Page 66 of Of Heather and Thistle
Heather sighed, her mind racing. Six months to a year—longer than she’d planned, assuming she’d ever had a plan in the first place. What would she do about her life back in Millhaven? Her apartment was in limbo, subleased to Mark’s friend for now, but that arrangement couldn’t last forever. And her dad’s house… She still hadn’t made any real progress towards selling it. It just sat there, waiting, much like everything else in her life that felt unresolved.
Flynn studied her momentarily, his expression shifting—not teasing, not playful, but something closer to understanding. “Ye don’t have to decide everything today, you know,” he said, his voice softer. “It’s alright to take yer time.”
Heather blinked, caught off guard. Was she that obvious? She forced a smile. “That obvious, huh?”
Flynn shrugged, his grin easy but knowing. “I’ve seen thatlook before. People standing at the edge of something big—usually just before they jump.”
The weight of it all pressed on her chest as she glanced around the grand but crumbling Glenoran. Was she ready to take on something this big? Or was she running from the life she’d left behind?
“I’ll be honest, Campbell,” Flynn said, turning toward her with a rare note of gravity. “This place is a right beast—but it’s worth it. The history in these walls is something special. If you’re really serious about restoring it, I can give ye a hand—my company handles this kind of work all the time.”
“You’d help me?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Flynn shrugged, but there was something deliberate about the way he looked at her. “I wouldnae offer if I didn’t think it mattered.Besides, we’re old friends now, right?” His tone was light and teasing, but his voice had an underlying sincerity. “I’ll give you a discount for the work. Let’s say you’re getting the ‘old friend’ special. Ye’ll still be broke, but at least ye’ll feel better about it.”
Heather let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. “Well, I guess that’s a win.” But underneath the humor, there was something else. Relief. She hated admitting it, even to herself, but knowing she wasn’t in this alone made something in her chest loosen. She had spent so much time carrying things on her own—her father’s death, the bookstore, the house in the city. And now, here was Flynn, casually offering to take some of the weight off. She didn’t know what to do with that.
It was a relief. And—if she let herself admit it—maybe even a temptation. She wasn’t sure what kind of friends they were becoming, but restoring the house with his help suddenlyseemed less daunting. “Well, in that case, I might just take you up on that,” she said with a half-smile. “It sounds like I’ll need all the help I can get.”
Flynn’s grin widened, and for a moment, Heather could’ve sworn she saw something flicker in his eyes—something warmer than just professional concern. “Glad to hear it. We’ll get started soon. I’ll get the team out here next week and start with the most urgent stuff. If we’re going to do this, we’ll do it right.”
Heather looked at the house again, feeling more specific and hopeful. Maybe this wasn’t the disaster she had imagined. Maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something bigger. She’d arrived in Scotland expecting to clean up a house and move on. Now, she wasn’t so sure she even wanted to leave.
“Thanks, Flynn,” she said, her voice softer now, touched by gratitude.
“Dinnae mention it,” he joked, “Just doing my civic duty to ensure Scotland remains a no-transparent-pants zone.”
Heather laughed, a thread of tension loosening in her shoulders as she glanced at the house. “I’ll take that as a promise.”
Their hands met in a firm shake, and Heather felt a jolt of something unexpected—warmth that traveled straight up her arm from his palm. His grip was steady, his skin slightly rough, and it felt like an anchor, grounding her amid her swirling doubts, and the gesture lingered just a second too long—long enough for her to notice. Long enough for her to wonder if he did, too. Her breath hitched, and Flynn’s smile softened, his hand holding hers just a beat longer before he released her.
“That’s settled, then,” he said, his voice low and sure. “Welcome to the chaos.”
Heather tried to play it cool, even as her heart thudded. “Chaos might be putting it lightly. This place is practically falling apart.”
“Aye,” Flynn said, a teasing glint in his eye, “but it’s yer chaos now. And lucky for ye, I have a soft spot for fixing disasters.”
Heather raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms with a bemused grin, “Are you calling me a disaster?”
“Not you, Glenoran,” he shot back with a wink. “You, Miss Campbell, are more of a… challenge.”
“Glad to know I’m keeping you on your toes,” she said, unable to stop smiling back.
“Always,” Flynn replied, his tone light but with just a hint of something else that made her stomach flutter. He stepped back, his gaze sweeping over the house with fondness and determination. “Right, then. Let’s get to it! I’ll come back tomorrow to go over the priority repairs and draw up a proper plan.”
Heather glanced up at the house, its weathered facade and sagging roof still daunting but somehow less overwhelming with Flynn standing beside her. “Right,” she murmured.
“Ye’ve got time,” he said with a small smile, his voice steady and reassuring. “We’ll get there.”
As Flynn headed toward his truck, he paused, turning back to her with a grin. “Oh, and Campbell?”
“Yeah?”
“Try to avoid wandering off in the rain while I’m gone, eh?” He winked, his grin widening as he climbed into the truck.
Heather laughed despite herself, shaking her head as she watched him drive away. The sound of his engine fadedinto the distance, leaving her alone once more in front of Glenoran House. But this time, the solitude didn’t feel quite so overwhelming. She turned back toward the house, wrapping her arms around herself as the wind carried the scent of damp earth and old stone. A distant crow called through the trees, echoing like a memory.
The enormity of it all pressed in around her—the repairs, the history, the uncertainty of what came next—but something was different now. She wasn’t entirely alone in this. For the first time since arriving in Scotland, that thought felt like something she could hold onto. She took one last look at the road where Flynn had disappeared, then turned back to Glenoran.
