“Well, I’ll just put this in front of the Chieftain,” she says, “and leave you all to it.”
I feel Celia’s cool hand on my arm, but I’m busy watching Sophie’s ponytail swing back and forth as she hurries back into the house.
Sophie…
The next day…
“Well that dinner turned into one hell of a stramash,” Maisie says crossly, dumping half the sugar in the pot into her tea.
“Oh?” I try to look nonchalant. “How so?”
“Are ye kidding?” She seizes the creamer and fills up the rest of the mug. “Ye dinnae hear that wee bombshell that Miss Resting Bitch Face dropped?”
Oh, that.
When Celia spoke up last night, she’d glanced at me briefly with a cruel little smile. Michael only raised his brow at her and smiled politely as my heart dropped. It shattered in my chest like a fragile vase. I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. It’s not like Michael had ever reallyseenme. Some stupid part of me had hoped, though. That he would see me as a grownup now that I’d graduated from college. Someone mature and worthy of notice.
“...can ye believe that shite?” Maisie’s looking at me expectantly.
Crap.
“I’m sorry, what shite?”
“I knew ye weren’t listening,” she says sourly. “Can ye believe she had the nerve to pretend Michael’s asked her to marry him?”
“Well, they have dated for a while,” I say.
She laughs, reaching over to grab the other half of my scone. We’re having lunch close to the hospital. She’s in scrubs and I’m in my best office wear for my summer internship at MacTavish International.
“They look good on paper, though he’s made it clear that they’re not exclusive. Not thatshewould pay any attention tothat,” she says, munching on my scone thoughtfully. “I dinnae see them ever getting married. MacTavish men arepassionate!”Thumping her chest, Maisie deepens her voice, making me laugh. “Theyworshiptheir women!” The two girls who look like college students at the table next to us are trying to hide their smiles. “Celia’s proper but ye know she’s a snake under all that Chanel.”
“Oh, I hate those,” one of the girls at the next table says.
“Right?” Maisie says, unperturbed. “Acting all sweet when ye know they’d tear your head off if they cornered ye in the ladies’ room?”
I flash back to the vivid image of Celia touching up her makeup while mocking me in the Witchery bathroom.
“Aye!” Both girls are nodding furiously. “I’ve had one ofthosebefore,” the blonde agrees. “Wanting my boyfriend and ready to stab me in the kidney to get him.”
Knox, Maisie’s bodyguard, is sitting at the table on the other side of us, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
“While I’m enjoying this moment, I have to get back to the hospital,” Maisie groans, standing up and stretching her back. “Leaning over those patients to give rectal examinations is killing my back.”
We wave goodbye to our sympathetic table neighbors and head out into the cloudy Edinburgh afternoon.
“Hey, is Miles still trying to set up his friend with me?” I ask, lingering on the sidewalk. I can’t stop seeing Celia’s little smirk as she made her “announcement” at the MacTavish family dinner.
She brightens immediately. “Bryce? Aye, he brings it up all the time. He says Bryce keeps talking about howbeautifulye are.” She nudges me. “Which shows how desperately the man needs glasses.”
“I can always count on you to protect my self-esteem,” I laugh. “Let’s…” I hesitate. I’d almost rather be helping her with those prostate exams than go out on a date, but…
It’s enough. You have to move on.
“Let’s do it,” I sigh. “But it has to be a double date! I’m not going out with him alone. That’s hours of painful ‘get to know you’ conversation. We go somewhere loud. With drinks. The four of us.”
“Are ye sure?” Maisie asks. “If ye two go out on your own, ye can make one of those nice, big lists ye love of all the questions that matter most, like: ‘What are your hobbies? Do ye have a fondness for sharp knives or taxidermy? Is there a deep pit in your basement?’”
“Okay, that’s it. I changed my mind-” I take one step before she charges me, seizing my arm.
