Page 36 of Highland Games
‘Don’t get stuck. Again.’
Zoe passed him another couple of battens. ‘Oh, ha ha ha. Now crack on, I want a quarter of this done by the time we go to bed.’
By the time we go to bed… Zoe cringed inwardly at her inner thoughts becoming outer. Her comment was the last word spoken for the next hour as they both worked in silence until they had run out of wood. Nearly a third of the underside of the roof was now fluffy and warm. Rory swung himself from the top of the tower and landed, almost silently, on the floor. He didn’t look at Zoe, just tidied his tools.
‘I’ll come back tomorrow morning and keep going. I'll have it finished by the end of the day, then move on to the door. I think that’s a bigger priority than insulating under the floor.’
‘Can I help?’
‘No. This is grunt work. Any idiot can do it. I need you using your brain.’
‘Can I visit the castle tomorrow? I need to see it as soon as possible.’
Rory hesitated. ‘Yep, we can go tomorrow.’ He slung his tool bag over his shoulder. ‘What time will you be up? I’ll start on the roof as soon as you’re ready.’
‘Whenever you like, I’m always up early,’ Zoe lied, eager to have as much time with him as possible. Why wouldn’t he look at her?
He nodded and walked to the door, putting on his boots. ‘See you then.’
He put his hand on the flimsy door and shook his head as he pushed it open. Then he was gone.
Zoe didn’t move until she heard the truck drive off, then allowed herself a loud and frustrated yell. He wanted her brain? It was currently filled almost entirely with him, leaving only a tiny amount of room left for basic bodily functions, like walking. It was nearly nine but she needed someone to talk to. She grabbed Basil, her phone and keys and went out to drive up the road.
Her mum picked up after five rings. Zoe saw this as a good sign.
‘Darling! Is everything all right? Are you okay? ARNOLD! IT’S ZOE! SHE’S STILL ALIVE! Hang on love, let me put you on speaker.’
‘Yeah, I’m great. How are things with you?’
Zoe kept the conversation light. She nearly told them about Basil but then decided they weren’t quite ready for that, so told them more about Sunday lunch and Jamie’s music. She wanted to tell them about Rory, to unburden herself, but knew if she started, she wouldn’t stop. So instead, she reassured them everything was great and rang off.
On Instagram, she posted a few of the pictures Rory had taken of her and Basil, itching to post the one she had taken of him. God, he was gorgeous. She could look at him forever.
She stopped herself, but couldn’t resist sending it to Sam. She captioned it ‘my builder’. It took less than twenty seconds for her phone to ring. Zoe laughed till her cheeks hurt listening to Sam losing her mind.
‘WTAF! He’s your BUILDER? Can he come and shore up my retaining wall?’
Zoe told her about the ignoble rescue from the tree and pushing him off a ladder. Sam shrieked and made her promise to ‘act a bit more normal’ so she could ensnare him. Zoe informed her she was the last woman on the planet he was interested in, and that he was responsible for Basil and the cows. She didn’t mention the bothy. That would have completely freaked her out. She promised Sam she would take more photos of Rory for her, but didn’t tell her about the ones she’d surreptitiously snapped of him assembling the scaffolding tower. If she did that, she’d never get off the phone. So she promised she would see what she could do and rang off, her heart full of love for her amazing friend. She gave Basil a kiss.
‘Come on, darling, time for bed. Mummy’s got to be up early tomorrow.’
Zoe had formulated a cunning plan for the next morning. She would set her alarm for seven, get up, put on make-up, then make porridge and tea so when Rory arrived he would be greeted by a domestic goddess and fall instantly in love.
Instead, she woke at half eight and crawled out her tent door, hair defying gravity, eye mask still half on, to see a pair of stockinged feet standing in front of her. Rory crouched down and held out a mug of tea.
She pulled out her earplugs and pushed the mask to the top of her head but didn’t look up.
‘Good morning, Princess. How was your beauty sleep?’
Zoe ripped the mask off, took the tea and glowered at him. ‘What time is it?’
‘Half eight. I’ve just brought the second load in. I was about to move a few things so I can reposition the tower.’
‘I set my alarm for seven.’
‘I know, I could hear it from outside. When you didn’t shut it off, I got concerned you were stuck up something else so I poked my head around the door. Luckily, your snoring reassured me you were fine, so I unloaded the truck, then went back for more wood and some breakfast.’
Zoe dropped her head, utterly mortified. ‘Did I really snore?’
