“I made a vegan version. I didny want to freak you out. It’s made with black beans.”
“Really?”
“Aye. And judging by the look of extreme relief on your face, I made the right call.”
“You really did. That was so thoughtful. I get to have the experience without freaking out.”
He laughs and picks up the spoon to stir the porridge. “I’ve never had it like this, so I can’t guarantee an authentic experience, but you won’t know the difference.”
“And I’m extremely fine with that.”
An hour later and we’re off playing tourist. Or Malcolm is. Despite me telling him over and over again that he didn’t have to come with me, he’s here, and to my great relief, it seems he’s having a good time.
“I can’t believe this is safe to walk in.” We’re several feet from the entrance to the main tower of Urquhart Castle, and I’m gazing up at what used to be five floors of strong stone walls. Now it looks as if a castle and Swiss cheese had a baby.
“It only started to deteriorate in the 1700s. So …” Malcolm makes a joke of the truth.
I huff a laugh. “So maybe three hundred years of deterioration? Is that all?”
“That’s all.” His eyes smile down at me. “Dinnae fash. There has been considerable work to stabilise it. We’ll be fine.”
“I’m not worried about it. Just impressed.”
We climb through the ruins, and when we reach the top, we see Loch Ness below and dark clouds quickly approaching. It was a cloudy day, and we knew there was a chance of rain, but when we arrived the sky didn’t seem threatening, so we left our jackets in the car.
I look around the grounds and find most people have already made their way to their cars. “Looks like we might have to make a run for it,” I say.
“Afraid of a little rain?” Malcolm teases.
I keep myself from glancing down at my white shirt. “It’s not quite warm enough to get soaked through.”
“Aye, right enough. Let’s go.”
By the time we make it to ground level, the bottom has dropped out of the sky. I eye Malcolm and he nods, so I take a few steps to begin jogging when he pulls me to a stop. “You can’t run; it’s too soon after your surgery.”
“Oh, gosh, you’re right.” I guess it would be considered a strenuous activity.
We make our way back to the shelter of the tower, but the damage is done. We’re soaked through.
24
Malcolm
Rain-soakedMakennamightbemy second favorite Makenna. It’s right next to first-thing-in-the-morning Makenna.
She entered the small space first, and when she turned to look at me my heart skipped a beat. She’s so beautiful, standing there with her shirt clinging to her tempting curves and her long dark hair sticking to her cheeks.
Her eyes widen almost imperceptibly as I step toward her and slide my fingertips underneath her hair at her forehead, then down, freeing her face from her sopping locks. I pull her hair behind her and bring my other hand around to squeeze out as much water as I can.
“There. Hopefully that helps.” I take a hesitant step back.
I watch as she swallows and wonder what she’s thinking. Does she know how much she affects me? Does she feel the same?
“Thanks.” She takes a shaky breath, wraps her arms around herself, and her teeth briefly chatter. “I hadn’t expected to get cold here in July.”
It’s a cooler-than-normal day; the sun’s not shining, and the rainstorm brought a strong breeze with it. I’m not at all surprised that she’s cold. I’m also not surprised at how badly I want to help her get warm.
“Are you cold?” she asks.
