7. Madison #2
A lightbulb went off in my head suddenly, and I realized exactly who Alistair was—founder and former CEO of one of the most-used travel apps in the world…
and the man who’d been sued by his own board after his girlfriend embezzled millions from the company and disappeared.
The story had made it all the way to the US, though it hadn’t gotten as much coverage as I assumed it had out here.
So much suddenly made sense. Him living in the middle of nowhere, assuming I was a journalist looking to dig up more dirt on him, the hesitation to let me stay, his initial desire to keep me away from Kenna.
He was likely working overtime to keep the world out in the wake of the media circus following the trial, and I’d busted right in, uninvited.
I actually felt a little bad about the amount of times I’d called him an asshole in my head.
Don’t get me wrong, he was still a jerk.
But he was a jerk for reasons. I thought briefly of the way he’d brought an extra blanket to my room that first night and about the fire he’d lit for me earlier.
Then my thoughts careened in the other direction.
It was disorienting. Because of all the places that app could have taken me, it had led me here.
To a house in the middle of nowhere that hid a man who didn’t want to be found.
The one man who knew the most about Voyages because he’d created the damn thing!
What kind of strange cosmic irony was that?
Every mile, every reroute…it had all led me closer to him.
An incredulous laugh bubbled up my throat. “This is honestly ridiculous.”
Every day, I’d put my faith into a company he’d built, trusting Voyages to lead me across Scotland, trusting it with my journey—and I’d had no idea he was the one responsible for the app’s very existence!
Alistair watched me like he was bracing for an outburst, but as the disbelief faded, I remembered the articles that had torn him apart in the media.
The last thing he needed was me picking at him because Voyages had landed me in a ditch.
Sure, the route had been all Voyages, but the driving… that was all me.
“Perhaps you should have made the app include ‘don’t take this road if the weather’s bad’ warnings at all times then,” I said, which I thought was rather reasonable. “Not just when the weather’s actually an issue.”
Alistair made a noise. I wasn’t sure if it was an agreement or a warning growl.
“Anyway,” I said to Locke. “I haven’t had a chance to see Braeburn proper at all yet—though I’m hoping to head that way as soon as I can.
The mechanic in town is going to tow my car eventually, and it makes sense to be closer during repairs.
Besides, fixing up my van will take a few days, and there’ll be more for me to do in town. I hear the Deerhound Inn is lovely.”
“Hey, that’s my fiancée’s place,” he said. “She runs the inn.”
I lit up at the information. “Does that mean you can take me back with you?”
Locke’s face fell slightly. “I would, but we’re pretty full up. Between the holidays and people getting stranded because of the storm, we’ve got guests in every nook and cranny.”
I tried not to look too disappointed, but it was hard to ignore the fact I was definitely stuck here.
“Oh no!” Kenna cried. We all turned to her. She’d leaned on the edge of her plate by accident, flipping cranberry-soaked dinner onto her shirt. Princess lapped at bits of fallen ham on the floor beneath her stool.
“It’s okay,” Alistair said as her lip started trembling. “Let’s go get changed.”
He picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen. I automatically moved to tidy her plate and wipe down the island.
“Hey,” Locke said, catching my attention. “I know Alistair isn’t the most welcoming person, for obvious reasons, but he’s not a bad guy. And none of the stuff in the tabloids is true.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course it’s not true.
They’re tabloids. They’re full of garbage.
Those journalists aren’t experts in the law.
” I had three years of paralegal experience and grew up with law professor parents who talked about law nonstop.
I knew enough that the tabloids got it wrong.
The case against Alistair was completely misplaced, and it would have been a real miscarriage of justice if he’d been found guilty.
And I definitely didn’t think he’d bought off the jury or used some back channels to avoid accountability the way the papers had implied.
“I wish more people had your perspective,” Locke said, frowning. “Maybe he wouldn’t have been chased out of his company then or out of London.”
I had a vision of Alistair bundling Kenna up and fleeing in the night. I was sure it wasn’t as dramatic as that, but it was probably a lot of upheaval for both of them.
“Do you think that’s why he’s struggling to find a nanny for Kenna?” I asked Locke. If he’d asked me, the strange woman who crawled through his dog door, then he was clearly desperate.
Locke shrugged. “Some people don’t like the remote location.
But yes, I’m sure there were some who weren’t interested in the job once they found out who he was.
People believe too much of what they read.
It’s honestly ridiculous. The tabloids have twisted everything into this massive drama, and people hate him for…
what? For falling in love and trusting the wrong woman?
All he tried to do was take care of the mother of his child. ”
I hadn’t considered that. This woman was Kenna’s mother. And not only had she destroyed Alistair’s life, she’d also abandoned her daughter.
“I don’t know why those are things to condemn someone for,” Locke continued, a growl in his voice.
“It’s like people don’t expect him to be human, to make mistakes just like the rest of us.
” His words hit me harder than I’d expected.
My whole life, I’d felt judged by my parents for being human, for being who I was rather than who they wanted me to be.
When I’d set off for Scotland, I’d told myself I would let the universe push me in the right direction.
I couldn’t be sure if it was the universe telling me to stay now, and I knew agreeing to nanny for Lord Crankypants was ridiculous.
My parents would probably have a conniption fit when they found out.
But this wasn’t about my parents. This was about me.
Was this what I needed—or was it another roadblock holding me back?
“But if you’re uncomfortable about staying here, I can see about finding you somewhere else to stay in town. Someone’s bound to have a free guest room they could let you use until a room opens up at the inn.”