Chapter 47 Taran
“It’s looking really good.” Tierney peered out of the window of Pages & Perks. She strode back to our wee gathering, throwing me a smile. “When will the store open?”
“Soon.” I took a sip of coffee as she settled into her seat opposite me, London and Cammie on either side of her. “The kitchen fitters hit a pipe during installation, so Quinn needs to fix that. Then I can get in there and start moving inventory.”
Cammie leaned in, her eyes moving above our heads as if checking to make sure our wee book club didn’t include any non-member earholes. Satisfied, she whispered excitedly, “Any more talk of kids?”
I groaned, slumping in my seat. I knew it was a mistake to share that conversation with Quinn’s sister.
The night at the hotel had been several weeks ago, and since then Quinn and I had talked more about kids.
We still wanted to have time to ourselves, so I’d made an appointment with Dr. Stornoway to get a better estimate on when that situation would become time critical.
“I’m very good at reading body language, and I think that was a nonverbal mind your own business.” London waggled her eyebrows comically at Cammie.
Cammie smirked. “I read that too. Fine. But I better be the first to know if I’m going to be an aunt again.”
“Let us just enjoy being back together for now.”
“I have news,” Tierney squeaked.
All our heads jerked toward her.
She grimaced sheepishly. “I … well … you know, Ramsay is great at secret keeping. So … I don’t know if … well … maybe I’m jumping the gun but—”
London tapped her friend’s knee. “Tierney, spit it out.”
“I found a ring,” she whispered, and before we could react, she hissed, “Don’t react.”
Immediately, I clamped my lips together to bite back the excitement.
“Okay.” Cammie pretended to be stoic. “You found … an object that is a symbol of marriage?”
I snorted behind my clamped lips.
“Yes.” Tierney nodded slowly. “A platinum band with an oval stone I thought was a dark blue sapphire nestled between two clusters of diamonds, but what I now realize is alexandrite because it changes colors in the light. I also once mentioned to Ramsay that it’s my favorite gemstone.
Therefore, I think it’s safe to assume the ring is intended for me. ”
London’s eyes were suspiciously bright as she reached for Tierney’s hand. “I definitely think it’s for you, my friend. Alexandrite and diamonds, huh? He spared no expense.”
Tierney groaned. “And I’ve spoiled the surprise.”
“So, you’ll say yes?” Cammie prodded.
“Do I love romance novels? Is Akiva the most beautiful malamute ever? Is the sky blue?”
“Right, right, stupid question.”
“I just … I feel like I should tell Ramsay I found the ring. But I’m also shocked I found the ring.”
“Why? It’s happened before.” I shrugged. “Men are shit at hiding things.”
“Not this one.” Tierney was adamant. “Finding it was a total fluke. For no reason at all, I got this urge to look through the many books he has shelved in the house. I’m searching the titles and I come across Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal.”
“No way,” London murmured.
Tierney nodded frantically. “Yeah. And I’m like, ‘Huh, I’ve never heard of that one,’ so I pull it off the shelf and what was behind it? A velvet ring box.”
“Damn, he is good at hiding things,” I retracted my earlier opinion. “Sly fox.”
London shook her head. “That is so weird. That you were drawn to pull that book off the shelf.”
“The connection between me and Ramsay has been weird from the beginning. Like, instant familiarity. A proposal is a happy thing, and yet I feel terrible because now I’ve ruined it. I need to tell him.”
“No, you don’t.” Cammie waved off the idea. “Just let him do his thing.”
“Tell him,” I disagreed.
“He probably already caught you on film finding it.” London sank back in her chair with a grin.
“Wait, what?” I wrinkled my nose. “Ramsay has cameras in your place? Why—oh no. No, no, no, no. That’s too much information.”
Cammie cackled. “Kinky buggers.”
Our friend flushed a color I’d never seen her flush before. “No, that’s not … I mean, yes, but no … no!” She scowled at London, who was wiping tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.
Once our hilarity had calmed, my smile softened. “Tell him, Tierney. He’ll understand.”
“I ruined it.”
“No. You didn’t. The proposal doesn’t matter. It’s what comes after that does.”
“And Ramsay McRae doesn’t strike me as a man who cares about proposals and weddings.” Cammie pointed a manicured nail at our friend. “Though I am helping with wedding décor. But my point is, Taran’s right. Ramsay wants the marriage part.”
Tierney let out a soft sigh. “You’re right. Thank you, guys. I’ll tell him when he gets back from Scaris. Which should hopefully be this afternoon.”
I looked beyond my friends to the harbor outside.
Quinn and Ramsay had taken the ferry to Oban, and then driven to Scaris, taking the bridge over from the mainland.
They were there to speak with the Montrose brothers about the problems they were having with their development, so the brothers had asked him back to give them a quote for fixing everything and finishing it.
It would mean he’d be gone for four nights out of the week, since it was too far away to travel every day.
Selfishly, I didn’t want him to take the job.
It felt too soon.
But I knew his crew would be glad of the money.
“Is something wrong?” Tierney frowned at me.
Covering up my real thoughts, I cocked my head in question. “Does anyone know what Quinn’s ringtone is for me?”
Cammie’s grin was slow and wide.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“It’s ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ by Coldplay.”
My heart lurched. “Really?”
Tierney nodded with a sweet smile. “I’ve heard it.”
“He’s such a romantic bastard,” I muttered, aggravated that he was always making me overly emotional, even when he wasn’t physically there.
The girls chuckled, but then Tierney eventually stood. “I need to get back to the B and B.”
Cammie followed suit. “Yeah, I’ve got a client proposal to put together.”
“I’m going to head back home.” London stood too.
“You know, I think I’ll join you and let Ewan and Paisley finish up.”
I was exhausted today after my travels. Quinn and I had told everyone we were heading to Inverness for supplies for the charity shop, but in truth, he accompanied me to the genetic testing.
We’d stayed overnight and returned home yesterday afternoon.
I’d get the results in a week or two.
Waiting was not my forte, and I think that was partly why I was so tired on top of the travel and the emotional drain of facing my fear of knowing whether I was at risk of going through what my mum had gone through.
Quinn made it easier, knowing he was there to support me. And he’d constantly reminded me that if I did have the altered gene, I’d have a better chance at earlier detection than Mum had.
Because of our history, it felt like we’d been back together a lot longer than we had been.
After checking Ewan and Paisley could handle the store (now that high season was over, it was quiet in the shop), I walked out with London and we strolled home together.
It was a cloudy but dry October day, and the stores had already hung their Halloween decorations.
Mum had loved celebrating Easter, Beltane, Halloween, and Christmas and had a bunch of seasonal decorations in storage for the shop.
Ewan, Martha, Paisley, and I had dragged out all her fake pumpkins—some plastic, some knitted, some ceramic—and decorated the windows and store with her wee trinkets and lights.
It made me feel closer to her.
“I forgot just how cold it gets on this island.” London crossed her arms defensively against the chilly breeze.
“Doesn’t New York get even colder?”
“Yup. But ours is a damp cold. Leth Sholas, I mean.”
“Ours?” I grinned.
She furrowed her brow. “Huh?”
“You said ours when referring to here, to Leth Sholas.”
My roommate rolled her eyes. “And that’s got you all giddy?”
“Aye, it does.” I nudged her playfully. “Because that means you think of this place as yours.”
She considered this and then shrugged. “I guess I do. Leth Sholas is home now. Or … at least until my work visa runs out.”
“It doesn’t have to run out,” I said. “We’ll make sure you always have a job here. You’re not going anywhere.”
“I hope not.”
We fell silent as I stewed over how we could reassure London. I didn’t want her spending her days worrying about when she’d be forced to leave the island and return to the US.
“Isn’t that the creepy antiques guy?”
London’s question brought my head up. Unease crawled over me at the sight of Edward White standing on our front stoop.
“What the hell does he want?”