AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"No. Damian is a gypsy and a naturist." I must look confused because she smiles and explains, "That means he's a nudist. He works at the Au Naturel Naturist Resort in Oregon. We all got to know Damian and his friends at the resort when Cat and Alex held their wedding there."
"They got married at a nudist resort?" Okay, yeah, I almost screeched that. I've never heard of anyone getting hitched at a place like that. I collect myself and ask, "Did they go nude for the wedding?"
"No," she says with a slight chuckle. "But Alex stripped naked as soon as the ceremony ended and tossed his kilt to my cousin Rory. It landed on his head."
Holy cow, I had no idea how strange this family is. Kirsty has opened my eyes.
"If ye change your mind about the tarot or palm reading," she says, "just give me a ring. Damian and his wife, Heidi, will be staying for a month."
"Sure, I'll think about it. Thank you so much for showing me your shop, Kirsty. It's a beautiful place full of beautiful things."
Kirsty smiles and pats my arm. "Listen to your heart,gràidh. It willnae lead you astray."
"Callum has called megràidh. Is that Gaelic?"
"Aye. It means 'darling.' Callum must like you very much if he called you that. I have never heard him use that word to describe a lass he's dating. He reserves it for family."
I have no idea what to say to that. Everything I thought I knew about myself has flown out the window since I met Callum. I mean, I let a strange woman at the airport convince me to go with her to a remote medieval castle. Didn't hesitate. Emery asked me to do it, for Callum, and I went willingly. But I haven't done these things only for him. This is for me too.
When Kirsty and I return to the sales counter, her fiancé and my boyfriend are having a good laugh.
Kirsty ducks behind the counter to slip an arm around Luke's waist. "What's the joke? Must be a right good one."
"I was just telling Callum about the plan for Hugh."
His fiancée nudges him with her elbow. "You aren't meant to tell him that. It's a surprise."
"Oh, I'm not spilling the beans about the really good stuff. But I thought he'd like to know that I'll be conducting experiments on the Brit."
"Experiments?" I say. "What exactly are you planning to do to him?"
"Nothing dangerous." Luke kisses his fiancée's cheek. "Just the stuff Kirsty let me do to her when we were first reunited. I was still being an arrogant ass back then, but we had fun with those experiments."
"Are you a doctor?"
Luke chuckles. "I'm a psychophysicist."
Kirsty laughs now. "Donnae worry, Kate. That doesn't mean he's a lunatic. Luke studies physics and psychology. But I'll let him explain that to you."
"Psychophysics is a legitimate discipline," Luke says. "I study the intersection between mind and matter, as well as the concept of sensation or how we interpret what we experience. Most of my experiments involve applying electrodes to a subject to measure the skin conductance response. I've also developed some digital experiments, but I've only done those on Kirsty."
"It's a long story," Kirsty says. "But you can trust Luke. He's a good man and a good scientist."
"Are you okay with these experiments, Callum?" I ask.
"I trust Luke. And Hugh could use a wee lesson in humility. Thecacanthinks he owns every woman on earth because he's Lord Steamy." Callum lifts his gaze heavenward. "What a bloody stupid nickname."
Hugh is hot, but in my opinion, Callum should be called Lord Steamy. That man knows how to drive me wild in bed—and on the sofa. I think we might have done the deed on the floor at one point too. Multiple orgasms fuzzed up my memory.
Callum is clearly still feeling bitter about his confrontation with Hugh the morning after I broke things off with him. I can understand that, but I want those two to work things out. Maybe Luke's experiments will help. If he studies both psychology and physics, then he might have insights that I don't. It's worth a shot.
We leave Kirsty and Luke and the cool metaphysical shop. Callum shows me a few more sites around the village, and we stop at a cafe to feast on a Scottish dessert calledcranachan. He warns me that it contains whisky, but the confection doesn't get me drunk. It tastes delicious. After that, Callum tells me it's time to visit his parents.
"They'll want you to stay for dinner," he says. "Ma willnae let you leave until she's talked you into marrying me on the spot. Wouldnae be surprised if she has a minister waiting for us."
"Very funny. You are joking, right?"
"Partly. But Ma will cry when she meets you, then she'll gush over you and suffocate you with many hugs."
