Page 13 of The Castle in the Bay

‘Nice? I’m planning on keeping out of his way.’ And hey, she’d fixed the bike for him, hadn’t she?

‘I think he’s sweet.’ Catriona leaned against the counter. ‘And polite. Not bad looking either.’

Alex rolled his eyes, like this whole conversation was ridiculous.

‘No way.’ Iona caught Eilidh’s eye, and she giggled again. ‘Well, he’s not my idea of good looking.’

Catriona shrugged. ‘He’s got that rugged, academic thing going on. Lots of women go for that.’

Alex snorted. ‘In films maybe, not real life.’

‘Thanks for mansplaining your opinion. Just be nice to him. Both of you. It won’t kill you to try.’ Catriona looked pointedly at Iona.

‘I have been.’ Iona held out a hand. ‘Otherwise, he’d still be sitting on the dune trying to fix a flat.’

Catriona glanced at the clock. ‘Come on, Eilidh. The bus will be here any minute.’ She pulled out a brush from the top drawer of the dresser. ‘Let’s get your hair up. And, please Iona, take the man to the castle. It’s not like it’s a hardship for you.’

‘Just mind numbing if he goes on and on about his ancestors,’ Iona muttered aside to Alex.

He gave a little shrug. ‘Make up some stories and give him something to think about.’

‘Push him overboard more like.’ Iona gritted her teeth. ‘It’ll be a miracle if he’s still alive when we get back.’ If he startedbanging on about his heritage, she might have to take drastic action. Though deep down, maybe that wasn’t the big issue, but it was the easiest one to blame.

Alex sniggered, but Catriona threw a warning glance across the table. When she took Eilidh out to the minibus, Iona left too. She made her way into the breakfast room, scanning about. Monty was eating his breakfast and reading something on his phone. He pushed his glasses further up his nose. Iona froze in the doorway.Hmm.He was surprisingly easy on the eye. Irritating really because she’d rather he was as dull and uninteresting as she’d told herself he was. But his features had an almost classical look, kind of like an old movie star, though he definitely wasn’t as well-groomed. Maybe that first day, he’d got close with the shirt. Now he looked like he’d been dragged through a hedge backwards – the wind here did that fairly quickly to even the toughest people. Definitely not suited to island life. A couple of days in and he was frazzled.

Iona approached him. Still engrossed in his phone, he didn’t look up as she got closer. She took a deep breath, plastering on a smile. ‘Hey.’

Monty looked up and blinked. His lips quirked up, though his eyes were uncertain in their focus. ‘Oh, hey.’ He glanced around. ‘Is everything ok?’

‘Fine. The weather’s ok if you still want to go to the castle today.’

‘Um… With you?’

‘That’s the general idea. Unless you’ve learned how to drive a boat overnight.’

‘No… I haven’t. I just thought you were too busy.’

She folded her arms. ‘A window has opened up.’

‘Well, if you don’t mind, that would be great. Thank you. I really appreciate it.’

‘No need to thank me.’ She waved a hand. ‘I assume you’re paying for it.’

Monty nodded. ‘Of course I am. Thanks again.’

‘Yeah, well.’ Iona’s shoulders twitched. Why was she so tetchy around him? Normally she was a lot more chill. He had a way of bringing out something in her – like he was raking through her, turning over furrows of unwanted thoughts and feelings. Even now, his hazel eyes held her in a tight grip, and she couldn’t look away. ‘It’s no big deal.’

‘It will be for me. I don’t like boats.’

‘Why do it then?’

‘It’s not exactly a choice.’

‘Well, it’s just a short trip.’ She held onto her eyeroll. No doubt it was a calling from his ancestors. ‘We’ll head out after breakfast. Make sure you’ve got a jacket – it’s always cooler on the water.’

‘Will do.’ Monty took a sip of his coffee. ‘I’ll be ready as soon as I’m finished here.’

Iona nodded. ‘Ok, meet me outside when you’re done.’

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