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And for now, that was more than enough for me.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Lia
“Idon’t know what’s wrong with me.”
I was on the phone with Savannah, staring out the window at the fading light that shimmered across the waters of Loch Mirren.
“I know what’s wrong with you.” A horn sounded in the background. “Yeah, screw you too!”
“Trust me, that’s all I’m thinking about as well,” I said, even though I knew she was screaming at the car. The city sounds were loud in the background, and a part of me missed the hustle and bustle of Boston.
“As you should. From the picture you sent, I’m ready to hop on a plane and fly over to claim my own slice of Scottish yumminess. He’s seriously hot, Lia.”
“I know he is.”
In the week since I’d gone on my first date with Munroe, any free time that I had outside of prepping the restaurant for the soft opening in a few days, I had spent between the sheets with Munroe. “I think I’m addicted to him.”
“Or maybe you’re just falling for him. He sounds like a great guy.”
“What?No, I’m not…it’s not like that. I don’t have time for a relationship,” I protested. “You know how restaurant hours are.”
“Maybe in Boston, but you said most things close up early there. It sounds like you’ll have a much more flexible schedule,” Savannah said.
“Well, it’s not that. We’re just having fun.”
“Uh-huh. Send me an invite to the wedding. Gotta run, walking into shift,” Savannah all but sang in my ear before disconnecting the call.
“Whatever,” I muttered, putting the phone down on my bed. My stomach growled and I realized that, once again, I’d forgotten to feed myself that day. Instinctively, I reached for my phone to text Munroe to see if he wanted to grab food, and then I stopped myself. It was perfectly fine for us to have time apart. We’d already spent almost every night with each other, and a few stolen moments during the day as well. Frankly, I was surprised I was getting any sleep at all. I couldn’t seem to bring myself to stop touching that man.
He may be somewhat reserved in real life, but in private? Munroe hid some delightfully naughty secrets. I’d never been with a partner before that was so invested in my pleasure, and I had to say, it was pretty incredible.
Mind-blowing.
Distracting.
Leg-shaking.
Sighing, I shook my head and checked the time. If I walked fast enough, I’d just make it to the pub before they stopped serving food. There was no time to change, but I didn’t really care. Jeans and a T-shirt were my daily uniform anyway, and since the entire village seemed to have taken to stopping by my restaurant to see the progress most days, everyone saw me exactly as I was, flour-covered and all.
A shiver of awareness prickled my skin as I crossed the path that ran along Loch Mirren. Pausing, I cast my eyes out to where a small island, supposedly containing the Stone of Truth, was perfectly situated in the middle of the water. While I’d taken the daily assistance from Brice in my stride, and I was positively best friends with Clyde by now, the Kelpies still worried me. I think, because I’d invested myself so fully in bringing this restaurant to life, I’d allowed the distraction of work to push the hovering threat aside. But their screams continued, in the early morning hours, and most days when I went to the window, I found Sophie and Lachlan pacing the battlement. One of these mornings, I think I needed to go join them. If I was part of the Order, wasn’t I meant to protect the town as well?
That was the other thing that bothered me. Once I’d claimed my spot in the Order, I kept waiting for something to happen. I wasn’t surewhat, exactly, I was waiting for, but at the same time, it also felt like everyone was waiting on me. After the excitement of my first spell, one which was quite successful, much to a grateful Catriona’s surprise, I hadn’t really tried anything else.
Which, I suppose, was my own fault. I’d been so busy designing the menu, sourcing suppliers, and hiring staff that I’d barely even thought about the spell book. At least I’d found a nice box to keep the book in, which I’d lined with cloth and made sure was tucked away safely. There was so much I still wanted to learn, but between my time with Munroe and the restaurant, by the time my head hit the pillow, I was almost asleep.
Munroe.
What was I going to do with him? This impossibly kind man was starting to consume my thoughts, and I found myself often staring off into space, mid-recipe, and daydreaming about his kiss. His touch. A funny thing he’d told me about aliens or one of his new board games.
And yet I felt helpless to stay away from him. It was balance I needed, and that would have to start with putting some distance between Munroe and me. I mean, the man was busy enough himself, wasn’t he? He had an empire to run. I had no idea how he was carving out so much time to spend with me, and a trickle of guilt went through me at the thought of him neglecting work to be with me.
“Lia.” I shook myself from my thoughts and turned with a smile on my face. And froze.
Munroe sat at a dinner table by the fireplace with an older couple who reeked of wealth. Based on the gentleman’s strong jawline and the woman’s disdainful air, these two could only be his parents. My stomach dropped, and I could have kicked myself for not taking more time with my appearance. Munroe’s mother, in a Chanel suit jacket, trim slacks, and a double strand of pearls, eyed me like I was something the cat had thrown up. His father glanced at me and then away, quickly dismissing me as a nobody. I suppose I was, to them at least, with my faded work jeans and a T-shirt still dusted with food remnants from the day. All of my feelings of not being good enough from childhood flooded back, and in response, I did what I always did. I lifted my chin and summoned my attitude.
“Munroe,” I said, walking stiffly to the table. We hadn’t discussed what we would tell people about our…situation and based on the fact that Munroe hadn’t told me his parents were coming, I was guessing he wanted to keep us quiet. Which was fine, really, but for some reason, being kept hidden from his life made me feel like I had an itch between my shoulder blades that I couldn’t scratch. I stood by the table, frumpy and out of sorts, and pasted my customer service smile on my face.
