Page 17 of A Highland Family Affair

A layer of snow covered the ground again now and glistening flakes floated down to mingle with the blanket already coating the pavement beneath their feet. The twinkling lights of the theatre across the river reflected in the still water and gave a festive appearance to the place, even though it was weeks from Christmas.

Once inside, the warmth of the restaurant wrapped Olivia in a blanket of heat that she was grateful for. One of the waiting staff took their coats and the maître d’ showed them to a table in the atmospherically lit dining room. The dark chocolate-coloured walls were a contrast to the crisp white table linens, and each table was lit at its centre with the glow of candlelight. Brodie pulled out Olivia’s chair and she sat as a waiter brought over a couple of menus and a wine list.

‘Could we have a bottle of Moët, please?’ Brodie asked as he handed back the wine list.

The smartly dressed waiter nodded. ‘Certainly, sir. I’ll leave you to have a look at the dinner menu.’ He left them.

Olivia couldn’t help the beaming smile that had spread across her face. ‘Are we celebrating?’ she asked as her heart fluttered.

Brodie shrugged. ‘I wanted to really splash out, that’s all. You deserve it.’

She reached to take his hand. ‘You work just as hard as I do.’

He smiled in return. ‘Well then, we both deserve it. Now… what are you fancying?’

The waiter delivered their chilled bottle of champagne and glasses, then took their order before leaving them once again.

Brodie held up his glass. ‘To us,’ he said.

Olivia clinked his glass with hers. ‘To us,’ she repeated.

‘Have you heard from Bella?’

Olivia sipped her champagne and let the bubbles tickle her tongue before she spoke. ‘Yes, she’s settling in well and exploring the island,’ she replied.

‘I must admit I’m a tad envious. Skye is so beautiful. We’ll have to visit soon.’

‘That sounds like a good idea to me. I do miss her. And Granny Isla.’

Brodie laughed. ‘Oh, aye. Isla is a character. I loved having her around when they were living at Drumblair. She had this way about her, she’d speak her mind and bugger the consequences but at least you knew where you were with her, eh? It’s not the same without her and her wee dog. I think Wilf misses his playmate now that Marley is slowing down a bit. Beau was so on his wavelength.’ He shook his head.

‘Well, there’s always Sir Lancelot. He and Wilf get along well.’

Brodie almost choked on his drink as he laughed. ‘Honestly, I thought Wilf was a funny name for a dog.’ He shook his head. ‘He’s a sweet wee thing, though.’

Olivia raised her eyebrows. ‘I would hardly call him wee.’

‘Aye, fair comment. He’s a sweet muckle thing.’

Their main courses arrived and as Brodie tucked into his succulent steak, Olivia enjoyed her melt-in-the-mouth salmon with a cream and dill sauce. As she glanced around the dining room, she smiled to herself. Amongst the other guests there was an elderly couple holding hands across their table. The adoration for each other was clear in the way their crinkled eyes were fixed on each other as they talked and laughed. How sweet, she thought. And for a moment she imagined herself and Brodie like that.

The place wasn’t overly crowded but there was a lively atmosphere and a low rumble of conversation which was backed by a soundtrack of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. She distinctly recognised ‘Autumn’, one of her father’s favourites, and recalled evenings sitting in the library reading by the glow of firelight as her father sat, eyes closed and a small smile on his lips as the sound of violins wafted through the air.

Once their plates were empty and cleared away, the waiter returned. ‘Can I offer you a dessert menu?’

Brodie nodded enthusiastically. ‘You sure can. But… can we have a bit of a break before dessert, please?’

‘Absolutely,’ the young man replied and with a nod he turned and walked away.

Brodie reached for Olivia’s hand. ‘We should do this more often. You work so hard, and I worry about you. You’ve taken on so much since becoming the owner of Drumblair. So, it’s my intention to make sure that we get as much time for us as possible.’

Olivia smiled and she tilted her head. ‘You’re so sweet. You take such good care of me.’

‘Aye, for someone who doesn’t like being taken care of. Miss Independence,’ he teased.

‘Would you rather I was a damsel in distress?’

His brow crumpled and he huffed. ‘Definitely not. I love that you’re a boss lady. It’s sexy as hell.’ His mouth curled upwards.