CHAPTER 5
With Angus at the wheel, Caitlin chattered on about bridesmaid dresses and menu ideas, but I had trouble focusing.
I was calculating how far away we might have to get in order to escape the best film locations in the area and still have a place worthy of a wedding.
Then as the car turned, an ancient stone castle came into view.
It sat on its own strip of land, nearly an island, rising straight out of the loch.
Something nagged at me. It looked familiar. “That’s not—”
“The Highlander castle? Aye, lass. THERE SHALL BE ONLY ONE!” Angus said with a grin.
“Can we stop, Angus?” asked Caitlin.
“Of course. I’d hoped it would be open.”
“This is amazing!” I said, my mouth agape at the reflection of the castle in the water.
“The original castle was built in the 13th century… er, I guess the first settlement dates back to the 6th century? I mean, everything around here is old.”
“Angus, you’d never make it as a tour guide,” teased Caitlin.
“I could write you a song about the castle or name a drink after it,” he said.
“What about a wedding here?” I asked.
Angus looked skeptical. “It’s a popular site. Probably booked.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “We don’t know until we ask.”
We parked the car and walked toward the gleaming castle on the small island. It was majestic, cinematic—a perfect location for a wedding… or a movie.
As we reached the front gates, I put on my most winning smile.
“Hello! We’re interested in booking the castle as a wedding venue,” I said confidently to the man at the entrance.
“Lovely. When were you thinking? We’re booking into next summer…”
“Perfect!”
“Next summer, meaning the one coming up? Or meaning it’s May now, and soon it will be summer, followed by fall, winter, spring, and then…?” asked Caitlin awkwardly.
“The second one,” said the keeper of the castle.
Caitlin let out a deep sigh and walked back to break the news to Angus.
I dug my heels in.
“What about photo shoots?” I asked. They could get married at whatever the Scottish version of the justice of the peace would be as long as they had amazing photos.
“Yes, we do photo shoots. We have some openings this week and then we’re booked until October,” he said, whizzing his finger across an iPad calendar.
“This week?” I asked hopefully.
“Yes. We’re open today, tomorrow and Thursday. Of course, it’s supposed to rain.”
Of course it was.
“I’ll have a chat with my clients and get back to you. Thank you very much.”
“Of course.”
I rushed back outside to Angus and Caitlin, who were already taking selfies.
“Want to do that on a grander scale?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” asked Caitlin.
“We can have the wedding anywhere at all, but what if we took your photos here?”
“That would be fantastic,” said Caitlin.
“There’s just one catch. They’ve got some openings… but they’re this week.”
Caitlin’s eyes widened. “I don’t even have a dress yet.”
“I could wear my formal kilt,” said Angus. “Caitlin, I have a family tartan sash you could wear with any dress.”
Caitlin nodded, still processing.
“I know a perfect little inn not far from here. We can spend a few days there, get our outfits organized, and do the shoot. What do you think? Can we put this together in two days?” suggested Angus.
“Yes, we can,” said Caitlin.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Something was finally going right. “I’ll go put it on the books!”
We checked into an inn on the water. I was more than happy to let the two lovebirds have a romantic dinner while I got takeaway from the local chippy.
I sat on a bench between the chippy and the water, eating my fried fish and chips doused in malt vinegar. Clouds began forming over the castle, and the water darkened.
Then someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Mind if I join you?” said the American voice behind me.
“Sure,” I replied without looking up.
I glanced up at my new lunch companion. No way can this be happening.
But there he stood—Max.
He was still standing there, balancing two bottles of beer and his own order of fish and chips, so I moved over.
He hadn't changed much. A few laugh lines, a touch of gray.
He was still wearing the watch.
“So, what brings you here?” I joked.
“Work, as always.”
As always. “You’re not going to steal this location away from me, are you?” I asked. “I just booked the castle for wedding photos.”
“We already shot here,” he said, handing me a bottle of local beer. We clinked bottles.
“A win. I needed that,” I said.
He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He sipped his beer, and we sat in silence.
“Why are you here, then, instead of one of the many hotels and inns you’ve taken over in the area?”
“Needed to get away.” The golden hour light sparkled on the water. “It’ll be a great place for wedding photos.”
“She hasn’t even bought a dress yet.”
Max nudged my shoulder with his own. “You’ll help her. You were always great with the wardrobe department.”
I stared out over the water. “I was great with locations, too.”
He looked down at me, eyes locking with mine. “You were great all-around.”
I couldn’t hold his gaze. No way. In fact, I had to get out of here. Immediately. This was dangerous.
“I should go,” I said.
As I stood, he reached for my arm. I looked at him. He didn’t let go. His hand was warm. He’d always been warm when I was cold.
He nodded toward my basket. “You haven’t finished your fries.”
“Chips. It’s a chippy because they call them chips.” I could be very nitpicky when I was irritated.
“Abby… What happened to us?”
“It ended. And so has this conversation.”
I hurried to my hotel room and closed the door behind me.
Safe inside, I exhaled slowly.
He still smelled like cedar.