Maybe she just liked this game, but I could tell by Quinn’s glance when she pulled it out that it was deliberate. She wanted to know about me, and maybe she was even trying to help Quinn and I discover more about each other and who we were now. When questions like “What is the most embarrassing thing my sibling has ever done?” came up, the kids learned more about mine and Quinn’s history together.
“It has to be when Laird insisted on coming on our first official date.” Quinn’s eyes danced with the memory.
I groaned, burying my face in my hands, still feeling the mortification of that afternoon to this day.
Heather guffawed. “He did not.”
Pressing my cool knuckles to my burning cheeks, I nodded. “Your dad’s right. My mum made the mistake of telling Laird that Quinn was taking me to Oban to the pictures.”
“What age were you?”
“Thirteen and fourteen.”
Angus’s eyes bulged. “And your parents let you take the ferry to the mainland alone?”
“Things were different then.” Quinn shrugged. “Kids grew up faster. Had more independence.”
“Not me.” I met Quinn’s eyes, smirking. “Laird was so overprotective, he surprised us on the ferry and then tagged along for the whole thing. He even sat between us at the cinema. I wanted to kill him.”
Heather cackled. “Oh my goodness, I think I might have.”
“I was so sure your dad would decide it wasn’t worth the hassle to date me. I was so upset, I cried all night. Laird felt really bad about it.” I remembered fondly his guilty wee expression as he knocked on my bedroom door that night.
“I would have gone on every date with Laird as your bodyguard as long as I got to be with you.”
My pulse skittered at Quinn’s tormented expression.
“Jeezo, Dad, who knew you were such a romantic?” Heather teased.
“So, are you two dating now?” Angus frowned, glancing between us.
Oh shit.
I knew we both looked panicked.
“So, Taran, do you know what the most embarrassing thing Aunt Cammie did to Dad?” Heather saved us.
I relaxed marginally in my seat, but the game, as well-intentioned as it was, was confusing me even more. Frankly, it was emotional torture. Quinn, perhaps sensing that or feeling it himself, abruptly announced we’d play a game that Angus seemed very excited about. It had Space Cowboys in the title, so that didn’t surprise me.
Hours later, after an indulgent picnic on the living room floor and a couple more board games, the weather had undergone a serious transformation. The lights had begun to flicker, but Quinn had a backup generator in case the electricity did go out. Many people who could afford one did because it could take a week for the power company to restore electricity on the island after a storm.
As evening crawled in, I’d exchanged a few texts with London about returning home. I was debating when I should announce my departure when a beeping sound exploded through the living room, followed by the sound of something vibrating.
“Shit.” Quinn jumped up from the couch where we were now watching a kids’ fantasy movie.
“Is that your pager, Dad?” Heather’s expression tightened.
What pager?
Quinn opened a drawer in the kitchen and from it pulled a small black object. The beeping abruptly ended, but when he looked up, he stared past us to the storm outside. “I’ve been called in.”
I was horrified by the notion of him out in this weather. “Called in for what?”
“A rescue with the LSLS.” His tone was grim.
No.
No, no, no. “In this?” I squawked, panic instantly rioting through me.
