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“Ah, soon, señora! You know how it is. My mother—she ah… she misses me, you know.” Enrique gave a dramatic sigh. “But I promise. I will visit soon, for sure.” As he said this, Jenn could’ve sworn he threw her a promising glance.

“Yes, you make sure you do. And Ruairidh, you keep on at him too,” Ealasaid added sternly, clearly not one to let a promise go unfulfilled.

“I will. I promise,” Ruairidh said. “But we’d better go and enjoy these—and leave you ladies to get back to work. Thanks, by the way.” He raised his plate in acknowledgment, that boyish look coming over his features again.

Jenn watched as the two men made their way to a free table. Every woman in the café was visibly tracking their movement. She wished Vivi were here to see this.

“Mmm… they make a fine pair, eh?” Abigail had sidled up beside her and was shamelessly ogling the two pilots. “Although I shouldn’t be eyeing up Ruairidh—he’s Seumas’ little cousin,” she added, referring to her husband.

“Oh right. It really is a small world, eh?” Jenn replied, non-committally.

“They’re both single, you know.” Abigail gave her a mischievous look. “So… which one would you pick?”

“Umm… ahh… I’m not really looking for anything right now,” Jenn said, flustered, clasping her hands together as if that might shut them up. “Besides, I hardly think either of them would be interested in me. I’m sure they’ve got women chasing after them all over the world.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure. They were both eyeing you up like one of your cakes. You’re a gorgeous girl. Young, free, and single—so why the hell not?”

Jenn flushed. “Erm… I honestly couldn’t say…”

“Hmm… it is a hard choice,” Abigail mused. “I mean, Enrique is clearly sex on legs. And you can tell he’s well up for it anytime. But Ruairidh. He’s a slow burner, that one. And dare I say it—the better-looking one.”

Jenn was saved from replying by Ealasaid, who appeared out of nowhere, brandishing a stack of order slips. “Are those links not ready yet, Abigail?”

“Just coming, Ealasaid, just coming,” Abigail said, strutting back to her station with a knowing look to Jenn and cheeky little nod to the pilots.

Jenn looked over. They didn’t look quite so dashing now, stuffing the last bites of chocolate cake and cream into their mouths. They both had chocolate smudges on their faces and a fine dusting of crumbs on their pristine white shirts. At least they seemed to have enjoyed it. Jenn smiled happily to herself.

Still, when she turned back to her next set of orders, she was uncomfortably aware of Ruairidh’s gaze, prickling at her like heat across the room.

Chapter 8

A few days later, Jenn was standing in one of the studios within Saints Bay High School, anxiously waiting to see if anyone would turn up for her first ever yoga class. Fine. Slight exaggeration. Cathy Ann, Mairead, and Abigail had promised to come—more for moral support than anything.

The high school, along with the adjoining nursery and primary school, was surprisingly multifunctional. There was a large assembly hall, a sports hall, pool, gym, and a couple of studios. Everyone descended here for music lessons, choir practice, Highland dancing, fitness classes, even the odd ceilidh. And now—courtesy of Jenn—yoga.

She’d opted for a 6 p.m. class. Jenn preferred the serenity of morning yoga, but a post-work class was usually more popular with beginners. Luckily, she’d found a load of yoga mats in the store cupboard and laid them out around the room, along with a pile of her own blankets and cushions. Thankfully, she had a million to spare. She’d finished things off with some fairy lights and a few of Cathy Ann’s Hellisay Candles.

She looked around, feeling chuffed. Tranquil music was playing from the speakers. The room was soft and glowing. It was perfect. Now she just needed people.

The door opened and a stunning woman with blonde, sun-streaked hair nervously glanced into the room.

“Hello. Are you here for yoga? Please come in!” Jenn said in what she hoped was a friendly but not too desperate manner. Her feet were doing a nervous little shuffle on the mat.

“Yes… I am,” the woman replied, coming into the room.

She was tall—definitely a good few inches above Jenn’s five-foot-five—with an athletic build, generous curves, and the kind of golden tan that came only from being outdoors every day. Jenn felt like a pale wraith beside her.

“Hello, my name is Jenn,” Jenn said, smiling. She waved her hands awkwardly. This was why she liked hugging people. It stopped her hands doing daft things.

“Hi, I’m Lizzie,” she replied. “Are you the new girl at the airport?”

“Yes, I am. I just moved here a few weeks ago. I don’t think we’ve met though, have we?”

“No, but you’ll probably see lots of me. Cake is my weakness. And I regularly pop into the café after my walks. I’ve heard your baking is legendary, so I can’t wait to try it.”

“Aww, people are too kind and definitely exaggerating,” Jenn replied modestly, feeling a tingle of happiness rising in her chest. “So, are you from Hellisay originally?” Jenn asked.

“No, no. My family are from Dunblane. I moved here just over a year ago with my boyfriend. I’m actually one of the science teachers here in the school.”