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I reach for the door, but before closing it, I look at them both, their pleading eyes and furrowed brows wrenching my heart. “Lewis, be sure to push ahead with your plans for the hotel. I just know you’re going to turn it into some place really special. And, Jamie, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m going to miss your jokes, as inappropriate as they are.”

“Emily!” Lewis says mournfully.

A sad smile crosses Jamie’s lips.

“Say goodbye to Aidan and Elspeth for me.” I don’t quite meet the brothers’ eyes. Their expressions are dangerously close to tipping me over the edge. “And Cat and Iona too. It really was lovely to get to know you all.”

I blink fiercely. God, I’ve held back the tears this long. Surely I can last another minute?

Grace, in the driver’s seat, and David, in the passenger’s, are both looking at me with questioning gazes. Earlier, on the call, I didn’t fill Grace in on what happened. I just asked her to come get me.

I’ll tell them everything later. If I extend this farewell any longer, the floodgates will open, and there’s nothing I’ll be able to do about it.

I pull the door closed. “Let’s go!”

* * *

I stare out the car window at the majestic Scottish countryside, made more atmospheric by the ominous grey skies from which rain drizzles. Neither Grace nor David have said much since they picked me up, which must have been at least half an hour ago. We travel in silence without even the radio on.

I’ve still not told them what happened. I think they’re waiting for me to speak in my own time, but I’ve no idea when I’ll be ready to talk about it. It’s all so raw. Ally . . .

I sniff, wiping away tears that haven’t stopped flowing since Bannock. I must look a state—my face blotchy, my eyes red-rimmed—but I couldn’t care less. If I take nothing else away from my stay in the Highlands, I’ve at least learnt not to worry so much about my appearance.

“All right, I’ll be the one to break the silence.” From the passenger seat, David turns to look at me. “Are you going to tell us what’s going on?”

I don’t meet his eye. Instead, continuing to stare out the window, I say, “Harry came to the hotel.”

“My God!” Grace gasps. “What did he want?”

“To get back together with me.”

“The cheeky bastard!” David’s face is a mixture of disbelief and shock. “After what he did to you? He has some nerve!”

“What did you say?” Grace prompts.

“Well . . . we went for a walk. He apologised for what he did, and he was genuinely sorry. He told me he saw the article, and the photo of me running through London in my wedding dress hit him hard. He knew his actions would have upset me, but that picture made it real for him. He also admitted he hadn’t even considered how being jilted would affect my career.”

“Because he’s a self-absorbed arsehole,” David mutters.

I ignore that comment. “Anyway, that was his in for getting back together with me. He knew I’d have reservations, so . . . he told me he’d already contacted Stephanie at the magazine. Apparently, she was very interested in doing a follow-up piece on our reunion.”

“What?” Grace splutters. “He reached out to the magazine before asking you if you wanted him back?”

“Yep,” I confirm. “The way he framed it, it’d be the perfect fix for my career—a little publicity stunt to help me save face and hopefully save clients too.”

Grace lets out an incredulous laugh. “Unbelievable! You told him where to go, right?”

“Of course! That ship has well and truly sailed. Anyway, the weird thing is, when I was with Harry again, I felt . . . nothing. Okay, not nothing—a bit of anger—but I didn’t feel anything resembling affection, and even the anger was muted. I couldn’t get worked up because . . . well, even though we were nearly married, I just don’t care enough about him anymore. I’m glad what happened, happened. I dodged a bullet—I see that now. If anything, I should be grateful he got cold feet.”

Grace nods. “Good! I’m a forgiving person—you know I am—but I’d have struggled to forgive Harry had you two got back together.” She glances at me, offering a small smile before returning her attention to the road.

“So . . .” David says. “You said no to Harry. That’s great, but it doesn’t explain why we had to rescue you from Bannock.”

“Oh.” Stifling a sob, I turn back to the window.

I’d hoped Ally would come back. Even as I was hefting my cases down the stairs, being chased by Lewis, I’d hoped he would burst into the hotel, apologise for his behaviour, and beg me to stay—but no. There had been no sign of him.

“Ally and I had an argument. Or rather . . . it wasn’t so much an argument as it was him acting really off with me—and I mean, really off. He told me to pack my bags and leave.”