Page 41 of Scotch & Shortbread

“Oh, I bet they would," she said as if she knew them firsthand. "Who wouldn't adore these mountains? They are otherworldly with the sheer size of them! Gosh, and you could take them on gorgeous hikes; I bet you know all the good places to go. Or if they don't hike, even just wandering around the town would be so much fun. Calen has so many cute local shops at least from what I've seen so far." Her features were lit up like a Christmas tree and Lord help him if he didn't find himself liking it. "Are your parents from Scotland originally?"

She looked at him expectantly. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to chat with her a bit. Maybe it would distract him from his wayward thoughts.

Alex leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “My family has been Scots for many generations. Although my mom’s side has some Irish too. My sister Orlagh was named after my mam’s gran, she was Irish.”

“So I wasn’t off when I guessed Irish the day we met,” Quinn said with a smug little grin that Alex wished he didn’t find so intriguing.

He rolled his eyes. “Perhaps a wee bit off, lass. I’m about as Scottish as they come.”

“Fine. Scottish. Except a little bit Irish.” Her dark eyes flashed with humour, and Alex felt his lips twitch in a smile.

“I love the name Orlagh," she said as if to herself before looking back up at him. "Is it spelled O-r-l-a?"

"Ye want to use it as a character name in yer Budapest book?"

She blinked. "No, I-"

"O-r-l-a-g-h," he interrupted before she could worry her pretty little head about it. "She wouldnae mind if ye did."

Quinn nodded, the corners of her full lips turning up in a soft smile. "Good to know." She shifted in her chair. "Do you have more siblings or just Orlagh?”

“Two brothers and two sisters.” He paused, feeling tension lace his jaw. It never got easier talking about Helena. “My oldest sister, Helena… She died when I was seventeen.”

Quinn regarded him. The lass wore her heart on her sleeve; he could see the empathy in the depths of her expressive eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine.”

Alex took a sip of beer, the familiar feeling of the loss digging into his chest. He rolled his shoulders back trying to release some of the tension. “She was thrown from her horse and broke her neck.” He swallowed back the familiar lump in his throat, then quickly finished without looking up. “Losing her was one of the hardest things my family has had to face, but we’ve gotten through. I suppose time makes it all more bearable. Life goes on.”

Quinn nodded, and Alex had a feeling she truly understood. But before he could ask her about her own life, she asked him, “Are you all still close? I mean as a family?”

“Och, aye. We are lucky, I think. We have always been close. My one brother Drew went through a bit of a rebel spell. Actually, he was a complete arse for a time, but he’s come back around.” Alex smiled thinking of his family. “They will all get together tomorrow night for a wee feast and some Christmas cheer.”

“You must miss being there.”

“At Christmas, in particular, I suppose I do. I can see it now. They’ll have the fire going, and my da will be the one to start the round of carols. He loves to sing.” Alex smiled nostalgically. “Then on Christmas morning, they’ll cook up a big Scots breakfast, open presents, and then they’ll all head down to the seaside for the Christmas Day polar dip.”

“That all sounded completely dreamy right up until polar dip!” Quinn chirped.

He chuckled. “My brothers and I always do it. People come from counties all around. There’s upwards of a hundred people all freezing their arses off.”

“And you go into the ocean, in the dead of winter?” she said skeptically, looking uncomfortable at the very idea.

“Och, aye, we run in and huv a wee swim about.”

“Nooo!” She shuttered.

“It’s no’ as cold as it is here in Canada. Although it can be nippy. Ach, lass, the swim is a blast. Ye’d love it.”

Quinn snorted. “What makes you say that? I’ve pretty much been freezing my ass off since I met you, and believe me, I don’t love it!”

His chuckle was a deep rumble. “I watched ye try and trudge through snow in bare legs and high heels. I huv no doubt that ye’ve enough sass and stubbornness to do a polar dip.”

Quinn smirked, seeming to appreciate his estimation of her. “Maybe,” she agreed. “Are you supposed to be going home?” Her perfectly arched brows knit together in concern.

“Naw.” He sighed still feeling some regret at his cancelled trip. “I was supposed to fly out yesterday morning, but my work schedule changed. I had to cancel it.”

“Shitty,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Aye,” he agreed. “Probably a good thing it got cancelled, I wouldnae huv been able to get to the airport anyway with all this snow."

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