Page 52 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

‘Are you trying to set me up?’

‘There’s not much point, considering you’ve still got the hots for Cal.’

‘I have not!’ Tara blushed furiously, but her denial was met with the scepticism it deserved as Jinny raised her eyebrows and gave her an arched look.

Jinny said, ‘He’s single, solvent and sober, too.’

‘He’s also my ex, my landlord and a single parent.’

‘So? Ever heard of second chance romance?’

‘In books.’

‘It happens in real life as well.’

Tara let that pass. ‘Landlord,’ she reminded her.

‘Irrelevant. It’s not like he’s your line manager. You rent a studio from the estate, that’s all.’

‘Single parent?’

‘I was under the impression you get on well with Bonnie.’

‘I do.’

‘Well then, what’s the problem?’

‘I’m pretty sure he’s not interested in me.’

‘Girl, have you seen the way he looks at you?Of coursehe’s interested. Even Mack says so.’

Tara had enough of the conversation. ‘Did you want me for anything?’ She didn’t care that the change of subject was blatant.

Jinny frowned, then her face cleared. ‘I did. I came to tell you that we sold the smaller of the doll’s houses and loads of furniture and stuff to go in it. Have you got another we can put in its place?’

Delighted, Tara let out a whoop. ‘I certainly have! As soon as the rain eases, I’ll bring it over. That’s great news! Thank you.’

‘I didn’t do anything,’ Jinny protested. ‘Like everything else in the shop, it sold itself.’

Tara didn’t believe her for one second. She’d seen Jinny in action and knew what a brilliant saleswoman she was. Once again, Tara thanked her lucky stars for bringing her to Coorie Castle.

It was yet to be seen whether she was equally as thankful for them throwing her and Cal together again.

Three days later Cal stuck his head around the door to Tara’s studio, seemingly to congratulate her on the brilliant sale she’d had earlier in the week, but mainly because it was killing him to keep away. Since the boat trip, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Although, if he was honest, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her for weeks. She’d been lurking in his mind ever since he’d discovered she’d leased the studio.

‘I hear you had a nice sale the other day,’ he said.

Tara beamed. ‘I did. It was such a lovely surprise. Talking about surprises, thank you again for persuading me to join you on the boat trip. It was amazing.’

‘You’re welcome, but it was Bonnie’s suggestion. Not that I didn’t want you to come with us, of course. You’ve certainly made an impression on her.’

‘She’s a nice kid. I’ve planned out her doll’s house if you’d like to take a look.’ She got up from her stool and walked over to her laptop on the opposite workbench.

Cal tried not to notice how well her jeans fitted, but it was hard not to. He remembered all too vividly what she looked like underneath. Heat crept into his face, and he swallowed hard as he forced himself to concentrate on the image on the screen and not on how wonderful she smelt or how dearly he would like to kiss her.

She was busily explaining that because of its internal layout, Bonnie’s doll’s house would have dual openings, one at the front and one at the back, allowing full access to all the rooms, which wasn’t the case with most doll’s houses because they usually had a fixed back and sides.

Cal was only half-listening; he was too distracted by her nearness. His arms itched to envelope her, and his mouth tingled with a longing to taste her lips.

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