‘We’re doing the right thing,’ he said, and I didn’t know which of us he was trying to convince with those words.
‘We are,’ I said, lying every bit as much as I believe he was.
He watched me drive away, as I’d known he would, and I kept glancing back in the rear-view mirror until the forest stole him from view.
‘Okay, Fletch. Let’s go home, shall we, boy?’
Chapter Thirty One
The smell of buttercream and suspicion was heavy on the air.
‘All I’m saying is that it seems strange that you’ve never mentioned this mountain man friend of yours before, that’s all.’
‘Not really. Like I said, we lost touch, and I hadn’t thought about him in years.’
Raegan remained infuriatingly quiet. That was when I should have changed the subject, instead of digging myself even deeper into a hole already stacked with lies.
‘And there weren’t any mountains,’ I corrected, ‘just a very dense forest.’
‘The forest might be dense, Lily, but I’m not.Somethingclearly happened while you were away.’
I lowered my piping nozzle, as though surrendering a weapon. My hand was probably too unsteady to finish the cake I was icing anyway. I met Raegan’s gaze, pausing for a moment to marvel at the impressive height her eyebrows had achieved. They were practically in her hairline.
‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.’
I tried for nonchalance and missed by a mile.
‘There’s really nothing to tell. I saw an old mate, we caught up, and then I came home.’
‘It’s just you’ve been kind of distracted since you got back.’
I shook my head, refuting her words, even though I knew she was right.
‘I don’t think so.’
Raegan gave a knowing nod. ‘So, youdeliberatelyiced the customer’s surname on the cake instead of what’s written on the order sheet?’
I looked down at the cake with a cry of dismay. She was right.
‘Oh, bugger.’
Raegan reached for the piping nozzle. ‘Give it here, I’ll fix it.’ She gave a twisted smile. ‘And your language is certainly more colourful since you got back. I’m starting to feel like Mother Teresa next to you.’
I remembered all over again why I’d hired Raegan. Even in the darkest of moments she could always make me laugh.
‘I’m guessing the effing and blinding is also down to the Highlands’ answer to Bear Grylls. I wonder what else he taught you while holding you hostage in the forest.’
She was baiting me, but this time I didn’t rise to it.
Of course, Raegan had continued to probe, as I’d known she would. Over mugs of tea and our treasured supply of chocolate Hobnobs, she surprised me by suddenly reaching across the countertop to squeeze my hand. There were at least a dozen silver rings on her fingers, but only one gold band on mine.
‘Just tell me one thing, Lily. Is this renewed friendship something to get excited about?’ There was a hopeful light glinting in her eyes.
I shook my head sadly. ‘No. It was more like closing a door we probably shouldn’t have reopened. If anything, it was like laying an old ghost to rest.’
‘Interesting choice of words,’ Raegan said, and then raised her hands as though warding me off. ‘But I won’t mention it again.’ She took two sips from her mug before breaking her word. ‘It’s a real shame though. I was kind of hoping a fit, bearded, lumberjack type might come charging through those swing doors and sweep you off your feet.’
I snorted inelegantly into my tea but couldn’t stop my eyes from flitting to the double aluminium doors of the kitchen workshop.
