Page 80 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle

‘He’s fine. It’s just…’ Her chin wobbled and she bit her lip. ‘Hadrian accused me of lying about Dad’s fall so I could come up here and work on new pieces.’

‘That’s not fair. He only has to take one look at him to know you’re not making it up.’

She drew in a juddering breath. ‘It’s kind of true, though. Look at me; I’m here having fun when I should be at home looking after my dad!’

‘Vinnie wouldn’t want you fussing around him all day. It would drive him mad. And it’s not as though youhaven’tbeen looking after him, because youhave.’

‘But there’s more. You see, Hadrian didn’t know about the offer from New York. He’d heard a rumour, but I don’t think he believed it until I told him we were over.’

‘What?’

‘I broke up with him this evening. That’s why he said those things.’

Mack reeled at the news. His heart thumped and a treacherous glimmer of hope flared in his chest. She was free, which meant—

Realisation doused his hope. She was still going to New York, whether she had a boyfriend or not.

Pulling himself together, he said, ‘He’s hurting. Love can make people do or say things they don’t really mean.’

‘He doesn’t love me.’

It was a bald statement, and his heart went out to her.

He cast around for something to say, but all he could come up with was, ‘I’m sorry, Freya. No wonder you broke up with him.’

Her lips twitched into the smallest of smiles. ‘I didn’t break up with him because he doesn’t love me. I broke up with him becauseIdidn’t lovehim.’

It took Mack a second to process it. ‘You don’t love him?’

‘No. I feel awful, because we’ve been together two years, but I don’t love him. I’m not sure I even like him.’

Mack was utterly positive thathedidn’t. ‘You’re not crying because you split up?’ he clarified. ‘You’re upset because you think you’re not taking good care of your dad?’

She nodded.

‘You muppet.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘You’re working yourself into a tizzy because some wee gobshite who doesn’t know his arse from his elbow has made you doubt that you’re taking good care of your father? What does he know?’

‘It’s whatIknow.’ She tapped her chest.

Mack threw his hands up. ‘Shall we go ask Vinnie what he thinks?’

‘Definitely not!’

‘Because you know he’ll tell you that you’re making Ben Nevis out of a bloody molehill. So what if you take an hour or two for yourself now and again? So what if being back on Skye has fired your imagination? It’s not an either/or thing, Freya. You can look after your dad and still have ideas, and work on them if the opportunity allows.’

Freya was staring at him, her mouth open. ‘That’s some speech.’ She sniffed. ‘Is that whisky I can smell?’

‘It is. If you didn’t want me to drink it, you shouldn’t have given it to me.’

‘Is there any left?’

‘I haven’t drunk it all.’

She sniffed again. ‘You’ve had a good go.’

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