Five Days in Skye: A Novel (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Andrea woke before dawn, and her heart began racing before she could consciously identify the reason for it. Then the events of the day before came rushing back to her.

She cringed when she recalled how she’d wept on James’s shoulder. What must he think of her today? He had been sweet and understanding, but what else would he do when faced with a crying woman? Still, thinking of how she had fallen asleep against him on the sofa and awakened to his touch ignited a deep ache of longing in her. She wanted that sort of companionship so badly it hurt to breathe.

And today was her last day in Skye.

She rolled over and buried her head in her pillow. She was stupid. She had known this was just temporary. She had known it when she let him pierce her armor and see the life she had built was just a shield to protect a heart that couldn’t bear to be damaged again. She had risked it knowing full well the consequences, and now she would pay the price.

The idea of dragging herself out of bed for her usual yoga warm-up sounded less and less appealing. Instead, she took her phone from where it charged beside the bed and plugged in her earphones. Her favorite Mendelssohn composition flooded out, and she burrowed deeper in the covers, letting the music wash over her.

She woke much later to the glaring spill of sunlight through the windows and squinted at the clock on the nightstand. 10:13. She jerked upright in bed and pulled the earbuds out of her ears. Jogging. James. She’d slept through their morning date. She reached for the room phone and dialed his extension, but the line only rang.

Irrational panic seeped into her chest. What if he’d decided he was completely insane for getting involved with someone as damaged as her? What if he’d had the night to think about what she’d told him and decided he didn’t want to deal with her baggage?

She didn’t even try to convince herself she didn’t care. She swung her legs out of bed, thrust her feet into her slippers, and shuffled to the door. She peered out through the crack. The wagon was still there, but a note was taped to her door.

Andrea pulled it off and unfolded the plain sheet of computer paper. What she assumed was James’s handwriting, surprisingly precise and angular, slanted across the page.

Andrea,

I came by this morning, but you didn’t answer. I didn’t want to wake you. I have business in Portree, but I’ll be back this afternoon. I left the keys to the car in case you want to get out. Be sure to stop by my room when you wake up. Door’s unlocked.

Love, James

Her eyes lingered on the last words, and the knots in her stomach relaxed a little. That didn’t sound like he had fled, only that he couldn’t wait around for her to wake up.

She bathed and dressed quickly, too curious about what waited in his cottage to dally. Still, she felt like an intruder when she let herself in.

A smile spread across her face. He had set the kitchen table for one with dishes and flatware and a clutch of wildflowers spilling out of a teacup. A scrap of paper on the plate said,
Look in the fridge. Water for tea and bread for toast are on the counter.

She opened the small refrigerator with anticipation. A glass of orange juice sat beside a bowl of yogurt and a small dish of fresh berries. She withdrew them with a smile and carried them to the table. Then she made herself a cup of tea from the electric kettle he’d left filled by the range and popped two slices of bread into the toaster.

What could she say about a man who would go to such pains to reassure her she hadn’t scared him off? She hesitated for only a second before she pulled out her cell phone and found the number James had programmed in.

He picked up on the third ring. “Good morning, Andy.” She could tell by his tone he was smiling. “Did you find your surprise?”

“I did, thank you. I’m sorry I missed our date.”

“You deserved some rest. I’m sorry I couldn’t stick around. I didn’t want you to think—”

“I know. You’re sweet for being concerned.”

Silence stretched, and Andrea belatedly realized he was probably in the middle of something important. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“Not at all. I’ll be finished here in about an hour. We can be on our way to Inverness around one. If you’re bored, you can drive up to the house. I’m sure Serena would like to see you.”

“Sure, thanks. I’ll see you soon.”

Kind as his family was, Andrea didn’t feel like spending the morning up at the house, so after she ate breakfast and washed the dishes, she set off toward the water’s edge. The air carried a hint of warmth today, and the clouds that mounded over the mainland and spread erratically over the sound were of the fluffy variety, not the thunderheads that had followed them for the last several days. Regret gnawed at her midsection as she looked out onto the smooth blue waters. She had fought tooth and nail against this place, but it had wound its way into her heart without her noticing. Much like James had stolen into her heart and claimed a piece she had thought was lost forever.

It was ridiculous, impossible even, to have these sorts of feelings for someone she barely knew, but it made them no less real.

She walked along the shore, her feet sinking into the damp sand. She gathered smooth pebbles and bits of driftwood and tossed them into the water, watching them splash and disappear beneath the dark surface. She took out her phone, intending to snap a picture of the scenery, then shoved it back into her pocket. James was right. Whatever images she captured couldn’t hope to reproduce how she felt here, standing on the edge of civilization, watching the glimmer of sunlight on the water and feeling the salt breeze on her face.

Tomorrow, she would be back in New York amidst the towering skyscrapers of steel, stone, and glass, enveloped in the night sounds of horns and traffic with the drift of exhaust and garbage on the air. Could she ever see the bustle of home the same way again?

She wandered back up to the hotel, and her heart lurched when she saw James’s Audi parked beside the Green Monster. Belatedly, she realized she’d never bothered to put on makeup and had barely brushed her hair. She changed course swiftly toward her own room, but she only made it a few steps before James’s door opened.

“Going somewhere?”

“I was just …”

He smiled, and her heart skipped a beat. Wordlessly, he moved to her side, pulled her against him, and gave her a lingering kiss that erased all doubts about his feelings. “I’ve been waiting all morning to do that.”

Me, too,
she thought, but she was still feeling too shaky to say it aloud. “I should go pack.”

He dipped his head and trailed light kisses along her cheek and jaw, raising a shiver on her skin. “Pack later.”

She groaned at the effort of extricating herself from his grasp. “Pack now. I want to say good-bye to Serena and Muriel.”

James let her pull out of his arms, but the way he watched her put a glow of giddiness into her chest. It faded when she stepped inside the cottage and remembered this was her last morning at the water’s edge.

No, she couldn’t think about it. She quickly zipped her suits into her garment bag, folding it over the single pair of jeans she could fit into her suitcase. She looked sadly at her gray quilted coat. Leaving the clothes behind felt like abandoning her memories of Skye, but she hadn’t spent enough on them to justify buying another suitcase to bring them home.

She shook off her pensive mood, shoved her laptop into its case, and turned her attention to straightening her room. She removed the sheets from the bed and folded them loosely, then added her used towels to the pile. When she came across her scarf still hanging on the back of the bathroom door, she ran her fingers across the fringe and tucked it into the pocket of her wool coat.

James was waiting for her when she finally emerged from the cottage. He wordlessly took her bag and put it in the trunk of the sedan. Andrea worked the cottage’s key from her key ring and handed it to him.

His fingers lingered on hers as he took it, her conflict reflected in his expression. It felt like an ending of something they had never defined, and neither of them knew what to do next.

“Shall we go up to the house and say good-bye?” he said finally, dropping her hand. She nodded and climbed into the car.

Serena and the kids were taking advantage of the sunny weather when they arrived. Emmy ran circles around the yard, flapping her arms and pretending to be some sort of flying creature, while Max sat contentedly on a blanket, munching cereal from a small bowl.

Serena waved as James parked a safe distance away. “Off to Inverness?” she asked when they climbed out.

James threw another conflicted glance at Andrea. “Just came to say good-bye.”

“Auntie’s in the house.”

James took the hint and headed up the front steps. Serena linked her arm with Andrea’s. “So, what now?”

“We’re going to see a band tonight. A friend of the family’s? Davy something.”

Serena lifted her eyebrows. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know it wasn’t.”

Serena nodded slowly. “I think by now you’ve figured out my brother is not exactly what he makes himself out to be.”

“I’ve noticed that.”

“Then maybe you should ask yourself why he’s never with the same woman twice, if it’s not for the reason he leads everyone to believe.” She squeezed Andrea’s arm and abruptly let go as the front door opened again. James emerged with Muriel.

“Andrea, darling.” Muriel approached her with open arms and pressed her into a warm embrace. “It was lovely to have met you. I hope you’ll consider coming back to visit us.”

“Thank you, Muriel. I appreciate your hospitality.”

“Emmy, come say good-bye to Andrea!” Serena called.

The little girl changed course immediately and flung herself at Andrea, almost knocking her off her feet. “Don’t go! I want to show you how good I’ve gotten!”

Andrea swallowed hard and bent down so she could look the little girl in the eye. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I have to go home. Keep practicing, though. I’m sure your uncle will tell me all about your progress.”

Emmy twisted her T-shirt between her fingers fitfully. “Are you coming back?”

Andrea’s throat tightened. “I don’t know. But if I do, you will be one of the first to know, okay?”

“Okay.” Emmy’s lower lip quivered as she threw her arms around her neck. Andrea struggled to breathe as she pressed the little girl to her. Finally, she disentangled herself and straightened.

James watched her, holding Max with one arm. He nuzzled the baby and asked, “You want to say good-bye to Andrea, Maxie?”

She ran her hand over Max’s downy head with a lurch of her heart, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. “’Bye, little one. Be good for mama. Let her sleep one of these nights, all right?”

Serena laughed, took Max from her brother, and accepted James’s quick kiss on the cheek. “If I only thought he would listen to you. Have fun, you two. It was good meeting you, Andrea.” She looked at James and then back at Andrea significantly, as if reminding her of their brief conversation.

Andrea’s stomach jerked nervously as they climbed back into the car. James turned back down the drive and onto the main road before he asked, “What was that all about?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” Had the words come from Ian, Andrea would have thought it was a warning that James would move on from her as quickly as he had with other women. But Serena almost sounded afraid James would be the one to get hurt in this scenario.

James leaned forward and turned on the stereo. Soft jazz spilled from the speakers, filling the silence. Andrea watched the scenery rush by as they headed back to the mainland, the vise around her chest tightening with each passing mile. When they reached the Skye Bridge, she closed her eyes against tears and leaned her head back against the seat.

“I’ve been thinking of taking some time off to travel,” James said.

Andrea opened her eyes and looked at him. “You don’t travel enough for work?”

“I’ve been to Los Angeles and Chicago, but would you believe I’ve never been to New York?”

Her pulse quickened at the implication. “That’s a shame. New York has lots to offer.”

“It’s just too bad I don’t know anyone who lives there. It would be nice to have someone show me around.”

“I might know a few people.” A slow smile crept over Andrea’s face. “I wouldn’t recommend going in the summer, though. Fall is much more pleasant.”

“I was thinking more like spring.” He glanced at her before quickly returning his eyes to the road. “April is already pretty booked, but I’m sure I can find some time in May. It only makes sense if my tour guide is free, though.”

“I’ll have her check her schedule.”

He grinned. “I hope you’re joking. Do I need to be more direct?”

“No, I think you got your point across just fine.” She sighed, the glow fading a little. “You do realize I have to work. I can’t just take off at a moment’s notice like you can.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t own my own business. I’m subject to the whims of a very demanding boss, and after the whole London debacle …”

“Let me ask you this. What do you want out of life?”

His serious tone took her aback. “I don’t know. I want to be successful. I want to achieve my goals. I want to feel like I accomplished something when I go home at night. I guess … I guess I’m happy where I am.”

“So there isn’t any room for change? No room for someone to share your life with?” James stared straight out the windshield, his muscles tensed, as if he dreaded the answer to his question.

Andrea couldn’t breathe against the sudden swell of fear. She wanted to throw caution to the wind, ask him to speak plainly, but the words stuck in her throat. “I don’t know. I’d like to believe that someday …”

“It’s okay. Never mind.”

“Is that what you’re looking for?”

He shrugged, but it didn’t seem like a casual gesture. “I’m content with what I’ve achieved. But yes. I had hoped for other things by this point in my life.” She saw his throat work as he swallowed down the rest of his words. “Forget it.”