I bite my lip. “Did you and Cameron finally talk?”
“Aye,” Cameron says gruffly. “Told him what an eejit he’s been.”
Alec rubs the back of his neck. “I have a lot I need to work through,” he admits. “But I want to change. I’m not asking you to forgive me right away. Just…please, let me try for you. Let us prove how much we care about you. You don’t have to decide anything now; we’ll stay here in London with you for as long as you need. As long as you’ll let us.”
My head is reeling. “But…what about Lochview?” There’s a long pause. The men exchange a look.
“We found temporary help for tonight,” Alec says slowly. “If you need some time, the three of us could take turns going back up to oversee the farm.”
There’s something they’re not telling me. Dread trickles down my spine. “What is it? Has something happened?”
Alec’s shoulders slump. “The council’s putting out a compulsory purchase order for a good chunk of the land,” he says. “They want to build a resort. It’ll make running Lochview impossible. I’ve been trying to fight it, but…” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what will happen.”
I’m absolutely horrified. Lochview could begone? Mown down and replaced by tourist cabins with hot tubs and minifridges? “What?” I blurt out. “What do you mean? Why are you here, then? Surely there’s something we can do?”
“There’s a public survey in three days,” Fraser says, watching me. “Alec and I have been trying to get the word out. But…” Heshrugs his massive shoulders. “Seemed more important to get here tonight.”
I stare between the three men, unable to believe my ears.
“Let me get this straight,” I say slowly. “You have days to drum up enough public interest in Lochview to save the farm. And instead, you decided to come to London to crash my party?”
Alec looks frustrated. “Yes. What else were we meant to do? Of course I love my farm—it’s a part of me—but I don’t want it if I can’t have you. The animals would be cared for, I made some calls on the journey, there are some decent farmers who’d be able to take them in?—”
“You’dsellthem?! Alec, you love them!”
“Aye,” he says. “But my responsibility is to make sure they’re safe, first and foremost. If I needed to rehome them, I would.”
“But… but what if I say no?” I ask, horrified. “What if you came down here for nothing?”
Alec’s lashes lower. “We’d miss you a lot,” he says simply. “For the rest of our lives. But we’d understand it.”
I gape at him. “But I don’t want you to be here!” I half shout.
Alec’s shoulders fall. He nods slowly. “I see. That’s…understandable.”
“Idon’t want to be here,” I continue. “I’ve been miserable ever since I got back. You can’t just giveup on Lochview. What are youthinking?It’s special. We have to save it.” I turn to Fraser. “When did you say this survey thing’s deadline is?”
Fraser checks his watch. “’Bout…fifty-five hours from now.”
I nod, pulling out my phone. Millions of texts pop over my screen, including a stream of messages in all caps from Lulu. Feeling awful, I quickly respond to her:
Thank you for the party, I’m sorry I left, I promise I’m fine and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. There’s something I have to do first.
She starts typing immediately, but I switch to my browser to check flights. “The next plane to Inverness is at half six from Luton. That’s five hours from now.” That’s enough time for me to go back to my flat, pack, and come up with a social media plan. My brain is already whirring. “I’ll get an Uber.” I march to the door.
“Wait,” Alec says, reaching for my wrist. “Summer. Does this mean…”
I shake him off me. “I don’t know what it means,” I tell him honestly. “All I know is I am not letting Lochview get turned into a tourist trap. We’re saving the farm.” I shove my feet back into my heels.
“Hell yeah!” Fraser says.
Cameron just frowns at me. “But…what are you going to do?” he asks. “There’s almost no time left.”
Alec nods. “We’ve already tried to share the consultation,” he tells me gently. “It’s not been enough. The survey’s not been advertised, and not enough people care.”
I grab my clutch and draw myself up to my full height. “I am going to do some fucking influencing.”
SEVENTY-SIX
