Chapter 8 #2
I snorted. “He’s ticking boxes, just like us. And for now, the will is sorted.” I turned into a nondescript building, coming up to a desk manned by a girl who looked like she was barely out of school. She snapped her gum, eyes glued to her phone as we explained what we’d come to do.
“Fill out the form and sign the bottom,” she said, stabbing her finger into a stack of papers.
I filled out the date and time of Grandad’s funeral, then passed it across the desk with his photo. That, at least, finally dragged her attention away from her phone.
“Aww, he’s well cute,” the girl said.
“He’s dead,” I said flatly, just making sure she understood that this was meant to be a funeral announcement. Lena covered her mouth next to me, holding back a laugh.
The girl sighed. “Yeah, that’s a right shame.”
I turned and left the building. Lena rushed out after me, amusement covering her features. “He’s dead?” she cried.
“Well, he is! This new generation terrifies me.” I took a beat, staring down the high street. Memories of walking down that street by Grandad’s side hit me so strongly that I nearly gasped. An uncomfortable mix of nostalgia and regret stirred inside me.
“You okay?” Lena asked.
“M’fine,” I said, checking my watch. “Fancy a walk? We’ve still got bags of time before we’re needed back.”
“Sure,” Lena said. “If you promise not to sprint across the cobbles.”
“I don’t sprint.” I inclined my head down the street. “I’ll show you around so you can familiarize yourself with where everything is before planning the summer festival.”
“We’re both planning the festival,” she reminded me. “And I’ve already promised your team that I’d get some good PR pictures of you. So don’t think you’re getting out of it.”
I chose not to complain about that and instead offered her my arm. That’s what a husband would do. And since we were out in public, I figured we should play the part.
Lena looked at me strangely for a moment, then slipped her arm through mine.
Warmth spread through me, and I couldn’t stop my thoughts from returning to how badly I’d wanted to be close to her, to touch her, when I’d spotted her in the hallway a few hours earlier, towel wrapped around her, hair dripping water on Grandad’s expensive hardwood, her skin flushed an enticing pink—
“Has it changed much?” she asked.
I cleared my throat. I needed to stop thinking about my assistant in a towel.
My eyes drifted down the street, realizing the answer was no.
“There’s a Costa now,” I said, pointing it out.
“That’s basically your version of Dunkin’.
But other than that, it looks the same as it did when I was a boy.
Across the street is the pub where Grandad used to take me to watch the footie. ”
She turned her head. The sign for the White Lion was as faded as it had always been, though they’d added a new outdoor seating area.
“And over there on the corner is the shop where he used to buy me Irn-Bru and sweets while Gran was at the salon.”
“I’m not sure I’ve heard you mention your grandmother before,” Lena noted.
“She passed away a little over a decade ago,” I said.
“I was in the US working on my graduate degree. It was…difficult at the time, but these days, the memories feel more distant. An old ache, one that I’ve had a chance to get used to.
Every now and then, though, something will bring her to mind, and it’ll feel fresh again.
The other day, I got caught up remembering the toffee sweets I used to sneak from her handbag. ”
“I didn’t know you liked toffee.”
“I don’t, usually. Just that particular brand—mostly because it was her favorite.” We paused outside a large brick building. “This used to be an independent cinema. Grandad would bring me on the weekends.” I laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“They used to do a deal for a coffee and a pie on Sunday mornings. Grandad would drag me out of bed so we didn’t miss it. All the money Grandad had, and he still couldn’t pass up a good deal.”
Lena smiled. “And what’s this place?” she asked, dragging me along to the next shop.
My face lit up in the window reflection of the toy store that used to be my favorite place in the world. “I didn’t realize this was still here,” I said, going for the door handle. It creaked in a familiar way, and I grinned, finding the same shelves packed with different toys.
“This is adorable,” Lena said, following along behind me.
“When I was a boy, they used to have a train running on a track all around the store,” I said.
“I used to chase after it until I was dizzy. And then one Christmas, Grandad bought me my own. I had it set up beneath the tree. I still remember lying beneath the pine branches, staring up at the lights, while the train whistled in my ear.”
“You liked trains?”
“I was obsessed. Sometimes I think learning about steam engines as a kid is what led me to engineering.” I’d gone on to double major in business as well, focusing on renewable technologies in grad school in the US.
It had put me in a perfect position to take over Kincaid Energy after my father had made a car crash of being CEO when Grandad retired.
But trains had always been my first love.
“I’m glad you have such good memories of Pete,” Lena said. “I hardly knew my grandparents at all.” We slowed beside a display of dolls. Lena tugged on a small foot. “You know, when I was young, all my toys were baby dolls.”
“Really? That’s a surprise. You strike me as more of a teddy bear girl.”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “I adored babies and fussed over them constantly. I had every kind of doll imaginable. Ones that cried and blinked at you. Ones that needed to be bottle fed. Ones that needed diaper changes.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I can’t see how that’s much fun.”
Lena shrugged. “It was to me. There was nothing I wanted more than a sibling. One I could dote on and dress up. That’s actually how Tess and I became close. When we were in second grade, she couldn’t stop talking about the fact she was about to be a big sister.”
“So, what?” I teased. “You infiltrated and usurped her position?”
“No,” Lena said, laughing. “But I did want to get invited over to Tess’s house to play with the baby, so I basically made it my mission to become her best friend. Turns out, Tess and I also had a lot in common, so we ended up clicking really well outside of my—”
“Ulterior motives?” I said.
Lena shot me a wry grin. “Tess and I still laugh about it. I’m still figuring out a way to work it into my maid of honor speech later this year.”
We headed back outside. I offered her my arm again, and this time she took it without hesitation. “So were you one of those girls who always knew she wanted to be a mom?”
Weirdly, Lena stiffened at that. Her arm tighten around mine, and I glanced over to see her face pinched. “Yes, I guess that’s true,” she said, her voice oddly quiet. Almost strained. “I love kids. Honestly, I always thought I’d have a big family.”
She sounded sad about it, and I couldn’t figure out why.
I wasn’t exactly sure what had sparked the shift, but as the silence stretched between us, it was clear that Lena’s mood had taken a dip, and for some reason, I wanted to fix it.
I wanted to see her light up the way she had in the toy store, faced with a wall of baby dolls.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, pausing outside a window. “We have to stop here.”
“Hamish’s Pie Shop?” Lena said, reading the door.
“It’s not just pies,” I said, dragging her into the bakery.
Immediately, I was overwhelmed by the smell of mince pies and sweet treats that yanked me back in time.
Suddenly, I was nine years old again, and Grandad was bringing me here to pick up a sausage roll for my tea.
I leaned over, admiring the display case.
“Can I help you, love?” the woman behind the counter said.
“Yeah, can I get a millionaire’s shortbread and a powdered donut, please?”
The woman collected my order, I paid, and I carried a small brown paper bag over to Lena.
“What’s this for?” she asked, staring down at the donut.
I took a bite of my buttery shortbread, layered with caramel that had just the right amount of chew and a chocolate topping, humming in approval. “I know it’s not quite the same as a beignet, but hopefully it’ll be close.”
Lena’s eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t know you knew I liked beignets.”
I scoffed. “You’ve been my assistant for seven years. Did you really think I didn’t notice anything about you?”
She smirked. “Judging by the way that first marriage proposal went—”
“I’ll agree that wasn’t my finest moment. And I’ll be making up for it until the moment our marriage is annulled. But, in my defense, I was a little preoccupied digesting the terms of the will. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Sure, sure,” she said as we wandered back outside. She took a bite of her donut, licking powdered sugar off her fingers, and I couldn’t help watching the way her tongue darted over her fingertips. “And now that you’re thinking straight, you think you know things about me?”
I shoved aside thoughts I shouldn’t be having and rose to the challenge. “Try me.”
Lena’s lips twitched. “We’ll start with an easy one. What’s my favorite food?”
“Broadly speaking,” I said, thinking back to all the work lunches we’d shared, all the times we’d had takeout delivered as we worked late at the office.
“It’s stone-fired pizza. But if we’re talking week-to-week, you get addicted to one thing, eat it until you’re sick of it, and then never buy it again.
Before we left Houston, it was that halloumi wrap from the falafel stand down the street from the office.
Now, who knows? Maybe I’ll get you addicted to haggis. ”
Lena narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t look so smug. That was an easy one.”
I laughed. “Easy, my arse. You purposely tried to stump me with that one.”
“Okay, onto the next one,” she said, taking another bite of her donut. “What’s my nickname for Milo?”
“Lord Wigglebottom.”
“Where do I hide my stash of secret office chocolate bars?”
“In the cupboard behind the printer paper.”
“You’re not supposed to know that.” She frowned. “What’s my favorite machine at the gym?”
“You’re always on the treadmill when I call, but that’s a trick question! You hate the gym.”
She threw her head back and laughed, powdered sugar on her lips. “I really do!”
Something in my chest roared with pride at hearing her laughter and knowing I’d caused it. I was impressed that I’d gotten even her trickier questions right, but even more proud of the way she flushed as her laughter faded.
“Guess you do pay attention,” she admitted.
“Hiya, you two!”
I stopped short as Old Jo appeared, dragging a small rolling cart behind her.
“Hello,” Lena said politely.
“Out for a wander?” the woman asked.
“Sorting some things out for the funeral,” I said.
Jo nodded, touching my arm. “The hardest parts are almost over. And after that, we’ll all figure out the best way to honor Pete at this year’s festival.
Everyone’s just so chuffed you two are coming on board to spearhead the planning.
Your Grandad really was the foundation of the festival, and no one on the committee could even imagine it happening with anyone but Pete’s grandson at the helm. ”
Hmm. That’s not exactly the impression I’d gotten the other day.
“And his granddaughter-in-law, too, of course,” Jo added, patting Lena’s shoulder. “Anyway, I’m off to the shops.” She waved and toddled off.
“Is the festival really that big of a deal?” Lena asked, watching her go.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “It’s been the major event of the summer for as long as I can remember.
And it really did mean a lot to Grandad.
I remember being a kid, following him around with a clipboard of my own, making sure all the booths were set up properly.
” I took Lena’s arm again. “When I was a little older, I’d come here every summer for Grandad’s monthlong summer Highland Adventure Camp, and all the campers would go to the festival.
It’s how we celebrated the end of camp.”
Lena smiled softly. “That sounds really fun, actually.”
“Grandad was all about family and community and philanthropy,” I said, getting unexpectedly choked up.
“It was important to him to carry on that legacy and pass it down to the next generation. And I never want to lose sight of that. I never want to stop following in his footsteps.” Especially since my dad couldn’t be bothered.
I considered it both an honor and a privilege to do so.
“I know your grandfather would be proud,” Lena said.
“He’d be impressed to see how hard you’re working to secure Lochbrae and take positive steps forward with the town.
And, for what it’s worth, I’m glad I can play a small part in making sure you get to hold onto the estate.
” A strange look passed over her face. “It’ll be a nice place for the next generation of Kincaids to grow up one day. ”
“It will be,” I agreed, noting that her smile looked uncomfortably strained.