‘Leave me high and dry when I’ve come all this way to see you.’
She gave a laugh and shook her head. ‘Philip, we’ve always been friends and that’s all it will ever be. I’m sorry it took us both so long to realise that.’ She felt she was being more than generous, letting him off so gently.
He’d left her high and dry so many times, not least of all when he’d so callously announced his engagement to another woman. It had been cowardly because he’d known how she felt about him, but she wasn’t about to follow his lead and be unkind to him; that wasn’t her way. ‘You deserve to find the right woman who loves you as much as you love her.’
Philip swallowed, hard. She watched his Adam’s apple dip and then he looked up with a sad smile. ‘When did you get to be so wise?’
She shrugged.
‘Are you sure I can’t stay? You won’t change your mind?’
‘Philip, I’m calling that taxi.’
‘Won’t you at least give me a hug for old time’s sake?’ He moved in before she could push him away.
The door opened again and this time it was Duncan, who gave Philip a ferocious glare. ‘Looking for Xanthe, have you seen her?’
Izzy had a hard job biting back her smile. The day Duncan voluntarily went looking for Xanthe was the day pigs went flying over the battlements.
Philip kissed her on the forehead as Duncan retreated.
‘Thanks, Izzy. And if you change your mind, you know where I am.’
‘I’m not going to change my mind. Now, you can help me put all these books back on the shelves while you wait for that taxi.’
‘Do I have—’
‘Yes, you do,’ said Izzy sharply before grinning at him. He’d got away with far too much and it was as much her own fault as his. Now, if she wanted something from him, she’d ask.
Chapter Twenty
‘Thanks, Izzy,’ said Jim, flopping down into his usual seat at the kitchen table. ‘I’m starving.’
‘You’re always starving,’ said Jeanette as she laid the table. ‘It’s a good job Izzy is teaching me to cook.’
Izzy winced; the term ‘cook’ was a generous one. The other girl was still a liability in the kitchen.
‘Smells grand, lass. Has your friend gone?’ Duncan’s eyes bored into hers with blatant curiosity and a touch of uncertainty.
‘He’s gone and he’sjusta friend,’ she said.
‘That’s guid then, lassie.’ Duncan beamed at her. ‘You deserve the best and I could tell that whey-faced wee whippet was nae the man for you.’
Izzy’s heart clenched in her chest, touched by his obvious relief.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, patting his hand; he wasn’t one for hugs. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
‘Guid,’ he said gruffly. ‘Want a hand dishing up?’
With a gentle smile, she nodded. ‘That would be lovely, Duncan. Can you put the parmesan on the table?’ Izzy strained the pasta then filled the heated plates with spaghetti. There was even one for Ross in the unlikely event he turned up while they were all there.
With a satisfied sniff, she spooned the rich Bolognese sauce over the pasta and Duncan handed the first four out. ‘You going to put this one in the oven for… Ross! You’re here. Just in time. Come sit down, lad.’
‘Hello, stranger.’ Jim nudged a chair with his foot, pushing it out for Ross. ‘Take the weight off.’
Huh?thought Izzy. Unlike Jim, who’d been painting in the final rush to get the last two rooms ready, Ross had been sitting on his backside all day. She gave him a narrowed-eyed assessment. To be fair, he did look tired and his hair was even more rumpled than usual. It almost looked as if he’d put in a hard day’s work.
‘Working hard, lad?’ asked Duncan once everyone was sitting at the table.
