Page 53 of A Summer of New Beginnings
She cringed as she looked down at her minimal luggage. ‘Oh, that’s okay. I think I can manage.’
‘Very well.’ He smiled again. ‘Dinner is booked for eight and your guest will join you then.’
‘My guest?’ Confusion took overas she tried to figure out why Noah would come all this way. It was one major bloody guilt trip if he had. ‘Do you have the name of my guest at all?’ The man scrunched his brow and she replayed what she had just asked. ‘Oh, erm… this has been booked as a surprise for me by a friend. I just don’t knowwhichfriend.’Nope, that doesn’t really help you tonotlook like a prostitute, Bailey.She suddenlyfelt like Julia Roberts’ character inPretty Womanwhen she arrived at the Regent Beverly Wilshire.
He glanced at the screen again. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have the name. And I didn’t handle the call, so I can’t really help. It’s all just booked in your name. I can call my colleague if—’
She felt that awful telltale heat rise in her face and wanted to just get to her room. ‘Oh, no, that won’t benecessary. I have a good idea who it is. I’ve been cycling the North Coast 500, you see, and this is their way of congratulating me for not dying,’ she said, feeling the need to explain. She dashed for the elevator – well, shehadjust cycled almost five hundred miles so the stairs were an absolute no-no.
As she rode upwards to her floor it dawned on her that maybe… and it was a long shot… butmaybe this was all Lachlan’s doing. Maybe he missed her and had decided to surprise her? Her stomach flipped as she thought about that possibility, as minuscule as it was. The nervousness in her stomach turned to butterflies doing the fandango as she imagined him walking into the fancy restaurant in a kilt. Of course, he probably wouldn’tdothat but if he did… Those calves… His thighs under thatkilt… The elevator pinged and the doors opened. She walked along the corridor and located her suite, stuck the key card into the slot and the door opened.
She stepped into a beautifully decorated hallway with a thick carpet that sank underfoot as she trod further into the suite. A bathroom lay straight ahead with his and hers marble sinks and a roll-top bath big enough for two. Round the cornerwas a walk-in shower cubicle too. As expected, expensive toiletries graced the surfaces in readiness, along with thick fluffy bathrobes and towels.Oh, God, I could move into this bathroom alone.
She came out of the bathroom and walked into the main area of the suite. Shimmering fleur-de-lys wallpaper covered the bed-head wall – the bed-head itself was a sumptuous burgundy velvet. A plush leathercouch, much like the ones in the reception area, sat in the bay window overlooking the grounds and the biggest bed she had ever seen was situated to make the best of the view.
She walked round open-mouthed and excitement built once again.This wouldn’t be Noah. This has to Be Lachy.But if it was Lachy he was being very presumptuous. Unless all he expected was to dine with her and leave?Thatwould be acceptable. How would she feel seeing him again? She closed her eyes and let the image of him walking towards her unfold.That handsome smile on his face and that stubble on his angular jaw.The short amount of time they had spent together had felt sexually charged and she knew if it was him she wouldn’t be able to resist him. But this was such a grand gesture for someone she’d had no-strings-attachedsex with, wasn’t it? Had it meant more to him? She wasn’t ready to admit that there was a good chance it had meant more to her… Not yet. Even though deep down…
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake, this isn’t helping me. I need to shower. In fact, no, I need to have a long soak in that massive tub,’ she said to the empty room, as if doing so would dislodge the images and feelings coursing through her. Pissedoff with herself, she stomped through to the bathroom and turned on the taps in the tub. Whatever happened she was leaving tomorrow to go back to London, so even if Lachy did turn out to be her ‘guest’ for the evening nothing could come of it. She couldn’t allow herself to feel something for someone who lived so far away.
She poured vanilla-scented bath oil into the water, stripped her tight-fittingbike clothes from her body and stepped in. As she sank down she immediately began to relax. The cocoon of steam enveloped her like a hug and she exhaled some of the tension she had been holding onto. She closed her eyes and thought back to some of the sights and experiences she’d had during her trip. The eagles, the dolphins, the seals… Bess’s little face as Zara mounted her bike to leave…Lachy standing with his back towards her as if he couldn’t wave goodbye. Tears over-spilled her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. Lachy had been right – in spite of her original reluctance to come to Scotland, she would be leaving a little piece of her heart in the Highlands.
But more specifically in Scourie.
Once the water turned cold, she stepped out of the bath and into the shower cubicleto wash her hair. But all the while images of Bess and Lachy whirred around her mind and the hope that he would be the one that arrived at eight took up roots in her heart.Please let it be him…
She remembered the business card Lachy had given her. Maybe she should just bite the bullet and call him? Or at the least send him a text. That way, depending on his response, she would be put out ofher misery… or maybe not, but at least she’d know. She rifled through her backpack but there was no sign of the card. Realising she had put it in her pocket with the gift he had given her, she looked there but it was gone.Shit.It must have fallen out when she took the gift out to open it. With no way to contact him, she resigned herself to the fact she would just have to wait and see if he showedup.
Thankfully the hairdryer in the room was better than the one she owned at home so once she had finished drying her hair and getting dressed, she looked almost like herself once more. She brushed lip gloss over her lips and checked the clock on her phone. It was almost time. She grabbed her wallet and key card, slipped into her new ballet pumps and left the room.
The dining room was as luxuriousas the rest of the place only this time the decoration was burgundy and gold. The setting, with its subdued lighting and candles, was very romantic – striking Noah out of the equation completely. He would have booked her a youth hostel and taken her to a vegan restaurant probably. This place just wasn’t his style.
The maître d’ showed her to a table for two but no one else was there yet. Othercouples were seated enjoying the atmosphere, holding hands across the linen tablecloths as piano music floated through the air from hidden speakers. A waiter smiled as he carried an ice bucket towards her complete with a bottle of what looked like champagne. She presumed he would bypass her and deliver it to one of the other sickeningly happy couples, but instead he placed the bucket on its standright by her table.
‘Oh, I think you must have the wrong—’
‘It’s okay, madam. This was pre-ordered and paid for.’ She thanked him and he walked away.
She sat twisting her fingers in her lap and trying to discreetly look at the clock situated on the wall above a loved-up couple. But the woman seemed to think she was trying to flirt with her man and kept scowling at her, so she stopped. He waslate. Whoeverhewas.Maybe Lachy had second thoughts? Maybe it’s not Lachy? Maybe it’s a bloody prank by Marco and Shelley? Oh, God, that would be awful – surely they wouldn’t do that? Maybe it is Noah after all. He isn’t known for his timekeeping. If her so-calledguestdidn’t arrive in the next five minutes—
She was planning her exit strategy when a large hand rested on her shoulder and squeezedas someone bent to kiss her neck.
‘God, I’ve missed you, Zara, so,somuch,’ he whispered and her stomach leapt.
‘Josh? What thehellare you doing here?’
