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“Yes,” I say firmly, even as I feel a pang of nerves. “I talked to him yesterday, he wants to come back, I can tell. He just needs that extra nudge.”
Nudge, push, shove… I’ll find a way.
“We’ll jump on the ferry first thing,” I add. I’m relieved to see sunlight outside the windows, and clearer skies. “The weather’s turned, so there should be no more delays.”
“Where are you, anyway?” she asks, and I pause.
“Oh, Fraser’s place,” I reply, trying to sound breezy. “His family lives nearby, so we spent the night here.”
“Spent thenight, spent the night?” Hazel asks, her voice turning delighted. “Orspentthe night.”
I clear my throat. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” I say primly, and she laughs.
“I knew it! You owe me a drink, make that a dinner.”
“For what?” I ask, confused.
“For sending him after you!” I can hear the smug note in her voice. “You think I couldn’t have blown him off with some vague excuse if I’d wanted to? I’m a mother, JJ, I can look you in the eye and swear they were all out of soda at the store. Suit Guy has nothing on me.”
“Evil genius,” I gasp, realizing she set us up on this madcap adventure. “But, just a question: I still resented the hell out of him on Saturday. What would you have done if I’d strangled him after six hours in a confined space with each other?”
“Hired you a damn good lawyer.”
I laugh.
“Have fun and see you soon! That part is an order from Reeve, minus at least four different expletives,” she adds, hanging up.
I lower the phone, smiling. That was some ballsy matchmaking, sending us off on this quest together—especially when I thought Fraser was nothing but a penny-pinching buzzkill of a suit.
How wrong could I be? There’s nothing buzzkill about him—or the way he touched me last night…
I tiptoe back into the bedroom, only to find Fraser sitting up in bed, stretching. “Did I wake you?” I ask, admiring the sight of him and all those burly muscles flexing in the morning sun… “That was Hazel. We’re still in the clear, if we can get Hugo back ASAP.”
“That’s good,” he smiles. “And seeing you naked in that shirt is even better.”
“Oh, this old thing?” I do a little spin, then remember something. “Crap, I forgot to put the dryer on last night. My clothes will all still be damp.”
“Does this mean you have to spend the day naked?” Fraser gives a wolfish grin, climbing out of bed and pulling me into a hug.
I laugh, melting against him. “I mean, that might draw some attention on the ferry…”
He kisses me, slow and sizzling. “Then I'd better go see to them, hadn’t I?”
“And coffee!” I add eagerly, trailing him downstairs. “And bacon. Ooh, and fried eggs, and toast and jam…”
“In other words, you’d like a full fry-up, and fast?” Fraser smirks at me, amused.
“You know me so well.” I beam. The slate kitchen tiles are cool under my bare feet, but I don’t mind. I’m just happy to throw open the back door and take a deep breath of fresh, non-rainy Scottish air. The garden is green and lush, and there are blue skies overhead with only a wisp of fluffy clouds.
It’s a perfect summer’s day. Finally.
Fraser puts on the dryer to spin my clothes, and then makes us both mugs of strong black coffee. I perch on a stool by the counter, sipping it as I watch him move around the small, quaint space, assembling our breakfast. “I like this place,” I say, looking around at the hand-painted porcelain tiles and big farmhouse sink. Like the rest of the cottage, it feels old and full of character. “You didn’t want to rip it all out, and make it modern?”
“No thank you,” Fraser shakes his head, as he expertly whisks eggs in a bowl. “That’s the charm of it. Some things just get better with age.”
“Yes, they do,” I say, openly checking him out.
He chuckles. “Stop that, or you won’t get your breakfast.”
