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As she counted her breathing and felt the tightness in her throat subside, she remembered what the doctor had told her after the accident—have a plan, a way to cope for when the attacks hit. She opened her eyes and the room was back to normal. Shaking her hands to get rid of the pins and needles that remained, she headed to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. She needed a coping mechanism. What? She sipped the water as her heartbeat slowed. What she really wanted to do was lock Lake in a box and forget all about him. She stilled with the glass halfway to her mouth. That was it. She smacked the glass down on the counter, making the contents spill.
She grabbed the board marker off the whiteboard next to the fridge and opened the cupboard under the sink. The cupboard no one ever went into. On the inside of the door she wrote a list of all the things she needed to get out of her head—Lake, money worries, war and marketing the business. Done. With a smile of satisfaction, she stood, kicked the door shut and felt slightly better. She’d just keep it all in the cupboard and not in her head. As she walked away, she felt only marginally worried that her coping mechanism might be a sign that she’d totally lost the plot.
CHAPTER FOUR
Rainne slipped out of the back of Betty’s Knicker Emporium. She’d had a belly full of both Lake and his sidekick. War. It made her feel ill thinking about it. With a glance over her shoulder to make sure that no one was there to call her back, she headed in the direction of the loch. The water glimmered in the early morning sun. Ripples of blue, grey and green swayed lazily. Just looking at it made her feel lighter than she had in weeks. She filled her lungs with crisp autumn air. You could almost smell winter it was so close.
Rainne skirted to the right of the loch, climbed over the wall to the narrow beach and ducked out of sight of the town. Apart from the occasional car passing on the road nearby, all she could hear was the lapping water. Bliss. She wandered along the thin strip of beach, tripping over rocks and tree branches. Behind the thick bushes at the edge of town was a spot that was usually neglected. There wasn’t much demand in Invertary, after summer, for space by the water. Rainne found a good place and plopped down on a water-worn tree stump. Before she could stop herself, the tears began to fall. Better at the loch than in the shop. She knew Lake thought tears were a sign of weakness. But then, that’s what she was—weak.
“This place is far too pretty to sob in.” A voice startled her.
Rainne jumped to her feet. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her velvet jacket.
“And you’re far to pretty to be the one sobbing,” Alastair said as he came into view from behind the clump of bushes.
“Are you following me?” Rainne said.
“Yes,” he said solemnly before holding up a fishing rod and tackle box. “Practice. Trying out some new weights and flies before they go on sale.”
“Does it have to be here?” She waved around her. “I was hoping for some alone time.”
He put his box down beside her.
“That’s fine, you can have your alone time with me.”
“That isn’t how alone time works.”
“I’ll be quiet. In fact, you’re the one making all the noise. You’re going to scare the fish away. Sit down and enjoy the view.”
Rainne did as she was told, only to have Alastair stand right in front of her at the water’s edge.
“How am I supposed to enjoy the view when you’re in the way?”
He looked over his shoulder and grinned that cheeky grin of his as his brown eyes crinkled with mischief.
“There’s all sorts of views to enjoy here, Rainne.”
And he didn’t move. Rainne blew her nose on a tissue she found in her pocket and wondered how she was supposed to focus on the rippling waters of the loch with his backside in the way. Although, it was a nice backside—cupped in butter-soft jeans that had faded close to grey. Her eyes narrowed. He was doing it again.
“You’re trying to make me flirt with you, aren’t you?” she said.
Alastair didn’t say a word. He just flicked back the fishing rod and let the weight sail through the air into the water. His shoulder muscles flexed as he guided the rod through the air. Rainne found her eyes following the ripples of the muscles across his shoulders, down his back and straight to that fantastic behind. She shook her head.
“I’m not doing it. You’re too young for me.”
“You really need to get over that age prejudice thing you’ve got going, Rainbow. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Stop calling me Rainbow. Only my parents call me that.”
He looked over his shoulder and grinned. For a minute she would have sworn that his teeth actually sparkled.
“It suits you,” he said.
Rainne wedged her hands between her knees. There was something about that soft cotton shirt he was wearing that made her want to touch it.
“I’m serious,” she said. “You’re too young. Get a girlfriend your own age.”
“I’m twenty. It’s not like I’m still in school.”
