Page 71 of Wild Scottish Rose

“Nope. Sorry, Mom. You don’t get to talk about a woman that I care deeply about like that. Don’t call me again unless it’s to apologize. I’m hanging up now.”

With that, Owen disconnected, and I stared at him in disbelief.

“Wow, is she really like that all the time?”

“The world is nothing but an inconvenience for Angela. Always the victim. Always.” His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and I could just make out a muscle ticking in his cheek. Sympathy filled me.

The phone rang again, but Owen ignored the call.

“Do you want to see if she’ll apologize?”

“She won’t. She’s incapable of apologies. I thought a lot about what you said the other night, about her not getting a front-row seat to my life anymore. She had an opportunity to be kind there but didn’t. Hell, she had an opportunity to be remotely interested,actuallyinterested, in something in my life outside of how much money my next movie will be making. But she chose not to. So, she can live with her choices.”

The phone rang again, and Owen silenced it. My emotions were at war inside me. One was absolute glee at the way he’d stood up for me in front of his mother as a woman hecared deeply about,and the other was sadness for this sweet man who was trying very hard to be a good son to his difficult mother. I tried to gauge which route was the best to take with him at the moment. I suspected sympathy wouldn’t land well, based on that muscle tic in his jaw.

“So, you care about me, huh?”

“Slightly.” Owen shrugged, a grin flirting at his lips.

“Just a little? A lot? Like how much?”

“Nosey little shit, aren’t you? What’s the scale?”

“Mmm, chocolate bars,” I said, tapping my lips with my finger, relieved to see some of the tension easing from his face.

“Almond Joy.” He looked at me in disbelief when I grimaced. “What? Oh, come on, they’re my favorite.”

“Really? Ofallthe chocolate bars?”

“Yes, because they’re different. I mean…Snickers, Mars bar, they’re all just chocolate, right? But Almond Joy sought to be something wildly different. I admire the Almond Joy. It’s not basic even though its ingredients are simple.”

“I’m partial to KitKats,” I admitted, and Owen rolled his eyes as he pulled into a parking spot.

“Are those even considered a candy bar?”

“Of course, they are,” I exclaimed, bringing a hand to my heart. “They literally are, like, four bars. You break them apart. More to party with.”

“Want to know a dirty secret of mine?” Owen leanedand dropped his voice low and, why yes,yes, I did want to know every last one of his dirty secrets.

“Do tell.” I swallowed.

“I don’t break the KitKat bars apart. I just bite them. All together.”

My mouth dropped open as Owen rounded the car and opened the door for me.

“Are you an absolute maniac?” I asked, holding the back of my hand to my head. “I fear I can’t go to dinner, sir. You must rush me to the hospital instead. Shock has rattled my nerves.”

“I bet they have smelling salts here. Come on, drama queen, you’ll survive this information.” Owen tugged me from the car even though I shook my head, biting back a smile.

“I’m not certain I can come back from this. I was waiting to find a fatal flaw, and I think this may be the thing that ruins us.”

“It’s unbe-leaf-able that you’ll let this destroy us. Can’t you go out on a limb for me?” It took me a moment to realize that Owen was using gardening puns on me.

“This is all a bit mulch for me,” I quipped, and Owen threw his head back and laughed. The little knot of tension that had formed in my gut when his mother called eased, and I let him escort me into the restaurant while we continued to tease each other mercilessly.

Dinner was perfect.It wasn’t just the delicious food or the pretty ambience of the restaurant, it was also this glow that seemed to surround our table, enveloping me inthis little bubble of happiness. Grasshopper, Lia’s high-end comfort-food restaurant was doing great, and I was happy to see that most of the tables were filled. Located in what had once been a banquet hall for the castle, she’d halved the size of the hall by installing tall faux greenery walls, and sprinkled candles along the uneven stone walls. Fresh greenery centerpieces, crisp white linens, and thick wood beams in the ceiling made for a rustic and clean space, and I was delighted to finally be enjoying a proper dinner at the restaurant.

Except for one thing.

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