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Not that I wanted to check them into the nearest retirement home, but they could have let me run errands for them once in a while. Call for my help when their internet got buggy. Ask me to interpret the latest slang phrases. Something.
“I understand. Not being needed is my worst nightmare.”
I couldn’t imagine not needing a man like Duncan. I wished his wife would have fought for him rather than turn her back on their relationship when he was trying to fix it.
Well…no. I didn’t wish that. But someone needed to fight for him.
I shushed my inner Katniss, clamoring to volunteer for the job.
“My parents’ second wind is a gift, I know that. But it can be trying, too, in ways I never expected. There are only so many times I can fend off conversations about their sex life.” My mother leftnothingto the imagination.
He winced. “I changed my mind—hearing about my parents’ sex life would be my worst nightmare.”
“It’s either that, or she’s asking about mine.”
“If they’re going to ask, might as well have a good tale to tell.”
His wink shimmered through me like stardust and I breathed out a laugh. I had no doubts Duncan would deliver.
The waitress returned with our food and laid out the platters before whisking off again. Two plates of fish and chips, along with the lone fried Mars bar dusted with powdered sugar sat in front of us. The chocolate tempted, but I showed some restraint and tucked into my lunch first.
Next, I cut the Mars bar into pieces. The golden brown batter held a gooey mess of chocolate and caramel. It looked tasty, but just like fried butter back home, that calorie bomb had to have been created on a dare.
Spearing a piece on my fork, I tipped it toward Duncan. “On the haggis scale, how beloved is this dish here?”
He snorted. “I think it’s mostly for tourists and children.”
I shrugged. “I guess I’m going to get the full tourist experience, then.”
I popped the bite into my mouth. The crispy fried batter melted into the chocolate, and the powdered sugar added an extra—completely unnecessary—layer of sweetness.
“It’s surprisingly good. Please, have some of this delectable treat.” I scooted the plate to the middle of the table and Duncan ate a square of the gooey chocolate.
The fried batter made a strangely good combination with the caramel center, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten a whole chocolate bar in one go. I struggled between the temptation of delicious, gooey chocolate, and the sure knowledge of an imminent stomachache from sugar overload.
As usual, chocolate won out.
twenty-one
I wouldn’t have thoughta massive, open field could be overrun with tourists, but the Fairy Pools proved me wrong. All the pristine pictures of the empty trail that led into the mountains must have been taken in the off season, because it was absolutely covered today. We’d snagged the last oversized parking spot in a full lot and now scrambled down the walking path with approximately ten thousand other people.
The chaos made me miss the relative privacy of the Fairy Glen with Duncan.
The Black Cuillin range rose into the sky in a series of close-knit jagged peaks, offering protection to the narrow river that cut through the glen to form the pools. Where the Cairngorms had been gentle, rounded domes, the Cuillins were all angles, crags cutting into the blue sky like giants’ teeth. Mist crept down the mountainsides, making the scene at once peaceful and slightly creepy.
The path hugged the stream that rushed and foamed from the mountains. We had to pick our way across where the track crossed over, moving from boulder to boulder in wide steps.
“We’re lucky it hasn’t been too rainy,” Lewis said. “This bit can prove a problem if the river’s too high.”
I could imagine, since the water wouldn’t have to rise much to completely cover the stepping stones.
Arnav made slow progress helping Bea across the large boulders. She said nothing, but the process must have unnerved her. She chose her footing on each stone with precision, Arnav’s fingers white under her grip. Lewis escorted Rupert, and the rest of us were left to make our way.
Duncan stepped onto the first boulder but turned back and held out his hand to me. I’d have to add chivalry to his list of dreamy qualities. He needed a giant, glaring flaw to counteract everything else that left me a drooling mess. Maybe he was secretly an axe murderer.
Still hot, though.
We passed several smaller pools before we reached the first waterfall—and I took pictures like crazy, thank you very much. The stream here cut through rocks in a narrow fall down to a crystal-clear basin. People at the pool came in two distinct varieties: those dressed in fleeces and rain gear, and those in swimsuits braving the frigid waters. Swimmers splashed in the shallows, daring each other to wade deeper. Rising out of the water, they looked like I’d felt in Loch Ness—freaking cold.
