Page 52 of A Highland Family Affair

Kerr was a little muddy from work, but he wiped his hands down his jeans and held out his hand in turn to each of the women. ‘Hi there, I’m Olivia’s big brother, Kerr. Nice to meet you.’

Shona’s cheeks flushed and she seemed to have forgotten how to speak for a moment, it was quite amusing for such a professional woman. ‘Erm, hi, hi, Shona,’ she mumbled awkwardly.

‘And I’m Eilidh,’ the taller woman said, shaking his offered hand rather vigorously. ‘You have an amazing home.’

‘Amazing,’ Shona added. ‘Quite… beautiful in fact.’

Brodie glanced at Olivia and clearly tried not to smile. It was evident Shona had herself a wee crush.

They sat at one end of the large oak table and Noah and Mirren brought in platters of sandwiches, cakes and trays of tea and coffee. And as they tucked in to the food, Shona gazed around at her surroundings. Olivia could almost hear the cogs in her mind whirring.

Once they had finished eating, Eilidh said, ‘Thank you so much for the tour and for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with us. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that Drumblair would be the perfect place to film.’

‘I agree. This place is steeped in history and it’s just waiting to be featured on-screen. My work is already done,’ Shona added brightly. Brodie reached under the table and squeezed Olivia’s hand.

‘We won’t take up any more of your time, but I will be in touch by email with an offer of what we can pay for the use of the place and if you’re happy to go ahead we can get some contracts drawn up. Filming is set to begin in December if all goes to plan but we understand there’ll be a lot to think about for you both.’ Eilidh stood and everyone else followed suit. ‘I’ve arranged an Uber to pick us up but if it’s okay with you we’ll have a wander around the grounds until it arrives.’

Olivia nodded. ‘Of course. And in the meantime, if you need anything else you have my number.’

They walked to the castle entrance and shook hands. ‘So, does Kerr live here at the castle too?’ Shona asked as she glanced around.

Olivia smiled. ‘He does at the moment, yes. But he runs the nursery along the road so he’s not usually here through the day.’

‘Shame,’ Shona said absent-mindedly. ‘Erm… I mean it’s a shame he’s not here through the day as he’d be a good extra, that’s all I was thinking. We’ll need extras and he’d be good, I think.’

‘You already said that,’ Eilidh said with a grin. ‘We’ll get out of your hair. Thanks again and I’ll be in touch very soon.’

Once they had gone, Brodie slipped his arms around Olivia’s waist. ‘Well, Liv, it looks like Drumblair is going to be a movie star.’

‘And so is Kerr if Shona has anything to do with it,’ she said with a giggle.

Olivia knew there were some very exciting times ahead. But first, she had a wedding to prepare for.

19

On the Friday evening that followed her return from her hen weekend, Olivia greeted Charlotte at the main door of the castle with Brodie, and Kerr came down from his room to join them. Sir Lancelot had joined the other two dogs on the rug by the fire in the drawing room and they were all snoozing soundly after a long walk and hours of play fighting.

Charlotte looked lovely in black trousers and a teal V-neck sweater and Kerr had made an effort too with dark jeans and a smart shirt. He was fidgeting with his collar, and it was evident he was nervous. He was looking healthier these days and had put on a little weight. Since he had been dating Charlotte, he’d had a spring in his step too and Olivia felt good about her decision to loosen the reins on her brother. He was proving himself in every way. It was clear, in his case at least, that leopards could change their spots.

‘Thank you so much for inviting me for dinner,’ Charlotte said as she handed over a bottle of wine.

‘It’s lovely to have you here,’ Olivia said as she hugged her PA, who had become more of a friend in recent months.

Kerr kissed Charlotte on the cheek, and she blushed. ‘You look lovely, Charlotte,’ he told her.

‘So do you,’ she replied, suddenly shy.

‘Come on through to the kitchen, guys. I’m afraid you’re stuck with my culinary delights this evening. I plumped for moussaka, I hope that’s okay,’ Brodie said as he led the way.

‘Ooh, yum. One of my favourite dishes,’ Charlotte said. ‘Reminds me of our family holidays to Greece.’ As if deciding to mention her ex wasn’t the best idea, she added, ‘Will and I had some lovely holidays together when he was little.’

‘I hear Will’s enjoying working at the nursery,’ Olivia said as they sat. ‘Kerr says he’s been a great help with looking after the saplings.’

Charlotte beamed. ‘He’s loving it. He’s decided he wants to go into horticulture of some kind and is even looking into university courses for the future. I have Kerr to thank for that.’

Kerr’s eyes lit up. ‘He’s such a great kid. So happy to get stuck in no matter how cold or muddy it is up there.’

‘Another credit to your coaching, Kerr,’ Charlotte said with a squeeze to his hand.