Page 59 of Wild Scottish Fortune

“Aye. It floats on top and she can bump it to get fish flakes out. It’s meant to be a wee way to stimulate them, or so the shop owner assured me.”

“She’ll love this.” Orla grinned at me like I’d just giftedher with a diamond and sprung up off my lap. “Let’s see what she thinks.”

I crossed to the bookshelf with Orla and smiled at a wee goldfish doing circles in a large bowl with clean water, colorful gemstones on the bottom, and a few pieces of greenery to hide in.

“Look, Goldie. Your own ship.” Orla tapped the glass and the fish did a wild spin around the bowl. I smiled as Orla took out a jar of fish flakes and added them to the boat. “Goldie, this is Fin.”

“Pleased to meet you, Your Highness.” I gave the fish a subtle bow and Orla chuckled as she plopped the ship on top of the water.

“Oh look.” Orla grabbed my arm as Goldie instantly investigated the ship, bumping it with her head. When a few flakes drifted out, she ate them and raced a circle around the bowl before bumping it again. “Oh, Fin. She really likes it.”

Orla gave me an adoring look and I all but preened under her happiness. Had I known a simple toy for her fish would make her so happy, I would have bought the whole damn store. Orla deserved joy, and I now knew two things.

The first was that I wanted her in my life.

And the second? That I was determined to keep showing up for her, because keeping a smile on her face was now my new favorite life goal.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Orla

Finlay was driving me crazy.

He popped up when I least expected it, stealing kisses left and right, disappeared, and then I wouldn’t see him for ages. Which of course, made me look for him more, and then he’d surprise me with stopping by to steal a kiss or to tell me a funny story.

Every day he asked me for a date.

And every day I told him no.

It had been over two weeks since the gala in Edinburgh, and somehow Finlay had managed to unofficially have a date with me, in some capacity, almost every day since we had kissed. Usually it was bringing me a bite to eat at lunch or sharing an after-work soda and a snack while we talked about the updates to the site project. Well,heinsisted they were dates. I ignored himbecause a proper date would be one where he asked me out, I accepted without taking any form of payment for doing so, and we did a proper activity or had a meal together. As such, I was convinced we weren’t dating, but just having a wee flirt.

I was having fun.

Something I hadn’t given much thought to in my life between work and trying to make ends meet. But flirting with Finlay was fun. And every night, while I watched Goldie play with her new ship, I tried to remind myself that I deserved to have fun. I was allowed to ease back here and there, wasn’t I? Take a break. Leave work early. Have a holiday.

None of which I’d done yet, but I was working myself up to it.

Sweaty, and covered in sawdust, I finished cutting a beam for a door frame, and straightened, dusting my gloved hands on my overalls.

“Orla.”

“Bloody hell.” I whirled, shaking my head at Fin. The man had me so distracted on the job that I was daydreaming now. Usually I wasn’t so jumpy when people approached me as the way of construction sites was constant interruption.

“Sorry. I waited until you were done with the big, violent scary tool thing.”

My lips quirked. Fin liked to pretend that he didn’t know any of the tools on-site and hated getting his posh clothes dirty, but I’d learned this was just an act. Even if he didn’t know how to use a tool, it never stopped him from getting down and dirty or lending a hand when needed.The crew respected him, as did I, and I could see why Munroe had brought him in to manage the buildout.

“Smart choice. I wouldn’t want to slice an appendage off.”

“Particularly a useful one.” Fin wiggled his eyebrows at my look. “What? I find my hands to be quite useful.”

“Mm-hmm.” We both knew what appendage he was referring to.

“I’ve come to formally ask you on a date for tomorrow afternoon in Shona’s garden. We’ll be picking raspberries, eating homemade jam, and enjoying a proper picnic. The weather forecast promises no rain and it would be a shame to use the first proper sunny day for work. Plus, it’s a Saturday, so you shouldn’t be at work. You’re allowed to have a life.”

I opened my mouth to automatically tell him “no” but caught a glimpse of the Green Lady drifting over Fin’s shoulder. She’d been more active of late, coming around to scold me on my choices, more vocal in her opinions of the decisions I was making. It appeared she was a big fan of Fin, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d loved someone like Fin back in her time. She certainly fancied his looks.

It was hard not to. Today he wore dark denim trousers and a chambray shirt rolled at the sleeves, showcasing his muscular arms. I wanted to unbutton his shirt and lick my way down his chest. He was driving me crazy with all these wee kisses, leaving me breathless and wanting more, but refusing to have a casual hookup with me either. I was certain we just needed to scratch an itch, work it out of our systems, and both move on with our lives. He’d be going back to Edinburgh and I’d carry on with life here. I was asmall-town girl. He was a big-city boy. Tale as old as time and all that.

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