17. Isla
ISLA
“Do you think you’ll add onto the building?” I asked, staring up at the distillery with fondness. “Or is this actually big enough for what you’re envisioning?”
“I’ll have to see what the architects say when I get them out here,” Locke said, closing the car door and coming up behind me. “But I want the original entrance to be what everyone sees coming down the drive. If there is an addition, it’ll be built onto the back.”
He snaked his hands around my waist, cradling my belly.
We’d spent the last two days at the inn, mostly in bed, and today, we made our way to the property with my camera.
I’d promised to take lots of pictures for him to demonstrate to his team what the area had to offer.
The first big meeting was scheduled for the end of the week, and I was already painfully aware of how soon he’d be leaving.
I didn’t want to get sappy about it, but I’d quickly grown used to the warmth of Locke in my bed at night and his grumpy pre-coffee expression on the other side of the breakfast table. We’d quickly found ourselves sliding into a comfortable routine, and I wasn’t looking forward to giving it up.
“Why don’t you go stand by the door?” I said, taking the lens cap off my camera. “We should have a before shot that you can hang up in your fancy lobby.”
“I don’t know if anyone wants to be staring at my face when they come to stay,” Locke quipped.
“It’s a good face,” I said. “And you know it. But if you’re worried it’s not on theme, you can hang it in your office. I just think you should have a picture to commemorate this moment before you start all the construction.”
He indulged me, moving to stand in front of the building. I backed up a few paces, enough to get the right angle. I looked at him through the viewfinder, imagining showing this picture to our child in a few years. “Are you going to smile? Or are you going for aloof?”
“Just take the picture,” Locke said, playfully rolling his eyes.
“Should I flash you?” I said. “Would that make you more cheerful?”
His serious expression cracked, a cheeky smile appearing, and I clicked the shutter to immortalize the moment.
“Gotcha!” I said, reviewing the photo. It was perfect. I’d grown surprisingly fond of his resting grump face, but Locke with that half smile…Well, it was enough to kick my pulse into gear.
“I hope that’s not how you treat all your clients,” he said, walking back over to me.
“Only my favorite ones.”
He caught me in his arms, tugging me close. “I better be the only one,” he growled, the sound making the space between my legs throb. “Now how about a little…” He waggled his eyebrows at me, staring down the front of my tank top.
I laughed, twisting out of his arms. “Behave. We’re here to work.”
“You’re telling me to behave?” he scoffed. “You’re the one who was being a tease.” He huffed as I walked backward, snapping more pictures of him. “No one likes a tease.”
“I need something to encourage you,” I said. “What if I need you to smile again?”
“I’m sure you can get creative.” He darted after me and I yelped, racing along the side of the building. I didn’t get very far before he caught me, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck. “While we’re back here, can you get some photos of the way the roof slopes?”
“Sure thing, boss. But you’re going to have to let me go first.”
He did, releasing me enough that I could turn around, snapping pictures of the back of the building. I was thorough, making sure I had a good selection for him to send to his team.
“Can we swing by your old house?” he asked. “I want some photos of that too. Of course I want your input on the renovations, but it might be nice for the architects to have some baselines to work with.”
I grinned at the thought of transforming that space. Of being able to safely walk through those doors again without getting hurt or contracting tetanus. I grabbed Locke’s hand and led him toward the trail, taking the fork that went past my old house.
Memories swelled inside me at the sight of it, like always.
Sometimes I swore I could still hear the way Mom used to laugh when I’d show up for lunch, hands yellow from spending all morning outside making dandelion crowns.
She always wore the crowns I made her, keeping them on all day until the stems withered and the flowers eventually fell off.
“It’s just through here,” I said, leading Locke up an overgrown trail.
I pushed at a branch as we came around a bend, and there it was.
Locke was quiet for a moment, taking it in.
“I guess it’s probably more of a cottage,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward.
Had he been expecting more? The guy stayed in castles, for crying out loud.
He’d probably assumed it was a proper house, not this shack.
“I can see why your mother was so inspired here,” he said. “The way the light comes down through the trees is just amazing. And the meadow over there.”
He spun in a slow circle, the light playing across him as insects buzzed and the scent of wildflowers filled the air around us. The awkwardness ebbed away as I realized he saw it. He understood why it was so special.
“I definitely think we should put an addition on the house,” he said.
“But for this, we’ll build up, not out. That way we’ll preserve as much of the surrounding property as possible.
I think I’d like to build a more permanent pathway that connects the house to the waterfall.
Something that’ll hold up regardless of the weather. ”
“That would be amazing,” I said. “And I was thinking we could put up a large gazebo here.” I pointed to the space at the side of the house where the grass was long and unkempt. “It might be a nice place for families to hang out when the weather’s nice or for artists to work.”
“It sounds like a perfect forest oasis.” He clicked his tongue. “There’s a name. Imagine a couple checking in, reception handing them a key and telling them their suite in the Forest Oasis awaits.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Has anyone ever told you you’re terrible at naming things?”
He laughed. “What’s wrong with Forest Oasis?”
I jokingly clutched my belly. “We better start discussing baby names soon because I’m worried it’s going to take us months to land on something decent.”
“That’ll be easy,” Locke said, waving off my concern. “Locke Junior.”
“And if it’s a girl?” I said.
He shot me a wicked grin. “Lockette.”
“I hate you.”
“Just give it some time,” he teased. “It’ll grow on you.”
“Not any faster than the Highland Haven.”
“Okay, that’s actually a decent name. I don’t know why you and Weston keep acting like you hate it.”
“The Highland Haven. The Forest Oasis. It sounds like you’re trying to sell me something that doesn’t exist.”
“What do you want to call it?” he laughed. “The MacFraser House?” He paused, tilting his head. “Hang on.”
“No,” I said, holding my finger out to him. He couldn’t actually be considering that. “Don’t even think about it.”
Locke laughed so hard his face turned red. “Lockette MacFraser has a ring to it.”
“Stop it.”
His lips twisted with glee. “Do you really want our child to just be another Patsy or Sarah or Brian?”
“Yes, in fact. I would like them to have a name that’s not going to get them laughed out of primary school.” I rolled my eyes and turned for the trail. “Lockette? Honestly! Let’s get out of here. I think all the sunlight is going to your head.”
“Wait,” he called.
I paused, turning to look back over my shoulder. “What?”
He gestured to the house. “Shouldn’t we get a photo of you here too? Before construction.”
I hadn’t thought about it, but now that he’d mentioned it, I liked the idea. The home I grew up in certainly wasn’t going to be the same when we were done with it. It could be fun to show our baby all that we’d accomplished here someday. “That’d be really nice, actually.”
“Here,” he said, holding out his hand for the camera. “Show me what to do.”
I handed it to him, then tugged him into position in front of the house, lining up the shot. “This should be good,” I said, guiding his hands up. “Make sure I’m in the middle of the frame when you look through the viewfinder.”
“Yes, I figured as much.”
I stared into those gray eyes, amusement tugging at my lips. “Hold the shutter down halfway. That’ll focus the shot. Then, once you’re happy with it, press it down all the way.”
“So basically point and shoot?”
“Don’t get cocky,” I said, needling him in the side. “Photography is an art.” I ran up the path to the front of the house, stopping in front of the porch. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful,” he said, staring through the camera.
“I mean, am I blurry?”
He shook his head. “You’re perfect. Now smile.”
“I am.”
“No, you’re talking.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just take the picture already.”
“Bossy behind the camera and in front of it,” he murmured, snapping a photo. I threw my arms up and he took another. Then another.
“That’s probably good,” I said, running back to his side to review them. “Hey, not bad, Fraser. Seems like you’ve got other talents aside from sheep whispering.”
“Didn’t I already show you that this morning?” he murmured against the top of my head. “I seem to recall you moaning something to that effect.”
A flush zipped down my neck, turning into goosebumps along the backs of my arms. “Behave,” I said.
“Or what?” he challenged. “The trees will get offended?”
“Maybe,” I teased, inclining my head in the direction of the trail. “Should we get some photos of the waterfall for your team? It really is the property’s best feature.”
“I’d argue you’re currently its best feature.”
“Okay, smooth,” I said, tucking my camera into its case and taking his hand, leading him back down the trail. “If we go this way, we’ll come out behind it. Then we can circle back to the distillery.”
“Is this the route you run with Ranger?” Locke asked.
I nodded. “There’s a cute little bridge that takes you over the stream. People attach locks to it.”
“Locks?”