Page 102 of Duke It Out
And then he turns without saying another word, the dogs falling obediently into step at his heels. The door closes, and the little bell rings out into the still-silent room.
“Well,” says Morag, shaking out a clean linen glass cloth with a measured expression. “That was dramatic.”
One of the old ladies gives a sigh. “How romantic. It’s likeOutlanderin here today.”
And then the mood shifts and the clatter of spoons on china plates and the chatter of customers takes over again. With a sudden whoosh the coffee machine rights itself and Morag gives a little cheer and claps her hands together.
I scrub the counter as if my life depends on it, waiting forthe scarlet in my cheeks to die down and for people to stop stealing glances over at me as they eat.
“Well, that was a bit of a gesture,” says Morag eventually. She slides a tray of fresh scones into the display case.
I nod and make a vague sort of noise of agreement.
“He’s taller in real life,” I hear one of the mums saying behind me, thoughtfully.
“And hotter,” says another, and they both giggle.
“And he gives good grovel. Reminded me of Mark Darcy inBridget Jones.”
I roll my eyes and retreat behind the counter, pretending to reorganise the fridge so nobody can see that my hands are still shaking, not to mention my knees.
I am notremotelyover him. I know that now. I feel it in the way my skin still tingles where he looked at me. My chest feels bruised from holding in everything I wanted to shout at him or say to him. Or God forbid… forgive him.
My phone buzzes in my apron pocket. It’s Jamie.
He’s been rehearsing that speech for three days, for the record.
I give a snort of laughter. A second later, Janey.
Will we be seeing you at the weekend? Gregor’s been working on some new recipes you’d love xx
And then one more.
So are we going dress shopping for the weekend? LMK because I need to go to Inverness tomorrow…
I stare at Kate’s message. Then I slide it back into my backpocket and go back to wiping the counter. I haven’t said yes but I haven’t said no, either. I think we both know I’ll be there.
40
EDIE
The first hintI get that something’s up is when Kate – 365 days of the year jeans and a sweatshirt Kate – looks me up and down when I appear at the foot of the stairs.
“Is that what you’re wearing?”
It’s sunny, but the wind’s blowing off the sea and I’m in a pair of old jeans, a striped T-shirt and my favourite comfy cardigan. She’s more dressed up than normal and she’s wearing lipstick, which is definitely not standard issue for a Saturday afternoon.
I shrug. “I don’t want to look like I’m making an effort.”
She snorts out a laugh. “Well, you’ve done that.”
I look down at my outfit. “Are you saying I should change?”
“I’m saying—” She pauses for a moment then frowns and shakes her head. “No, sod it. You’re fine as you are.”
The road to the castle is strangely busy.
“This is the closest Loch Morven gets to a traffic jam,” laughs Kate, changing gear as we slow up at the junction that turns down towards the big house.
