“Okay, but you don’t like me. Which is fine, by the way. Perhaps even better.”
“And why is that?”
“Because my leaving is probably a check in the pro column for you now. We can just keep this simple. Just physical. It doesn’t have to mean a thing.”
His head moves back, the smallest amount, and for a second I swear he almost looks…wounded. Which only confuses me more. I’ve just offered him no-strings-attached, fun, meaningless sex. He was down for a one-night stand before. He declined the offer for a repeat because he was worried about feelings, but that’s not an obstacle any longer. I thought he’d be into this.
“Unless that’s not what you—”
The water in the bathroom turns on, and I look over my shoulder. The door to my father’s bedroom is closed. Still, he must be awake.
“We should talk about this later,” Jacob says in a hushed tone, and I don’t disagree.
I scarf down the rest of my breakfast and quickly place the tray in the hall.
—
When I see my father and Jacob wearing their half-rumpled wedding outfits from yesterday, I decide on our first stop of the day.
“We need to buy some clothes,” I say. I can feel the fuzzy texture of my unbrushed teeth, and it makes me want to cringe. “And toiletries.”
Jacob frowns.
“You’re not going back today?” my dad asks, a crease forming between his brows.
I shake my head. “Nope. Postponed my flight to tomorrow night.”
My father looks surprised, and Jacob simply stares at me, but I don’t allow any further questions about it. I don’t know how I’d answer them when I’m not 100 percent sure what I’m doing myself.
I don’t technically need to be here. I could head back to Aberdeen and make my original flight. My father and Jacob would be fine. They could manage a bus or a train to Skye. It’s only three to four hours away. But the idea of leaving right now doesn’t feel right.
It’s just a one-day delay. It’ll give me enough time find Maggie and make sure she’s okay. Then I can go back home with a clear conscience, without any lingering sense of guilt.
We check out of the hotel and find a corner shop, where we load up on deodorant and toothpaste. On the way, we pass a number of touristy shops. Their window displays feature stuffed animals of Nessie and T-shirts that sayI survived the Loch Ness Monster.
“Are we near Loch Ness?” I ask.
My dad nods. “River Ness runs through the city.”
“It’s not a loch?”
“The loch shares the same name,” Jacob says, his voice a tad professorial. “The two of them connect.” He pauses. “That’s what ‘inver’ means, actually, in Scottish Gaelic. ‘The place where the river meets the sea.’ It’s where the name Inverness comes from.”
It takes us a while to find a department store where are all three of us will be able to find clothes. Once inside, we part ways, Jacob and my father heading to the men’s section while I go to the women’s.
I take my time, grabbing pairs of jeans, shirts, and some underwear. I don’t know my exact size in the UK, so I take a few options into the fitting room, only to face the same issue I had last night.
My zipper is stuck.
I let out a sigh and open the door, hoping to find a sales associate who’ll be willing to assist me, but freeze when I see Jacob.
He’s here. Standing in front of the full-length mirror in a plain white undershirt and a pair of dark-blue jeans.
For a fleeting moment, I find myself missing his kilt.
“Hey.” I lift a hand, and his gaze snaps to mine. “I need to try on some things, but my dress—”
He closes his eyes briefly, anare you kidding?sort of look if I’ve ever seen one.
