“Well…” Finn’s voice is calm, but I note the tension in it. “He wasn’t thrilled to hear from me. Even less thrilled to hear what I had to say. We do have a meeting set up, though. It’s just…not for another month.”
I let out a sharp breath, my stomach tightening. “Why so long?”
“They need time to plan, and I need to gather more proof. I’ve started drafting the application for the writ to obtain the hotel records, but that’s also not something that happens overnight.”
I let out a long, tired breath, trying to push my frustrations down. “Okay. I appreciate everything you’re doing, Finn. I just… I just wish it didn’t take so damn long.”
“Aye, that’s the legal system for you.” His tone is flat. He’s as fed up with it as I am.
Figuring it’s time to shift gears, I start telling him about Juliette. How we met, how much time we’ve been spending together.
“I mean, I like her, Finn,” I add, my voice dropping a bit. “Ican’t help but wonder if it’s fair to bring her into the shitshow that is my life right now. She’s been through enough already, you know?” I pause, rubbing the back of my neck. “So, is it wrong of me to keep this from her?”
“Honestly?” Finn doesn’t miss a beat. “I don’t know. I won’t pretend to understand how a woman’s brain works. Let’s ask Elsie.”
“Ah, I don’t think that’s a good id?—”
“Elsie!” he cuts me off, calling out loud enough for her to hear. “Knox has a girly question for you.”
A few seconds later, Elsie’s blonde head pops around the doorframe, her eyes narrowing as she steps into the room. “Aye?”
“Knox here has a girlfriend that doesn’t know he’s married,” Finn announces.
Elsie looks like she’s about to throw something at me. “Knox Cameron MacKenzie, what the hell?!”
“I guess that answers my question,” I groan, leaning back in the chair. “We only met a couple weeks ago. She’s from the States and here for the summer. We’ve had a couple dates. I didn’t see the point in sharing the drama with her if this isn’t going anywhere. But now that we’re doing…whatever this is, I’m not sure how to handle it.”
Elsie stares at me, eyes wide in disbelief. “Um, you tell her, youeijit.”
“It’s not that simple, Els. I don’t want to bring her into this until I know when this shitshow with Hallie is going to end. It could be over in a couple weeks, or this could go on for another six months. Is it so bad to wait until I have an end date to tell her?”
“That’s your choice,” she says, crossing her arms. “Telling hersoonis better than not telling her at all, but I also think she deserves to know now, regardless of the outcome. I know Iwouldn’t take well to being kept in the dark with something like this.”
I drag a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the anxiety that’s been slowly creeping up my spine. “Aye. Okay. Thanks, Els.”
She gives a soft hum in response, and without another word, turns and walks off.
When I throw Finn a glare, he shoots me a sheepish grin.
“Sorry, pal,” he says, shrugging like he’s got no regrets. “If someone’s going to tell you how it is, it’ll be my lovely wife.”
I’m starting to think I’m damned if I do, and more damned if I don’t.
twenty-five
JULIETTE
Ican’t believe it’s been a month and a half since I stepped off that plane. If I didn’t know any better, I would say it was just yesterday.
Time has a way of bending here. Days blend together in a haze of easy laughter and late-night talks that stretch until I’m fighting off sleep. I’ve actually been spending a lot of time with Knox. At first, it was quick lunches at the distillery but then came the impromptu drives to neighboring villages, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel to whatever folk song playing on the radio.
Last night, we sat on his porch watching the sun set over the hills while sharing a bottle of whisky—the good stuff, he insisted. We didn’t talk about anything important, or maybe we did, in a roundabout kind of way.
The evening air was cool but not cold, and when he draped his jacket around my shoulders, I felt something shift between us. Like the final piece clicking into place.
I’ve memorized the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs,how he runs his hand through his hair when he’s thinking. I can’t seem to let go of the sound of his lilting accent or the way his smile acts as an invitation to something more.
More than anything, it’s the way he kisses me that haunts my thoughts. His lips are always gentle at first, but then it’s like something snaps and the kiss is the one thing he can’t hold back. The way he pulls me against him, the warmth of his body, the taste of whisky lingering on his lips, and his hands, always so careful but never quite able to stay in one place.
