Page 26 of A Thistle Beyond Time
They headed up the stairs and Cormac was happy to have Dylan here with him. He reminded him of his brother, Cailin. “What will the day hold for us tomorrow, Dylan?”
“Maybe surfing. I want to be sure you experience things you don’t have back home.”
“Surfing?”
“You’ll see. I’ll check the weather in the morning and we’ll go from there.”
Cormac shook his head in disbelief. He was having a hard time understanding a lot of what was being said around him. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand English, but these words were not what he was used to. He really needed to lie down as he was feeling overwhelmed by the events of the past two days. He was happy when his head finally hit the pillow in his bedroom and oblivion overtook him.
Chapter 8
Cormac rose bright and early, as he always did back at Breaghacraig. He made use of the shower and marveled at the fact that hot water was shooting out of the wall. The bathroom steamed up and he thought this had to be the greatest creation of all time. He made use of the various soaps and when he was done, he felt refreshed and ready to conquer the day and, if he was lucky, Jenna. He found himself, once again, only wearing a towel. He didn’t know what Jenna had done with his plaid and he didn’t have anything else to wear, so he left the room to see if Dylan was up yet.Mayhap he will have something for me to wear.
The smells of breakfast cooking hit his nose and his stomach began to grumble, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten verra much last night and he was now ravenous. He followed his nose to the kitchen and peeking in he saw Jenna, with her back to him, working at the stove. She was singing, and the sound of her sweet voice melted his heart. He walked up behind her and peeked over her shoulder, to see what she was making.
“Oh!” Jenna exclaimed. She appeared frightened by his sudden appearance.
“I’m sorry, lass. I didnae mean to scare ye.”
She was clutching her chest. “The least you could do is make some noise when you come up behind me like that.” She was gasping for breath.
“Are ye well this morning, Jenna?”
“I was fine, until you scared me half to death.” She smiled, letting him know she wouldn’t hold it against him. “I thought I’d make you some breakfast this morning. Are you hungry?”
“Aye. Verra hungry. Ye can cook?”
“Of course. I don’t eat out all the time, you know. I like to cook and I think I’m pretty good at it.”
“I’ll be the judge of that, lass.” Cormac teased her with a wink.
“Sit. I’ll get you a plate.” Jenna reached into the cupboard to get out plates and cups and then opened the silverware drawer to get utensils.
Cormac sat at the counter and watched her every move, appreciating the look of her, with her hair still wet from the shower, and wearing a short robe and barefoot. She caught him watching her and smiled shyly.
“Cormac, it seems I’m forever apologizing to you. I got a text message from Tank this morning. He told me Amy was to blame for the incident in the pool. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, and I’m embarrassed by my behavior. It’s just that I’ve been lied to a lot lately, and I immediately think the worst. It’s not fair to you. You’re obviously not Jonathan, but he’s colored everything in my world and made it a little darker. I guess I’m just not seeing through that darkness very well.”
Dylan had been right about Jenna. He knew her so well and Cormac knew her very little. He would have to start taking Dylan’s advice where she was concerned.
Jenna laid the food on the counter and handed him a serving spoon. “Here you go. Help yourself. And if you don’t mind me asking, why are you still wearing a towel?” She arched an eyebrow and nodded in the direction of his hips.
Cormac helped himself and savored a piece of bacon, closing his eyes as he did so. “I dinna have me kilt and Dylan is not awake yet. I thought to ask him for something to wear.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have realized that you didn’t have anything to replace the kilt. It was soaking wet last night. It’s wool, so I didn’t want to put it in the dryer and have it shrink on you. It’ll take some time to dry. I put it outside in the sun.”
“Dryer?” Cormac was repeatedly puzzled by these unfamiliar words and items.
“Sooner or later, you and Dylan are going to have to stop pulling my leg,” she laughed and continued eating. “I think Dylan has some clean clothes in the laundry room. After we eat, I’ll get them for you.”
“Thank ye. The food, ‘tis verra good, Jenna.”
“I’m glad you like it. Tell me more about yourself, Cormac.”
“What would ye like to know, lass?”
“The usual. Where you’re from, your family, why you’rereallyhere.”
“Hmmm… I’ve shared some with ye already and I can tell ye more, but I dinnae think ye’ll believe me.”
