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‘Some of that was okay but there was a bar specializing in Scotch whisky, particularly the island malts. So, a wee trip to check this place out sounds great and, obviously,’ she added rather hurriedly, ‘I will give it the once over for Emma’s wedding, too.’
Steve laughed. ‘Well, just remember that I keep an eye on the level in my bottles.’
‘Don’t worry, Steve. I won’t drink you dry. I’ll always ask your permission before helping myself to a dram and if not, I’ll be sure to add water in, so you don’t think you’re running low.’
Steve chuckled and once again Kirsty was reminded of how fond he was of her youngest sister. They had always got on well and he treated her as his little sister too.
He grabbed his car keys. ‘Shall we go then?’
‘It will be good to have a wee nosy ahead of the big day,’ said Amy cheerily as Steve pulled into the car park. ‘I’m actually more impressed that you managed to talk Emma into it.’
Kirsty twisted round from her seat in the front. ‘It was Steve’s idea as he got chatting to the new manager and . . .’
‘How did you convince Emma though?’
Kirsty smiled wryly at Amy. She had been about to tell her some more about the new manager, but she hadn’t been given much of a chance. ‘She appointed me as her wedding planner and was fine with it. She has actually been quite low maintenance for a bride-to-be. Plus, she was busy and distracted and . . .’
‘No surprise there then,’ interrupted Amy.
‘Are you going to let me finish?’
‘Come on, girls, stop bickering,’ said Steve, turning off the engine.
Kirsty pretended to scowl. ‘See, I can’t even remember what I was saying.’
They walked across the crunchy gravel to the entrance of the eco-friendly wooden and glass building and Kirsty watched Amy’s reaction as she took in the surroundings and the incredible setting.
‘Wow,’ she said, turning to stare at the water stretching out before them.
‘Come on. Let’s go inside,’ said Kirsty, tugging at Amy’s arm and pulling her through the door. ‘Now please don’t freak out,’ she said in a whisper. ‘But there’s someone here who I think you may remember.’
‘Who—?’ but Amy’s question was answered for her when she saw who was behind the welcome desk.
‘Hello again,’ said James, smiling warmly at the group. Kirsty noticed his smile widened when he spotted Amy.
‘Ow,’ she said, as Amy purposefully stood on her toe.
‘Amy! How are you?’ James stood up and came round to greet her properly, kissing her on both cheeks. ‘It’s been ages. When did you get back?’
‘Just the other day. Um, yesterday I think,’ she said, flustered.
‘It’s the jet lag,’ joked Kirsty, who was now very aware of the glare her sister was throwing her. ‘She’s not quite herself.’ Now Kirsty felt bad that she hadn’t given her sister the heads up.
‘Come on, Amy, I’ll give you a quick tour,’ said James who led the way, accompanied by Steve.
The girls held back and let them move ahead and Kirsty winced, knowing what was about to come.
‘I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was here,’ hissed Amy.
‘Yes, sorry about that. I was going to but didn’t quite get round to it . . .’ said Kirsty who decided that Amy didn’t actually look too mad. It could have been a lot worse. If she was really angry, she would have flounced back to the car. Instead, she seemed unable to take her eyes off James. That had to be a positive sign.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Amy had tried not to blush when he reached for her hand in greeting. His grip was firm and warm, and he didn’t take his eyes from her face. Then when he kissed her onbothcheeks, she could smell his warm, spicy aftershave. He had definitely become more ruggedly handsome as he’d got older, with his cropped blond hair and deep blue eyes. She couldn’t believe that Kirsty had failed to mention he was back and would be a key part of next week’s wedding.
‘How long have you been here?’ Amy said, as she followed him outside.
‘Well, I’ve been back and forth for a couple of years now with a view to managing the distillery.’
