Page 52 of Priceless
I tried to smile but failed. I suspected Vonnie wouldn’t take the news as lightly as Jess had, and Jess hadn’t taken it lightly in the first place.
“That’s grand,” Vonnie said, to my utter surprise. “I hope… If anyone deserves happiness, it’s Jock…Jacob. And if ye’re the woman for the job, then ye deserve it too.” She and Jess exchanged a look, then Vonnie hustled away to check on customers.
We sipped in silence while we waited for the men to come back. There were too many bodies moving between the booths and the bar for us to see what was happening at the other end of the room.
“Pardon me for askin’,” Jess said, after a while. “But how long do ye expect to stay in town?”
“My return flight is for Monday the twenty-second.”
“Ten days, then.”
“Yeah. Jacob’s been playing tour guide?—”
“When did ye meet?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Her eyes lit up with delight. “Oh, but I do.”
I sighed. “Yesterday. We met yesterday. A friend suggested I try Jocko’s for lunch?—”
She blinked. “For lunch? Truly?”
“Yeah. I got to Inverness yesterday morning?—"
“Who is yer friend? A local?”
“No. Just someone helping me plan my trip.”
“What’s her name?”
“Him. Jocko, actually. So, I’m sure that’s why he suggested the place.”
She nodded slowly. “Right, right. Sounds like a fun friend.”
“Yeah. He is. Very funny. The only Scotsman I knew before I came here.”
“An old friend of the family, is he?”
“No. A…long distance friend.”
She nodded knowingly. “And internet friend, then. I’ve made a lot of those. Some days ye just need to feel connected to the rest of the world. Banner doesnae approve of the internet. He has to have it for the classes he takes, but he hates the idea of social media. He’s…old fashioned.”
“We should have all disapproved a long time ago. Now we’ll never get rid of it.”
“True, true. So, yer Jocko helped ye plan yer trip?”
“He did. I guess I can’t complain about how it’s turned out so far.”
“Right ye are. Jacob’s one of the fine ones. Ye’re a verra lucky woman, no matter how long it lasts.”
I closed my eyes and shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“Sorry. Sorry. But I was just thinkin’…to have the immersive Scottish experience, besides winning the heart of a Highlander, ye must come fishin’ with Banner and me tomorrow. The pairof ye. Trust me, the family vessel is no small thing. Ye’ll have everything ye need. And Trenton fixes a picnic that’s pure blasta.”
I assumed that meant tasty. “You’ll have to ask Jacob…”
Someone slowly turned down the volume on the crowd again. All attention rotated to the door. Over the top of heads, we could see it open, slowly, and stay open for a few seconds before closing again. When it did, the crowd stayed hushed. Heads hung low, like they’d all just heard that someone died.
