“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Better to know before the wedding that she was screwing around with the best mate she promised over and over again was just her best mate and nothing else.” He blanched. “Shit, that’s an awkward amount of oversharing. I’m sorry.”
I found him refreshingly endearing. “I’m sorry that happened. But you’re right. You’re better off in the long run.”
“Speaking from experience?”
I thought of Fyfe and it hurt like always. “In a way.”
“So … You came home alone?” Cameron asked, his gaze drifting to the wine.
A little flutter in my belly surprised and pleased me. “I did.”
His eyes flew to mine. “Oh. That’s … good.”
I grinned. “Is it?”
He laughed softly. “I am clearly out of practice when it comes to talking to beautiful women.”
“That was pretty good.” I shoved him teasingly and he chuckled again, flashing me a shy but interested look.
“Would you … would you maybe like to go out for dinner this weekend? I hear the food at the Gloaming is good.”
“It is. My uncle owns it.”
“Oh really? Of course.” A light bulb seemed to go off in his eyes. “If you’re Harley’s auntie and she’s an Adair?—”
“That makes me an Adair. You’ve heard of us?”
“Hard not to.”
He just hadn’t heard of Eilidh Adair, BAFTA Award–winning actor. I hid my mischievous grin and replied, “I’d love to have dinner with you.”
Cameron didn’t hide his pleasure. “Great. Shall we exchange numbers?” He pulled his phone from his back pocket.
I had a slight moment of hesitation giving out my number, a knee-jerk reaction to my longing to maintain my privacy. We swapped numbers, though, and Cameron reached out to grab a bottle of rosé. “My new neighbor cut my lawn this week. And though I didn’t ask him to do that, I feel like I owe him a bottle of rosé and I feel this way because he very pointedly told me the exact label of rosé wine he likes to drink upon sharing that he cut my lawn.”
I burst out laughing. “Welcome to small-town life.”
Cameron’s smile was sexier, more heated. “I think I’m going to like it.”
Seventeen
FYFE
It could have been hours I’d lain in bed just staring at my ceiling. I didn’t know. My sleep had been broken and shit for the past few weeks. My appetite wasn’t much better, and my energy was fucked because of it. I joint-led a tae kwon do class in Thurso every week, and it had taken everything within me to make myself attend. Lewis and Callie still attended, but it was awkward. Callie tried to make conversation but apparently, Lewis still wasn’t ready.
For the first time since he’d returned to Ardnoch, I hadn’t seen Lewis in almost a month. The longest we went without seeing each other was a few days. I’d visit the family multiple times a week. Harley, in my mind, was my niece. I wondered if she missed me. If she was even aware of my absence.
Did this mean Harley would grow up not knowing who I was? I would no longer be Uncle Fyfe?
The thought hurt like fuck, so I threw it away.
I’d lost both my best friends because I couldn’t love Eilidh the way she needed. As shitty as that made me feel, I also was angry that I was being punished for something I couldn’t help.
But I could help that I’d kissed her. Twice.
I’d led her on.
