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She leaned forward and rested her head against his chest for a second. ‘Kristie?’ he said.
Although she’d told him about her sister, she’d never got round to telling him about the helpline. Things were playing on her mind. She needed a chance to talk to him—but she wanted to do that when they were alone.
She lifted her head. ‘Can we go to the pub tonight for dinner?’ Tonight was only a couple of hours away. She could wait that long.
‘Of course.’ He nodded. She watched as he painted a smile on his face and put his hand out towards Thea. ‘Gerry, you’ve changed a little,’ he joked. ‘Welcome to Arran.’
* * *
Three hours later they finally had some peace and quiet. Even though the pub was busy, they were tucked in a little nook at the back where no one could hear them talk.
Rob, the barman, had just brought over their plates of steaming food, steak pie for Rhuaridh and fish for Kristie. Rhuaridh lifted his fork to his mouth and halted.
Kristie followed his gaze. The elegant woman from the boat was crossing the pub, heading directly towards their table. Every head in the room turned as she passed, her wool coat now open, revealing a form-fitting black dress underneath. She was easily the best-dressed woman in the room and she knew it.
Kristie’s skin prickled. She could sense trouble. Rhuaridh looked almost frozen as the woman approached.
Kristie tilted her head, pretending she felt totally at ease. ‘Can I help you?’
The woman looked down her nose at Kristie. For all her elegance, she wasn’t half as pretty when she was sneering at someone. ‘Oh, the American.’ She said the words as if Kristie were some kind of disease.
Years of experience across cutthroat TV shows meant that Kristie was more than prepared for any diva behaviour. She gave her most dazzling smile. ‘I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Who are you?’ The words were amiable enough, but Kristie knew exactly how to deliver them. The implication of ‘not being important enough to know’ emanated from her every pore.
There was a flash of anger in the woman’s eyes but Rhuaridh broke in. ‘Kristie, this is Zoe.’
‘Zoe?’
The woman straightened her shoulders. ‘Zoe Brackenridge. Rhuaridh and I are...’ a calculating smile appeared on her lips ‘...very good, old friends.’
The ex. It was practically stamped on her forehead. But Kristie wasn’t easily bested.
Zoe seemed to dismiss her, turning her attention to Rhuaridh. ‘Rhuaridh, do you think we could go back to the cottage? I think we need to have a private chat.’
‘I’m not quite sure there’s room enough for three,’ said Kristie quickly. Too quickly, in fact, she was in danger of letting this woman make her lose her cool.
But it seemed that Rhuaridh had limited patience too. ‘What are you doing on Arran, Zoe? I thought you hated the place.’ His gaze was steely.
There was a tiny flicker in the woman’s cheek. She wasn’t unnerved. She was angry. She looked Rhuaridh straight in the eye, ‘Like I said, we need to talk.’
‘We talked some time ago. I think you said everything you needed to.’
Zoe leaned forward and touched Rhuaridh’s arm, leaving her hand there. Kristie resisted the temptation to stab her with her fork. ‘Rhuaridh, I’m sure there are some things we could catch up on.’
‘Like what?’
Kristie almost choked. She’d never heard Rhuaridh be that rude before. Funnily enough, she kind of liked it.
Now Zoe was starting to show some signs of frustration. ‘I think we have a lot of things to catch up on. One of the consultants I’m working with was enquiring about you—there could be a job opportunity in Glasgow. It would be perfect for you.’ She looked over her shoulder. ‘Get you away from this island. Now you’ve done that show, you should be able to recruit someone else for here. Get your career back on track. Get your life back on track.’
Rhuaridh stood up, his dinner untouched, and reached out for Kristie’s hand. ‘You’ve watched the show?’
Kristie felt as if she’d been catapulted back into high school. This seemed like teenage behaviour. Rhuaridh had never really talked about the relationship he’d had with Zoe, but in Kristie’s head she could see Zoe watching the show, seeing how captivated the world was with Rhuaridh, and realising exactly what she’d let go. Now she’d shown up like some high school prom queen back to claim her king.
