I wince. “I’m sorry. I panicked. I was in the middle of a…situation.”
Bree huffs dramatically. “Uh-huh. And what kind ofsituationare we talking about?”
I think about the way my stomach flipped when Knox’s grin met my gaze from across the room. The deep timbre of his voice. The way he read my nerves like an open book and eased them without a second thought.
“Oh, Bree,” I mutter. “I’m doomed. I don’t know what I’m doing here.”
The shift in my tone catches her attention. “What’s going on?”
I exhale and start from the top. “Okay, so first of all, I may or may not have almost run a man off the road?—”
Her laughter explodes through the phone before I can finish. “You, what?”
I roll my eyes, waiting for her to settle down. “Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system. Anyway, that happened. I panicked, nearly crashed, and then had to endure the most awkward interaction of my life while he remained completely unbothered and flirted with me. Then, somehow, I ended up on a whisky tour with him because he’s my aunt’s boss, which was interesting in its own right. And now? I can’t stop thinking about him, no matter how hard I try.” I sigh. “His name’s Knox, by the way.”
Another pause, but this time it’s not for her to laugh. It’s for me to catch my breath.
“Then today,” I continue, “we had this chat in the café, and I swear, every time he smiles at me, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. But…in a good way. Does that make sense?”
Okay, I’m rambling. “Anyway, that’s the week in a nutshell. So, you can imagine how my head’s been spinning.”
Bree’s silence is troubling. She’s either about to say something incredibly insightful or utterly ridiculous. Not being able to see her expression makes it hard to tell where this is going. Then, just as I’m about to open my mouth, the ping of a video call request comes through the speaker. Apparently, she had the same thought.
I swipe and my best friend’s face lights up the screen.
Her tone is serious. “This requires a face-to-face conversation.”
“Agreed. Lay it on me.”
“Are you telling me you’re in a full-fledged, head-over-heels, butterflies-in-your-stomach spiral over a Scottish man named Knox?”
I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “No. Maybe. I don’t know.”
She snorts. “Oh, babe. You’re done for.”
I throw myself back against the chair. “That’s what I’m saying! It’s ridiculous. I’ve barely spent any time with him. And don’t even get me started on my heart rate. It’s embarrassing.”
Bree hums knowingly. “Sounds like a textbook case of instant attraction to me.”
I scoff. “Yeah, well, attraction is one thing, but this? This feels…dangerous.”
“Dangerous as in, abort mission, or dangerous as in, this could actually be something and I’m terrified?”
I hesitate, chewing my lip. “The second one.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re spiraling, but I can’t figure out why.”
It appears we have insightful Bree this evening.
“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because I just admitted I’m having borderline heart-palpitating feelings for a man I’ve known for a grand total ofseven daysand have spoken to, oh,three times?” The words tumble out in a frantic rush, too fast, too revealing.
Bree, naturally, is unfazed. She just lifts a perfectly arched brow. “And?”
I blink. “And?And?You seriously think any of this is a good idea?”
“What makes it a bad one? From what you’ve told me, you’re having the time of your life. And, might I add, you got exactly what you wished for—your very own brooding Scottish man.”
There’sridiculousBree. I knew she was hiding in there somewhere.
