Chapter 12
12
Harper was nervous as she followed Fraser over to his sister’s table. She’d already met one of his siblings, but this felt oddly… formal. He was introducing her. He could have just left her in the corner with her books, but instead, he’d insisted she eat with them. And he kept calling her sunshine with that unexpected fondness.
Weird was what it was. Sweet, but weird. Or maybe she was just making it weird because she was the weird one, with weird, weird feelings spreading through her like a wildfire through the forest.
“I hope you don’t mind a third wheel,” Fraser joked as he set down the drinks in front of his sister. “Eiley, this is Harper. She’s a…” His eyes flashed over to Harper uncertainly. She was a what? A friend? A disaster? A charity case?
“New in town,” he decided. “Staying in the cabin.”
“Oh, this is the girl Cam was talking about!” Eiley scrunched up her features, much the same way Fraser did when he was scrutinising Harper. Her hair was styled in a flat, strawberry blonde bob and her features weren’t as immediately disarming as Cam’s, but softer, a little like a porcelain doll. She too was gorgeous, with a heart-shaped face and blue-grey eyes, but she didn’t seem to care if other people thought so the way Harper did. She wore little makeup and a comfortable, old-fashioned patchwork jumper with a raincoat and leggings.
“Aye. Cam just loves to talk about my business.” Fraser sat beside his sister, nudging her lightly. Like with Cam, warmth was radiating from him, which felt contagious as Harper took the chair opposite them both.
Her pulse pounded in her ears. Cam had been talking about her? Saying what? she wondered. Did she even want to know?
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said to Eiley. “I hope I’m not making a complete pain of myself or intruding on some brother-sister bonding.”
Eiley shook her head. “Not at all, although I’m not the best company. Fraser can corroborate that.”
“Fraser can not ,” he protested. “Besides, Harper is the worst company ever.”
“Oi!” Harper kicked him under the table as his face broke into a wide grin.
“I’m sure that’s not true.” Eiley ducked her head shyly as she sipped her drink. “I have to say, I’m surprised Fraser is letting you stay. He’s like me: keeps to himself. Prefers his own space, too. His eye starts twitching whenever I bring my kids to mess up his house.”
“I can believe that.” Harper giggled, resting her chin on her palm. “How many kids do you have?”
Eiley brightened at the question. “Three. Two boys and a girl. My eldest, Brook, is about to turn six; Sky is three, and wee Saffron is just seven months.”
“Fraser is lucky to have so many niblings. I’m an only child. I used to ask Father Christmas for a bigger family when I was young,” she confessed.
“I do love those gobshites,” Fraser agreed, fondness softening his tone. “They’re a lot of work, though.”
“Tell me about it.” Eiley’s curiosity fell suddenly on Harper’s pile of books, and she straightened in her chair. “Oh, look. Peter Pan ! I’ve been reading lots of classic retellings to the preschool kids recently. They loved this one.”
“Are you a teacher?” Harper asked eagerly. For a while, she’d wanted to become one herself, but the idea of going back to school, the place where so many of her insecurities stemmed, hadn’t been all that pleasant.
Eiley shook her head. “Unfortunately not. I just volunteer at Sky’s playgroup at St. Margaret’s. They need all the help they can get. The bairns love spending time with new people, so if you ever fancy reading to them, feel free to drop in.”
“It can be mayhem, though,” Fraser added. “Be warned.”
Harper was quite tempted to find out for herself, despite the slow shake of his head.
“I’m just going to nip to the loo,” Eiley said, sliding out of her chair then disappearing behind a door beside the crowded bar.
The air changed immediately, returning to that usual stifling atmosphere that plagued the two of them. Fraser’s blue eyes glittered as he edged closer so she could better hear him. She felt her stomach fizzing, as if she’d just gulped several mouthfuls of his coke. “Just so you know, my sister is the most introverted introvert out there. You should feel extremely special to be invited into her life.”
Harper was taken aback by his sincerity – especially when his attention drifted towards the bathroom door. She hadn’t missed the way he’d gone quiet through their conversation, silently observing as though he hadn’t wanted to interrupt. “I do feel very welcomed.”
“Good.” He brushed the beer mat across his knuckles, a faint frown appearing between his brows. “She’s having a tough time.”
“Is she a single mum?” Harper enquired gently, then added: “If it’s okay to ask, of course.”
“Aye. She moved back into our mum’s house when Saffron was born in early spring, but her relationship with Finlay was rocky for a long time.”
A strained sigh racked through him, and she had the urge to reach out, take his hand, tell him that Eiley was okay – she had to be, because she had someone like him looking out for her. Though Harper hadn’t known him long, she knew that much. He’d seen him interact with his sisters. Saw the way he cared for them, the way he put them first. It wasn’t like any sibling relationship she’d seen before. Her own mum hadn’t talked to her brother in ten years, since a falling out when Nanna was moved into a care home. Kenzie’s siblings had been more typical, taunting one another, unable to ever be earnest enough to show that love lay behind their insults.
What Fraser had, the way he acted… It was lovely.
After a moment’s pause, Harper couldn’t help herself. She laid her hand over his. Her palms tingled as though his skin was made of tiny needles, and the sensation shot up her arm until it was difficult not to lose her breath. “I’m sure she’ll be all right. She has you and Cam, and from what I’ve seen, that’s a wonderful thing. You’re a good brother.”
“Thank you.” He chewed on his bottom lip, some of that darkness dissipating as he leaned closer. “That means more than you know.”
“I might not be a single mum, but I know a bit about being left in the lurch. If she ever wants to talk, I’m here as well.”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate that.” He paused. “Who left you in the lurch?”
She shrugged. “My ex-girlfriend. I don’t really want to talk about it now.”
“Hmm. That’s why I tend to steer clear of relationships.”
Harper said nothing, and he hastily changed the subject. “Well, maybe you should take her up on that offer to read to the kids. It could help you with your writing. Cam’s daughter, Isla, is very creative already.”
“I’ll think about it. Add it to my list.”
“You never did tell me how the boat trip went.”
“It was wet and dreary, and I’ve never met a man with so much hair coming out of his ears.”
His laugh cut through the burble of music and conversation surrounding them, the only reminder that it had ever been there at all.
She was closing the gap between them, but so was he. Like every sentence was tugging them into one another. If she was smart, she would have let go. Getting involved with her new landlord, a man who was very clearly anti-relationships, was a recipe for disaster, especially so soon after her break-up.
But he edged closer still. “Captain Angus is an interesting character, isn’t he?”
“He can name every tree within a five-mile radius, and not just by species. I didn’t even know that was a thing. The tall redwood outside Raindrop Café? It’s called Janet.”
Another laugh, this one thundering with its intensity. She couldn’t help but join in, electricity sparking through her when he twined his fingers with hers. “Oh, aye. He’s very serious about giving them all names. What was the fir opposite the ferry dock called, again?”
“Douglas, obviously.”
“ Obviously .” He shook his head, glancing down at their tangled hands. “She’s a wee bampot, by the way.”
“Who, Janet? That’s not very nice.”
“No…” He licked his lips, jaw ticking with tension. “Your ex. She’s out of her mind if she thinks she can find a woman like you somewhere else.”
White-hot flames seared through her veins, from the crown of her head to the tip of her toes. She didn’t know what to say. Was afraid that saying anything would drive him away and all of this would turn out to be a delusion. Something she’d dreamed up in the loneliness of the cabin.
She wanted to kiss him. Wanted to show him just what sort of woman she could be when the right person set her alight.
And that’s what he was doing. She hadn’t expected to feel like this so soon after the break-up, but she wasn’t complaining. Maybe she’d needed the reminder that she could feel like this for someone other than Kenzie.
Reality came back to her in a harsh, icy draught. He pulled away as Eiley returned to the table none the wiser with menus in hand. It was like watching a roller shutter door slam down. One minute, he had been hers. The next, he was nobody’s. Unreadable, unreachable.
Harper tried to shake it off, pretending to listen as he and Eiley began to talk about something else, but inside, those flames that burned a moment ago turned to ashes.
What was she doing, catching feelings for a near-stranger in the middle of nowhere?
More importantly, what was he doing letting her?