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‘Oh God, no.’ Bex laughed. ‘I mean, I’ve just sorted out which of the thousand pieces of paper are rubbish and which I need to use in the accounts. I’ve still got weeks left to go.’

‘Well, that’s good for us at least,’ Eilidh said, ‘to have more time to see you. And Lorna will be glad too – she’s gutted that she had to miss tonight.’

‘Lorna’s not coming?’ The surprise lifted in Bex’s voice.

‘Didn’t you see her message? Her car broke down just outside Glasgow on her way back from work. I offered to go and get her, but she said she’d be fine. So it’s just gonna be the four of us – is that a problem?’

‘No, no problem,’ Bex said. ‘I mean, I’m guessing Duncan’s still coming?’

‘Judging by the way he’s walking towards us right now, I’d say yes.’

Bex turned around, and yes, Duncan was walking straight over. For a moment, all she could do was stand there and take him in. He was dressed in a pale blue shirt that complemented his colouring while his hair was half up, in a style that she would have thought of as feminine, but on him emanated 100 per cent raw masculine energy. How had she never noticed exactly how utterly piercing his eyes were? Or how broad his shoulders were, either? He was, without a shadow of a doubt, absolutely freaking gorgeous. As her eyes inadvertently locked on his, he flashed her a smile that caused all the muscles in her abdomen to clench.

‘The four of us?’ Bex said, swallowing back the racing in her chest. ‘No, no, that sounds absolutely great.’

36

Bex was too stunned by Duncan’s appearance to think straight as Eilidh and Niall instinctively slipped in next to each other at the table, meaning she was next to Duncan. Maybe it was better this way – better than having to look straight at him the entire time. How was he so damn attractive? His cheekbones were as sharp as the axes she had imagined him chopping with, and those damn eyes – the candlelight from the table was obviously doing something to them, Making them even more mesmerising. Not that she kept looking at them. Or at least, she hoped she didn’t.

This pub had a very different atmosphere from the White Hart. This, in her opinion, anyway, was more of a gastropub, where people were coming for the food and the atmosphere, rather than just a place to catch up with their friends and a pint.

‘The haggis here is great,’ Eilidh said as they browsed the menus. ‘I’m not sure if you’ve had haggis yet, but if you’re going to try it, I’d definitely recommend it here.’

‘Well, I really like bridies,’ Bex replied. ‘Duncan’s brought me them for lunch a couple of times.’

Bex only realised what she’d said a moment after the words slipped out. Fingers crossed it wouldn’t get back to Lorna that Duncan had brought her lunch, although from Eilidh’s response, she didn’t seem to notice anything odd about the comment.

‘Really? Oh wow, we’re already turning you into a local!’ Eilidh laughed.

‘Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but yeah, trying haggis sounds like a good idea.’

‘Don’t worry about driving,’ Niall said. ‘I’ve got work early tomorrow, so I can drop you home.’

‘I brought my car,’ Bex replied. She had ummed and ahhed about walking, but the heels had cinched it for her. Dry weather or not, she was likely to twist an ankle on all the gravel and cobblestones. Besides, the last thing she needed was to have too much to drink in front of Duncan while there were other people there.

‘Well, if you decide you want a couple, your car’ll be fine to leave overnight,’ Niall assured her.

‘I’ll remember that,’ Bex said, although at that moment, her mind was a million miles away from the thought of getting home, or even whether she wanted to enjoy a couple of drinks.

Instead, all she could focus on was the fact that Duncan was seated just inches from her, and every time she moved slightly, their thighs brushed. Sometimes it was just for a brief moment, but at other times, like now, the moment lingered, causing her breath to stutter.

She needed to stop thinking about it. She needed to stop thinking about how easy it would be to slip her hand onto his knee or intertwine her fingers with his. This was ridiculous.

‘So, what is it you do?’ she asked Niall, desperate to distract herself from the feel of Duncan’s eyes constantly looking at her.

‘Oh, it’s not very interesting at all. I work in farm machinery.’

‘What do you mean, “not interesting”?’ Eilidh said. ‘He’s downplaying how hard he works massively. He’s already a director at the company.’

‘Wow, that’s great going,’ Bex said.

Niall shrugged. ‘I know, but Eilidh makes it sound better than it is – I mean, it’s a company of three people. Two of us are directors.’

‘It’s still a company,’ Bex said. ‘Most people don’t have the courage to take risks like that.’

‘Is it something you’d do?’ Duncan asked. ‘Start your own business?’

Bex considered the question. ‘The thing with accountancy firms in London is that there are so many big names, going on your own is just career suicide unless you’ve got a massive client list that’ll come with you, and even then there are all these non-compete agreements.’