20
20
Callum
Callum: Get over to Ivy House.
Heather: And why would I do that?
Callum: We can pick up this little fight later.
Alistair’s home.
Heather: What?
? Since when?
Callum: About five minutes ago.
Heather: Shit. Did June see him?
Callum: They bumped into each other on the high street.
Heather: You couldn’t distract her until he was gone?
Callum: With what? My juggling skills?
“Is she all right?” Alistair waited as still as a sentry beneath Brown’s awning, his features hard as carved marble.
Any earlier thoughts of sweet treats long forgotten as I approached.
He looked concerned.
He looked exhausted.
Juniper’s devastated expression – her tears – filled my vision and I felt murderous all over again.
“A little warning might have been a good idea.” I shoved my hands into my pockets, unsure if the rising urge was to strike out or ruffle his hair.
Not that he had much hair left to ruffle.
He grimaced. “I already told you, it was a last-minute decision. I didn’t expect to run into her so soon and I didn’t think she’d be—” He broke off, running a hand over his jaw in a gesture that reminded me so much of Mal.
Alistair’s usual polished charm made it easy to forget the similarities between the two of them.
But as I stared at him for the first time in almost two years, I found no trace of it.
“You didn’t expect her to be upset?” I scoffed, not even trying to leash the fury pounding through me.
Or was it envy? Green and selfish and slithering.
Juniper had come on my tongue last night, a moment so erotic she’d burned every single one of my past encounters to cinders, and twelve hours later she had my brother’s name on her lips, tears on her cheeks he’d put there.
His ring on her sideboard.
Alistair shifted, that hand dragging over his head now, he seemed surprised when he found nothing to grab onto.
“What do you want me to say? That a tiny little part of me hoped she’d be happy to see me?” He didn’t need to; I’d been an eyewitness to his knee-wobbling relief when he realised it was Juniper calling out to him.
“Despite everything, I still care for her. I’ll always care for her.” Each word was a gut punch that caused the stupid, revealing words that came next.
“Did you cheat on her?” I didn’t know why the answer mattered so much.
No , I did.
How could I mend a wound without knowing the extent of the injury?
“Of course I didn’t.” He had the decency to look appalled.
“ Christ , Callum, I might have behaved like a prick, but I’d like to think I’m not completely morally bankrupt – did June say that?”
“No.”
He frowned.
“Since when did you become Juniper’s protector, anyway?”
My muscles locked, the need to tell him so great, as though I’d held the words hostage on the tip of my tongue all these years and they finally sensed an escape.
Actually, it’s a funny story, brother, but I fell in love with your girlfriend about six months after you did.
And when she became your fiancée, instead of thinking of her as another little sister like I should have, I plotted all the ways I could steal her from you.
I thought of her in every depraved way imaginable, how I’d touch her, love her, how I’d make her moan harder than you ever could.
I’d probably leave out that last part.
“I’m not her protector. She doesn’t need one,” I clipped with certainty.
Juniper wouldn’t let my idiot brother keep her down for long.
And I’d texted Heather the moment Juniper’s car had disappeared from view.
“What are you doing here?” He winced at my tone and I immediately felt like shit.
I’d been begging him to come back for months.
Now he was here and I was behaving like a self-righteous arsehole.
“ Fuck , I’m sorry, I just—”
“I get it. I should have told June I was coming. Guess I was scared she wouldn’t care. Or she would care and I’d feel like shit all over again.”
“You two haven’t spoken at all? In six years?” I wished I could say my curiosity was for his sake.
Or hers.
He shook his head.
“Do you think I should go after her?”
Fuck, no.
The sentiment roared in my chest but it was for Juniper I answered, “Give her a day or two.” If she wanted to see him eventually that was her right, but right now …
she needed time to reinforce her defences.
“Have you seen Dad yet?”
“No.” He swung a stuffed rucksack over his shoulder.
“I just arrived. Figured I’d drop by and see you first.”
I clapped him on the shoulder this time, searching for our usual ease.
“Perfect. My hotshot baby brother can buy me lunch.”
He laughed but it didn’t reach his eyes as we stepped into Brown’s.
All heads turned our way as we shouldered through the narrow door, including Jess’s which widened at the sight of Alistair.
She was too busy at the till to utter so much as a greeting so we grabbed menus, sitting at the only unoccupied table by the window.
I set my phone down on the table, screen up, so I wouldn’t miss Juniper’s text.
“Did you join the army without telling me?”
“What?”
I nodded to his closely shorn hair.
“Oh.” He brushed a self-conscious hand over it.
“Just fancied a wee change.”
“It suits you. How’s work going?”
He studied the laminated menu in his hands long enough that an awkwardness curled up like a cat in the middle of the table.
“I didn’t come here to talk about work.”
I frowned.
You usually couldn’t shut him up about work.
Alistair wasn’t a narcissist by any means, but he was passionate about medicine.
“We can’t catch up? We’ve barely spoken in months.”
“Work… it’s y’know, the same …” He fiddled with the cutlery, lining the napkin up against the edge of the table.
“ Boring . There isn’t really a lot to say.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute.” Something was going on with him.
He had more tells than a dog with a thorn in its paw.
“How long are you here for?”
“I didn’t realise this was an inquisition.” I waited, unmoving, until he blew out an agitated breath.
“I’m not sure, a few weeks, maybe longer.”
Longer?
“Oh,” I lowered my own menu, really looking at him now.
“You’d tell me if something was up, right?”
“ Of course ,” he said quickly.
Too quickly.
My phone buzzed at my elbow and I snatched it up.
Harpy: Home.
The tightness in my chest eased a fraction.
One word. But it was enough.
I turned back to ask Alistair just as Jess appeared, far quicker than a woman who refused to use her hospital-issued cane should.
“Are my ancient eyes playin’ tricks on me, or is that you, Alistair, lad?”
“Jess.” His expression flipped from uncertain to charming in an instant.
I could almost believe I’d imagined the past ten minutes if it hadn’t been for the effortless way that he steered every one of her questions back on her.
“Yer look well lad, you got a sweetheart treatin’ you right?”
“No one that compares to you, Jess. How are your daughters?”
“ Ach ,” She waved a hand.
“Meddlesome wee shits are on at me to retire. How’s life in the city?”
He laughed, sitting back in his chair.
“No comparison to Skye. The village is busier than ever, business must be booming.”
I ordered on autopilot, fighting the need to shake my brother, find out what was going on with him and fix it.
But Juniper’s words filtered back.
Who’s taking care of you?
I released my tight hold on the cutlery.
If Alistair needed my help, he’d come to me.
Lord knew I had enough on my plate.
And it wasn’t like I didn’t have my own secrets.
So when he asked, “How’s Dad?” I told him without a single deviation.