Chapter 3 #2
Butterflies swarm in my stomach, but I follow him inside.
“What did you need help with?” I perch myself on the stool in front of the island.
“Nothing, I just wanted your company,” he answers while laying lemons on the cutting board. I cough into my wine glass, the sip I was taking stuck in my throat. “What’s your favorite memory from this place?”
My smile falters, and silence stretches between us. My grief overwhelms my ability to answer. Lachlan glances up from where he’s slicing a lemon at my lingering silence.
“Key, I am so sorry, I dinna even think …” he trails off as he comes around to stand beside me, the knife and lemons forgotten on the counter.
“No, it’s okay, it just, um, it sneaks up on me sometimes, ya know?” I respond while tightly hugging myself to keep from breaking apart.
“I ken it does,” he says as he wraps his strong arms around me.
He squeezes me tightly, holding all of my pieces together. His familiar cedar and rain scent envelops me. I lay my head against his chest and focus on the rhythm of his steady heartbeat against my ear. Lachlan rests his chin atop my head, rubbing a hand up and down my spine.
He murmurs, “When I lost my parents, granted, I was very young, but that loss did stay with me. It does get easier, but it’s always there, lingering.”
His confession is heartfelt. I appreciate the genuine sympathy he’s showing me. His parents were not a topic we ever discussed growing up, but his surliness was always apparent as he struggled with his sorrow.
“I feel a bit guilty now,” I mumble against his chest.
“Why is that?” he asks.
I tilt my head back to gaze into his eyes. “I was lucky enough to have twenty-one years with my parents, and you didn’t even get a fraction of that with yours.”
His smile is sad, but he says, “Ah, the age-old question: Is it better to ha’ loved and lost than never to ha’ loved at all?” He lightly kisses the top of my head before slowly pulling away, taking his warmth with him.
Circling back to the island, he picks up the other half of the lemon and the knife before resuming his slicing.
I joke to lighten the heaviness clouding the room. “Handsome contractor and philosopher, eh?”
He smiles, not taking his eyes off the lemons before him.
I blush into my wine glass while wrinkling my nose in embarrassment.
But then I notice the slight reddening of his ears.
Perhaps my attempt at flirting wasn’t too terrible after all.
With each sip of wine, I feel like I’m finally stepping back into my body.
My confidence begins simmering right below the surface of my skin, and a spark of light blooms in my chest.
“How’s business?” I ask.
“Business is booming; it’s hard to imagine I only just started this company.” His eyes stay on the cutting board before him, but he’s a million miles away.
“Do you miss traveling?” I ask him, assuming the distance in his eyes is because he misses his wanderer’s lifestyle that he traded in for his busy day job.
He chuckles. “Am I that obvious?”
I grin. “Of course, I never would’ve pictured you in one place. You were always jealous of our nomadic life.”
He nods his head in agreement. While I always wanted to stay here at the Hall with him, he would always beg to join us in the States.
Lachlan begins washing the arugula in the sink. “Ye always did want to stay still.”
His eyes fall upon me, and I feel the weight of his stare on my skin.
“I wouldn’t say I wanted to stay still; I just wanted a normal life. With friends and relationships. I wanted to belong to somewhere or someone,” I murmur.
His eyes meet mine, and my skin flushes at his attention. I want to shove the words back into my mouth.
Lachlan shakes his head and turns off the sink. “Ye led a life of adventure and wanted a mundane one instead?” His voice is light and teasing, but something about his tone when he says “mundane” makes me sit up straighter.
“I didn’t say ‘mundane’, just average.” I roll my eyes.
Lachlan shakes the arugula, sending drops of water flying across the kitchen. I squeal when splattered with several, and he laughs at my shocked expression.
“You did that on purpose!”
His eyes dance, taking in the droplets splattering my face. “See, there’s no fun in normal, Key.”
I grin, dabbing the water off my face with the towel he hands me.
Naturally, our conversation flows back and forth as Lachlan finishes putting together our dinner and places the four sandwiches on two serving trays.
“Do ye think ye could grab the sides?”
I give a mock salute. “Aye, captain,” I tease.
His eyes flare. “It’s chef.”
I grab the fruit and crisps that he brought for our sides and follow him out. I’m still simmering with happiness as we make our way back to the terrace.
Gran and Torin turned on an outdoor speaker, and the soft strings of classical music faintly play underneath their conversation. They have known each other for most of their lives, perhaps even longer, and appear now to be just two old friends walking through years of memories.
That thought suddenly has me realizing that Torin is exactly the person I should be asking about my mom’s mysteriously appearing necklace.
We set down the food, and Lachlan proudly proclaims, “Dinner is served!”
Gran chuckles, studying the sandwich in front of her. “And what do we have here?”
Lachlan grins. “While I was traveling, I came across this little hole-in-the-wall place that served these delicious sandwiches, so I convinced the owner to give me the recipe. And here it is: fresh bread, spread with melted burrata cheese, topped with arugula, prosciutto, basil, a squeeze of lemon, and a generous amount of balsamic glaze.” He glances around the table as we all make skeptical faces at the food on our plates. “I promise it’s good.”
I close my eyes and give silent thanks to the Father and Mother for our many blessings before taking the first bite. Gran and Torin stare quizzically at me. I politely smile behind my hand as I swallow.
“Okay, he’s not lying; that’s really good.” I take a sip of wine to wash it down before I dive back in to devour the rest of the sandwich.
Everyone follows my lead, and what follows is a chorus of murmuring agreement. It’s not exactly a five-star meal, but it is surprisingly delicious.
My necklace rests just underneath the neckline of my dress, and the bronze begins to warm against my skin. The warmth startles me enough that I interrupt the current conversation.
“Torin, you were here at the Hall when my parents left to go to the States, right?” I try to make the question sound conversational. However, my sudden burst of enthusiasm sparks curious looks from Gran and Lachlan.
“Aye, why?” He studies my face closely.
“I found a picture of my mom wearing this necklace.” I pull the medallion up from where it currently rests under my dress. “But Lachlan found it at an antique shop.” I glance sidelong at Lachlan. His face is strangely neutral. “I was wondering if you knew anything about it?”
The question is met with silence that stretches on a beat too long.
When I look away from Lachlan and back to Torin, he whips his face back to mine. His angry expression is quickly replaced with a neutral one. Was he just glaring at Lachlan? I search Lachlan’s face for any hint of discord, but he ignores me, swirling the wine in his glass.
“Am I missing something?” I ask, glancing around the table.
Torin ignores my last question and answers the first. “Nae, lass, I dinna ha’ any answers for ye, unfortunately.”
Gran’s head swivels back and forth as she follows the conversation. Her shoulders slump at Torin’s reply.
“Oh, okay.” My voice is full of defeat.
“But if it’s answers you’re after, your mum left a bunch of things behind, and I put it all in the attic. I’d start there,” he adds, his face softening.
Hope sparks in my chest, a new path to answers. “Thank you.”
Lachlan stretches an arm out behind my chair and leans towards me. His movement distracts me from the thoughts of my necklace.
“Do ye ha’ anything planned while you’re here?” he asks in between sips of his wine.
“Not really, just caring for Gran and enjoying her good days.”
Gran looks over at me and smiles sadly. “You need some excitement, Lena, a purpose other than watching me die.” Her stark honesty has my stomach bottoming out.
Torin’s fork screeches against the porcelain plate. “Adi,” he admonishes. “Dinna talk that way.”
She rolls her eyes at him before flicking her gaze at me. “There is so much more to life, Lena, and you need to start living yours. You are important, my love.”
My cheeks bloom with color at her loving words. “Says the grandmother to her only grandchild,” I mumble under my breath.
But she shakes her head, frustration creasing her brow. “No, I mean it. There’s a whole other world out there that needs you.”
Torin coughs and pats a hand on the back of Gran’s, where it rests on the table. “I ken what your Gran is trying to say is, ha’ ye given any thoughts on your future? Do ye plan to go to university or travel?”
Gran glares at him. “Well, of course, she’s going to travel.”
The direction this conversation is headed makes me shift in my chair.
To be honest, I haven’t given any thought to my future.
I’ve been barely managing to survive one day to the next.
Lachlan grazes his thumb over the top of my shoulder.
My eyes drift sideways to see him drawing circles on my exposed skin.
The sounds of Gran and Torin’s bickering fade into the background.
Lachlan leans in. “Dinna let them gang up on ye like that,” he murmurs in my ear.
Goosebumps erupt down my arms, and I shiver before turning back towards Gran and Torin. The rest of dinner continues without a hitch and is full of laughter and stories.
Lachlan clears our plates after we finish our meal, and while he’s in the house, Torin turns the music up and leads Gran into a stunning waltz. I smile, watching them twirl around the terrace.
Lachlan comes up behind me and whispers, “Care to join them?”
My body goes hot and cold simultaneously, and I turn towards him. He stretches out a hand in offering. Biting my bottom lip, I nod and take his hand. My pulse races and my skin flushes with heat at the contact.
But he freezes, his eyes locked onto the lip I have trapped under my teeth. His gaze darkens for just a brief moment before he sighs, sweeping me up into his arms, and we float around the terrace.
I’m sad to see Lachlan and Torin go a few hours later, but I’m surprised at how quickly time has passed. As I help Gran get up the stairs, she pauses at the top of the landing.
“That was such a lovely time, dearie. I haven’t had that much fun in ages!” Her smile lights up the hallway.
“Me too. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.”
The ghost of Lachlan’s arms are still embracing me.
“You and Lachlan looked smitten,” she adds, with a tilt of her head.
She watches me with an uncanny stillness. A predator locked onto prey. Times like these make me realize what a force she must have been in her youth.
“It does seem like that sometimes.”
Her smile only grows as she kisses my cheek. “Sweet dreams, dearie.”
Relieved she didn’t launch a full-scale operation for more details, I mumble, “Night, Gran.”
As I turn to head to my room, Gran calls, “Lena.”
I turn around and see her standing at her door, her eyes full of emotion. “Yes, Gran?”
“You are much stronger than you know and meant for so much more than our life here,” she breathes.
Her kindness warms my heart, and I nod. “Thank you.”