Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
GAVIN
Callie fell asleep in my office. I didn’t want to risk waking her, so I moved her to the sofa and covered her with a blanket. She was still logged in on my computer, so I made sure the email was sent first. I’m not a total eejit.
Luna’s the first to find me in the kitchen the following morning while I start breakfast, Oliver wriggling to be set down. “Morning. This smells amazing. Rhys will be down soon, and he’d love to help.”
“Grab a plate and help yourself.”
She does, taking enough food for her and Oliver. “Have you seen Callie this morning?”
“She was up late working on a school thing. I doubt we’ll see her soon.”
“Seriously?”
I flip the bacon and turn to find Luna looking nearly incredulous. “What’s wrong?”
“Callie brought school with her? This is supposed to be a break from all that.”
“No, she didn’t mean to. It was only this internship thing—”
“She works too much,” Luna says, sweeping Oliver off the floor and carrying him to the table, then plopping him on a chair.
He immediately redirects his attention to the plate of bacon, toast, eggs, and beans.
“She really needs a break so she doesn’t burn out.
I was hoping Scotland would provide that for her. Has she been working this whole week?”
“I—er…I don’t believe so.” The truth is that I haven’t any idea what Callie did when I wasn’t with her.
But we’d spent most of our time together over the last few days, so I’m fairly positive she wasn’t working.
Given how badly she needed the break from school, I’d be surprised if she wasted her time on it.
“I never saw her on her computer until last night.”
“Good.” Luna gives me a self-deprecating smile. “I’m not crazy. I just want her to be careful so she doesn’t burn out. It’s the protective older sister in me, I guess.”
“Sounds fairly typical.” I pull the bacon from the pan and set it on a plate, then serve myself some breakfast.
She hands Oliver a fork and his plate as Rhys comes in the kitchen and helps himself to the breakfast lining the countertop.
Luna chews her bacon. “How did the last few days go? I’m sorry we weren’t here.”
“You couldn’t help it.”
Rhys puts his plate down across from me and lifts an eyebrow. “Debatable.”
Luna gives him a wide-eyed look, communicating something I probably don’t want to know. “We were a little slow out the door, so yeah, we could have helped it if we’d left when we were supposed to.”
“That’s not your fault,” I say, spearing beans with my fork.
Rhys laughs. “Again, debatable.”
“Hush, you.” Luna points her fork at him. “She’s my sister and it’s my job. So, Gavin. How have you been since we saw you last?”
There’s something weird going on here but I’m not going to dive into it.
I think back on the last time I stopped in Snowshill to see Hamish and stayed with them for a few days.
It was only six months ago, right in the middle of summer.
“Nothing, really. Just looking for new ideas to pitch my agent.”
“Do you need to sell a new story?” Rhys asks.
“Need to? No. But I’m not certain I’m ready to be finished creating stories, either.”
Rhys takes a bite of toasted sourdough. “You could wait for inspiration.”
It’s true. I could. Truthfully, ever since Rory put the idea of a Christmas book in my head at Katie’s ugly jumper party, I’ve been bouncing around different ideas. Nothing has settled, but the concepts keep coming.
The door from the living room opens and Mum and Dad let themselves in. My stomach immediately tightens, but it relaxes when they’re followed by Callie. Her hair is still wet from the shower, but her face looks fresh and her layers of jumpers upon jumpers make her look snuggly and warm.
“Smells divine, darling,” Mum says. “I missed your cooking.”
“I’ll try not to take offense,” Dad says lightly.
He pushes his glasses higher on his nose, but still, something feels off.
They’re acting as though the last three years didn’t happen.
Like they didn’t sell me the house under the assumption we would all live here together, then disappear.
That they don’t regularly make promises they don’t keep.
That I’m supposed to act like I’m not feeling unsettled and unsure with them around.
“Oh, enough.” Mum swats at Dad. “You know he learned from the best.”
The best being Granny? Because I learned from Granny. If they’re trying to take credit for teaching me my way around a kitchen, they’re delusional.
Dad takes a plate and fills it up. “The house looks festive, Gav.”
“I forced Gavin into it,” Callie says, taking up a plate behind my parents. “It wasn’t as ready for Christmas as I wanted it to be, and he was kind enough to humor me. We’re almost there now, but we still need a tree.”
“Should we take care of that today?” Luna asks, sitting up straight, her eyes sparkling.
Rhys grins at his wife as he chews around a bite. “You just want to show off your skills with an ax.”
“Be fair. I’ve vastly improved. You know I have.”
“Vastly?”
“Rhys.”
“Fine, yes,” he says. “Luna could chop the tree down single-handedly. She’s small but strong.”
“It’s all that yoga,” Callie says from the stove where she’s scooping eggs onto her plate. “You should see some of the stuff she can do.”
“Tree first, group yoga later?” Luna offers.
Mum draws in a dramatic gasp. “We stayed in the most beautiful eco-village in Wales last spring. Learned from a man who was so centered with the earth, he could probably have balanced on one hand. Right, Don?”
“Possibly,” Dad says.
“He could have,” Mum says. “The whole camp did sunrise yoga every morning. I’ve never felt so much peace in my life.”
I’ll try not to take offense that her greatest time of peace had nothing to do with her only child. She tends to exaggerate, anyway. Everything is the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen or the best thing she’s ever tasted or the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to her.
Things lose meaning when they’re consistently awarded the greatest achievement.
“Let’s find a tree,” I say, rising. “Be ready to leave in one hour?”
Everyone looks up at me, startled. Perhaps I interrupted a conversation, being lost in my own thoughts for so long. I should have waited a tick to see.
Callie saves me, though. “One hour,” she repeats. “We’ll be ready.”
Then I make my escape.
“Should we sing carols?” Ruby asks as we trek across my property toward a copse of pine trees I think will do the trick.
Hamish stayed back at the house with Poppy and Oliver, but Violet came with Ruby.
After I pointed out where we were headed, Ruby took off, daughter in hand, with Luna and Rhys directly behind her.
Callie and I are bringing up the rear, and I’m not upset about walking at her side or pulling up the end of our train.
“Rudolph!” Violet yells. “I want to sing Rudolph!”
Ruby glances over her shoulder at Luna. “You up for it?”
“Sure.”
They start singing together. Rhys takes Luna’s hand and joins them.
When they’ve reached the chorus and Callie still hasn’t joined in, I lean toward her and lower my voice. “Are you not a fan of reindeer?”
She glances at me quickly. “Oh, I’m just tired. I think I could fall asleep standing up.”
“I can probably throw you over my shoulder if you don’t think you can make it. Save your energy.”
Her face cracks a smile. “This isn’t on my Scottish bucket list, but I feel like I need to add it.”
“Being swept off your feet by a Scot?”
“Being swept off my feet by a Highlander,” she says in a romantic, husky voice.
“That one’s easy enough sorted.” A laugh rumbles from my chest. “What else is on your bucket list?”
“That’s confidential information,” she says around a yawn.
“Touch the stones,” I guess. “You told my dad as much last week.”
Callie grins widely. “I have to try to be sent back in time.”
“Naturally. If I guess more, will you tell me?”
She chews her lip, drawing my attention down. They’re pink and plump and were so willing last week. How was that only a week ago?
“Sure.” Her eyes are bright, the tip of her nose pink.
Everyone ahead of us has moved on to “Frosty the Snowman.” I’m trying to think of things an American woman would want to try in Scotland. “Try haggis?”
Callie’s pink nose wrinkles. “No.”
“Irn Bru?”
“Strangely, that wasn’t on my list, either.” She makes a face. “Still don’t like it.”
I ignore that comment. “Learn to bake shortbread?”
“No, but I should add that. I have a feeling Patty would willingly teach me.”
“Undoubtedly,” I agree. I’m also drawing a blank. “Boat on a loch?”
“No.”
“See a castle?”
“Yes!”
I’m unreasonably proud that I’ve hit upon something on her list. “We can make that happen, you know. There’s a castle not too far from here. It’s in ruins, but it’s old.”
Callie grabs my forearm. “Really?”
“So long as the roads are open.”
“Gavin, that would be amazing.”
“I’ll make you a trade. I’ll take you to the castle if you tell me the rest of your list.”
“Fine.”
Guilt sweeps through me. “I take it back. You don’t have to tell me. I’ll take you anyway.”
Her smile is sweet. “I figured. I’ll tell you most of it.”
Most?
“I have some pride, Gavin.”
“There’s nothing on that list that will make me think less of you, Callie.”
“You say that so confidently.”
“I’ve had a chance to get to know you.” I shrug, though she probably can’t tell beneath my thick winter coat. “I’m fairly confident.”
“See a Scottish castle. Pet a Highland cow. Touch the standing stones. Learn a Gaelic phrase. Take a picture with a man in a kilt—I’m disappointed I couldn’t mark that one off at the party the other night—and have someone call me Sassenach.”
“But you aren’t English.”
“My ancestors are.” She’s quiet for a moment. “Is that what it means? I thought it meant outsider.”
“The root of the word comes from Saxon,” I tell her.
“I still want it,” she says. “It stays on the list.”
I throw my hands up in surrender. “It’s your list.”
Her smile is triumphant.
“Is that everything?” I ask.
“It’s everything I’m willing to share with you.”
I throw my hand over my chest. “Ouch. Here I thought we were mates.”
“Guilt doesn’t work on me.”
What a load of blether. Curiosity writhes like a snake within me. I need to know what she’s not telling me and what sort of thing she thinks she should keep from me. Over the last week, I’d thought we’d broken down more barriers than that.
It’s a wee bit disappointing, if I’m being honest.
“Are these the trees, Gavin?” Ruby calls.
My attention snaps to the rest of the group. They’re all waiting up ahead, watching us, except for Violet. Luna especially has a satisfied look on her face.
Callie was right. Her sister is eager to find her a partner in the UK. Apparently she’ll even settle for Scotland if it means having her in the same time zone.
“These are the trees.” I sweep my arm out to indicate the copse on my land. “Violet, you may select the Christmas tree so long as it fits in the house.”
Violet’s eyes light up. She squeals, jumping in the air like a hot piece of buttered corn before running toward the pine trees. Snow crunches beneath our boots as the adults follow her, admiring each tree she points out and discards.
Callie rubs her hands together and nods at the perfect tree. “How long will it take her to choose this one?”
“My money’s on the behemoth back there.” I nod toward the pine towering behind it.
Callie laughs. “Violet’s smart enough to know that’ll never fit in the house.”
“Won’t stop her from trying, I reckon.”
“Okay.” Callie leans down and scoops up a ball of snow, then pats it into a ball menacingly as she steps toward me. “What are you willing to wager?”
My blood runs hot. We’re toe to toe. The snowball between us is going to start steaming if she isn’t careful. This is an opportunity I’m not going to squander. It’s on the tip of my tongue to call back that kiss we never got to have, but she might misunderstand my intentions.
I don’t even know what my intentions would be.
Better to use this on something more appropriate. Something I want from her that she won’t give willingly, because I’m extremely confident Violet will be choosing the enormous tree back there. “One question. Total honesty. Winner gets to ask.”
Callie tosses the snowball over her shoulder and puts out her hand. “Deal.”