4. London #2
Apparently, Murray was not unaffected. “Aye, okay then. What’s it about?” He glanced over the back cover.
“It’s actually part of a trilogy … come see.” Kelly tugged on her dad’s hand.
Unlike most people who would be annoyed at being pulled out of line, Murray followed his daughter with laid-back docility.
I smiled to myself as she led him between two stacks. Kelly picked up two more books, obviously explaining them as they looked over the back matter. Murray nodded along and easily acquiesced, piling the three books into his arms to bring to the back of the line.
When he turned around and our eyes met, his flared for a second before he and Kelly strolled over to join me.
“London, how are you?” Murray asked. There was more than a casual inquiry in his voice.
I was still mortified he’d witnessed my meltdown yesterday.
“Fine. Looks like you’re stocking up.” I gestured to the books and smiled at Kelly.
We’d met a couple of times over the past nine months, and she seemed like a nice kid. Very articulate and mature for her age. Between that and her height you would be forgiven for mistaking her for being a few years older.
Kelly held up one of the books. “All the girls in my form class are reading this series because of social media. All the American girls love this one. Have you read it?”
My lips twitched at the naive insinuation that since some American girls on social media had read a book, that meant all American girls had read it. I was quite flattered to be considered “a girl.” At least I could thank my mom for one thing and that was her youthful looks.
“I haven’t, but I’ll be sure to add it to my book club’s agenda.” I could feel Murray’s eyes on me but was reluctant to meet his gaze again because every time I did, he seemed to steal my breath.
“You have a book club?” His daughter sounded intrigued by the idea.
I nodded as I moved forward with the decreasing line. “Well, kind of. It’s supposed to be a book club.”
“What does that mean?” Murray asked.
I reluctantly looked at him and there went that crazy fluttering again. “It’s basically me, Nee, Taran, and Cammie meeting in here, barely discussing the book we’re all supposed to have read and instead just talking nonsense. Everyone’s been so busy lately, though, we haven’t done it in a while.”
Murray’s lips twitched as Kelly said she thought that sounded fun.
I remembered being fourteen and wanting to grow up and hang out with older women. I grinned at her, feeling nostalgic.
“You’re very pretty,” Kelly opined, like she’d just noticed.
I laughed, flattered. “Thank you. So are you.”
“Really?” Her brown eyes lit up like this was welcome news to her. A car horn suddenly sounded, and her head jerked toward Main Street. “Dad, that’s Lucas and his mum. The books?”
“You go, I’ll get the books. They’ll be there when you get home.” Murray gestured for her to leave.
“Thanks, Dad.” She went up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his bearded cheek, then waved at me. “Bye, London.”
“Bye,” I called as she hurried out of the bookstore.
I had nowhere else to look but at Murray.
“She and her friends Lucas and Anna have been close since they were toddlers. They still meet up whenever Kelly comes back to the island.”
“That’s nice.”
Feeling weird about yesterday on top of my usual awkwardness with Murray, I grew silent as the line dwindled and closed in on the counter. My troubles returned to me but not enough to distract me from the fact that Murray seemed … sad.
Not just sad.
Tension emanated from him. I waited for him to be served his coffee so I could walk out with him.
If he was surprised by my company, he didn’t mention it.
The unique harbor aroma hit us as we stepped outside, and a spring breeze blew through my hair as I followed him across the street.
Murray stopped at the harbor barrier. Behind us was the row of different-colored buildings housing all the stores and hotels.
There was no parking on the harbor front, only over at the ferry terminal, so it was free of cars here and safe for pedestrians.
The scent of seawater, fish, and the sound of gulls flying above were a familiar stirring of my senses.
For a tiny village, Main Street overflowed with businesses.
The buildings were each painted a different color and inside them was everything from the volunteer lifeboat service and ferry crossing office to vacation apartments, two hotels, a hostel, a beauty salon, a convenience store, a coffee/bookshop, a bakery, two gift shops, a museum, a hardware store, a chocolate shop, a whisky distillery, pharmacy, Italian restaurant, and a fish-and-chips shop.
And that was just on Main Street. In the village beyond were more stores, a fishmonger, a butcher, a doctor’s surgery, a fire and police station, and a small supermarket.
Farther out on Glenvulin were a couple more cafés and restaurants, a cheese farm, Quinn and Cammie’s parents’ farm and their farm shop with fresh produce, as well as a few more hotels and B and Bs.
But Main Street was the hub, and on a spring day like today it was busier than it had been over the winter months. Still, with Murray … we might as well be the only two people in the world, I was that hyperaware of him.
As Murray and I leaned against the harbor barrier, I felt an overwhelming sense of melancholy at the thought of having to leave this place.
So, instead of my problems, I distracted myself with the prospect of someone else’s.
“You okay?” I asked, daring to nudge his elbow with mine.
Murray hugged his daughter’s books to his chest as he rested against the barrier and sipped at his coffee with his free hand. He didn’t look at me as he inquired, “What makes you ask?”
“You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
He peeked down at me, bemused. “Recognize the feeling?”
I smirked. “Well, you did let me unload on you yesterday, so it’s only right I return the favor.”
“You don’t need to hear about my problems, London.”
“I want to.”
Murray blew out a breath between his lips, and I tried not to stare at them or think about how much I wanted to trim his beard for him.
Disappointed at his continued silence, I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it’s none of my business.”
“It’s not …” Murray sighed again. “It’s hard for me to admit my failures, that’s all.”
I frowned. “How have you failed?” It seemed impossible. The guy was adored around here. He employed so many of the islanders and was a fair and kind boss, he clearly loved his daughter, and he was always the first to offer a helping hand. No one had an unkind word for Murray Shaw.
“Jill. My ex. I’m sure you’ve heard.”
I winced at his sardonic tone because the downside to small-town life was everyone knowing your business. “I heard some things.”
“Well, they’re true. Jill gets a monthly salary out of the business’s gross profit.
Not net. Gross. And it’s becoming a financial liability.
None of that …” Murray turned slightly toward me, worry gleaming in his beautiful eyes.
“None of that compares to how she’s treating Kelly.
Neglecting her and keeping company with men I don’t want around my daughter. ”
At the harsh anger in his words, I had to stop myself from pressing a reassuring hand to his arm. I’d never seen him so distraught.
“What can … is there something to be done?”
“I’m trying to get sole custody of Kelly, but it isn’t easy. As for the company … Jill can drain that dry until I marry again, so that’s not an easy fix.” Murray’s gaze roamed over my face. “I shouldn’t be burdening you with this. Have you solved your own problem?”
“Not yet.” I shrugged but smiled with more confidence than I felt. “But I will.”
“I’m … if I can help—”
“No, you have your own stuff.”
“Aye, even so, you know where to find me if you need anything.” Murray stepped back from the barrier. “For now, I need to get back to the office so …” He raised his coffee. “Have a good one, London.”
“You too.”
And as I watched him walk away, his long-legged strides eating up the cobbled Main Street, those broad shoulders slightly hunched, holding the books and a father’s tension … it suddenly hit me.
The answer to both our problems.
My lips parted on a gasp as the idea took root.
No.
We couldn’t.
It was crazy.
But was it?
Yes.
Or not …
Murray would never go for it.
Or would he?
If he did go for it, it would solve our problems. I could stay in Scotland and be Aunt London far away from Nick’s reach, and Murray would sever all ties with his horrible ex-wife.
I threw back a chug of coffee, shaking with nerves as my pulse raced. Because now that the idea was in my head … I knew myself well enough to know that I was going to do something about it.
Even if it was completely and utterly illegal.