Chapter 47
D enny felt a fire kindling inside her chest each time she came in close proximity to Alec. She reminded herself not to do anything stupid such as take his hand, which she longed to do. Or snuggle into him. She imagined his strong arms wrapping around her, keeping her safe.
But he might rebuke her. He might be repulsed for all she knew. What did she know about Scottish men, and whom could she ask? Not Mrs. Ross, who was too old.
“Is Molly still in the hotel?” she asked Alec.
“No idea. I haven’t seen her lately.” He glanced into the dining room. “It looks as though Mrs. Ross has put Lydia to work.”
Denny tried not to gawk at graceful Lydia clad in a kilt. “I’d love to wear a kilt like that,” Denny said as if she’d been pondering the idea for days. “What fun. Are there extras?”
“I think so, but you’d have to ask Mrs. Ross.” The corners of his mouth tipped up into a smile. “She tried to get me to wear one, but I refused.” His eyebrows lifted. “Not that I don’t hang onto my childhood kilt.”
“You’d look cute.” Denny thought he’d look cute anytime but decided to say no more. Her mother whispered from beyond the grave for Denny to act with discretion.
“When the snow lets up, you can have one made for you in Portree.”
“Really? I’d love that.” Denny couldn’t contain her goofy grin.
“But I can’t imagine any of the stores carry your tartan.” He shrugged. “Maybe things have changed.”
“We have a saying where I come from: old habits die hard.” When she noticed his look of confusion, she added, “But I’m not sure it fits in this case.”
“Alas, it fits all too well.”
“But you don’t hate me, do you? Please tell me you forgive my ancestors for their ghastly behavior.”
He cast her a sideways look, his eyes not meeting hers. “Aye, our generation has forgiven. But my parents... some of them cling to the past and hold grudges.”
“You want to introduce me to your parents?” How cool was that? But would they like her?
Like a cloud across the sun, his features sobered. “Hold on, lassie. Let’s not rush into anything.”
“No, of course not. We hardly know each other.” Denny had put the cart before the horse, as they say, as she’d often done in the past. “Why would they wish to meet me?”
“I might have mentioned you on a phone call.”
“You mentioned me to your folks?” As Denny waited for an answer, she pressed her lips together while her thoughts raced like a horse out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby—which she loved watching on TV. “Say, what about Molly? I couldn’t help but notice you two have a certain closeness.”
“Yes we do, for sure, but they’re not expecting me to marry Molly of all people.”
“They aren’t?” Denny had suspected something lovey-dovey between Alec and Molly all along. No big deal. Wrong. It was a big deal. Ginormous.
Denny recalled the night her date had not showed up for the senior prom, something she thought she’d pushed out of her memory forever. She recalled mustering up the courage to invite Steve from the popular crowd. “I guess so” was his answer, and she’d given him her home address. He’d crammed the paper into his jeans pocket. She remembered getting all spruced up in a dress her mother had helped her buy and going with Mom to the salon to get a manicure. Mom had helped her with her hair and applying makeup. “You look stunning,” her mother had said when Denny examined herself in the mirror.
Denny had waited by the front door, but her date never arrived. Nor did he call. No explanation. She’d convinced herself he’d had car trouble. She’d called her girlfriend who was waiting for her steady date to arrive. “Come with us,” her friend had urged. “Lots of girls go by themselves.” But Denny felt too shameful. Once her tears erupted, her eye makeup melted, making her look like an owl.
She thought she had pushed that wretched night behind her but realized she’d carried it with her all this time. She recalled with clarity how the next week she’d begged her mother to let her stay home sick from school, but Mom had refused. “I’m so sorry, but you’ll have to go back sometime darling. Try to ignore him.”
Easier said than done.
At school Denny had lifted her chin as if the incident never happened. But her no-show date and his friends had snickered at her as she passed them in the hallways. Yet she was determined not to show any hurt. She’d sworn she would never make such a fool of herself again. But wasn’t that exactly what she was doing with Alec? What was his game? He said he’d mentioned her to his parents but he seemed to be attracted to Molly. Since the death of her parents, she didn’t think anything could hurt her, but she felt as if she’d been stabbed by a kitchen knife.
Alec’s words jolted her to the present. “Do you want to try to make it to Portree today?” he asked. “It’s not a long walk.”
“No thanks. Maybe when Maureen returns.” Denny heard her voice turn snarly. “She’s the one who is paying you.”
He visibly deflated, his shoulders rounding and his smile flattening.
“And I wouldn’t want to take you away from Molly.” She tried to act nonchalantly. “By the way, when’s the wedding?” When he didn’t answer, she added, “I do hope I’ll be invited.”