks for your time.’ He stood and headed for the door.

‘Ah, Brodie, pal, how are you doing?’

Brodie shook his hand. ‘Grand, mate, you?’

Noah nodded. ‘Same, really. Let’s get together for a beer soon, eh?’

Noah left and Brodie walked over to where Olivia sat on the sofa. ‘Olivia MacBain, you need to get some fresh Scottish air in your lungs. You’ve been cooped up inside all day.’

She may have been cooped up, but it had been a successful day. Logs had been ordered. New staff member uniforms had been ordered and the wages had been processed. She had met with Paisley and Noah; exciting new things were afoot, and a flutter of excitement travelled through her.

She stretched her arms above her head. ‘It’s been a good day. How did you get on with the stonemason?’

‘All fairly positive. He’s inspected the leak site and I’ve arranged for him to come back and repoint the area after the tiles have been replaced.’

She stood and slipped her arms around his shoulders. ‘Fantastic.’ She kissed him and allowed her lips to linger on his as she relished the closeness.

‘I bet you didn’t even realise it’s been snowing!’ Brodie said from his vantage point.

Of course he was right. She hadn’t looked out of the window since she had come into the office earlier on. Nor had she noticed the temperature had dropped quite substantially but now she shivered.

She yawned as a wave of tiredness washed over her. At this point she wasn’t sure how she would cope long-term without her right-hand woman, Bella. Her best friend had been her assistant and had taken so much of the stress out of the role for Olivia. Now that Bella was gone, it was on Olivia’s shoulders again until a replacement could be found. Thankfully there were a few things that Bella was going to do remotely for the time being but hiring a new assistant was the next job on Olivia’s agenda. It was crucial she found someone soon.

A quick glance out of the window showed that the sun had begun its descent, and a layer of crisp white snow covered the ground. ‘I’d lost all track of time,’ she told Brodie with a stretch and a yawn. ‘I’ll head up and get changed.’

Up in her room, Olivia pulled on her jeans and a cream knitted jumper before slipping her arms into a thick Barbour coat and tugging a bobble hat down over her ears. Back down in the foyer, she stepped into her wellies and opened the door. Brodie, Wilf and Marley were waiting outside. She stood for a moment and watched as Brodie tossed snowballs into the air and Wilf jumped up to catch them, barking and protesting when he missed, and they disappeared into the snow on the ground once again. Marley looked on, clearly thinking it was all too much effort.

Brodie was wrapped up for the weather too and she had to spend an extra few seconds admiring how handsome he looked in his woolly hat and padded coat. He was so good with the dogs and for a split second she allowed herself to imagine him playing with their children. Of course, that would be way, way, way off in the future. She was still waiting for his, thus far elusive, proposal. He looked up and spotted her watching him and his face lit up with a wide, delicious smile.