‘Whoops, sorry,’ said Liv having another go. Each time getting more and more muddy.
‘I’m so cold,’ complained Shanie.
‘We all are,’ grumbled Fraser clambering to his feet.
‘What am I going to do?’ asked Shanie, pointing at her ruined clothes.
‘We’ll have you Insta-ready in no time,’ said Liv as Fraser squelched past them to go and bolt in Ginger who was watching them with curious eyes.
‘Ooh Instagram,’ said Shanie brightening up immensely. ‘Once I finally get some coverage this could be an amazing before and after. Even a viral tap to tidy,’ she added excitedly.
‘I don’t know what that means but I bet we can get you showered and changed in a flash.’
‘Hang on,’ said Shanie. A very muddy Fraser went to walk by and she grabbed him by the arm. ‘Just a couple of selfies of my rescuer.’ Shanie linked a muddy arm through his and he scowled at the phone camera now pointed in his direction. ‘I amsodigging the moody look. That is sexy,’ she said as she let go of Fraser and began tapping on her phone.
‘Come on,’ said Liv, guiding Shanie back inside. It seemed it didn’t take much for people to revert to type.
Liv had washed her hands, put Effie on notice to stall Shanie’s driver before sorting out a shower for Shanie and within record time she was clean, dressed and Liv had blow dried her hair to the best of her ability. Shanie was now hastily reapplying her perfect make-up.
‘Car’s here!’ bellowed Effie from downstairs.
‘I’ll be two minutes,’ called back Shanie.
‘Right, well I need to dive in the shower too,’ said Liv indicating her now crusty state as the mud was starting to dry.
‘Uh-huh,’ said Shanie distracted as she reapplied her lipstick.
Liv turned to go and then she changed her mind. ‘Look I know you’re going back to your world but do you think you could take a minute to rate the restaurant online and remember what a good time you had? I mean before you fell in the mud.’
Shanie turned and looked Liv up and down. ‘Okay and thanks for helping me. Sorry if I was a bit of a diva.’
‘A bit?’ said Liv with an arched brow. ‘You’re the full Celine Dion!’
‘I love that for me,’ said Shanie. ‘You are a sweetheart.’ She went as if to hug Liv and then thought better of it. ‘Don’t worry about Fraser and the restaurant; I’ll make sure he gets the best sort of exposure.’
There was the sound of an impatient car horn outside and Shanie grabbed her bag and dashed past Liv.
Liv didn’t know exactly what Shanie meant but she hoped it would get Fraser a few more customers when he opened. Whatever he had done she had to admit that he had looked after her since she’d turned up and that kiss… She shook her head as if trying to disperse the memory. It felt like she’d dreamt it. The window of Fraser being anything other than annoying and grumpy had been brief.
Liv trudged back to her room, took off her muddy clothes and then realised she’d get mud on a towel if she used it to wrap around herself. She poked her head out of her door. The coast was clear. There was nobody around and the bathroom was next door. Could she risk it and make a naked dash? The corridor wasn’t visible from downstairs and all the guests had gone. She reasoned that if she heard anyone coming it would take two steps and she’d be back in the safety of her room. She took a breath and darted into the corridor. She grabbed the bathroom door handle and dashed into the safety of the bathroom.Made it,she thought with relief.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ came Fraser’s cross voice.
Liv instinctively spun around to see Fraser stark naked standing in the bath. She was mortified. At the same time they both realised their mistakes and covered their modesty with their hands. It was hard to look away so she closed her eyes. ‘I needed a shower,’ she said groping for a towel off the nearby stand. ‘Sorry, I’ll come back.’ She hastily wrapped the towel around her and left.
Liv waited by her door so that as soon as Fraser had finished she could get clean. At last she heard the bathroom door click open so Liv opened hers a fraction to see a wet and naked Fraser prance across the landing. She noted his lean figure and peachy bum. At least she wasn’t the only one making an arse of themselves. Liv crept out, went into the bathroom and shut and locked the door. She let out a huge sigh. Mission accomplished.
Liv wasn’t looking forward to facing Fraser but she figured she’d brazen it out. The thought of his bare backside creeping across the landing made her smirk. At least she could use that as a counter-offensive if she came under attack for having walked in on him in the bathroom. An image of his naked body swam into her mind. It was very distracting. He had a beefy physique that she definitely favoured. She’d always been more attracted to the muscular build like The Rock, rather than the pretty-boy Ryan Reynolds type. She was about to dismiss the image but she let it linger in her mind just a moment longer – no one could tell her off for that, although it probably wasn’t healthy.
It was usually about this time that she would have been helping Fraser in the kitchen with the dinner. She’d enjoyed doing that over the last few days. She guessed it wouldn’t be the same with the guests gone. There’d definitely be less to do. She may not have been needed but she decided to check, just in case. She was no chef but she’d surprised herself by how much she’d enjoyed learning about the different dishes and helping where she could. Liv was also looking forward to surprising her sister with making Hasselback potatoes when she got home. She opened the kitchen door to be met by silence – there was nobody there. As she walked back along the hallway she almost bumped into a distracted-looking Robbie who was coming out of the library.
‘I know, I know,’ he said holding up his palms. ‘You wanted to be out of here but there have been so many cars covered in snow for hours that they couldn’t get started. You’ll be number-one priority tomorrow – I’ll make sure of it.’ He pointed a finger at her, which she assumed was meant to be reassuring.
She’d have one more night at Lochy House. ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Do you know where everyone is?’ she asked.
‘Having a bit of a discussion in the dining room.’
‘Right.’
