“Curiosity.”
“You can google her.” She’d find out, anyway. I sighed heavily. “Allegra is Wesley Howard’s daughter.”
She stared at me blankly for a second and then realization dawned. “The film director? Is she from that swanky estate in your village? Is that how you met?”
I nodded.
Sorcha let out a huff of amusement as she pulled her phone from her back pocket. Her fingers flew over the keypad and after a second, she whistled. “Okay. Aye. Well. How does a mere mortal compete with that?” She looked up at me, a wistful expression on her face. “She’s stunning, Jared.”
I shifted uncomfortably because the truth was, to me, Allegra was the most beautiful fucking woman I’d ever seen in my life and no one would ever compare in that respect. Guilt was an unwelcome emotion. “You know you’re gorgeous too.”
Her lips curled up at the corners. “Don’t let your wife hear you say that. Bloody hell. Yourwife.” She stuffed her phone back into her pocket. “Does she know about me?”
I nodded. “She and I were casual too. Until …”
“Until you weren’t.”
“Aye.”
Brushing her blond hair off her face, she gave me a breezy grin. “Can’t say I won’t miss our time together.”
“Aye, it was fun.”
“It was. But I also liked just having you in my life. Can we still be friends?”
“Of course.” I bridged the distance between us and pulled her into a hug. “You’re a good person, Sorcha. Thanks for everything. I wish you nothing but happiness, you know.”
She hugged me tight. “You too.” Pulling back from her embrace, she surprised me with a quick kiss. “Goodbye, Jar.”
Eleven
Allegra
Iassured myself that Jared hadn’t been gone long enough to have had one last round of sex with this Sorcha person. It was a two-hour round trip to Inverness, and he was back in two hours thirty.
Thirty minutes wassolong enough for a quickie. Damn, a minute was long enough for a quickie.
He wouldn’t have done that, though. He’d promised me monogamy for two months so we could sell the lie.
I was desperate to ask about her, and I couldn’t ignore the ache of jealousy I experienced over this woman who Jared McCulloch had wanted long enough to be with for six months.
When he returned, he was brooding, which worried me. Did he have real feelings for Sorcha? Had I fucked up something important for him by offering him a chance to save his farm? Had I inadvertently forced him to choose between the farm and Sorcha? Instead of sticking around to talk like he’d suggested, he changed back into his work clothes and went out to find Georgie.
He didn’t come home for the dinner I’d made. It was nothing special. I’d just boiled some pasta and made a sauce. I’d also burnt the garlic bread in his oven because I wasn’t used to it yet.
When it hit nine o’clock and he still hadn’t returned, I knew he was avoiding me. Sarah had told me a while ago that Jared kept early hours as much as he could. Early to bed, early to rise.
Not wanting to sit there like a little wife waiting on her husband to come home, I’d covered his plate with foil and left a note for him that the food was there if he wanted to heat it up. Retiring to my room that still didn’t feel like mine, I’d set my alarm for four thirty because I was determined to discuss important things with Jared. He would not avoid me tomorrow.
As soon as my head hit the pillow, thankfully, emotionally exhausted, I fell asleep. But my last thoughts before I drifted off were about my fake husband and where he was tonight and if he intended to sleep in his own bed like he’d promised.
Walking into the kitchen early the next morning, I found Jared braced against the counter, sipping from a mug of coffee. Light streamed in through the kitchen window. During summer here, the days were long; it started to get dark around eleven at night and light just after three in the morning. I slept with a sleep mask.
It was five o’clock and the sun was already shining, casting a halo around the back of Jared’s head. Until I moved farther into the room, I couldn’t read his expression.
His eyebrows rose at the sight of me. “You’re up early.”
“We have a lot to discuss today … so I thought you could give me a tour of the farm while we talk. You can tell me about your plans, and I can help make them happen.”
