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So I ventured out for a distraction. Now how to get home without calling for help and having to listen to Forde berate me for my recklessness …
“Cameron?”
My eyes flew open and I found myself staring into violet eyes so unusual I recognized them immediately, even though her appearance was different from the last time I saw her. “Brenna?”
Brenna Bird stood outside Pages & Perks, peering at me in concern. Instead of the classy wide leg pants, cami, and suit jacket combo she’d worn the entire weekend we spent at the Scaris Thistle Hotel, she was in hiking trousers, boots, and a hiking jacket. No makeup, which made her look younger, her long blond hair scraped back into a tight ponytail. She lowered her backpack to the pavement and reached for me. “Do you need help?”
“What … what are you doing on Glenvulin?”
“Wednesday’s my day off. Dillon is at school … so I decided to go on a hike and then changed my mind and drove down to Oban and jumped on a ferry to here. I was going to work here originally, you know.”
“For Tierney.”
“Yeah. You know her?” Her gaze washed over me, and she didn’t wait for my reply. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you look really pale. I heard about what happened. Should you be up and walking?”
“No, she shouldn’t.”
We both jolted at the gravelling growl as Torin Montrose strode into my personal space. He cut Brenna a look of irritation. “What are you doing here?”
She stiffened, lifting her chin in defiance. “It’s my day off.”
“So you came here?”
“Well, if I’d known you were here, I wouldn’t have.”
At his raised eyebrow, Brenna looked away, not meeting his gaze. “I just meant, on my day off I wouldn’t have deliberately gone somewhere my boss was going to be …”
“I’m picking up a fresh fish order we put in with the fishing company,” he bit out, sounding way more aggravated than the situation called for.
“Shouldn’t someone from the kitchen do that?”
“I was coming over to the island, anyway, to check on Cammie,” he retorted without looking at me.
My attention moved between them like I was watching a ping-pong match.
“Well, could you do that, then?” Brenna gestured to me. “’Cause she’s not looking so hot.”
Torin whirled as if remembering why he’d stepped into this situation in the first place. “Fuck, what are you doing up and about?”
“Just what I was coming to ask.”
I squeezed my eyes closed at the sound of my boyfriend’s voice. His footsteps sounded harsh on the pavement to my right as he marched down Main Street toward me. Opening my right eye tentatively, I saw his handsome face was a mask of pure agitation. He was in his mechanic’s overalls and there was dirt on his cheek, so obviously some nosy busybody had called him to tattle on me and he’d come running.
I opened both eyes and slumped against the wall.
Caught.
“Sorry.”
Whatever lecture was about to come my way died as his eyes washed over me. “Baby …” Forde slipped an arm around me. “You in pain?”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I was just going off my nut alone in the house. But it was stupid to come here.”
“I’ll get my truck.” He turned to Torin. “Wait with her?”
Torin nodded. “Of course.”
Forde pressed a hard kiss to my mouth, and I was grateful he’d decided to absolve me of a lecture in front of people because I’d inevitably have to yell at him for it. Three seconds later he disappeared down Main Street and I faced my two unlikely chaperones.
