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“Thank God you’re here,” she replied. “You’ve provided an interruption to Dad’s latest railroading.” She ushered him in, realizing with a jolt that this would be the first meeting between her father and Sam since they’d started seeing each other.

Sam frowned, taking off his snow boots. “What’s happening?”

Keeping her voice low, Maya led him along the hallway. “Dad’s going to call his friend’s firm in Edinburgh to ask them to employ me.”

Sam’s eyes seemed to widen for a moment, and then he smiled as they entered the kitchen and he caught sight of Yvonne and Omar.

Yvonne glanced up from her dishwasher audit. “Hi, Sam. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“That would be great, thanks, Mrs. B.”

Shaking her head with a smile, Yvonne fetched the mugs. “It’s Yvonne, sweetheart.”

Color rose in his cheeks, and Maya leaned over to kiss both of them, her heart melting.

Sam cleared his throat. “Yvonne. Hi, Dr. B.”

Omar gave him a curt nod. “Hello, Sam. How’s your mum?”

“Good, thanks. She and Angus are getting on well. He’s moved in.”

“That’s fantastic,” Yvonne said. “They’re such a great couple.”

Sam glanced at the floor. “Liv and I are really pleased for them.”

Maya took his hand and gave it a squeeze, aware that he was still wary of Angus. Not because he was a bad guy, far from it. But Sam had confessed his concerns that Angus might not stick around, and she could tell he still had trouble believing that people weren’t going to up and leave.

She led him to the table to take a seat.

Omar folded his magazine. “What brings you here this evening?”

Yvonne shot him a look, and Omar shrugged. “Just asking. Making conversation.”

Sam laughed, though Maya detected a nervous edge behind it. “Maya left something at work, so I was just dropping it off.”

Maya realized she’d never asked why he was stopping by; she’d been so pleased to see him. “What did I leave?”

He fished her woolly gloves from his pocket and handed them over. Smiling, she met his gaze—he could easily have given them to her the next morning. He’d just wanted an excuse to see her again that day. Maya took his hand again, scooting her chair closer.

Yvonne came over and handed out mugs.

Omar lifted his, blowing on it. “Your mum tells me that you two are an item.”

Maya nearly spat out her tentative sip of tea. “Dad.”

“What?” he asked, taking a drink. “Isn’t that what you youngsters call it anymore?”

Yvonne rolled her eyes, a smile on her face.

Sam glanced at Omar, rubbing his neck. “That’s right, Dr. B.” He shot Maya a soft look that nearly made her swoon off her chair. “I’m a lucky guy.”

Nodding, Omar set down his mug. “She’s a clever cookie, our Maya. Destined for big things, and big places.”

Maya narrowed her eyes at her dad. Was he firing a warning shot at Sam? Intended to give him a heads-up that she wouldn’t be his for long because she’d be moving on? That was not the signal she wanted sent to the man who’d already suffered rejection with her, even though it hadn’t been of her doing.

She shifted her chair right against Sam’s, bringing their entwined hands possessively into her lap.

Sam shot her a glance, clearly aware of the intention to reassure behind her movements.