Declan took a step toward her, and anger shot through me. Like hell was I letting any man get close to her with that kind of ugly sneer on his face. I stepped forward, putting myself between them. “Walk away,” I said. “The town has made it pretty clear that no one wants you here.”
He sneered at me. “So Mr. Bigshot Hotel Developer is your bodyguard now?”
“She doesn’t need a bodyguard,” I said, my fingers coiled into a fist. I wasn’t going to hit the kid, but I might take him by the back of the collar and toss him out on his arse if he didn’t back off soon. “She can handle herself. But in case you’re wondering, yes. I have been known to take the rubbish out when necessary. Why don’t you save me the trouble? I’m sure your boss is waiting to hear all about how you cocked this up for him.”
I gave him my best, most infuriating smirk.Go on, take a swing,I silently dared him.See where that gets you.I let my eyes flash dangerously, and Declan backed off, shaking his head as he stalked away, muttering under his breath.
I kept my eyes on him, not letting my guard down until he’d fully exited the building. Isla took my hand, bringing me back to reality. “I think he’s well and truly got his tail between his legs.”
I turned to her. “Are you going to tell me what that was about?” I asked. “I get that he’s not happy he lost, but he seemed to blame you in particular.”
She winced, curling in on herself a little. “Do you remember at the cat café, when Jo said I’d chosen someone better this time around?”
“Wait, so he’s the loser you picked before?” I said, unable to keep the judgment out of my voice. Isla gave me a flat look, and I apologized. “But seriously, that guy?”
“He put on the full charm offensive, so it took me a while to realize how truly terrible he was,” Isla admitted. “When I first got back to Scotland, he started dating me pretty ardently. I was still processing the move and losing my mom, and I just…” She shrugged, embarrassed. “I wanted to feel good, to have something I could get excited about. He was cute, and fun, and he seemed really into me. So I got a little swept off my feet.”
“Then what happened?” I asked.
“I found out he was using me because he wanted money. He tried to get me to sell my mom’s artwork to bankroll some business venture.”
“Oh, Isla,” I said. Having to deal with that off the back of losing her mother was horrible. “You didn’t?”
“No,” she hurried to say. “My mom’s work means way too much to me. Evensuggestingthat I sell it all right away while ‘interest was still hot’ was enough to stop me in my tracks. When I made it clear that was never going to happen, he dumped me hard and fast. Word got out around town, as it does. Everyone took my side, and he got shunned pretty badly. It wasn’t long before he moved away.”
“And linked up with Sargentis Industries, apparently,” I muttered.
“Anyway,” Isla said, wrapping her hand around my forearm. “He’s a slimy arse, and I could have handled him.”
I flash her a smile. “I know.”
“But thank you for stepping in, and for the things you said. It was sweet.” She pressed up on her toes then, leaving a soft kiss on my lips. She hovered there a moment, waiting for me to respond. When I did, she tilted her head, and I immediately knew there was something different about this kiss.
It wasn’t some little peck for the crowds. It wasn’t pretend.
It was for us—only us.
And I wanted it more than I knew how to admit.
15
ISLA
“You’ll never guess what just landed in my inbox!” Locke announced, walking through the front door of the inn. He was beaming. No, not just beaming. The man was glowing. He pressed his hands to the front of the check-in desk, looking like he wanted to leap over it.
“Well, don’t keep me waiting,” I said. “What is it?”
“The paperwork for the property!”
I dropped the file I’d been holding. “Holy shit, Dad sent it? Are you serious?” I hurried around the desk, throwing myself into his arms as elation filled me. “Oh my God!” I pulled back, looking into those gray eyes I’d become so fond of recently. “We did it? It’s actually ours?”
Locke’s hands ran up my forearms, over my elbows, and curled around my shoulders, pulling me into another warm embrace. “He’s making the official press announcement this afternoon,” Locke murmured into my hair. “But it’s done. The paperwork is signed. The deed has changed hands.”
My pulse skipped in my chest. I couldn’t believe we were going to get to restore my childhood home. Hell, next spring I’d be able to take our child on walks down those same trails I’d walked hundreds of times with my mom.
“What’s all the shrieking about?” Maisie asked, walking into the lobby with a stack of freshly laundered towels. “Please tell me someone has good news?”
“Dad signed over the property,” I told her.
