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He made a face. ‘Mostly bills. Chuck them on the back seat.’
‘Right you are.’ She threw them behind her. ‘You know, you should probably open them,’ she added, noticing that many of the envelopes were still sealed. She swallowed hard, as if she could subdue the anxiety in her stomach that way.
‘Hmm. When I’m really bored, I will.’ He started the engine and they followed the narrow track road along Queen’s Point, moving away from the loch and the village.
‘I’ve never been far down this road,’ Carrie said, putting on her seatbelt and pulling it tight to test it. She fought to keep her voice steady.
‘Yeah. It’s a lovely drive, actually,’ he said, not seeming to notice her tension.
Carrie nodded, looking out at the trees at the side of the road and focusing on them, rather than thinking about the road and all the dangers that might be lurking on it. The road was overshadowed by trees in a leafy tunnel for a while, like something from a fairy tale. Then, suddenly, the trees – mostly evergreens – thinned, and she could see across the fields to a range of soft, purple hills in the far distance. More importantly, Carrie could see the road reaching out in front of them, with no cars on it at all. Being able to see the road ahead calmed her, as did the fact that Rory seemed to be a careful driver.
‘What a beautiful day,’ he said, sighing. ‘Music?’ He leaned over and turned on the radio, brushing her arm accidentally as he did so.
Carrie felt a shiver of something resonate through her as he did so; he looked over, very briefly, and caught her eye.
‘You all right?’ He frowned, catching something in her expression. ‘You look… worried about something.’
‘Oh. No, I’m okay,’ she lied. ‘Just a bit warm.’
‘Oh. Well, open the window, if you want.’ He nodded towards a button on her armrest. ‘You’ve got the controls there.’
‘Thanks.’ Carrie pressed the button and a blast of sharp, autumnal highland air blew her hair in her face a little. She took a deep breath and felt its calming effect; she took several more, and felt better again.
‘No lobsters, you’ll be relieved to hear.’ Rory watched her for a moment and then turned his attention back to the road, a smile playing on his lips.
‘What?’ Carrie asked, temporarily distracted. She was feeling far less anxious, and that was leaving space for the other energy between her and Rory. Why was it that every time Rory was near, there was this electricity in the air? She’d never experienced it before. It was unsettling.
Lust, Claire’s voice said, in her mind.
It’s not lust, Carrie argued with her sister, half-heartedly.
Well, what is it, then?
Carrie didn’t have an answer for that.
‘Lobsters. We aren’t picking any more up,’ Rory repeated, putting the jeep into low gear to go around the corner. ‘Just vegetables today. And some fruit.’
Carrie glanced at his arm; his tanned, muscular forearm tensed and released. Today, as usual when he wasn’t wearing his chef’s whites, he wore a black T-shirt under a red tartan shirt which he had left unbuttoned, and black jeans. The T-shirt wasn’t fitted or obviously trying to be sexy in any way, but she could still see the outline of his muscular chest underneath it.
She cleared her throat. ‘Oh. Right. Vegetables. I can cope with that. Aubergines don’t try and crawl out of the pot when you’re cooking them.’
‘Not usually, no,’ he laughed. ‘I think you’ll like the farm we’re going to today. I get all the veg from there, and a lot of the fruit. It’s all grown without chemicals. They’ve got goats for milk, eggs, that kind of thing. There’s even a little petting zoo for kids. It’s cute.’
‘Is that why you brought me? Because you thought I’d like playing with some fluffy bunnies?’ She smiled, relieved to be having a conversation and keeping her mind off the road.Look at me, I’m in a car and not freaking out!she thought.Progress.Still, she’d be glad when they got to the farm and she could get out of Rory’s jeep.
‘The very fact you called them bunnies leads me to believe it was a good choice, yeah,’ he chuckled.
‘Shut up. I meant rabbits.’
‘Well, as glad as I am that you love little fluffy animals,’ he chuckled again, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, ‘I mostly need a hand carrying crates today. If that’s all right.’
‘I should be okay, but I would warn you that I broke my collarbone recently,’ Carrie said, shortly. ‘Don’t give me the heaviest crates, I guess.’
‘Oh! I didn’t know. You should have said. I would have asked someone else.’ Rory shot her a concerned glance. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine, really.’ Carrie glanced at him and then stared back at the road.
‘If you’re sure.’
