Page 8 of The Castle in the Bay

‘It’s just men,’ Iona muttered. ‘Bunch of twats who talk rubbish.’

Catriona laughed. ‘Yeah. That sounds about right.’

‘I bet that MacNeil character is the same – a total history nerd. Imagine being stuck on a boat with him while he prattles on about his ancestors. When’s Ruaridh coming back? He can take—’

Catriona coughed and her eyes widened slightly; she made a subtle motion with her hand like she was half waving, half pointing. Iona frowned.

‘What?’ Iona said. ‘What’s wrong?’

Catriona’s eyes flicked behind Iona’s shoulder, and she raised her eyebrows meaningfully. Iona turned around slowly, her cheeks flushing as she saw Monty standing there, adjusting his glasses and glancing around.

‘Hello again,’ he said with a half-smile.

Shit.Had he heard her? Maybe she didn’t care if he had. Who was he to her anyway?

‘Is everything ok?’ Catriona asked.

‘I… um… was just wondering if you knew anyone else with a boat…’ He glanced at Iona. ‘The person you suggested’ – he returned his focus to Catriona – ‘is too busy.’

Iona felt the heat in her face.Shit. Shit. Shit.How bad did this make her look? Why did she always do this? Opened her mouth and put her foot in it. Exactly the reason she lost her job in the civil service. Why did she never learn? Would she ever?

‘It’s a bit windy,’ Catriona said. ‘Making a landing today might be tricky. My brother Ruaridh will be back at the end of the week. He has a boat too and that might be better.’

‘Oh?’ Monty glanced at Iona. ‘Is he a better driver?’

Iona folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. Ok, so she probably deserved that, but really? Could she let him get away with it?

‘Not at all,’ Catriona said. ‘But Iona has a job teaching water sports.’

‘Of course.’ He smiled at Catriona, and she returned it. Iona sucked on her lower lip. Did they fancy each other?Jesus Christ.What did Catriona see in Monty? He looked like a lost academic who’d wandered into the wilderness.

‘Would you like to have the bike again today?’ Catriona asked him.

‘Yes, please. If I can’t do the boat trip, I guess the bike will do.’

‘The waves are good for body boarding and surfing today, not for landing on the island.’ Iona turned away from him. His eyes were distracting, bizarrely his arms were too, with those rolled-up shirtsleeves exposing nicely tanned skin with a light dusting of hair.WTAF?‘And that’s my job, so that’s what I’m doing.’ As well as waffling.What is the matter with me?Though she had a fair idea. In fact, she’d suspected for a while now that she had ADHD. It was why her brain bounced around all over the place and she so often had difficulty focusing. But was it just that? Or was something else happening here?

‘Of course.’

‘Well…’ Catriona looked between the two of them.

‘I, uh, overheard your conversation…’ Monty scraped some stray strands of hair off his face and Iona caught his eye. Heat flared inside her.Fuck. This wasn’t good. What if he asked Catriona for a refund? Or left a bad review?Why didn’t I keep my mouth shut?But she never could. She blinked, not wanting to see Catriona’s expression. Iona had let her down. How could she hurt her friend like this?

‘…about diversification,’ Monty continued, giving Iona the smallest of glances.

What? Just what?Iona chewed her tongue. For all his smart clothes and the nerdy guy in glasses look, he knew how to play. If he’d heard that, he’d heard the other bit and now he was toying with her, making her squirm.

‘It’s part of life on an island,’ Catriona said. ‘We have to adapt to survive. My family’s been doing it for centuries.’

Monty nodded, adjusting his glasses. ‘I work in finance and corporate banking. I’ve worked on a few similar projects. Nothing quite as remote as this, but places with the same vibe. You know what’s really popular?’

‘What?’ Catriona cocked her head, smiling a somewhat goofy smile, and Iona wanted to look away and retch.

‘Glamping pods. They’re all the rage, and you’ve got such a perfect spot for them.’

Iona snorted before she could stop herself.

Monty raised an eyebrow and their gazes locked. ‘Why not?’

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