But Carli didn’t find out what Niall was going to ask because a sudden gust of wind blew in and whipped his kilt up his thighs. He grasped it in his fists but Carli’s laughter was out of her before she had a chance to stop it.
‘Speaking of being the man around here…’
‘Did you see…? Sorry.’
‘Actually, no, I didn’t.’
‘Oh, phew…’ Niall brightened.
‘Why? Are you shy?’
‘Not especially, no.’
‘Not a true Scotsman? You’re wearing underpants?’
‘I am definitely a true Scotsman. No pants for this guy.’ Niall stood a little taller as he made this declaration.
‘I see. Except sadly I didn’t.’
He laughed. ‘Shame for you.’
‘Ah well, I expect it’s roughly the same.’
‘They don’t tend to shrink.’ Niall was trying unsuccessfully to keep the smile from his face. Carli’s heart was galloping all over the place. She couldn’t keep her own amusement from shining through. It was so nice to have some banter with him. Find their way back to fun communication, albeit on a more adult level than seventeen years ago.
‘Well, I had no idea,’ she said, playing the ingénue. ‘It’s all a mystery to me, the male physique.’
Niall chucked throatily. ‘Oh, is it now?’
‘Well…’ Carli rolled her eyes to the sky as if avoiding the question.
‘Aye… well,’ he said, and she caught his grin as she dropped her gaze to him again. ‘Thanks, Cass. I can’t remember the last time I smiled genuinely, never mind laughed. You’re good for me.’
‘You’re welcome. I hope we can be friends.’
‘Aye,’ he agreed. ‘I hope we can.’
Carli was glad she could help Niall. The energy between them was thrumming, as it always had. But good for each other? That bible of unspoken stuff between them had its Old Testament with all the problems from the past, and the New Testament with her health issues and all his troubles. Nope, present day Niall Butler might be to die for in a kilt, he might make her laugh and think she was good for him, but with their combined baggage they may be way over their allowance.
Chapter 10
Carli
Beach yoga in Scotland in autumn. Even at 10.00 a.m. it was a stupid idea. But in the buzz of the previous evening, Carli had been chatting convivially to people, telling them all about the power of yoga and – somewhere along the line – had arranged an outdoor session for the next day. She recalled five people who said they were coming. A good number. She could give them individual attention.
Except one of them was Niall.
When he’d expressed interest, she couldn’t exactly say, “No, you’ll be a massive distraction for me, so please don’t come.”
Carli arose at nine. She pulled on some leggings, a Lycra top and a fleece-lined hoodie, whipped her hair into a topknot and retrieved her yoga mat from her suitcase. It might seem crazy to some people, but Carli never travelled without it. While others prioritised twenty different face creams or pairs of shoes, for Carli, the mat afforded her the chance to flop down on the floor and do yoga when and wherever the need took her, something that helped with themuscle pain the Fibromyalgia brought. Often fatigue made exercise the last thing she wanted to do, but knowing it was one of the best things, forced her into stretching through the pain much of the time. And many of her classes were yoga for those with chronic pain, which meant easier sessions for her.
One thing that wasn’t good for Carli’s pain was the cold. And Scotland, as welcoming as its inhabitants were, was not a warm country. Carli’s bones might be accustomed to Melbourne winters, but she didn’t like them, and Scottish autumn was on a par.
Fortunately, the morning was crisp and cool but overlaid with warming amber sunshine. Temperate enough to be outdoors, so long as you could keep moving. And, even if the air was chilled, the vibrant autumn leaves were a visual spectacle that easily distracted from the cooler temperature.
When she got to the beach, three of the people who’d enthused about the yoga were waiting: Celia and Gertie, best friends in their fifties who ran a tearoom in the village, and Alan, a man in his forties who worked at the distillery. Carli was genuinely thrilled at the turnout.
When it didn’t look like anyone else would appear, Carli positioned herself in mountain pose on her mat. The others followed suit as she guided them through breathwork to centre themselves.
