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“Where are you coming from?” Agnes asked.
“Boston,” Lia said, dipping her spoon into her soup. I caught the look that Agnes sent Graham, and he shook his head in answer. She glared back. What wasthatabout?
“I’ve only been to Boston once,” I said, wanting to keep Lia talking. “But I really liked it. It has this feel of being a big city, but also kind of cozy as well. It was nice to walk around, and the pub culture there is kind of like our own.”
“Boston is great.” Lia smiled at me, and I think I might have levitated off the floor. Her smile took all of the sharp edges from her face, and it felt like,hell,I don’t know, a blessing or something. All I knew was that I would do anything to make her keep smiling at me that way. “I’m going to miss…” She trailed off and clamped her mouth shut.
Another weird look between Agnes and Graham. But all I could think about was what she had been about to say. Did missing it mean she wasn’t going back? Would she be staying in Loren Brae? It was too much to hope for, as it was more likely she’d travel Scotland like most tourists did. Unless I could convince her to stay here, at least long enough for me to see why I’d suddenly developed this insatiable need to know more about her.
Yup, still sounding a bit creepy in my head.Down, boy.
My dating style was nothing compared to Graham’s approach. First of all, Agnes was right—I rarely had time to date because I buried myself in my work. However, one could argue that I buried myself in my work because I was lonely. So I couldn’t be too sure what the cause and correlation was here, exactly, but either way, I wasn’t dating all that much these days. And, when I did date, I was about as polite as I could be. I hated feeling out of my element, and I never wanted a woman to feel uncomfortable with me. Typically, I even let her make the first move, though the lads always gave me a hard time for it. I didn’t care. Steamrolling women was Graham’s approach. Mine was to woo them with my nerdiness and good manners.
Hence me still being single.
“It’s a touch quieter here than in Boston,” I said, when Lia didn’t continue speaking. “But I think you’ll find it has its own charm. If you can call these two charming.”
Lia laughed, and I felt like I’d won the lottery.
“Munroe, a word?” One of the locals in the pub, Stuart who owned a carpentry business, tapped my shoulder. As much as I hated to turn away from Lia, I didn’t want to be rude.
“How’s it going then, Stuart?” I asked.
“Well enough, I suppose, though work has fairly dried up these days. I’m of a mind to ask you about this distillery you’re considering. I know Graham asked us not to speak of it, and I promise to not be saying a word. I was just thinking maybe we could have a wee chat about any of your building needs if the time comes that you’re ready for it.” The hope in his eyes was palpable, and my heart twisted. From what I remembered, Stuart ran a business with fair practices and good work, and it was my goal to use local tradesmen as much as I could for the project.
“Of course, Stuart. When the times comes, I’d be more than happy to have a chat with you about our needs.”
“Do you, by chance, have an idea of when that might be?” I caught the glimmer of desperation in his eyes and realized that times must be even more difficult in Loren Brae than I had realized.
“Soon,” I promised, clapping him on the shoulder. “Until I have a location, I can’t start the process of going through budgets and design options with my team. That will be my first step.” Technically, my first step should be analyzing the profitability of a distillery in a location, taking into consideration both local and tourist activity, high and low seasons, cost of electricity…the list went on and on. However, this was the perk of owning the business. Occasionally, I could follow a whim. And, while I thought Loren Brae would be a profitable location based on my preliminary research, I knew that I could make this into a tourist destination if I put a significant PR campaign behind it. Which meant, while I’d skipped a few important steps in coming to this decision, a location really was the next step in the process.
“I might have a few ideas. I know most of the buildings in Loren Brae and the surrounding area. If you need any help, I’m happy to offer an opinion or a look through to give you an idea of how much work a place might need.”
“I appreciate that. Why don’t you call me tomorrow and we can arrange to go look at a few places. I’ll pay you a consulting fee, of course,” I said as I reached for my wallet to pull my business card out. Relief crossed his face, but then Stuart shook his head.
“No need for a fee. I’m happy to help.”
Proud. I admired that in a man, though it could cause issues at times.
“Call me tomorrow,” I said and turned to greet the next man, an electrician, who had lined up behind him. By the time I’d finished speaking with several of the locals about my proposed project, I returned to the bar to see Lia was gone.
“Did she leave?” I blurted out, my gaze darting to the door.
“Och, it’s like that, is it?” Graham raised an eyebrow at me. “You could’ve said something before I gave her a flirt.”
“Yes, she’s gone. Just now,” Agnes offered, and I left without saying another word. I had no idea if I’d ever see this incredible woman again, and I had to at least try and see if she would give me her number. Nerves skittered through my stomach as I all but ran out onto the street, twisting my head in all directions until I saw a lone figure standing at the side of the loch.
When a shriek split the night, I ducked, unsure of what was happening and then realized it was the Kelpies that Graham had spoken of. Sprinting to Lia, I caught her as she turned, her face sheet-white with fear.
“Whatwasthat? What is happening? Oh my God, Munroe. I can’t…they don’t have this stuff in Boston. We have carjackings, and people beat each other up in the streets, but I don’t know what this is…did you hear that…what is it? Are we going to die?” Lia’s eyes were wide with fear as she babbled up at me. All I could think about was how well she fit into my arms.
I did the only thing I could think of to stem the panicked flow of words. I kissed her.
Everything quieted.
My thoughts settled, the world faded away, and a sense of rightness filled my soul. The kiss heated as much as it soothed, and Lia clung to me like I was her lifeline in a sea of darkness. I could have stood there forever, clinging to each other on the shores of Loch Mirren, sinking into the abyss together. When Lia broke the kiss and pulled back, I didn’t let her go as her hands still clung tightly to the front of my shirt. She blinked those wide doe-eyes up at me, and I smiled down at her.
I wanted to apologize. I wanted to explain that I’d only kissed her because it stopped her panic in its tracks. But I couldn’t. Iwouldn’t.
