Page 9 of The Castle in the Bay

What?The depth of his hazel eyes, half hidden behind his glasses, transfixed her. Flecks of green and gold in his irises sparkled like gems. His gaze was gentle, and her heart flickered, making her breath catch. The noise of the chickens and lull of the sea nearby faded away, leaving nothing but the two of them.

Catriona coughed and waved her hand before her mouth, breaking the spell. ‘Excuse me. Something caught in my throat.’

Iona glanced at her, then realised Monty was still waiting for an answer. ‘Well, nothing… I didn’t say anything.’ But she hadn’t needed to. She just didn’t like the idea because he’d thought of it, not for any concrete reasons. Exactly what Catriona had been complaining about Alex doing. Honestly, she was so bad for this kind of thing, leaping in, opening her mouth before thinking. ‘But you know this is a working farm?’

‘I do.’

‘Actually, it’s not a bad idea.’ Catriona tilted her head. ‘It would mean more work, but I don’t feel people are looking for B&Bs as much these days. They want their own space and freedom.’

Iona bit her lip. She needed to get the hell away from this guy. He was bringing out the worst in her, and she didn’t even know him. Or want to. ‘Yeah, well, you two can enjoy discussing it. I’m going off to find some waves.’

Monty nodded at her like he was a regency gentleman.

Catriona was still looking at him and smiling. Iona let out a groan as she headed for the house. They so obviously fancied each other.

‘Hey.’

Iona jumped as she entered the kitchen. ‘Alex. You gave me a fright. I didn’t know you were here.’

‘Sorry.’ He moved across to the window, limping slightly, and peered out. Something had happened to his leg when he was in the army, though he didn’t really talk about it. He was always too busy working on the farm, and Iona didn’t like to pry. ‘Who’s the man?’

‘A really irritating guest.’

‘Hmm.’ He didn’t turn around, but stared out of the window.

‘Catriona seems to like him.’

‘Yeah, well, she’s got weird taste.’ Alex ran his fingers through his hair.

‘Does she?’ Iona had never known Catriona to date anyone, and she was tight-lipped about Eilidh’s father.

‘She must do. After all, she picked some dick who abandoned her and left her to bring up her kid alone.’

‘He was a dick alright, but it wasn’t her fault for picking him. How was she to know?’ Iona joined him at the window, watching as Catriona chatted to Monty.

‘Yeah. You’re right. I was joking, but that was in poor taste.’ Alex had a strong jawline accentuated by a day’s worth of stubble, and his sandy blond hair was perpetually tousled, giving him a ruggedly charming look. His eyes were a striking shade of blue and Iona found them hard to look at for too long. She inhaled his freshly washed scent and frowned. Surely it should do something for her? She’d always felt like she should fancy him. And the same went for Ruaridh, Catriona’s brother. Both guys were nice and handsome in their own way, but she never felt anything romantic for them – which was maybe just as well.

One time she’d been sure Ruaridh was on the verge of asking her out, but she’d changed the subject and steered well clear. Because she was most certainlynotlooking for love. Concentrating on her business was her priority, though she’d never been that great at concentrating on anything. But after being burned by a cheating man, who seemed nice in the beginning, she wasn’t going to fall into that trap again. This life suited her perfectly. She was a happy single girl and if she needed male company… Well, there was never a shortage of passing tourists and the ones who came to do water sports were often single guys, more than happy to hook up. And why not? It was nothing to be ashamed of.

She checked the time. She wasn’t teaching her paddleboarding class until later, which meant she had all morning to play on the waves. Just the tonic and the best way to forget whatever had been bothering her. Her eyes lingered on Catriona and Monty.Yeah, him. She felt a little stab in her chest and rubbed it. Was that heartburn? She went to the cupboard and took out a glass. Some cold water would help. She downed it quickly.

‘See you,’ she said to Alexander. ‘I’m off to find a wave.’ She nipped upstairs to grab a hoody from her bedroom. The window was still open, and her shoulders relaxed as she entered the cool room. She hated getting too hot and rarely shut the window except in the depths of winter. Outside, Monty was still talking to Catriona. Their voices sounded cheery. Iona rolled her eyes, crossing the small room to her dresser and pulling open the drawer to grab her hoody. These casual clothes were so comfy compared to the hideous tight suits she and killer heels she used to wear to the office. Thank god those days were done.

She leaned forward, tweaking her cheeks in the mirror and pulling her long unruly waves into a ponytail. Her face was a little red. Perhaps she’d got a bit too much sun the day before. She shook her head. No. Not that. This was because of that ridiculous exchange with Monty.

Like someone had grabbed her by the shoulders, she tensed. Memories rolled in like the waves she loved so much. But they weren’t calm and soothing; they were tumultuous, making her stomach writhe. The faint nausea reminded her of that day. The day she’d given up on the old life she’d spent years at a boarding school preparing for.

One high-stakes meeting had seen to it. She’d been in charge of presenting a crucial report to senior officials. Such pressure. The room was filled with expectant eyes, all waiting for her. She had to say something. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, her voice wavered, the carefully prepared speech was gone. She blurted something out, a half-baked attempt at summarising the report, that turned into a bashing session. She hadn’t meant it but there were so many injustices, and they were all she could remember. Before she’d got very far, someone else had steppedin and suggested she took her seat and let him finish. Talk about humiliating. The mansplainer of the year had ‘saved’ her. But only momentarily. No way could she keep going in her job after that. Especially when she’d discovered Tom, her ‘reliable’ boyfriend, with his neat suits and scheduled life, had been cheating on her. Well, fuck him and all of them. She had a better life now than she’d ever had.

Pulling the hoody over her head, she breathed deeply, shaking the memory out of her head. But Monty reminded her of that bastard Tom: intellectual, composed, smartly dressed, publicly a gentleman, everything she no longer trusted. She’d never trust someone like that again. No men were worth coveting. She didn’t want to ‘win’ one only to lose him again. She’d faced enough humiliation. No one here knew about her past. She could avoid their pitying looks and pointless sympathy and be who she wanted to be.

She could surf and swim. The water sports school was something she enjoyed doing. Who cared if it didn’t work in the long run? She could always do something else.

Not trying is better than failing. It was safer not to dream, not to hope. After all, dreams were for talented people, not for someone who always choked when it mattered. People couldn’t count on her, and she couldn’t afford to let herself believe otherwise. She was safer on her own, where she couldn’t disappoint anyone or herself. If she stuck to teaching people to enjoy the water, she could take joy from that and that was important.

‘Right.’ She shook her head, pushing away the latest round of negative thoughts. They could get out of her mind. Waves called and she could let loose and be free. No risk to her heart or her pride, just her body, and she didn’t mind that. The thrill was what it was all about, and she was here for it.

Chapter Five

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