‘What is?’
‘The board games. We didn’t have a TV growing up. My dad always wanted us to be doing other things, so I got used to not watching it.’
A key piece of the puzzle clicked into place. This could be why he didn’t recognise her. He didn’t watch TV. How refreshing, on two levels. He had no idea of her fame, and he lived in a world where he made his own entertainment. Although Alicia loved to absorb herself in films.
‘So, you never watch movies?’ she asked.
‘Oh, sure. I love them, but I like to watch the old classics, you know, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jack Lemmon, folk like that.’
‘You don’t watch any modern movies?’
‘Aye, from time to time, I do. If enough people recommend something, but it’s about ten years after it’s come out at the cinema. I’ve got so many other things I want to do, so movies aren’t a huge part of my life.’
‘And what are all these other things?’ Alicia angled herself a little more towards Jamie. He was so easy to talk to and even easier to look at.
‘Well, there’s work. That takes up a lot of time, but there’s also surfing, hiking, climbing, running, podcasts.’
‘And staring into space.’
He chuckled ‘Aye, got to find time to fit that in. But what about you? What’re your favourite things to do, presuming you’re not as into gawping at the void as me.’
‘I do like to do that, but it’s usually because I’m painting and looking at something for a long time.’
‘Ah, you’re an artist?’ The glow in Jamie’s eyes burned brighter and Alicia hoped it was from an interest in her art rather than solely the fire’s reflection.
‘Yes, this’s why I’m here – to paint the Scottish scenery.’
‘Fantastic. You’ll never run out of inspiration in Scotland.’
‘It’s a world apart from LA, for sure.’
‘You’re from LA?’ Jamie edged himself up in his seat. ‘I’ve been a couple of times for work. Great buzz, but I have to say I was glad to get home to my wee village where things are a bit more…down to earth. I mean, I can understand the plus side of living there: glorious weather, beaches, fancy restaurants, but it’s not for me. Too shiny.’
Too shiny.What an astute way to describe her hometown. With those words, Jamie Butler just got even hotter. This man who was so down to earth he was practically rolling around in the mud was pushing every single one of Alicia’s ‘turn me on’ buttons.
‘Did you ever want to be an actress?’ he asked. ‘Don’t they say that everyone in Hollywood is an actor of some kind.’
‘No, never.’ This wasn’t a lie, as such. Alicia had never wanted the role of actress for herself; it had just happened, and she got out as soon as she could. ‘I dabbled a little but I prefer painting. While I’m here, I’d love to paint some Scottish wildlife. Red squirrels are the cutest. We only have the grey ones back home.’
‘Ah, there are loads of red squirrels around here. And deer and stag. I’ve a map inside of a route you can take. It’s a fun wee tramp as long as the weather stays clear.’
Alicia swallowed another potent mouthful of Scotchand roamed her gaze over Jamie. He had fortified her enthusiasm for this vacation and now she wondered if he might invite her to join him on a hike. The wordscould you show me the way yourselfwere hovering on the precipice of her lips, but he became distracted by something in the sky.
‘Hey,’ he said. ‘It’s snowing. That’s pretty unusual for early November.’
Tilting her chin skyward, Alicia saw chunky white flakes tumbling through the darkness. Goodness! Her mouth dropped so wide that had it not been for the shelter of the porch, the snow would have melted on the warmth of her tongue.
‘When was the last time you saw snow?’ Jamie asked.
‘Gosh, I can’t even remember. When I visited my grandma in Norway or the one time I went to Canada. Every time is like the first time.’ Alicia turned to him, his brilliant blue eyes sparkling in the honeyed glow of the porch. Jamie Butler was the first person who might win the battle for her attention with snowfall. But as friendly as he was being, she knew his hospitality was borne of politeness rather than a desire to spend time with her. She had, after all, carved a line in the ice between the two of them, and for good reason too. It was best to tell herself that rich men were trouble in the end – there was always family drama or a hidden ego the size of the USA. This man, despite his rugged Scottish looks, twenty four carat manners and abs to match, was probably an asshole best avoided, just like all the others.
Chapter 9
Jamie
The next morning, Jamie awoke at seven thirty from a satisfying sleep and drew back the curtains to see a thick blanket of virginal snow lying several inches deep.
He had hoped to go up Ben Corrin today, but given this weather, it wasn’t advisable. Jamie had learned from navigating out of dangerous situations in the past, where he was incredibly lucky to have escaped at all, that you didn’t gamble with Scottish weather. There were plenty of tracks behind the hotel that would offer the same escapism and peacefulness as climbing, without risking losing one’s footing and slipping into gullies.
