Chapter Twelve
As Flora padded quickly across the grass, she shivered, feeling the goosebumps on her arms and legs.
She pulled her robe tighter around herself and tucked her chin down, glancing up quickly to check that the coast ahead was clear.
Luckily, there was no sign of Brodie unpacking his tools or getting ready to start.
Her wet hair dripped down her back and she couldn’t wait to have a warm shower and get some clothes on.
When she pushed the back door open and walked into the tiled hallway, she could hear the murmur of chatter and laughter coming from the kitchen.
She stopped, once again unsure of herself even though this house was so familiar to her and like a second home.
But the dynamic was different now that Brodie was here.
She was wearing only a thin robe, which was now damp and clinging to her, and the only way to get up the stairs and to the privacy of her room was through the kitchen where he was chatting to her gran.
Suddenly she felt more vulnerable than she had when she was naked in the water.
She dived into the utility room and grabbed a large coat from a peg and put it on over the robe.
At least that made her feel less exposed.
Then she tentatively walked into the kitchen, hoping she could hotfoot it upstairs.
‘Och, there you are dear,’ said Iris. ‘Brodie just said you were about to get out the loch and needed a coffee. He said you would be cold. You do look chilled to the bone.’
Brodie raised an eyebrow and there was a ghost of a smile on his face. ‘I explained to your gran that I may have interrupted your peaceful swim.’
He didn’t have to say any more. Flora felt her cheeks flush as she realised without a doubt that Brodie had seen her naked.
She needed to escape as quickly as possible.
She shrugged and tried to sound casual but it was hard when you were shivering as much as she was.
Her gran was right: she did feel like the water had seeped through to her core.
‘Don’t worry about that,’ she said as breezily as she could. ‘It was time for me to get out anyway. It was a bit nippy and I’d been in a while.’ She brushed a strand of wet hair from her face.
‘Your gran has made a pot of coffee.’ He pointed at the cafetière. ‘You look like you could do with warming up.’
‘Great,’ she muttered feeling herself bristle with annoyance at his bossiness. ‘I’ll just go and have a quick shower and then be right down. Thank you.’
‘I love you,’ said Sidney randomly.
Flora rolled her eyes.
Brodie frowned and looked at her in concern. ‘You need warming up now.’ He reached for a mug and poured some coffee into it. ‘Here have this. Your core temperature will still be dropping. It’s a good idea to have a warm drink as soon as you come out the water. And leave the shower for a while.’
She opened her mouth to protest that she was quite capable of looking after herself, when she saw genuine concern in his eyes.
She took the mug from him, but as his hand brushed hers she felt a jolt of something inside her that didn’t come from the heat of the mug.
Trying to ignore it, she took a sip of coffee, glad he had insisted that she have it now.
The sensation of the warm liquid against her throat was a welcome one. ‘Thanks. That feels better.’
‘Take your coffee upstairs and get out your wet things. Then I’ll make you some toast,’ Iris said, shooing Flora away.
She quickly nipped upstairs to change, pulling on some tracksuit bottoms, a hoodie and some warm socks before returning to the kitchen where Brodie and Iris were chatting. ‘That’s better,’ she said, sitting down at the table and curling both hands around her mug.
‘Here, put this on too.’ Brodie passed her a hat from a pile of stuff Iris had brought through.
‘Don’t be daft.’ She was embarrassed that she was creating such a fuss.
‘It will help keep the heat in.’ His eyes were full of concern and kindness as he looked at her.
‘Thanks,’ she said, pulling it on her head. ‘Normally I’m fine in the water. I probably stayed in a bit longer than usual this morning though.’ Because I was naked and you were there, watching, she thought to herself.
‘It’s easily done, even if you’re experienced. It sounds like you’re used to swimming in cold water. Your gran said you swim in the sea in Edinburgh.’
Flora nodded. Not naked though. If she did swim, she tended to go to the beach at Portobello which was busy and not the place to skinny-dip.
‘Cold-water shock can happen to anyone, even seasoned wild swimmers.’ He raked his hand through his hair and hesitated. ‘You think you’re fine and then a minute later you’re not. I’ve seen it all too often.’ His eyes were pained.
Flora nodded, remembering his role with the rescue boat and wondered what he had witnessed.
She couldn’t argue with him because she knew he was right.
But she didn’t want to admit it either as that might mean she was admitting that she needed to be rescued.
She crossed her arms in front of her. ‘Thanks again, I appreciate your concern and help. I really do.’
‘No problem,’ he said, lowering his gaze. ‘Iris, thanks for the coffee. I will crack on with the garden, if that’s okay?’
‘Of course it is,’ she replied as the bread popped out the toaster.
She set it on a plate and handed it to Flora.
‘You just make yourself at home and come and go as you need to. I’ll bring you out a coffee mid-morning and I’ve got you some of those well-fired rolls you like from the shop for your lunch.
Just don’t tell Jessica or Gillian I didn’t buy their posh chia seed buns. ’
‘Magic,’ he said, smiling charmingly at Iris. ‘And I will keep schtum.’
Flora could never understand why anyone would want to eat what were effectively burnt rolls. In her mind, well-fired meant they’d been left in the oven too long but it was apparently a bit of a thing in Scotland for some people. Brodie included.
‘Flora, one last thing . . .’
She inwardly groaned as she realised he had caught her staring at him. ‘Mmm . . .’
‘At the risk of mansplaining . . . when you do go and have a shower, make sure the water is tepid.’
She smiled as gratefully as she could manage. ‘I did actually know that’s better for you and that’s what I do when I’ve been in the sea.’ There was a silence and she hastily added, ‘But thanks for the reminder.’
‘Fair enough. I thought you might but I just wanted to make sure,’ he said with a thin smile which didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘Right, I’ll leave you folks to it and crack on.’
Flora watched him turn and walk away, curious as to the shift in his demeanour which happened when he was talking about his role with the rescue boat.
She reached for her gran’s jar of bramble jelly and unscrewed the lid.
But as she spread the berry jam on her toast, she thought about the edge to his voice when he was talking about water safety and her safety.
Why did he care so much? But she certainly wasn’t going to ask him.
From now on she would make sure she stayed out of his way.
Her life would be easier and simpler that way.