6. London
The house was a stunning example of modern coastal design.
It stood on four acres of land with a view over the Sea of the Hebrides.
Three gabled roofs sat side by side atop the rectangular bottom half of the home.
The three gabled sections were mostly made of glass on the side facing the water, and a deck with a glass balustrade was perched between the gables and the bottom of the house.
The lower half had plenty of windows too, so I assumed it was flooded with light inside.
It was clad in white composite shiplap and all the windows were black framed.
It was big for just one man and his teenage daughter and incongruous to everything I thought I’d gleaned about who Murray Shaw was. But clearly, he liked space.
The sun had already started its ascent as I pulled my black Suzuki to a stop. Seeing how much Nee loved her Ignis for navigating the narrow B-roads, I’d bought a used one.
Murray’s Discovery was still parked outside, so I knew he was home.
I’d lived on Glenvulin for eighteen months, and this was the first time I’d seen his house.
It was situated outside of Leth Sholas in a tiny little place on the northwest coast of Glenvulin called Sealladh Mara.
It was only a fifteen-minute drive but wasn’t a part of the island I’d ventured over to yet.
I exhaled shakily as I switched off my engine and unbuckled my seat belt.
Part of me still couldn’t believe I was about to do this while another part of me was eager to get it over with.
Murray was off island yesterday, which forced me not to come after him impulsively.
I’d spent the entire day going over the pros and cons, the consequences, the logistics, the parameters, and what it would mean for me romantically in the foreseeable future.
Honestly, every part of the plan filled me with relief.
I wasn’t so sure Murray would feel the same way. And I didn’t know what my next move was if he didn’t agree to the plan.
Butterflies rioted in my belly as I got out of the car.
I saw a little sign that guided the way to the entrance, which was on the side facing away from the water.
The front entrance was an oversized plain black door.
Before I’d reached it, it swung open, and Murray stood there looking confused and concerned.
“London … what … are you all right?”
As I closed the distance between us, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and impossibly, the scruffier than usual beard. He looked like he’d slept in his clothes.
“Are you okay?”
He winced and scrubbed a large hand over his face. “Long day yesterday.” His hand dropped to his side. “What brings you here?”
“Uh … can I … may I come in?”
His bemusement was obvious, but he stepped back to let me pass and I found myself in a frankly huge reception hall.
At the opposite end were French doors that led out onto a patio.
There were white walls everywhere and light oak herringbone floors with no rugs to soften them.
To the left of the front door was a winding oak staircase leading to the upper floor.
To the right was a closed door and along from it a slightly ajar door.
I could just see the end of a bed peeking through the gap.
To the left of the patio doors appeared to be a living room. To the left of that, by the staircase, a hallway led to another part of the house. The white walls were broken up with paintings, framed maps, and other art.
“You have a beautiful home.”
“Thanks.” He studied me intensely. “Kitchen, living room, and all of that are upstairs. There are a few bedrooms up there too, but most are down here. Except for a wee TV room.” He pointed to the living room.
“And a mudroom just down the hall. Kelly keeps saying we need a dog to justify the size of it.” His smile was pained, like the mere sound of her name hurt him.
“A dog would be nice.” I nodded. “The house is big enough for a sizable pup.”
“Aye, that’s what Kelly says.” Murray appeared a bit sheepish. “I had an architect draw up the plans and Quinn tried to tell me I was underestimating the size of the place but … well … it’s what Jill wanted.”
I wrinkled my nose at the mention of his ex. “Right. You built this when you were still together.”
“A few years before.” Murray sighed, but it sounded more from exhaustion than anything else. He gestured to the staircase. “Can I offer you coffee, tea?”
“Actually, coffee would be great.” I nodded, my nerves returning tenfold as I remembered why I was here. “Do you want me to take my shoes off?” I asked, noting the pristine cream runner on the oak staircase that any future dog would certainly put to the test.
“I don’t mind.”
I slipped off my boots at the bottom of the stairwell and followed him up.
The hallway was also spacious and branched off in either direction.
Murray led me through double black-framed doors that led into a kitchen positioned perfectly within the middle gable.
Kitchen countertops sat within the triangle, up against a huge pane of glass overlooking the water.
The sink was situated in the middle of the row of cabinets.
Center of the kitchen was a long island with an induction stovetop and behind it was an entire wall of custom-fit cabinetry, including a coffee bar and prep area.
The counters were quartz or marble, and it was all very clean and sharp.
It lacked color. It was like something out of a model home, neutral to suit all tastes. The only clutter was a bunch of cookbooks lined up along the countertop at the window. Through a large doorway at the other end, I could see into a huge dining and living room that made up the first gable.
A glance behind me revealed a doorway into the third gable, which appeared to be an equally large library/music room.
It was lined with shelves of books and records on one wall.
The opposite wall was the triangled gable of glass.
There were French doors in that one leading out to the deck.
But to get to the doors you had to get past the baby grand piano.
On the wall adjacent to the bookshelves hung a couple of acoustic guitars. I knew Murray was the bass drummer in the Leth Sholas Pipe Band, but clearly his musical talents extended beyond that.
It seemed we shared a love of music.
“Have a seat.” Murray gestured to one of the stools at the island. The sound of a phone buzzing filled the room, and he pulled his cell out of his back jeans pocket. “Sorry. One second.” His fingers flew over the screen. “Always something with work,” he muttered.
As he responded to his work stuff, I took in the view, thinking even if the house was kind of big and in need of some personality, it sat on a spectacular site.
“So?” Murray glanced over his shoulder as he shoved his phone in his pocket again and switched on the coffee machine. “What brings you my way? Shouldn’t you be at the B and B at this time in the morning?”
“Nee had two cancellations, which left her guest-less for a couple of days. She’ll call me if she gets any walk-ins.”
“And the first part of my question?”
Nervous nausea made me suck in a breath. “Why don’t we wait until the coffee’s ready?”
“That sounds ominous.”
“I … uh … well … I hope not.”
For a minute that felt like an hour, we shared an awkward silence, only interrupted by the pings and buzz of Murray’s phone. He muttered under his breath as his fingers flew over the screen again. “I’ll just pop it on silent or we’ll never get peace.”
“Is it like that all the time?”
He shrugged. “Comes with running a business.” He pointed to a canister. “Sugar?”
“One, please.”
Finally, he placed a mug in front of me and then sat at the island, leaving an empty stool between us.
Huh.
I stared at the empty stool that was clearly acting as a physical barrier between us, at once extremely uncertain about my proposal.
“London?”
Looking up, I found Murray peering at me over the mug in his hand.
He was so much bigger than Nick. His shoulders seemed massive, his legs so long he made the high perched stool look like it wasn’t tall enough for the island.
What I was about to suggest would put me in this man’s proximity, and it could give him a certain amount of power over me if I wasn’t smart in how I handled the situation.
Yet looking into his beautiful eyes, eyes that were filled with concern and bemusement, I couldn’t imagine Murray Shaw ever holding within him the jealous, possessive malice Nick seethed with. But I’d been blind to Nick’s at first. Or in denial.
It didn’t matter.
Murray was a risk I had to take.
“Here’s the thing … I can’t go back to the States because my ex … my ex …” I blew out a breath. “He’s unstable and he was abusive, and he has a certain amount of financial and political power that makes him extremely dangerous to me.”
A scowl etched between Murray’s brows. “London—”
“I don’t want to go into the details. But it means I am desperate to stay in Scotland. And you are desperate to get Jill’s paws off the company’s money. Moreover, having a two-parent household would look good for you in a custody battle.”
Murray’s eyes rounded comically.
I swallowed hard, my palms starting to sweat. “You get where I’m going with this, right?”
Yup, he looked paralyzed with shock.
“Murray? I’m proposing you and I get married.”
The Scotsman blinked slowly, his mouth parting almost cartoonishly with his surprise.