“Ranger,” I complained.
“There’s room for Milo right there,” Aisling was saying.
“Where, on Uncle Locke’s head?” Isla teased, coming over.
Aisling giggled.
“I heard Uncle Locke was going to make an appearance today,” Isla said to me. “Aren’t we lucky?”
“I just had to reschedule some work meetings first,” I said. “Check-ins go okay?”
Isla lifted her shoulder. “Five-star service all around.”
“That’s all?” I said. “Pretty sure I had six-star service.”
Her cheeks turned bright pink, but she rolled her eyes at me. “Well, you’re just in time for manicures.”
“Yay!” Aisling cheered.
“Or,” I said, waggling my eyebrows at Aisling. “We could go on an adventure for ice cream!”
“Before lunch?” she cried, jumping to her feet and rushing for the door. “I want bubblegum dream! Come on, Ranger. We can get you a pup cup!”
Ranger barked, launching himself off the sofa. I groaned as he trod on my knee.
Isla shook her head, amused. “I see you’ve taken to drastic measures to avoid your manicure.”
“I’ve been informed there’s glitter nail polish, which is terrifying.”
“Wait until I add the flowers,” she joked, going to the desk for Ranger’s leash. Once the dog was secure and Isla had her camera, we headed outside, making our way down the high street toward Hamish’s Pie Shop. The bakery kept a small ice cream cooler in the summer.
A week of staged hand-holding later, it was starting to feel less like a performance and more like muscle memory.
Aisling insisted on walking Ranger, so I spent most of the time making sure the girl didn’t get tugged off her feet while Isla chuckled and snapped photos.
“Sometimes I think about getting a little sled for the winter,” she said, catching the door as Aisling raced into Hamish’s.
“So Ranger can play as a sled dog?” I said, taking the door from her.
“Exactly.” She passed under my arm, so close I could have counted her eyelashes. “It would be cute.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“We’ll get a little helmet.”
“For the dog?”
“Of course for the dog, who else would we be talking about?”
She grinned up at me, and my eyes dropped to her lips. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, my pulse thundering at the base of my throat.
“We should probably put on a little bit of a show while we’re in town together,” she whispered. “Now that Dad has agreed to defer to the council’s decision, we need to start winning everyone over. Everyone will like you more if they know you have my stamp of approval.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Ham it up for the crowds, you mean?”
“Come on, you guys!” Aisling called, plastering herself to the front of the ice cream display. “Before the ice cream melts!”
I took Isla by the hand and tugged her close, warmth spreading through me as I led her and Ranger into Hamish’s. “It’s not going to melt,” I told Aisling.
