That answered her question about whether Duncan had confided in his sister about the news. Even in her current state, Bex doubted Lorna would forget a piece of information like that.
‘So, did you and my big bro hook up?’ Lorna pressed again.
‘No,’ Bex said. ‘Nothing like that. It was just… just…’
‘Just difficult being in such close quarters with two men who are obviously obsessed with you?’ Lorna suggested.
‘Something like that,’ Bex admitted.
‘Well, next time you come for Burns Night, you have to stay for the whole thing,’ Lorna said as she unwrapped a bacon sandwich. A doorstop-sized wedge of crispy bacon spilled from the bap. It looked delicious, but while Bex’s bap was on the table in front of her, she didn’t reach for it. A knot had fixed itself in the pit of her stomach and she knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere until she had the next conversation. Drawing it out was just wrong.
‘Actually,’ she said, ‘there’s something I need to talk to you about.’
‘Does it require me to think in depth?’ Lorna asked, pulling out a rasher of bacon and nibbling at the corner. ‘Because I’m not sure now’s the right time for that.’
‘No, you don’t have to do anything,’ Bex said. ‘I just wanted to let you know I’m going to stay up here a bit longer. I emailed my boss today and asked if I could take some time off.’
Lorna’s blurry, bloodshot eyes widened. ‘You are? Does this mean you and Duncan…?’
Bex shook her head. ‘No, not yet. It’s just… with the inheritance, I’d like to hang around until it’s all sorted.’
‘What’s not sorted? Kieron’s the laird, right?’
Bex cursed her misstep.
‘There are just so many financial implications, it’s tricky,’ she lied. ‘I want to be here to help Gordon if he needs it.’
Lorna’s eyes narrowed. ‘So you’ve taken time off work, so you can stay up here and work? I don’t understand. Isn’t that what you were sent here for? I thought they were paying you to be here.’
With all the questions, Bex’s pulse was ticking higher and higher. And she was sure that any second Lorna was about to call her out on it. Thankfully, the hangover, combined with choosing the best bits of bacon to pull from the roll, was keeping her distracted.
‘It’s contract stuff. HR.’ Bex continued the lies, trying to keep them as vague as possible. ‘What I’m saying is that I’m definitely going to be here for a bit longer.’
At this, Lorna finally offered her first proper smile of the morning.
‘Really, that’s amazing! Though we might have to find a new place for Ruby’s dog bed, I nearly tripped over it last night.’
Bex bit down on the inside of her cheek.
‘Yes… about that,’ she said. ‘That’s the other thing I was going to say…’
2
In hindsight, telling Lorna while she was hungover had actually been a wise decision.
She’d opened her mouth to reply, and probably to give Bex a list of reasons why she should stay on the sofa, but before she could start, her face had turned a ghastly shade of green. She’d clapped a hand over her mouth and dashed to the bathroom, almost tripping over Ruby on the way.
When she finally returned, she picked up the now-cold bacon butty and took a cautious bite, followed by another large one. Bex grimaced, but hey, everyone had their own way of dealing with hangovers. She wasn’t going to judge.
‘You know,’ Lorna said, voice muffled through a mouthful of bread and bacon, ‘if you’re just moving out because you think it’ll be easier to sneak around dating Duncan again without me finding out, you should know, I will find out anyway.’
‘I’m not going to start dating Duncan again,’ Bex replied. ‘Honestly, if the situation wasn’t complicated enough before, it really is now.’
‘You mean because of Kieron?’ Lorna asked.
‘Oh, yes. That’s what I meant.’ She lowered her eyes and cursed her stupid mouth. Before now, she’d had no problem keeping the mystery heir a secret from everyone. But now that she was 99 per cent certain she knew who it was, it had become nearly impossible. The sooner she had her own space and could lock herself away, the better. At least until the DNA test came through.
‘Well, if it wasn’t you and Duncan, then I don’t know what got to Kieron. Honestly, he was in such an odd mood last night. Insisted we drink three bottles of Fergus’s best single malt. Which I guess could’ve been a celebration, but it didn’t really feel like one. It was strange.’
