Page 40 of Wild Scottish Fortune

“I’m sorry, but I’m starving. I can speak with you after dinner, if that suits?” Finlay’s jaw clenched at my words, but he nodded once before turning on his heel and returning to the bar.

“And that one has his eye onyou,” Miss Elva declared, moving onto a sausage roll.

“What? Me? No, it’s not like that. We work together.”

“He paid one thousand pounds for a date with her,” Agnes offered, and Miss Elva paused, looking up at me, her eyebrows raised to her turban.

“Is that right, child?”

“I mean, technically, but not in the way she’s saying it.”

“In what way does a man pay for a date then?” MissElva leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.I wasn’t going to be able to hide from this conversation.

“He asked me, in a professional capacity, to be a date to a gala that his company, my client, is sponsoring. To make it worth my while, he’s paying me so I can donate the money to the animal rescue.”

“Seems to me you would have gone for free if it’s your client.”

“That’s what I said.” Agnes nodded at Miss Elva.

“I’m not a gala kind of girl. Plus, once he offered, I couldn’t help but think of how that money would help the shelter.”

“And he’s paying for a custom-made dress for her,” Agnes added.

“How do you know all this?” I turned to Agnes.

“Are you kidding me? We’re Scottish. We love talking about how much everything costs. Did you honestly think he was going to pay one thousand pounds and order a custom-made gown and somehow manage to keep it quiet in this town?”

“Men don’t do that unless they’re interested,” Miss Elva said.

“He’s not. I promise you, it’s not like that. He just made the whole thing awkward and ended up cornering himself. It was really just an accident.”

“No Scotsmanaccidentallypays one thousand pounds for a date.”

“Nomandoes,” Miss Elva corrected.

I really wished they weren’t putting these thoughts in my head. Not that they hadn’t already kind of been there, but so far, I’d been successful in silencing my innermonologue that questioned why Finlay wanted to take me with him to the gala. But now that other people were voicing the same thing I was questioning, heat bloomed on my face. How was I supposed to work around Finlay if I thought he fancied me?

Or if I might, just a teeny-tiny bit, actually fancy him?

Och, this was becoming complicated, and I didn’t want complications. I wanted a simple, stable life.

“I have no idea what to say here,” I admitted, looking up. “I just want an uncomplicated life.”

“Well, now, child, why in the world would anyone want that?” Miss Elva threw her head back and laughed, slapping her knee. “Particularly when you have magick. Don’t you know a complicated life issomuch more fun?”

“Is it? It’s hard to tell.”

“You can still steal your moments of Zen in a complicated life. Trust me, Orla. Go to the gala. Wear the dress. Flirt with every man under the sun. Or woman, if that’s your thing. Eat it up, enjoy it, and let Finlay fawn all over you. There’s nothing finer than a man falling all over a woman. Trust me, I live my life by it.”

As one, we all turned to look at the three gorgeous men in kilts who were waiting for Miss Elva to call upon them.

“I’d take her word for it, Orla. She seems to have it figured out.”

“Don’t I just, honey. Don’t I just?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Finlay

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