20. Madison
MADISON
Asleepy smile stretched across my face as I rolled over, expecting to curl against Alistair’s warm body. I frowned when all I found was a cold pillow and rumpled sheets. Had he never come back to bed after his phone call?
I propped myself up. Odd.
I couldn’t deny that I was a little disappointed not to have him here to cuddle this morning. On the other hand, I also understood that the man worked incredibly hard to make time for me and Kenna around his busy schedule.
Frankly, Alistair had some of the best time management skills of anyone I’d ever met, but right now I was missing him, so if he couldn’t be here, I’d just have to go to him. Maybe I could even entice him back to bed once more before we had to go to Lochbrae to pick up Kenna.
I hopped out of bed and shrugged into a tank top and some very cropped pajama shorts. Was I dressed appropriately for the winter weather outside? No. Was I going to make Alistair’s eyes bug out of his head? I adjusted my cleavage. That was the plan.
I opened my door and padded down the hallway on my way to his office.
I tiptoed toward the doorway, ruffling my hair up, putting on my most sexy pout as I turned into the room. “Hello, there,” I said to…absolutely no one. Alistair wasn’t in his office. But his laptop was missing.
“Hmmph.” I couldn’t believe I’d wasted my sexy pout.
I turned around, heading back the way I came, taking myself down to the kitchen.
If I could figure out where I’d left my phone, then I could just text the man.
It would probably be faster than traipsing around the castle, peeking into rooms. To my surprise, I found Alistair at the kitchen island, hunched over his laptop, a cup of coffee pressed to his lips.
There were multiple open coffee pods on the counter, the kind he used to brew his fancy lattes, which told me this wasn’t his first hit of caffeine. “Have you been up this whole time?” I asked, coming up behind him. I massaged my hands into his shoulders.
He sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong?”
“I received a call from my solicitor last night,” he grunted. “They found Jessica.”
“Oh. My. God.” My eyebrows hit my hairline.
I leaned against the island next to him, spotting an article about the arrest open on his laptop.
I studied his expression, noting the deep worry lines that cut across his forehead.
“Are you okay? This must be…so strange, for starters.” I wrapped my hand over his forearm, squeezing gently before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.
“And stressful. How are you feeling about it?”
Alistair shrugged off my questions.
“We need to talk about the logistics,” he said.
I frowned. “What kind of logistics?”
“How everything is going to work from here on out,” he said, gesturing to the article.
“Interest in the whole scandal had finally died down. But Jessica’s arrest, her being charged, will ignite the whole thing all over again.
My solicitor already warned me that I’ll end up being called as a witness. ”
I frowned, nodding. “Right. That means more trips down to London. I agree it’s not ideal, but I can keep an eye on Kenna while you’re dealing with all that.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he said. “We need to go into full lockdown.”
My thoughts short-circuited. What the hell was he talking about? “You already live in a castle in the middle of nowhere. How much more locked down can you get?” I huffed a laugh of disbelief. “What do you want to do—erect a giant cage around the house?”
“If that’s what we need to—”
“I was kidding,” I said quickly, touching the back of his hand. “Alistair, be reasonable.”
“I am being reasonable,” he said, his voice so level that it sounded almost robotic. “You don’t understand. I’ve already lived through this once. The only way to prevent the media onslaught is to get ahead of it. And that means not giving them access.”
I wasn’t sure how to gauge whether this was a measured response or an overreaction, so I tried to logic it out.
“We’re hundreds of miles from London, which means it’ll take the more dedicated journalists time to mobilize and make their way out here once they figure out where you are. If they even manage that.”
“Oh, they will.”
“Even if they do. Do you really think the residents of Braeburn will take very kindly to their presence? And there’s only one inn in town, which happens to be owned by your best friend’s fiancée. Do you really think Isla would willingly hand over room keys to the press?”
He didn’t seem convinced as he started typing an email to Alfie. “I’m going to cancel any in-person commitments for the time being. It’s probably best if you cancel your glassblowing session for this afternoon.”
My jaw dropped, and it was all I could do to stare for a beat. Finally, I managed to speak. “You’re joking.”
He arched an eyebrow, his face set in a stern frown. “What about this sounds like I’m joking?”
I couldn’t believe this. “Alistair, I’m not canceling on Lesley. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.”
“You can reschedule at a later date when we’re not having to look over our shoulders every time we want to step outside.”
I huffed, shaking my head. No. I’d finally found something that connected me to my mother, and I wasn’t about to give up on it because his shady ex had been caught.
Had she not ruined enough? “Look, if you don’t want to go into town, or if you don’t want to take Kenna into town, then that’s your decision.
” My heart already ached knowing Kenna was about to be confined to Dunhope.
It wasn’t a decision I agreed with—but Alistair was the parent.
It was his call—for Kenna. Not for me. “But I’m still going. ”
Alistair’s hands curled against his keyboard. “I would prefer it if you didn’t.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
I actually couldn’t believe how quick he was to disregard my feelings on this matter.
This wasn’t just some fun hobby I was picking up for the hell of it; this was my chance to learn the same craft my birth mother had made a career out of with someone who had actually known her.
However little Lesley had to tell me about their interactions, today literally meant the world to me.
“I don’t think that’s fair of you to ask. ”
Tension coiled between us. I could see how bothered he was by my decision, and unease prickled at the top of my spine. I gave him everything: my time and support and understanding. Why was it so easy for him to dismiss something that was important to me?
“Obviously, I can’t force you not to go, but I’m asking you to reconsider.” He said it with a clenched jaw.
“I won’t.”
I left Alistair to stew and returned to my room, taking a long shower, scrubbing myself from head to toe with all the fancy bath products that had shown up after I’d signed my contract.
Once my fingers were sufficiently wrinkled, I realized I was just wasting time, so I turned off the water and got out.
Princess forced her way into the en suite, releasing a curl of steam into the bedroom. She pranced over and licked water from my foot.
“That tickles,” I complained.
She barked once as I toweled off, following me around the room as I got changed. Lesley had told me to wear jeans and a long-sleeved cotton top for the lesson. Clothes that didn’t leave any skin exposed, and no synthetic materials that could melt. I hadn’t even thought about that.
Once I was dressed with my hair pulled back, I decided I didn’t want to wait until it was time for the lesson to head into town. I’d just head in early and kill some time at the café.
“Best stay out of his way,” I murmured to Princess as I picked her up and kissed her fuzzy head. “I’ll see you later.”
I put Princess down, walked downstairs, and slipped out the front door, thankfully without seeing Alistair again.
Outside, I cleared some snow from my windshield, then got into my van.
The fact that it practically purred now when I started it (Alistair having insisted that Lyle upgrade some parts of my engine at his expense) didn’t make me feel any better as I made my way to town.
I parked along the high street, close to the Deerhound, and got out, hurrying out of the cold into the cat café.
Maybe some cute kittens would help me shrug off how uneasy Alistair’s attitude had made me.
I really wanted to focus on this new glassblowing adventure.
I placed my order, then settled in at a table while a welcome flutter of nervous excitement bubbled in my gut.
I wondered if this was how my bio mom had felt the first time she’d worked with glass like this.
I caught my lip between my teeth, smiling up at Cat as she brought over my latte. “Thanks.” Cat was one of the first people in town to make me feel welcome, and she always stopped by to chat when I came into the café.
“Of course. We’re also running a special on cakes if you fancy something. I don’t know what I was thinking when I placed the food order this week.” She laughed brightly. “Must have been sleepwalking.”
“Sounds great. I was actually eyeing up that Victoria sponge when I was placing my order.”
“Ooh, it’s fab, isn’t it?” Cat said. “And speaking of fab things, we’re hosting a special event night for the kids next Thursday if you want to bring Kenna by. There’s a cat hypnotist coming.”
I shoved aside thoughts of having to smuggle her out of Dunhope. “That sounds delightfully weird.”
Cat laughed again. “That’s what I said when Isla found her online. But I’m sure the kids will be entertained however it goes.” She nodded to the counter. “Let me get you that cake.”
I smiled gratefully. Maybe cake would settle my nerves. My thoughts drifted to my lesson, and I shook off a silly idea about crafting some unrecognizable blob.
I didn’t think I was going to be amazing my first time around, but I had Scottish glassblowing blood in my veins. I couldn’t be that bad. This was gonna be great.