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After a long, long while, we turned our attention back to the window. The Outer Hebrides lay far in the distance, nothing more than dark blurs on the horizon. Exploring them would have to be the work of another vacation. The pilots rattled off names of everything in sight, but I didn’t worry about whether or not I would remember them, or if I should take pictures of the view. I just enjoyed the moment for what it was.
Until it came time to land.
The engines whined and the plane’s nose tilted down just enough to notice, and panic roared through me once again. I gripped Duncan’s hand tighter, the fear I knew so well choking out all other thoughts. But in another minute, we’d landed on the loch and returned to the harbor, safe and sound.
Once we’d fully stopped and the engines stilled, I exhaled a huge sigh in gratitude we hadn’t died. I side-eyed Duncan, smiling sheepishly. He smiled back but shook his head as though he couldn’t believe me. I’d made my biggest fear painfully clear.
I climbed down from the plane, shook hands with Scott and Brodie, and thanked them for the safe flight. Only once we’d left the other tourists behind did Duncan speak up.
“If I’d known you hated flying that much, I never would have suggested it.” He sounded sincerely sorry, and yet his apology carried a touch of scolding, as though I shouldn’t have accepted his invitation in the first place. “I didn’t intend to push you into something you didn’t want to do.”
After the hard time I’d given him the other night about his assertiveness, I guess his regret made sense, but I didn’t blame him.
“I heard it was not to be missed.” I had no good explanation that didn’t reveal more than was necessary.I just wanted to be with you.Although, after all that intense eyeing each other on the plane, I think he knew. “Maybe I went a little overboard in making the most of my vacation.”
“So paragliding is next, then?”
“One terrifying thing at a time, Duncan.”
twenty-nine
Rather than rush totry to make suppertime at the lodge with the others, Duncan suggested we have dinner in town. I agreed, unsure how to label the evening. What was a first date that couldn’t lead to a second? That thought stayed small enough it couldn’t blind me to the important point—how much I enjoyed his company for however long I had it.
The restaurant he chose wasn’t nearly as crowded as the pub had been. Although known for its seafood, visitors to Skye seemed more interested in its beers and whiskies than the catch of the day. The neat little building sat right on the waterfront with views of boats coming in and out of the harbor.
“It must have taken every ounce of strength in you to climb aboard that seaplane,” he said.
I cringed just thinking about my wild-eyed panic. “I was pretty bad, wasn’t I?”
“White as a sheet, twitching left and right like you wanted to burst through the window. I thought you might get sick.”
“I can’t hit all the indignities this trip, Duncan. I need to save something for next time.”
“Yes, maintain the intrigue.” He laughed but then paused, eyes stuck on me. “About the next time. What do you say to coming to London?”
“London?” My laughter died away as I realized what he was asking.
“London has a few crumbling old buildings of the kind you so admire. I’d drive you out into the countryside to gawk at the scenery as much as you like. Grant you easy access to plenty of chocolate.”
I smiled at his teasing. “That does sound tempting.”
He placed his hand over mine where it rested on the table. “I don’t like missing opportunities.”
“I’ve noticed.” What would it be like to have everything a visit with him promised?Life-changing.“I would love to visit you in London, but I don’t know when I could.”
I’d told him there would be a next time, and I wanted to believe it would happen, but time off for another vacation like this was months in the future or more. Lincoln had barely tolerated my time away, and I wasn’t even Head of Design yet. My schedule would only become busier after we made everything official.
“Maybe it’s soon to talk about it, but I’ve been around long enough to know what I want, Molly. I think we have a shot at something here. This isn’t an empty bit of fun for me. I don’t want this to end just because the vacation is over.”
Warmth unfurled in my ribcage like a cozy blanket around my heart.
“I don’t either,” I said softly. For a moment, I let myself imagine what it could be like to have all the time I wanted with Duncan. Long conversations over dinner, laughter over private jokes, sultry kisses that never ended.More. Everything that had been tangling my thoughts these last days made real.
He intertwined his fingers with mine and held on tight. His eyes sparkled with confidence, but a shadow of vulnerability hid there, too. “You’ve made me laugh like no one else. You’re glorious in your euphoria, whether you’re kayaking with seals or reveling in your truly abysmal archery skills.”
I snorted a laugh, thinking of everything else he could have added to that list. Falling out of canoes, tumbling down mountains, and getting absolutely smashed on whisky—but I’d loved it all.
“No man could resist the way you glowed on Ben Macdui,” he went on. “You soak up every experience. Being around you is like carrying a little piece of the sun in my pocket. I don’t know how I’m going to do without you.”
